Blogs from Erlyan, Inner Mongolia, China, Asia

At any speed the landscape changes at an almost unpercievable pace. Subtle details transform around you but it is hard to put a finger on any one particular moment from whence everything has changed. The steppe is a vast grassland with an enormous sky. When we turn on the GPS the screen is filled with satelites fighting for recognition. The fact that this plain stretches on for distances that make the Canadian Shield seem like a suburban lawn makes it feel even more daunting. Walk to the edge of the horizon, see the same thing again. Two days ago we stopped for drinks and cookies at a dusty little bus stop. As we sat there eating our snacks we noticed that the animals around were lean, the grass was gone, and the sand was moving. Welcome ... read more

Ya nos avisaron anoche que a las siete de la manana cerrarian los banos hasta llegar a Erlyan, primera ciudad china despues de la frontera con Mongolia. Asi que toca madrugar, hacer cola en el tren y esperar un rato. Lo de las fronteras es un atraso, eso queda claro cuando estamos parados una hora en Mongolia, rellenando formularios y otros documentos. Tememos morir de aburrimiento cuando entra una chica uniformada y con un rostro de solemne seriedad y nos pide los pasaportes. Intento hacerle una foto sin que se de cuenta y parece que me pilla, por lo que me echa una mirada que me fusila. Aun asi la foto es buena. Una vez en China mas de lo mismo. Llegamos a Erlyan y mas controles y formularios. Cuando ya llevamos un rato largo ... read more

Day 155, 2nd November Erlian - Km 55 marker Had a decent sleep and this morning a hot shower in the piss-stinking toilet block of our first Chinese hotel. We went out to change money and have breakfast, another delicious and massive meal. The people in the small restaurants seem happy to serve us and are keen to wait on us. And the delicious food is so cheap too. Around midday, a taxi driver drove us to an internet club where I spent an hour reading my emails, some lovely ones from Kathryn, but I could only manage to write short replies before dashing back to the hotel to check out. It was a funny experience at the front of the hotel. We brought our panniers down first and attracted the attention of loads of rickshaw ... read more