CNX → UZ → CNX 2026

Author: Carsten

  • 8. June 2026

    Good morning. I’m off for my next leg to Lugu Lake today. Here is what the road book of today tells me:

    Today’s road book briefing (June 8, 2026):

    8-Jun-26 (Monday)

    • Date / Day: 8-Jun-26 (Monday)

    • Distance: 231 km

    • Route: Lijiang → Lugu Lake

    Field Briefing
    *   Segment: C1-6
    *   Midpoint/Lunch: Lake Viewpoint
    *   Start: Lijiang
    *   Target Arrival: Lugu Lake (Aiming for 16:00–18:00 local time)
    *   Driving/Stops: Plan for ~7-8 hours total (including fuel/photo stops).

    Deep Dive: The Path to Lugu Lake
    You are heading from the urban history of Lijiang toward the high-altitude serenity of Lugu Lake.
    *   Historical Context: Lugu Lake sits at the border of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. Historically, this region was a key corridor for the “Tea Horse Road,” but it remained relatively isolated due to the rugged terrain.
    Culture: Lugu Lake is famously the home of the Mosuo people. They are one of the last matrilineal societies in the world, practicing a tradition of “walking marriages” (tisese*), where couples do not cohabit but instead maintain separate living arrangements, with the maternal household remaining the center of family life.
    *   Scenic Highlight: The drive involves leaving the valley and entering the high-plateau landscape. Keep an eye on your revs as you ascend into the alpine region surrounding the lake.

    Navigation & Redundancy
    *   Google Maps: Lugu Lake
    *   OSM / OSMAnd: Ensure your offline maps for Yunnan/Sichuan borders are active.
    *   Kurviger: Plan your route to Lugu Lake to ensure you are prioritizing motorcycle-appropriate roads over congested provincial routes.

    Expedition Logistics
    *   Checkpoints: As you approach the provincial border between Yunnan and Sichuan, stay alert for secondary military or police checkpoints commonly found on routes connecting these regions. Keep your passport and localized translations ready.
    *   Elevation: Be mindful that Lugu Lake sits at ~2,700m. If you feel any altitude-related symptoms, keep your hydration high and rest.

    Safe ride, Carsten.

    I made it to Lugu Lake. As the weather was really promising, I decided to take the mountain road and I can not say I was disappointed. It was a well built two lane federal road with some hair rising switch backs, I mean tight switchbacks of 190° . As described, there was plenty of rock fall and landslides, but no drama.

    Lulu Lake is a picturesque valley lake, surrounded by high mountains, reaching 3,000 m and more. The hotel is a real gem, the rooms are absolutely marvelous with all comfort and facility, including a 3 m screen for watching your movies.

    Will go to the lake and walk a bit to get used to the altitude (2,400 m) as it goes higher and higher next week.

    Breakfast in Lijiang
    A window with a view

    The hotel is a bit isolated, but they drive me to the next little (tourist) village with a wide variety of restaurants and shops. Like so often, most restaurants catering for family and groups with hot pot and Table bbq, etc. found a small friendly looking side road restaurant with local food. Will see how it all works out. I can also attest, it is absolutely low season with barely any tourists and can see a good number of restaurants populated by locals, judging from their costumes.

    Local costumes for photo sessions I guess.
    It has something
    Must be low season
    The little Restaurant I’m having my dinner
    Not a lot is going on here

    The owner of the Restaurant has a favour for flowers

    It also looks like there is only one other family staying at the hotel. It is really a well designed hotel with the best rooms I have been to so far. The driver confirmed, that during the high season it is more busy. 

    Tomorrow to Xichang. While it is only 250 km, the navigation predicts a 6 hour drive. So better I get a good sleep and start early enough. I also guess, it’s time to wear some extra layers as I can imagine it will be quite fresh tomorrow morning.

    Looking good, and far too much

  • 7. June 2026

    In Lijiang and my first rest day to relax, doing laundry and exploring the old town of historical Lijiang. In many ways, it compresses all we imagine about south west China into one spot, with lots of traditional style, costumes, food and so on, all on an elevation of around 2,200 meters. While there have been storm warnings, today is all blue sky and sunny.

    This is also a place, with not much tourism from outside China. However, there is always somebody who speaks English and Google translate gets the more complicated things done.

    Let’s see what the day is bringing.

    Walked through the old downtown, and yes, it is pretty. Well preserved and the municipality is doing their part to keep it like that, while still modernizing the houses and shops and hotels and so on. So I walked from the north gate to the south gate and ended up in a typical (wet)market, which could be the same in Chiang Mai or any small town in south east Asia. While 2,000 km apart, the culture and things are very similar, including the traditional costume wearing local women, coming to the market down from the nearby mountains and valleys. All mixed up with costume wearing Chinese tourists girls in all flowery gaudy. However, it all gives this place a very unique flair and pretty vibe.

    I made it to the hotel of the two Indonesians, and had a good catch up chat with them. Talking bikers yarn and comparing route suggestions.

    They will drive north to ShangriLa and into the mountains, while I’m turning North East towards Lugu Lake and from there further west all the way to Chengdu. They will take a more northern route and there is a certain chance we will catch up somewhere further North potentially at the western end of the Great wall.

    While we had a good coffee together, we completely forgot to take a group photo, one more reason to try to bet at the same place at the same time. For some reason they will cross the border to Kazakhstan three days earlier, what means, they will need to cross the same distance in less time, which translates more days with long distances. Well, we will see.

    One good outcome is, they offered me to get a CRF 300 from them when I want to travel through Indonesia what is one of my plans to get to Flores (where my grandfather was once as a captain with his crew, according to an old b/w photo) and to Sulawesi. As it is relatively easy to reach from Chiang Mai, this would be a great chance to realize this plan I had in mind for many many years.

    Nice coffee shop with good coffee
    Feels like home, same food
    Costumes wearing tourists everywhere.
    Costumes shop with fitting Make Up and Photo shots

    Checked the weather forecast for tomorrow and according to it it is not getting sunnier with a chance for rain.

    So I checked the route options and decided to take an alternative, faster route than the one I planned for through the mountains. While the planned route is one of the great favourites of many motorcyclists, it is packed with narrow switchbacks and is two lane all the way, which means sitting behind trucks and waiting for a chance to overtake, with the rain a good chance of landslides (I saw some really big one on the expressway yesterday with two lanes impassable. No appetite to get over that in rain on thin air. So I take the longer, but also faster motorway route up to Lulu Lake. One of the few regions globally, where a matrimonial society is still practiced today and where women also do not marry but chose a partner for a night when desired.

    This stretch over the next five days all the way to Chengdu is one of the only recently opened regions of China with deep traditional societies, lifestyles, languages, costumes, spiritual beliefs and so on. There are over 50 minorities (hill tribes ) in China, and many of them are located here in Yunan and that adjacent part of Sichuan. Can only be interesting. Further North of Chengdu I will then enter the part of Gansu with the many Tibetan monasteries. Gansu is a province next to Tibet which is still under Tibetan influence but I do not need a special permit to enter it.

  • 6. June 2026

    One week on the road. Today, 8 days ago we started in Chiang Mai. While there is still a certain excitement, I’m getting more relaxed and into the daily routine of getting things done and driving the very distances.

    Here the road book for today with more interesting Infos:

    🌙 EVENING BRIEFING — C1-4 | Saturday, 6 June

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    📍 Dali → Lijiang
    📏 207 km | ⏱ 03:15 | ⛰ Max ~2,400 m
    🌍 China — Yunnan
    🍜 Lunch: Shaxi Ancient Town, East Gate

    Today I’m off to Lijiang, one of the more touristy places along the route, as it is sunny and clear, I will start early especially after the agent sent as a storm warning covering southern China including Yunan where I’m .

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    🗺 NAVIGATION

    • Maps: Not specified in roadbook
    • Route: G5611 Dali-Lijiang Expressway OR G214 national highway (recommended for scenery)

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    ☀️ WEATHER FORECAST
    DALI (start, ~1,975 m):

    • 16-25°C / 61-77°F | Humidity: 76%
    • June rain: ~165 mm, ~17 rainy days
    • Saturday: Patchy light rain possible, cloud cover 50-70%
    • Wind: Light, WSW/ENE ~4 km/h
    • Visibility: 9-10 km — good

    LIJIANG (end, ~2,400 m):

    • 14-24°C / 57-75°F | Humidity: 73%
    • June rain: ~167 mm, ~20 rainy days
    • Saturday: Overcast with patchy rain possible (chance ~25%)
    • Wind: Light SSE ~4 km/h
    • Sunrise: 05:24 | Sunset: 19:10

    ⚠️ Yunnan June: Rain usually comes as short showers that pass quickly. Not a washout. Morning departure from Erhai Lake could be misty — atmospheric.

    📊 vs pre-planned (roadbook says 24-25°C, 73% RH, 20 rain days): Consistent. No surprises. Light jacket recommended for morning/evening.

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    🚧 ROAD CONDITIONS

    ✅ No major issues on Dali → Lijiang segment specifically.

    ⚠️ NOTED FOR FUTURE REFERENCE: G214 road works near Shangri-La (K2057-K2240, approx 200 km north of Lijiang) are under semi-closed construction 23 May – 18 Nov 2026, 07:00-19:00 daily, single-lane alternating traffic every 30 min. This will affect you on the next stage northward — be prepared for delays.

    For tomorrow’s ride:

    • G214 Dali→Lijiang: Standard scenic national road. Expressway (G5611) alternative if you prefer faster.
    • No reports of landslides, washouts, or closures on this specific section.
    • Fuel: Abundant — but fill up in Lijiang before heading onward to Lugu Lake.

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    📖 ROADBOOK NOTES

    DAY 4 | 6 June 2026 | Dali → Lijiang

    ROUTE: G5611 Dali-Lijiang Expressway or G214 national highway. G214 follows the older Tea Horse Road alignment — more scenic with mountain and river scenery along the Jinsha (Yangtze) upper reaches. ~167 km on G214, 3-4 hours.

    ERHAI LAKE DEPARTURE: The road initially follows the western shore of Erhai Lake — one of China’s most beautiful highland lakes at 1,975 m. Time your departure for morning light over the water.

    JADE DRAGON SNOW MOUNTAIN: On a clear day approaching Lijiang from the south, the snow-capped Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (玉龙雪山, 5,596 m) dominates the northern horizon — the sacred mountain of the Naxi people.

    SHUXI ANCIENT TOWN (沙溪古镇): Recommended lunch stop. A well-preserved trading post on the ancient Tea Horse Road, 1.5h north of Dali.

    LIJIANG OLD TOWN (丽江古城): UNESCO World Heritage since 1997. 7.3 sq km of pedestrian-only cobblestone streets, 300+ stone bridges. No city walls — symbolising the Naxi’s welcoming character.

    MU MANSION (木府): Former seat of the Mu clan who ruled Lijiang for 470 years.

    BLACK DRAGON POOL (黑龙潭): Iconic reflection of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain — one of China’s most photographed vistas.

    NAXI ETIQUETTE: Greeting is “Ah-bi!” (hello). Naxi are famously hospitable to foreign visitors. The world’s only living pictographic script — fewer than 50 fluent Dongba scribes remain.

    FUEL WARNING: Fill up in Lijiang — last reliable fuel before the Lugu Lake adventure begins. No motorcycles inside Old Town — park at gate parking.

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    19:56

    After another ride on the highway and a cookie & juice stop on one of the petrol station, I arrived in Lichiang around 13:00. This is clearly one of the tourist hot spots in Yunan, with a car/scooter free nicely preserved old town, with all the houses having been converted into a restaurant or shop, selling all things tourists think they need.

    One thing you realize quickly, due to the fact that the complete downtown is walking zones with no traffic, all scootets and cars are parking at the ring road and everybody is carrying the luggage to the hotel or gets a porter. Took me some U-turns to get a place to park the bike and then carried the bag for 500 meters to the hotel. The hotel then arranged for a basement parking lot next door, at least I do not need to worry too much about it.

    Hotel is nice, one of the many traditional ancient houses in downtown, with completely modernized rooms inside.

    Even when it was a short ride, I was happy to take a good nap after the shower followed by some work on the computer.

    Glad it is not peak season here, so it is a nice stroll through downtown and settling for dinner at one of the many small stalls.

    Happy to have another early bedtime and relax tomorrow.

  • 5. June 2026

    Lots of rain tonight and it is still cloudy, foggy and a bit drizzling rain.

    As it is under three hours I will wait until lunch time and hope the sun comes out. I have planned to arrange for a lunch stop in the ancient tea horse route town of Weishan, but with the rainy conditions, I will most likely stay on the highway and go straight to Dali.

    The two Indonesian drivers are also going to Dali, so we might catch up to get onto the highway together.  They stay in another hotel so will see what their plans are for tomorrow.

    One of the benefits of driving solo is, that in situations like today you can decide as it fits.

    Slowly I’m getting into the daily rhythm of motorcycle touring again. I arrived in Dali an hour ago after another great ride through an endless number of tunnels on great highways. I was a bit lucky with the weather. It was raining overnight until morning. However, at 10 o’clock it cleared and the sun came out and the weather forecast was optimistic that there is no rain the next two hours.

    In the lift on the way to the garage

    It all worked out on dry roads and sunny stretches through mountainous landscapes again.

    Dali is a bit bigger than I expected with dense traffic. First city traffic since I started. Every country has its own traffic etiquette, and China is no different, at least the traffic is slow. So far, I have not seen any other big bikes in China and I can clearly sense that car drivers are expecting that bikes, any bikes, staying on the right (bicycle) lane and do not cross into the other lanes too often.

    The hotel is a bit elevated with a view to the lake. Nice rooms with all modern facilities, got a room with a lake view.

    It’s a charming place with some attitude

    Time for planning for dinner.

    Charming Hotel court yard

    Found my dinner place, clearly a step up from yesterday. Very local garden restaurant with lovely patio sitting and a very Yunan style kitchen. Great finishing for the day.

    Nice garden restaurant
    Dali is a steep Valley with the lake at the bottom

    The dinner was really great, Duans Kitchen is a Yunan food garden restaurant with an English speaking owner. I loved the food and the great conversation. One of those things I appreciate a lot. They are part of the wonderful experiences and memories when travelling.

  • 4. June 2026

    Good morning China. Today will be my first full day riding in China from Puer to Jingdong, a bit over 300 km. Should be done in 5 hours including a lunch break.

    Spend the first two hours after getting up with un packing everything after yesterday’s inspection and when the officers left all clothes in a pile and we had to rush to stuff it into the bags and paniers again. Had to fold everything again neatly so it fitted into the bags again without bloating everything.

    Having a Chinese breakfast but with a great cappuccino coffee. I cannot complain about it. The hotel looks odd from outside, tugged away in a back alley, but the rooms are modern and comfortable with good beds.

    They even brought me Hami melons just now , coming from Hami, ca 5000 km from here. I will spend a night in Hami during my last week on this China leg when driving up to Khorgos at the border to Kazakhstan.

    All a bit different

    Here is the Road book for today:

    🏍️ ROADBOOK TAG 5 (C1-2) — PUER → JINGDONG

    DATE: 4 June 2026 (Thursday)
    FROM → TO: Puer → Jinggu → Jingdong
    DISTANCE: 302 km
    DRIVE TIME: ~4h 22min (est.)
    ROAD TYPE: 100% tarmac (G323 / S222 provincial)
    MAX ALTITUDE: ~1,400 m ASL (Wuliang Mountains)
    WEATHER: Passing showers (68% chance), 17–23°C. High humidity.

    ───

    ROUTE OVERVIEW
    Puer north via G323 into the Wuliang Mountains (无量山). This is the longest riding day of the Yunnan section. The Wuliang range is famous for its ancient tea trees and prized pu’er tea. Jingdong (景东) is a Yi autonomous county — from here north, you’re entering ethnic minority heartland.

    ⚠️ MOUNTAIN FOG: Morning fog common in Wuliang valleys — visibility can drop to 50m. Start after 8:30 AM.
    ⚠️ RAIN: Passing showers likely. Watch for slippery patches on G323.

    FUEL: Fill completely in Puer. Jinggu has a mid-route station. Jingdong has Sinopec.

    ───

    CULTURAL CONTEXT
    THE YI PEOPLE (彝族): Jingdong is a Yi autonomous county. The Yi have their own script dating to the Tang dynasty and are known for the Torch Festival.
    TEA HORSE ROAD: The route follows a key segment where tea porters once carried bricks north toward Tibet.

    DESTINATION: JINGDONG YINSHENG TEAHOUSE HOTEL
    Small county hotel. Limited English.
    LOCAL SPECIALTY: Yi-style grilled meats and wild mushrooms (⚠️ June is mushroom season — only eat at restaurants).

    ───

    GPX FILE ATTACHED
    Compatible with Garmin, OsmAnd+, and Kurviger.
    Kurviger Link: https://kurv.gr/8R3dz

    Ride safe, Carsten! ⚡⚡⚡

    16:25

    All together another great and easy riding day. The highways in China are simply fabulous. They know how to build km long bridges and tunnels and keep them pristine clean and in perfect conditions. The ride started with a bit of a scary situation when I was rear bumped by a SUV on the highway. I had just overtaken a truck and started to move to the right lane and I was looking to the right mirror, when I suddenly felt a bump and saw a right mirror from an SUV crashing into my left handle bar and flew off. Thanks to engineers from Honda, the bike stabilised immediately and I was looking into the rear mirrors to see,  what happened behind me. I slowed down and could see the SUV slowly stopped at the emergency lane, obviously without a right mirror. As I was not at fault and there was no damage to my handlebar (and barkbusters) I decided to keep going, keeping strictly within the speed limits. I never used my cruise control on the bike as often as today. The good side effect was that the average consumption was never as low as today.

    The hotel I’m staying at is a bit outside of town. It’s brand new, great fresh rooms, a huge bed, a Japanese automated toilet and all the things a great hotel room should have. I was a bit concerned about dinner as there is nothing around, but for 16 Yuan (3 €) I’m getting dinner, wonder what it will be.

    Tomorrow I will reach Dali and then Lijiang where I will have another rest day to explore one of the great places here in Yunan. 

    Time to take a shower now.

    This place is a kind of tea centre for the region with a tea shopping center next door. Quite bombastic.

  • 3. June

    Today was B-day, crossing into China. Had a bit of issue on the Laos exit, after I had thrown away the little TIP with the QR code. Took a while but they somehow figured out to exit my motorcycle from the system without the little sticker.

    I had been prepared on the checks on the China side, but when you have to unpack everything and they literally going through every t-shirt, underwear, phone, Computer, and you have to pay out everything onto an Asphalt ground, it is a bit over what you imagined. Worst, all in the burning sun. Our agent told us, because the Malaysian group yesterday was not compliant, and the complete group of 18 drivers and bikes got rejected, they got super strict with all others now. It took three hours for three in our group by two officers, all standing in a brutal clear burning sun. After that we had to gather our things from the ground and pack d it back to the individual bags for socks and underwear and t-shirts and pants and then everything back into the luggage, which took me at least another 20 minutes.

    Immigration and custom was comparable fast and er went out within 40 minutes or so.

    We then drove  ca 35 km to a small town police station where we will get our official Chinese number plate and driving licence.

    After that we are off on our own to get to our hotel on Puer. There I need to pack things properly again so they fit into the bags properly.

    So yes, we made it so far and soon we will be on our own working out the navigation options and how to get to the hotels in the best way.

    We made it to the other side

    18:53 (China time)

    I arrived in Puer at the Holiday Inn Cafe hotel, after a really amazing drive up from the border on perfect highways and at least 30 Tunnels or more. Driving up from the border is like driving on a highway through a botanical garden in a mountainous region. Everything is lush green and you simply keep rolling on almost empty highways. This was certainly a great start.

    After lunch in a small village with a small police station I got my (three months) driving licence, which will allow me hopefully to drive back with it. It was also the time to say good bye to the two from Indonesia, as they wanted to stay in Mohan, a town closer to the border, as they were really tired.

    The rooms of this hotel are better than it looks from outside. And the receptionist was very helpful to find a bike parking place, as bikes are not allowed in the hotel carpark. So now it stands in the hallway to the reception. Works for me.

    Now I will need to unpack and repack all my luggage after the border check turned it upside down. But hey, we made it.

    And yes, I urgently need a shower

    And then it’s time to find something to eat.

    Here is my AI generated evening briefing for tomorrow:

    🌙 EVENING BRIEFING — C1-2 | Thursday, 4 June 2026

    ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
    📍 Puer → Jingdong
    📏 302 km | ⏱ 4h 22m | ⛰ Max ~2,200 m pass
    🌍 China — Yunnan Province
    🍜 Lunch: Jinggu

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    🏨 HOTEL
    Yinsheng Tea Mansion Resort Hotel (Jingdong Bus Station Branch)
    🔖 1578947208265675
    Alt: Vienna Hotel (Jingdong Bus Terminal)

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    🗺 NAVIGATION
    • Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/y1fPpXtRtAngQ9739
    • Kurviger: https://kurv.gr/hfYZH (GPX)
    • Garmin: https://kurv.gr/Gzprb

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    ☀️ WEATHER FORECAST

    📍 PUER (start — ~1,300 m)
    🌡️ High 29°C / Low 13°C
    🌧️ 82% rain — moderate rain likely, 5.9 mm forecast
    💨 Wind: 4-8 km/h, SW → S
    👁️ Visibility: 2-10 km (morning fog reducing to 2 km before sunrise, improving after 8am)
    💧 Humidity: 54-97%
    ☀️ UV: Extreme (11.5) — midday sun strong through breaks

    📍 JINGDONG (end — ~1,700 m)
    Expected similar — southern Yunnan rainy season
    🌡️ Expected 20-28°C range (higher elevation slightly cooler)
    🌧️ Afternoon thundershowers likely (pattern consistent across the region)

    ⚠️ Pre-planned forecast (from roadbook): 20-28°C, 78% RH, afternoon rain likely ⏺ Matches well
    ⚠️ HIGH ALTITUDE NOTE: Passes reach ~2,200 m — expect cooler temps, fog, slippery roads above 1,800 m
    ⚠️ Yunnan June alert: Heavy rains already caused landslides and road blockages in Nujiang and Diqing this week (northern Yunnan). Southern routes generally less affected, but vigilance required.

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    🚧 ROAD CONDITIONS

    Route: G323 (Puer → westward) → S222/G214 (Jinggu → Jingdong)

    ✅ No major closures reported on this specific route
    ⚠️ Yunnan June context: Seasonal flooding/landslides reported in Nujiang & Diqing (northwest Yunnan). Direct Puer-Jingdong route on secondary provincial roads — paved but single-lane sections possible.
    ⚠️ Roadbook warns: Landslide risk on rural mountain stretches. Road quality varies on provincial route. Some sections may be muddy/slippery after rain.
    ⚠️ Fuel: Fill in Jinggu town before heading north. Rural stretches sparse.

    Verdict: No critical issues, but expect regular June mountain conditions — wet patches, potential minor slides, variable road quality on S222/G214.

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    📖 ROADBOOK NOTES

    DAY 2 | 4 June 2026 | Puer → Jinggu → Jingdong

    ROUTE: G323 westward from Puer, then provincial roads S222 / G214 northward through Jinggu to Jingdong. Secondary national/provincial road territory — paved throughout but occasional rougher sections serving forestry and tea industries. Mountain passes between valleys reach 1,800-2,200 m.

    CULTURE: Jinggu is the Jinggu Dai and Yi Autonomous County — over 26 ethnic groups. Dai culture transitions to Yi influence northward toward Jingdong. The Wuliang Mountain Nature Reserve begins at Jingdong — avg elevation 1,800 m, highest peak 3,371 m, 91% forest coverage.

    TEA HORSE ROAD HISTORY: Jinggu lies on secondary Tea Horse Road branches connecting Pu’er tea heartland to Yunnan-Tibet corridor. Ancient tea gardens on Wuliang Mountain supplied caravan trade for centuries.

    HIGHLIGHTS:
    • Jinggu: Mengwofo Temple Twin Towers — “tree in tower, tower in tree” (banyan trees growing through old Buddhist towers). Also Mangyu Grand Canyon, Xiaoheijiang Forest Park.
    • Jingdong: Gateway to Wuliang Mountain Nature Reserve. Look for “老树茶” (old-tree tea). Yi cuisine — try Tuo Tuo Meat (坨坨肉), Yi buckwheat cakes, rice wine.

    PRACTICAL TIPS:
    🏍️ Start by 07:00-08:00 — mountain passes before 11:00 to beat convective cloud buildup and afternoon rain
    ⛽ Fill fuel in Jinggu — rural stretches sparse northward
    🛣️ Single-lane stretches possible. Road may be muddy after rain
    ⚠️ LANDSLIDE RISK: June is peak season. If blocked road encountered, wait for clearance — do NOT attempt off-road bypass on unknown terrain

  • 2. June

    Today is another rest day in Boten to China. Not so much to report from this place.

    Bumped this morning into one of the guys on Motorcycles, who crossed yesterday into China, Two got rejected, because they had sticker on their Motorcycles, representing the China borders not correctly and not all in one colour. They had been sent back to Laos and had to remove and adjust things and will try today again and then drive 600 km to Kunming to catch up with the group.

    So yes, better I check my things again, to make sure it is all compliant.

    otherwise it is a bit of rearraning the luaggage.

    19:20

    Enjoying Pho for dinner, and preparing for an early bedtime. Did some rearranging with the objective to keep the Check-in bag light. Double checked the paperwork and hope it is all complete. First time I’m entering China and a visa free 30 days entry.

    There has been an unfortunate update on the two big motorcycle groups from Malaysia. Because, two riders had a sticker on their bike and on the t-shirt with an incorrect China map, the two groups have been rejected as they have been registered all together. They were/are on the way to London and Munich (mainly the BMW drivers) and their plans have changed now. They will drive all the way back to Bangkok and then fly the bikes to Almaty to restart the trip there.

    So yes, I went through everything again and tried to remember if there was any print material, except my neutral stickers, on the bike and in the luggage.

    I will know tomorrow if I check into the Holiday Inn in Puer or be back at the Bodhi Hotel again.

    Let’s plan for the better outcome.

    And now I dig into my Pho beef.

    Cheers

  • 1. June

    Today is a rest day in Boten. Washing the bike and arranging things. Had breakfast with two guys from the two Malaysian bike groups. Mainly 1250 GSs and six Harley Davidsons. Most BMWs are on the way to Munich and some of the Harleys are on the way to London. They crossed already today to China. They are certainly on a mission, trying to make the trip in 2 months. To make it, they will take the direct route through Kazakhstan, skipping the Pamir Highway, or any of the other Stan countries. I can sense, they will drive hard.

    Boten is one of those weird border town outposts, where people thrive who prefer to live a bit outside the norms and laws. It’s mainly a Chinese enclave in the middle of the Laotian jungle, mainly populated by Chinese who prefer just to live outside the reach of Chinese law and authorities. Then there are the Laotian luck-seeker, desperate enough to get up here and to try to have a bit of a better life, and then the armies of female night workers serving those lonely Chinese men. So far, I have not seen another westerner here, not even at the hotel.

    Had a good nap this afternoon, tried later to fix the issue with the location links on the Website, will see how to fix it to be more stable.

    Having dinner now, a bit of Laotian food, similar to Thai food at the market.

    Noodle soup is always a safe choice
    Fresh food at the markets

    Will go to bed early. Not so much useful to do here in Boten.

  • 31. May 2026, over the border to Laos and Boten

    Today is the first B-day, border crossing day to Laos. While not complicated, it comes with the hassle on the Laos side to pay extra money for some kind of services including tour guide,etc. will see how this works out. In the past we have got around it, by staying firm and explaining you know the rules.

    Then it is about getting the insurance and then I’m off into direction to Luang Namta and further to Boten. We had a strong rain shower last night, which means the road will not be great. I will then see how the last 20 km up to Boten will turn out as this is the worst stretch of broken road and relentless big truck traffic. Keep it slow and steady and it should be alright.

    Looking forward to having the first two rest days in Boten and to prepare for the next, more complex Border crossing into China.

    Boten itself is one of those places that is making Border towns. Strange and wild. Will see if I can capture a bit of the spirit.

    14:32

    Finished the border and insurance at 10:30.

    Arrived at the fork where it goes up to Boten. The last 50 km or more was all broken roads. Clearly, the road got much worse over the last few months.

    Only at and after the border rain and nice sunny and dry the rest. Having a test at an Amazon cafe, my last Amazon cafe for some time.

    After this stop it is all about getting up to the border on broken roads. I will keep it slow and steady.

  • 2026-04-19 · Chiang Dao

    2026-04-19 · Chiang Dao

    The highest day of the Thailand leg — cresting at 2,250m near Chiang Dao, third-highest mountain in Thailand. Stops at Mae Ngon, Nong Bua and a long rest in Chiang Dao. Thin cool air, cloud forest roads — a preview of what the Pamir will bring.

    Der höchste Tag der Thailand-Etappe — Gipfelpunkt bei 2.250 m nahe Chiang Dao. Stopps in Mae Ngon und Nong Bua, lange Rast in Chiang Dao. Dünne kühle Luft, Nebelwaldstraßen — ein Vorgeschmack auf den Pamir.

  • 2026-04-18 · Mae Salong

    2026-04-18 · Mae Salong

    From the Mekong crossing at Chiang Khong up into the mountains of Mae Salong — former home of the Kuomintang army, now famous for tea and misty peaks. The altitude climbed steadily, the views opened up, and the temperature dropped.

    Von der Mekong-Überquerung in Chiang Khong hinauf in die Berge von Mae Salong — einst Heimat der Kuomintang-Armee, heute bekannt für Tee und Nebelgipfel. Mit der Höhe stiegen die Ausblicke — und die Temperaturen sanken.

  • 2026-04-17 · Chiang Khong

    2026-04-17 · Chiang Khong

    The Golden Triangle — where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet. A 274 km loop through iconic scenery with seven stops, including Phu Sang and Tap Tao. The Africa Twin ate up the mountain curves effortlessly.

    Das Goldene Dreieck — dort, wo Thailand, Laos und Myanmar zusammentreffen. Eine 274-km-Runde mit sieben Stopps, darunter Phu Sang und Tap Tao. Die Africa Twin meisterte die Bergkurven mühelos.

  • 2026-04-16 · Pua

    2026-04-16 · Pua

    The expedition begins — solo. My original co-rider could not join, so this became a one-man journey. Rolling out of Chiang Mai alone on the Africa Twin, with 4 months of open road ahead — not all the way to Munich as originally planned, but a big loop west to Khiva in Uzbekistan and back home through China and Tibet. A different route, an even bigger adventure.

    332 km of riding across varied terrain — from the lowlands of Chiang Mai to the rolling hills of Nan Province. Five stops along the way, including a break at Mae Na Ruea and a longer rest at Mae Sai. The Africa Twin performed flawlessly.

    Die Expedition beginnt — solo. Mein ursprünglicher Mitfahrer konnte leider nicht dabei sein, deshalb fahre ich diese Reise alleine. Aus Chiang Mai rollte ich auf der Africa Twin heraus — nicht wie ursprünglich geplant bis nach München, sondern in einer großen Schleife westwärts nach Khiwa in Usbekistan und dann auf einer ganz anderen Route durch China und Tibet wieder nach Hause. Eine andere Strecke — ein noch größeres Abenteuer.