The gates were open and as the saying goes in Australia = Leave them gates the way you found em'......

Excellent testing trails, Land Rover Experience Moganshan, Shangxiazhuang Village, Paitou Town, Deqing County, phone (China) 4000050987, e-mail: 1024@landroverexperience.com.cn. Next to the Naked Retreats resort, Land Rover have an official experience centre where you go off road and see how far you can push a four wheel drive Land Rover. You will also see some of the remoter scenery of Moganshan mountains. Not particularly cheap, but an interesting experience nevertheless. ¥500 pp for tour, ¥2,000 for own drive a while ago but pricing might have changed ~ better check with the management.... http://www.landrover.com/experiences...tre/china.html and http://www.landroverexperience.com.cn

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Few places are more fitting for a weekend break from the "big smoke" Shanghai than Le Passage Mohkan Shan, a hotel modelled after a French country home that sits half hidden in a valley surrounded by tea plantations and a bamboo forest. Founded by Frenchman Christophe Peres and his wife Pauline Lee in late 2012, Le Passage epitomises colonial chic. The hotel is a new build but it is sometimes hard to tell. The nostalgic decor and design harks back to Moganshan’s bygone days – when the area was a playground for the European jet set – with antique cement tiles, wooden flooring, chandeliers, and worn leather armchairs. Always tasty and yummy food available at Le Passage Mohkan Shan = http://www.lepassagemoganshan.com.cn



















Lepassage Moganshan operates the Relais Cafe' in Moganshan village among a few other food + beverage outlets dotted over the mountain region, great stop for fantastic home made ice cream...





Insider Tip: craving for a great yummy burger and real thick awesome milk shakes while in the "Big Smoke" Shanghai, head to Al's Dinner in the former french concession... www.eatatalsdiner.com (owners + operators same as Le Passage Country Resort Moganshan / Zhejiang)

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Moganshan - Anji Mountain ranges cruising ~ always very relaxing and refreshing for decades....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Moganshan - Anji Mountain ranges cruising ~ always very relaxing and refreshing for decades....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Moganshan - Anji Mountain ranges cruising ~ always very relaxing and refreshing for decades....

























































In closing, its just the beginning as more serious trail riding off the beaten path planned in the future, gettin' away from crowded spots and all them annoying people became way easier as the more time I spend around people, the less time I want to spend around people!!!!
Stay tuned ~ to be continued....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

“Wheels & Waves” Winter 2016 ~ back for some "COC = Chill Out China" over in the tropics enjoying moto adventures around Hainan Island (South China), from the mountains through the rainforest onwards to beaches as we really enjoy exploring the remote corners of China, looking for the perfect trail as one never knows what the shadows might hide....



LINGAO CAPE ~ feels somehow a little like Baja California and hanging around Coco's Corner enjoying some Mexican style snacks near the large concrete soldiers monument, snacks not made from scratch but got the break pretty well covered...

























Lingao is situated in the north-west of Hainan Island. Some quick runs along the beach rides with a different view during a stopover at the famous Lingao monument out at the Lingao Cape, a large stone monument for the Hainan Island Invasion Campaign. On April 10, 1950, the XC Corps high command launched an amphibious landing in two waves in northern Hainan. The first wave consisted of the main force, was aimed east and west, and included eight brigade-sized regiments: two from the 43rd Army and six from the 40th Army. They left the Leizhou Peninsula in three hundred fifty junks at 7.30 PM on April 16, 1950. The second wave consisted of five brigade-sized regiments of the communist 43rd Army. Units of the 40th Army that landed earlier and the 1st Division of the Qiongya Column would strike the Nationalist coastal defenses to the north of Lingao, while the 3rd Division of the Qiongya Column and units of the 43rd Army would strike the defenses in the Fortune Mountain (Fushan) region of Chengmai County to complement the landing forces in the east and west. The NRA did not detect the departure of the enemy forces until hours after the enemy fleets left port, which prevented their navy from intercepting the crossing PLA troops in time.

During the crossing, the escort fleet of the 40th Army discovered that the Nationalist 3rd Fleet, with the destroyer "Eternal Peace" (Taipinghao) as its flagship, was approaching the Communist landing forces from behind, in an attempt to intercept the fleet from behind. The escort fleet, consisting of armed junks, immediately took action and outflanked the pursuing flotilla. The NRA had gravely underestimated their enemy and did not expect the approaching junks to be armed, mistaking them for troop and cargo carriers. The Nationalist fleet attempted to capture them, which allowed the Communist junks to close the distance between them, at which point they fired their hidden mountain guns. Firing at close range and with the Nationalist ships unable to depress their guns low enough in time to fire back, the junks' gunners badly damaged the enemy flagship early during the engagement and forced it to retreat.

The remaining nationalist ships continued to fight, but their efforts were largely ineffective. Not only were they hindered by the loss of their flagship, in their haste to prepare for the defense of the island, they had also failed to change the ammunition of the warships. Most of the armor-piercing and semi armor-piercing ordinance, designed to be used against armored ships and fortified bunkers, failed to detonate when hitting the wooden junks and simply flew through them. Coupled with the fact that their guns could not be depressed low enough to hit the enemy ships at such close range, this rendered the nationalist navy's guns nearly useless throughout the engagement.

As a result, the PLA was able to advance on the island, and despite the fact that all of the armed junks and the rest of the escort fleet were badly damaged, none of the junks had actually been sunk. In contrast, the numerically superior mountain guns had inflicted considerable damage to the nationalist fleet.

Although the nationalists were unable to halt the communist transports, they could not back away, seeing as they were already behind the enemy landing forces. Leaving their position would leave the defenders on the beaches, who were being attacked on both sides, without fire support. They decided to stay and mingle with the enemy escort fleet, in an attempt to provide support against the landing troops, but were forced to withdraw after several hours of fierce and chaotic battle, during which two more warships were forced to retreat. As a last resort, they tried to sink the communist fleet holding the second wave of attack, but by that time, the bulk of the PLA forces had already landed.

Exploiting their enemy's dilemma to the fullest, the PLA kept intense pressure on the defenders at their beachhead. By 3.00 AM on April 17, 1950, the NRA defenders on both the eastern and western flanks of Cape Lingao collapsed under the combined pressure of the landing forces, the Qiongya Column and the units that had landed earlier. As more troops landed, a firm beachhead was established and advanced inland. Within the next two days, several regions, including Lingao, Fortune Mountain, Meitai and Jialai fell into communist hands.

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Northern corner of Hainan Island, Mulantou Lighthouse also known as the Hainan Head Light, located in the province of Hainan, China, is the fifth tallest lighthouse in the world and the tallest in China. Built in 1995, this active lighthouse has a focal plane of 88m. It emits two white flashes every 15 seconds.The Mulantou Lighthouse is 72m tall. It is located on a sharp promontory at the northeastern tip of the province, and marks the south side of the entrance to Qiongzhou Strait.The structure is round cylindrical concrete rising from a 2-story circular base. It has a large circular observation room. This lighthouse is white in colour with red trim. GPS: 20.158214 110.688965

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

December 2016, festive season during the last month of the year ~ fantastic detailed Xmas decoration and desert selection at the Haikou Marriott hotel, outstanding workman ship by the talented kitchen team....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Around 13,000 years ago, northern Hainan Island was the scene of extensive volcanic eruptions. The rich volcanic resources left by these eruptions gave the area its fertile soils, the strange shapes of its volcanic remnants, its lava caves, its valuable igneous rocks, and its abundant tropical ecology. This geologic event was critical in moulding the scenery and culture of the area today. Just to the south-west of Haikou City is a protected national geological and historical site several kilometers squared in size and a real busy "domestic tourist attraction".

The Hainan Volcanic Field is a 4,100 square kilometres volcanic field covering the northern half of Hainan, People's Republic of China. Although mostly Pleistocene-Holocene in age, minor eruptions have been recorded in the 19th and 20th centuries. The field is made up of 58 Pleistocene-Holocenetholeiitic cones. The two best preserved cones (Leihuling and Ma'anshan are on an East-West fracture line that contains 30 young cones in the Shishan and Yongzing regions. Historically, small fissure eruptions have been recorded from the Lingao and Chengmai areas.

There are several points of interest there outside the gated and fenced national park. The landscape is dotted with small volcanoes (hills), there are lava caves if one knows where to go, villages like Meishe / RongTan / Sishan that are built mostly from lava rock and scenic terraced tropical farmland.

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Hainan Volcanic Field and Volcanic Rock Villages....

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Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

The Rufu Pagoda was built in the Song Dynasty around 800 years ago. Today, just the base and a tower still stands. Apparently it is one of the oldest structures in Hainan.
It was built entirely from volcanic rock and its style is rare in China. Somehow the design had influences from perhaps India or other south-east Asian countries as the saying goes.....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Haikou Volcanic Cluster Global Geopark, also known as Haikou Scenic-Shishan Volcano Cluster, Leiqiong Global Geopark, Haikou Crater Park, and Hainan Crater Park is a national park located approximately 15 km west of Haikou, Hainan, China. It is named for a crater, one of many extinct volcanoes on the island. The park has a total area of 118 square kilometres. It contains the two towns Shishan Town and Yongxing Town, and more than 40 Quaternary volcanoes. Part of the area is called Mount Maanling (Saddle) Crater Scenic Area. This area consists of the two major volcanoes, Mount Fengliung (furnace) and Mount Baoziling. Together they appear as a saddle, hence the name. Adjacent to these, there are another two volcanoes, one of which is called Mount Yanjinglin.

China AAAA tourist attraction, well ~ must stand for Absolutely Abandon All Assumptions as nothing special and seriously a waste of time and $$$'s for the entry tickets in my opinion....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Some awesome underground volcano lava caves South of Haikou, if one knows where to go....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR

Amazing photos.
After living in China (Shandong) for 4 years, it never stops to thrill me with all the wonderful beautiful places.
When I tell my UK work colleagues about where we have been in China, and showed them a few pictures, they are totally enthralled, and could not believe just how beautiful China is.

Taishan

'vette

Thanks very much for the positive comments. As they say, talk is cheap ~ hear the stories constantly from the China "experts" for decades, easy as it's basically free - do your own ride report and show us the interesting places and spots around PRC (People's Republic of Changes) you have visited by motorbike, bring it on as China is really a fascinating and amazing country.....

__________________
Somewhere down the road in China since '89 ~ along the route I've learned the hard way that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everybody off is a piece of cake....TBR