The Great Ride of China The 34,000km ride around China

The Epic 34,000km Motorcycle Ride Through Every Province in China

Not quite done with the dirt roads and construction but a definite improvement over the past few days! Only two more days before getting to Chengdu but before that we stay overnight with a Tibetan family.

Head crouched down, visor so covered in dust that it was impossible to see through anymore, shoulders sore from days of keeping the bike upright through potholes, over cliff side landslides, and around trucks determined not to deviate from their path. This was more or less the scene a couple of days into our western Sichuan excursion.

Passing through Chongqing, the motorcycle manufacturing capital of the world, just in time for the 12th Annual CIMA Exhibition where we participate in a couple of events plus a radio show while we're in town!

With a specific date by which we need to arrive at Chongqing, we have some decisions to make about whether to get there early or take a nearly week-long detour west towards Tibet on some roads that may or may not turn out to provide some challenges.

We start entering some exceptionally scenic areas of China including one of China's most popular tourist destinations, Jiuzhaigou National Park. Not an easy road to get there though passing over a mountain pass and navigating around endless landslides.

A couple short days as we take a visit to another famous Buddhist attraction along the old Silk Road. Turned out to be a great visit despite it being during the busiest travel season in China as we accidentally find ourselves on a secluded mountain hike!

Wondering what that circle in the center of our GPS track is? We took a day to tour around China's most famous lake, the high altitude Qinghai Lake before heading onwards on our path.

Though not as long or difficult as our stretch on the G219, our trip north from Lhasa and out of Tibet was not without its challenges! But by the end of the three days there was no denying we were starting the next big leg of our journey.

Three days off in Lhasa as we spend time catching up, recovering, and resting from a long trek across the province. Lots of sights to see too as we stop in at the Johkang Temple and Potala Palace.

We make our final push into Lhasa, marking a few major milestones in our trip. It's not without it's challenges though as we find out 500km, 13 hours, and 3 mountain passes later...