Bicycle Touring The World: China, Hami to a Rocky Side of the Road

My latest bicycle touring around the world update, cycling across China. Hami to a rocky side of the road. 77 miles. I didn’t leave the hotel until ten o’clock this morning. I was in two minds about whether to stay another night. But with no internet, I couldn’t see any point, apart from being lazy, and we can’t have that, can we?

I was hoping to cover 115 miles today and reach the next town for tonight. But that was a bit too optimistic, especially leaving at ten o’clock. I think I may have been able to make it, but it would have meant arriving late and in the dark! And I didn’t even know if there were any hotels there. So I opted to camp after spotting a gap in the barbed wire that runs beside the road. It’s not a very good campsite. The surface is just dust and gravel, not a lot for the tent pegs to get a grip on. So I found some rocks to put on the pegs, which will be fine as long as the wind doesn’t get up!

I’m still undecided about where I’m going to finish. I seem to change my mind daily! Today it’s Shanghai. Yesterday, it was Beijing or Kunming. But I think it might be too late in the year to cycle to Beijing. I think there could be a fair amount of snow around. Kunming would be my preferred finishing point, as that’s where I started the Southern Asian leg of my ride. But I think they might have just as much snow there. Hence, today, my finish point is Shanghai, even though I don’t know what weather they have!

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my journey around the world
• Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
• Tour page: Ride overview

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I continue to travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.