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10 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
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The trains were incredibly noisy and they almost continuously blared their horns. It did stop for a few hours in the middle of the night and so we did get a bit of sleep. All the hotel in this town only have hot water after 8 pm?? We were up and out by 730 for the 3 km ride to the border. We had gone about 5 blocks and found the road blocked with metal gates from all directions and manned by the army.
 Mongolia to border-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Screen Shot 2017-09-22 at 21.25.39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9715 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
There was a line of jeeps that we had seen last night at least a km long. These are the transport vehicles for all the Mongolian passengers from the UB train. You can not walk or take public transport across the border. You must hire one of these guys to drive you to the Chinese side. Here they load up on supplies and then bring this stuff back.
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10 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Perth, Scotland
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Keep these reports coming, Dan seemed to be enjoying riding the camel a bit too much in the hotel lobby  
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11 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rondelli
Keep these reports coming, Dan seemed to be enjoying riding the camel a bit too much in the hotel lobby |
Serious rug burn on the great toe! 
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11 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
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From here you ride 300 m and head to the small booth on the left that all the truck drivers are running over to. Here you hand in your slip of paper with the 3 entry custom stamps and show your passport. After this the agent gives you one stamp.
 FILE0775 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE0777 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE0782 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Then the Quarantine guard will then walk over to you and he gave us a stamp with out even looking at any of our luggage. Then you pull ahead 100 m to park under the covered customs area. Here an officer took our TVIP paper inside and when he came out he said you can go and walked away. The next guard came up to us and said we needed to go to a second booth just ahead on the left. Here a very nice lady who spoke English said we needed to show the TVIP. She marched out and tracked the other guy down to get the papers. Here she did the cancellation of the TVIP, checked out passport and moto registration. She then stamped the passport with the exit stamps and the last stamp for the paper exit slip. Fastest border in a long time 33 min!
 IMG_9686 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9687 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE0785 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9693 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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12 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
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At the 2 hour mark we were getting pretty anxious. Finally the guards came out to talk to us. They stopped a car headed to China with a Mongolian guy in it who spoke English and who asked us for the phone number of our guide. He then stopped a Chinese driver headed north and asked him to use his Chinese cell to make the call. That started the ball rolling and a few minutes later we could see Toni waving from the immigration hall 200 m away and then the guards let us thru.
 FILE0819 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE0823 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We parked at the immigration hall and we met the guide Toni, the driver Mr. Tang, the local customs agent/fixer, and the senior police officer who probably was “paid” to streamline the procedure for us. The officer directed us into the immigration hall, asked us to fill out the tourist info cards, and then ushered us to an open agent for our entry stamp.
 FILE0827 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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12 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Then we went back out to the bikes and were told to follow the policeman to the quarantine area about 200 m away around the right side of the immigration hall. We arrived and parked. We did not even have enough time to get off the bikes before the senior officer had talked to the quarantine officer and he said “ you are done with quarantine”.
 FILE0833 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Next you ride 100 m to the customs inspection. The officer asked Dan what he had in his luggage..clothes, tools, computer, parts…After this there was a discussion between the guide, the policeman, and the customs officer. Our guide said to us “do you all guarantee that there is nothing bad in your luggage?” Like drugs, weapons, or meat. We said YES. Then they did not search anything at all. You then pull ahead 100 m and park under the cover. The customs fixer than steps in and get the process started to import the bikes. He was back in 10 min and we were told to ride around and park by the rainbow! Here we unloaded all the personal gear that was not in the panniers and put it in the driver’s van. The bikes will stay parked here until they clear customs today or tomorrow. All our paper work was submitted 3 days ago, but it is now after 12 on a Friday. The customs office is not technically open on Saturday, but they are making an exception. So we “ may “ get them tomorrow. In hind sight since we were at the border yesterday and the guides were there for 3 days we should have been advised to cross yesterday! Especially as today if Friday!! This error then will cause a cascade of issues….
 FILE0839 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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16 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
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We had a very quiet night with our room on the inner courtyard. We had our first “Chinese” breakfast, which for us is a weird combination of steamed buns, pickled vegetables, and boiled eggs. No coffee of course. They only drink hot water in the north of China. Not even Tea is served here. We had some time to kill as we had not heard from the customs agent and we went over to China mobile to get some SIM cards. It is really only useful for texting for us as North American phones support only E and you can barely open Wikipedia with that. To get a SIM card in China you must register with your passport! Our good luck today was at a place that served fresh beef noodle soup near to the hotel. We westerners managed to eat all the garnish before the soup came and had to ask for more! There are rules here. You do not start eating until they have put 4 dishes on the table. We have a lot to learn.
 Erenhot China-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
There was a shop opening across the street and at an auspicious hour they let off a bucket load of fireworks. Then it was back to the hotel to check out before 2 in the hopes that we will get the bikes today.
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16 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
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We are getting a bit concerned since we will have a very long way to go leaving this late in the day. Again Ride China should have known and suggested that arriving on a Friday was not ideal. This was picked at random and we could have easily arrived the day before. We sat about the lobby and at 230 we got the call the bikes are almost done.
At 3 they called back to say we could come and get them so we loaded into the van and headed to the secure border zone. At first the guards did not want to let us in, but after passport checks, some phone calls and discussion they said we could go as long as the same number of people left with us. It was awesome the customs broker agreed to work on Saturday for us. We drove in and got the bikes and Toni said “ lets get out of here before someone changes their mind!”
 FILE0847 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We are outside the border control zone and the bikes are now officially in China!!
 Erenhot China-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE0870 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9707 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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16 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
Posts: 3,579
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The next order of business was to drive across town to the Drivers license office next to the police station. They are also closed on Saturday, but one of the officers agreed to come over and open it for us so we could be given our Chinese drivers license and so he could check the VIN numbers for the Chinese Plate (this is really just a laminated card representing the license plate). They can make you do tests and eye exams, and even visit a doctor and so we are not sure what to expect. All he did was check the VIN and take a photo of each bike. The only potential problem here is Orvar is too old to drive a motorcycle in China and we held our breath until he was given his license. The only snag was one of the digits on Sara’s VIN number was incorrect. The officer could have said come back Monday, but he let it slide!!! Again we were like the IKEA ad “start the car” get out before they change their mind!
 FILE0874 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9729 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9730 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9731 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Now were went back to the hotel to gear up and headed out for our 35 days tour thru China.
 Erenhot China-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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16 Oct 2017
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Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: RTW, From Vancouver BC 2012
Posts: 3,579
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About 50 km out there is a police check point where you must get off and walk over to the office where they take a photo of your passport, Chinese plate card, and Chinese drivers license. There are a lot of officers here with big guns. The place is high tech and each officer has a iPad like device to scan Chinese ID cards. Now to get onto the G55 toll highway.
 FILE0924 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
All major roads here are user pay and toll. Bikes are illegal on the highway here. At the first booth there were no other vehicles and they could see us coming for 400 m and so the guy in the booth was out and blocking the lane. We had been told by the guide to go to the far right lane and “ride there”…He did not specify before this that we would need to hide behind the van and stealth our way to storming the gate. He did not say that you just ride and don’t stop if they come out…they will not do anything to you, but must make some attempt to stop you as they are constantly watched by CCT. I’m not sure if we knew this ahead of time we would have agreed to this, but there is absolutely no way you can get anywhere here if you do not use the highway system. Our itinerary would be impossible.
 FILE0927 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
The first toll attempt was thus an epic fail. We backtracked and then went about 5 km to the next entrance and had much better luck now that we knew the game. The guy did still hop out of the booth, but he was not quick enough to stop the first bike and once one is gone they do not try to stop the rest. The only issue was the sun was so low in the sky and blazing in our eyes that Trevor who was the last bike did not see the gate (that the rest of us went to the right of) and it nearly took him off his bike. The terrain here is like the south of Mongolia of course we are in “inner Mongolia” and it is mostly flat semi desert. There was however some sand drifting onto the pavement at times. We had made it about 200 km and the sun had just set and it was now 10 degrees and we all needed to put on a few more layers. Now we had 140 km to go still in the dark. It is a bit more hilly as we go farther south and east. There have been almost no other vehicles on the road and this was true until about 60 km from the city. The traffic in the city center was a bit hectic, but sedate compared with Tehran.
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Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
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Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
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helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
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