It is starting to look like what I pictured north west China to look like. Lush green leaves and dark brown earth is converging to greenish yellow foliage and orangy brown dirt.

Today’s route in blue

It was a standard start to the day. 8am wake up, light breakfast and coffee, and the onto the road. The weather was overcast, so I was undecided between going the expressway (boring but safe and fast) or National Highway (closer to the landscape, but more traffic and more curves; not as fun when slippery).

I decided to proceed with the National Highway, as it was a very interesting landscape; what looked like it could either be sand or sandstone hills topped with grass, formed in terraces, and with small caves dotted throughout. I wonder if they were inhabited or man made. The certainly looked very old.

As the morning passed, it started to rain, so I proceeded to navigate to the expressway, and to my surprise, I was stopped (I thought motorcycles were allowed in Gansu(?)). I made a half hearted appeal and the agent told me the same as I’d heard the last few days; next time just don’t stop when waved down. I thanked the officer, doubled back, and then proceeded as instructed.

Then proceeded what was one of the most solitary rides so far in China. Not a single other vehicle was on the road, and i proceeded as such for ~50km to the nearest open rest stop. There, it was the same situation. Completely empty. Like the apocalypse had occurred. I think this could be because the tolls are quite expensive (100 cny to Lanzhou).

Thankfully the toilets were in working order and there was a boiling water machine. Since I’m riding alone I feel a lot more flexible with my time. I don’t feel as much pressure to follow a set pace or schedule, and so I decided to make my first coffee while on the road. It was a Colombian from Nylon Coffee Roasters, that I picked up while I was in Singapore. Ground with my Comandante and brewed using my Deep 27 pour over funnel. I’ve discovered that the Kinto keep cup that i have also doubles as a great pourer, offering a stable and moderated flow of water.

Road brewing setup

By the time I’d finished my coffee, the sun was out once more and the roads were dry. It was time to ride on. What followed was quite a spirited section of riding. All the vehicles on the road seemed to be traveling quickly, and I was intensely focused on the ride.

And then I reached the outskirts of Lanzhou, to the most epic landscape. Hundreds of wrinkled, rugged hills/mountains filled the horizon. Among these hills are highrises which jut out from the rocky landscape. It is a “Hong Kong meets Muscat” sort of environment. I think this is one of the coolest looking cities I’ve encountered this trip.

Outskirts of Lanzhou

Lanzhou skyline

I was very pleased to fully delegate decisionmaking for lunch. I stopped my bike in a place which seemed like it had restaurants. Stopped a passerby to ask them if (1) they were local [yes] and (2) what nearby restaurant is a “must eat”. There was just such a place around the corner! Then at the restaurant, I asked one of the employees to order for me, stipulating that I can eat anything as long as it tastes good, and that I am not from Lanzhou. This is what I got:

Lunch (fried noodle pieces)

The Yellow River splits the city in two and causes traffic to pile up on both sides. I’ve not had to lane filter this much this whole trip! Instead of the scheduled hotel, I gave up while waiting in traffic and checked in to the nearby Atour hotel. This was much more expensive than the standard hotels I’d been staying in (but still a huge bargain vs Singapore/Dubai/NY/London/etc etc), and about on par with the Tibetan palace I stayed in at Shangri La.

Lanzhou Danxia. Not pictured: getting told off for riding off-piste

The afternoon was spent exploring; I rode to Lanzhou Danxia National Park, and tried to ride inside the park (only to get scolded for riding in a no-public-car area). The employees of the park explained that there was a certain routine to follow to see the sights, and it ended up being a 2-3 hour commitment, with dependencies on their shuttle buses. No thanks! I wanted to get cool photos with my bike.

Nearby town with mountain backdrop

Construction site with mountain backdrop

So instead, I went around small roads in the area to try capture the essence of the landscape, and returned to Lanzhou for more photos and exploration.

The Lanzhou skyline and I

Dinner was at the night market, near the bridge and White Pagoda.

Not what I ate for dinner!

One of the meals i had (lamb skewers)!

Tomorrow; Xining!

Some stats:

• 416 KMs traveled
• 14L fuel added
• 40g coffee consumed
• 3 unique interactions

Altitude map of today’s ride

Route to date