The road from Osh to Sary Tash (184km) is a work in progress. There are some good patches of asphalt, but mostly it’s a long and frustratingly bumpy ride. We didn’t want to do it a second time, so opted to take an alternate route which loops away from Osh to the west and then approaches Sary Tash via Pik Lenin. We were not sure the mountain roads were passable, so it was a bit of an experiment.

All was going well until the town of Kyzyl Kyya. From there we turned onto a dirt track that wound its way south towards the border with Tajikistan. About 50km in we were surprised to find a military check post that could only be passed with a special permit. We of coarse didn’t have such a permit and attempted to ‘talk’ our way through. The guard was unmoved by our pleas and refused to cooperate, telling us we needed to return the way we came. It was too late to continue riding so we camped next to the guard house, hoping he would have a change of heart the next day. It worked! The following morning after donating some cigarettes and about US$3, we were allowed to pass.

The effort was worth it. This was the kind of scenery we were hoping for. Steep cliffs rose on either side of a narrow valley and the track zig zagged over a fast flowing river below. We had the whole place to ourselves and were in our element…

Then a set back. Two passing locals, one on a horse and the other on a donkey…

… informed us that the final part of our route could only be completed on foot! Knowing how people like to exagerate we continued on, hoping that the locals were simply underestimating the abilities of our bike and us. Unfortunately they were right Small avalanches of rock and rubble had blocked off the track to any motorized traffic. We tried to get through by literally pushing the bike over some sections, but were finally defeated by a ‘road block’ we just couldn’t pass…

Mother nature had won. We had no option but to go back to Osh and take the main road to Sary Tash. Furthermore, if we wanted to cross into China the next morning, we had to do it all in one day. It was hard to accept and the long 370km to Sary Tash was like salt to the wounds.

We arrived in Sary Tash just after sunset and at over 3,000m a.s.l it was freezing!! We pitched our tent next to one of the local cafe’s and set our alarm clock for 5am. The night was probably the coldest we’ve had so far and the ice on our bike the next morning, prooved just how cold it was.

The road from Sary Tash to Erkechtam, although extremely scenic, can only be described as a nightmare.

Jagged rocks and potholes the size of cars, made the going very slow. Having to ride before sunrise also made it really cold. We stopped regularly to defrost our hands on the barely warm exhaust. About 10km before the actual border, the asphalt started and so did the series of document and baggage inspections. First there was the obligatory passport control at the Kyrgyz military check post, then Kyrgyz immigration and customs, another Kyrgyz military check point, a few kilometers of ‘no mans land’, then a Chinese military check post (here they checked our luggage for unauthorised maps and books) and finally the Chinese immigration building where we met our guide/agent Taher (from Newland International Travel).

Independent travel using a foreign registered vehicle is prohibited in China. Generally, to bring your own vehicle in, you must hire a guide who will arrange for the appropriate permits, driving licenses and even Chinese registration plates! This was also the way we intended to travel, until the recent unrest in Kashgar brought on temporary closure of borders and the decision by the government to stop all foreigners from riding/driving in China. Our only hope of transiting through to Pakistan, was to ferry the bike over the border on the back of a truck, then ride it (illegally) to Pakistan. Of coarse this still required some ‘arranging’ by our agent…

Approaching Chinese immigration we were happy to see that our ‘declaration’ process was in full swing. All documents were prepared and the only thing left for us to do was present our passports and sign a declaration card, which one of the Chinese border officials had already filled out Customs (which included x-rays and a radiation test!!) was nothing more than a formality and we were soon preparing to load the bike onto the awaiting van. Instead our agent told us to just get on the bike and ride.

We couldn’t believe it! We were actually riding in China!!
The 250km trip from the border to Kashgar was an easy ride on good paved roads.

Our only stops were for some photos, police document checks and refuelling (that for motorcycles can only be done out of funny looking ‘tea pot’ like cannisters)

Tomorrow we start our ride on the KARAKORUM Highway!! A 1,200km road built during the 60’s and 70’s to connect Kashgar with Islamabad. It winds its way through two of the world’s highest mountain ranges - Hindu Kush and Karakorum. The highest point is at Khunjerab Pass (4,730m a.s.l), also the border between China and Pakistan.