Had another good sleep last night, clearly the air is getting dryer now.
When I had to put on full gear yesterday to get over the freezing last pass and left the last colourful Tibetan prayer flag pole behind me, I’m now at the start of the Gobi desert and its Hexi corridor.
Today will be a relatively short ride on the expressway and I do not expect any spectacular landscapes except being flanked by high mountains in a flat straight wide dusty dry corridor with little to see left and right. However, it will be the last day I will see mountains, when it will be all flat Gobi desert from tomorrow onwards. Such a fast migration from the freezing, green grasslands of the Tibetan plateau to the dry, dusty and hot Gobi desert. And it is the beginning of what many imagine as the ancient silk road which I will follow for the next 5 weeks or so. Wonder how those caravans made it year for year over more than 2000 years of trade and exchange from East to West, and West to East.
Here’s the corrected briefing for today:
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️ Day 21 — Saturday, 20 June 2026
Segment C1-18: Zhangye → Jiayuguan
The Hexi Corridor — Great Wall’s western terminus
Key Stats
– Route: Zhangye → Western Wall (lunch) → Jiayuguan
– Distance: 210 km
– Driving time: 2:26 (≈3.5 hrs with stops)
– Departure: ~10:00 → Arrive ~13:30 — easy half-day
– Country: China · Gansu
– Hotel: Jiugang Hotel (Jiayuguan Guancheng Fangte Phase 2 Huaboyuan)
– Booking: 1578947200133874 ·
[JYGZIYUG]P26052723000057
️ Weather
– Zhangye (start): Sunny, 19°C, 9 km/h
– Jiayuguan (arrival): ⚠️ Sandstorm, 18°C, 5 km/h
– Sheet warning: 30°C+. Crosswinds can be brutal. Watch for truck tire debris on the road.
️ Navigation
– Kurviger: <https://kurv.gr/LTZBA>
– Google Maps: <https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Zhangye,+Gansu,+China/Jiayuguan+Fort,+China/Jiayuguan,+Gansu,+China>
️ The Ride
“Hexi Corridor. Flat, straight G30 expressway/G312.”
A short, fast cruise along one of history’s great arteries — the Hexi Corridor was the Silk Road’s narrow lifeline between the Gobi Desert and the Qilian Mountains. The G30 runs arrow-straight across the gravel plains. At lunch, stop at the Great Wall’s westernmost outpost — Jiayuguan Pass, the “First Pass Under Heaven.” Afternoon free to explore the fortress, which looks exactly like it did when it marked the edge of the known world.
⚠️ Hazards
– Sandstorm in the forecast for Jiayuguan — if visibility drops, pull over
– Crosswinds on the open plains — keep both hands on the bars
– Truck tire debris on the G30 — shredded rubber snakes that can take out a radiator
Budget
– Hotel: $35.97
– Food: $40.00
– Petrol: $26.30
– Day total: $102.22
Tomorrow Preview (Day 22 — Sun 21 Jun)
– Jiayuguan → Dunhuang (395 km, 4:25 riding)
– Gobi Desert — pure desert landscape, long desolate stretches
– Lunch: Guaizitan Service Area / Guazhou
– ⚠️ 35°C+ with intense glare. Departure: 06:30 — avoid riding 13:00–16:00
– Hotel: Dunhuang Zhongzhou International Hotel
Notes
– ⛽ Short day — fuel from Zhangye easily covers 210 km
– Jiayuguan Fort in sandstorm light is incredibly dramatic
– Jiugang Hotel is near the fortress — early check-in, then explore
– Dunhuang Mogao Caves (in 2 days) require 30-day advance booking — confirm yours is sorted
–
The trip on the highway was straight and almost at a constant speed of 120, which resulted indeed in an average speed of 110 km/h. A bit different than three days ago. I arrived already around one o’clock, took a quick nap and then went to the car wash next to the hotel. They did a good job to each away the dust from the last 10 days on the plateau. Cleaned and oiled the chain as the bike was on the central stand and the oil level was perfect. After the carwash, I drove to the western end of the wall of China, which is a bit out of town in the desert. They did a good job I’m building an underground museum explaining the history of the great wall and specifically this end of the wall in the Hexi corridor which was also an important trading (and taxing) post. According to some description, it was the last true Chinese outpost where Chinese Administration worked under the dynasties rule. Well, I need to see how Dunhuang fits into that picture, because that would be the next town for any trader caravan and I understood it was also the last, most western Chinese outpost. In other words, China, and the reach of the administration ended there and anything further west was outside China and what is now called central Asia, which was more influenced by the Turkic and Persian culture and religion.
Tomorrow I will arrive in Dunhuang and spend two nights there. That was certainly the one oasis town, every caravan which traded between East and West, and West and East had to go through. Will see how it is nowadays.
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