Trip Update: Xi'an to Lanzhou

Hello Steemian followers!

We reached Lanzhou（甘肃·兰州）and resting for at least a week due to our knees. We departed Xi'an on April 20th and crawled our way up to Lanzhou. We arrived in Lanzhou on the 29th after cycling a further 650 km. We cycled through 2 wet days but kept warm by drinking hot soy milk. Most of the route was windy and hilly, making our current altitude 1700 meters.

Would recommend this route to anyone who loves to see a more natural China, less populated and more dramatic scenery.

We started in Tianjin which was at longitude 117°, Lanzhou is 103° and Portugal is -9°. Slowly making our way west!

Familiar Face

We met a Chinese tour cyclist and it's always a pleasant sight seeing someone like minded on the road. We had many conversations about almost everything and we were lucky he wanted to ride with us for several days.

Chinese Camping

We were glad to hear our new friend has been tenting most of his trip, so we were really keen to learn where he finds a good spot.

Late one afternoon we saw a row of houses under construction at a village near the highway, with only walls and roof put up. Our friend kindly asked the construction workers for permission to stay the night and we were given a whole house to ourselves! Turns out he pitches his tent inside an abandoned house/building which explains how he could tent all of his trip so far.

This row of houses are being built by the government to house the rural residents who could do with an upgrade. Sold at a very affordable price, sometimes free, these new houses bring nearby families together to a modern neighbourhood powered by solar panels.

Topographical Terraces

The highway to Lanzhou was never flat, so there was parts that we cycled for up to an hour or more on a slight gradient. At the top we were always treated though, be it a tunnel, downhill stretch or mountain top view, or all three!

Due to the province's dry and hilly condition, the only way to grow food is by creating these terraces, one layer at a time.

Thankful Tunnels

This part of our journey has offered the most tunnels. Some are very short, plenty of room, have lights, and most importantly downhill for us! The longest and most fun we had was a tunnel 2.2 km long going downhill. We are always thankful seeing a tunnel because it means we've reached the top and can now descend. Join us in this video as we descend through that tunnel.

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