November 20th Hami to Songshu

First day back on the road after my post-Tibet break in Shanghai.

Leaving the hotel a little later than I wanted to, as the air is grey and chilled.  Little did I know it would only be colder from this day on.

Looking at the maps and examining Google Earth it looked like I could cross the range/pass in a day.  The km count wasn’t too bad and the incline seeming easy, after what I’ve already been through.  These are the most Eastern ranges along the Tianshan range, which translates “Heaven Mountains” in Mandarin and the name in Kazakh/Uyghur translates to “Mountains of Allah”.

The day started off easy but I could see the “little mountains” ahead.

As I began to ascend the mountains it became more of a desert.  I got off the bike a few times to scope out camping…it would of been perfect, but I saw I had about 3 more hours of daylight.  It APPEARED ahead that the pass was right up ahead…no problem…this thought ALWAYS gets me in trouble.  The only province I’ve ever visited where SOMETIMES you go directly up to go directly down is Yunnan.

I see trucks pulled over as I ascend and one young man tries to wave me over.  He asks where am I going as I ride by…I know what it’s about, he’ll tell me I won’t make it wherever I’m going.  It’s always the same.  No time for these games, I go on.

I make it the beginning of the pass and I see snow…lightly dusted all along the road and ground.

There is a slight descent, thinking, “ok, no problem…it’s all downhill from here”.   This is the point I learn that going down mountains in the winter is awful and within seconds my finger tips were frozen, this will be the first day of every day dealing with frozen fingers.

The descent is only about 2km and I find myself in a canyon and because of the snow coming in, I’m losing light FAST.  There is a slow and steady and winding ascent and by 8pm I find myself in complete blackness on a two lane road, with no shoulder, winding through a canyon…spotting black ice all along the way.  I get off, turn on my red blinking light and walk it.

Snow plow/truck stops.  Offers me a ride.  No thanks, I’m not throwing my bike in the back with all that.

Van stops, a hired van…he’ll want money.  No thanks.

Third truck, flat bed…full of hay and farm tools.  Man and woman…he’s insistent and I can tell there is concern from him.  He keeps telling me there is snow ahead and he’ll get me to a place to stay for the night.  His wife doesn’t speak and has her head covered…they are not Han.  Okay, lets load up.  My new setup is great, if I unload the backpack, I can lift the bike fully loaded.  We throw her on without too much of a problem.

I don’t realize how frozen I was until I begin to feel my face thaw.  They tell me they are “Hazu” but it kinda sounds like “Hanzu” so I say “hanz?” with a puzzling inflection.  No, “hazu”…i say again “hanzu”?  No, “hazu” like “hazikasitan”  – oh, “hazu!!!”  Yes they are the Kazakh minority.

He asks me the basic questions as I watch snow skitter across the road along the mountain pass.  It would be extremely uncomfortable for me to be out there right now.

He pulls over to a hotel on the side of the road and it’s kinda fancy looking for the middle of nowhere.  The driver follows me in and he has the most BRILLIANT BLUE EYES I have ever seen in China.  Ice blue set against his brown, weathered, face.  Amazing.

The hotel tells me 100rmb is the cheapest.  Bullcrap.  I know the have cheaper.  So we go round and around and I get the dorm bed for 60…ouch.  I know this has something to do with being a woman and they won’t add anyone to my room.  Eventually this is stated outright to me but it’s always been my assumption.

Instant noodles for dinner and frozen sandwiches.