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16 Oct 2017
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We finally reached the hotel at 9 pm riding in the dark day one. We managed to find a decent Chinese Bbq/grill place and again our driver ordered up some interesting and delicious food.
 IMG_9723 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9725 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Chinese hotels are interesting and different. Only some are “available” to receive foreigners. When you check in you must pay a cash deposit that is up to twice the room rate, but usually less and 100 RNB (20$). Because we checked in “late” or after 6 we had to pay more for the rooms as well. Breakfast is included about half the time. The cleanliness of hotels here is below NA standards (its hard to have clean carpets when you use a broom and not a vacuum). The general wear and tear is evident from the about of use they see. It is not unusual to have your breakfast in a dining hall half filled with stacks of piled up furniture for example.
 To Beijing by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Last edited by saralou; 19 Oct 2017 at 07:20.
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17 Oct 2017
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This morning we did have breakfast in the hotel and paid about 5$ for the buffet. They did have Nescafe and at least a few food items we could identify. Today we will try to get back on track with our itinerary. This means 486 km from Wulanchbu/Ulanqab to the Great wall at Mutianyu to get back on schedule and make up for getting such a late start yesterday. This will not be achievable in day light!
 Screen Shot 2017-09-22 at 21.33.15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We were out of the hotel by 845 and to our first Chinese fuel station. Getting fuel in some districts especially in a city can be challenging. We pulled up to the pump and the women refused to put gas into the tank of a motorcycle. We had to park in the designated motorcycle parking and then fill a old dented leaking rusty kettle with a rubber tube attached to the spout with 4.5 L of gas at a time. This is so stupid and gas is dripping all over the place. Not to mention that you have to refill the kettle numerous times for each bike. Apparently on the highway (where motorcycles are not allowed they will refuel with the pump…..go figure). We needed 11 refills for the 4 bikes and so this took a while. We had 3 litres left from Trevor’s gas as he went first and put it into Dan’s jerry can. The attendant started yelling at us and said that if we did not stop doing that she would not sell us anymore fuel. You need a special permit in China to fill a jerry can.
 To Beijing-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 To Beijing-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 To Beijing-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE0932 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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17 Oct 2017
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We managed to get back on the highway with no issues today and past 4 tolls today. They are so much easier when they are busy and especially with large trucks as we can pull up along them and pass on the far right. Today only one girl tried minimally to stop us at one exit gate. This is a bit stressful and Dan and I don't feel all that great about breaking the rules, but how else can you get around when the choice is roads that are “toll highway” or secondary roads with lines of trucks.
 FILE0982 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
"Don't Try Fatigue Driving"
 FILE0994 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We stopped after 100 km for a rest and met some Chinese bikers doing the same toll gate running as us. It is very convenient at every service center on the highway there is a “boiler room” to get hot water to make coffee, tea, or a noodle soup. They all also have free bathroom and usually a buffet restaurant.
 IMG_9736 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9735 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Snacks!??
 IMG_9732 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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17 Oct 2017
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After lunch at one of these places we still had 140 km to go at 130 or 3 hours according to the guide to get to the Great Wall. The scenery gets even more hilly as you get closer to the capital. There is more and more traffic as you approach Beijing.
 To Beijing-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 To Beijing-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 To Beijing-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had to stop for 30 min at the police check so our driver could get a permit to drive inside the Beijing city limits. You have to have special license plates to drive in the city center. The police on the road and here at the check did not even give us a second look, which seems strange since we are not allowed on the highway.
 FILE1014 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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17 Oct 2017
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We had views on the distant hills of the Badaling section of the wall that is about 50 km from the center. This is where we think the guides made their next mistake. We drove right past the Badaling section of the wall (which I think is the nicer), “because the itinerary said so”. If we had changed plans here we would have avoided the rest of the issues of the day (almost missing seeing the wall, issues getting gas, and driving in the dark DAY 2). They did not communicate to us actually how far it is to access the Mutianyu wall and how long it would take to go so few km.
 FILE1021 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had to go into the 6 th ring road and then back out 50 km on the very busy windy secondary road to the Mutianyu section of the wall.
 Screen Shot 2017-09-22 at 21.36.28 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 FILE1027 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
Huge group of Harleys!!
 FILE1042 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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17 Oct 2017
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We arrived to the parking at 420, changed, and rushed over to the ticket office to buy wall tickets, shuttle tickers, and gondola tickets…..35$. You then have to walk 400 m to the bus that drives you up and drops you 300 m from the gondola station.
Then you walk up the stairs to get there gondola. Time is marching on and the last Gondola down is 6 pm. We finally were on the wall at 5 pm and so after all this riding to get here we had 45 min visit. We did have very few people and a beautiful evening light.
 Great Wall-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Great Wall-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
https://youtu.be/AK9p3LaOX1k
 IMG_9756 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9763 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9769 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9773 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9740 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9751 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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17 Oct 2017
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Looking good as always, whats with the crazy gas fill up situation? What do they think will happen if you put gas straight in the tank? Strange people indeed 
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19 Oct 2017
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I know insane! Leaking dripping kettle being carried thru the station
From my ADV RR explained by a Chinese rider
and I quote " The gas station staff explained, "refueling with aluminum cans is for safety.". The motorcycle exhaust pipe / engine is hot, the pressurized gasoline if directly pumped into the fuel tank, afraid of splashing oil on the exhaust pipe / engine to cause a fire... There may have been many unfortunate accident!"
To be honest this was the worst station. I Tibet they have good jerry cans that poured well and held 10 L. You still had to register each time with the police to buy gas and then fight the local for a can. Getting gas for 4 bikes could be 20-60 min!
SP
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19 Oct 2017
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We got the last of the gondolas down, but had to wait 20 min for the bus to go down again. Its rapidly getting dark. The initial plan had been to ride another 60 km to a hotel near Honda at the 5 th ring road of Beijing and stay 2 nights, but that distance will take about 2 hours. We decided to change hotel plans for tonight and stay much closer to our current location. In Beijing city you can gas at the pumps and so this made getting fuel tonight easy. We left the parking at 1830 and had 11 km to the gas station and then 10 km to the hotel in Huairen, which is located between the 5 th and 6 th ring road. They have unique numbering systems here in Chinese hotels.
 IMG_9790 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had another amazing dinner ordered by Mr. Tang including a very delicious squid dish and a tasty donkey stew. They have these prepackaged dish sets in all the restaurants.
 Screen Shot 2017-09-22 at 21.35.35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 To Beijing-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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19 Oct 2017
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The air quality in Beijing is listed as unhealthy, but so far today the ski looks clear! We had another “special” Chinese breakfast at the hotel (included can you believe it) and then set out the 44 km or an hour to Dreamwing Honda, where Trevor has service booked for his valve check etc.
 FILE1050 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Screen Shot 2017-09-22 at 21.39.34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Screen Shot 2017-09-22 at 21.39.22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We had all ordered tires that Ride China arranged for us and they are in the driver’s van. It is not that far to Honda, but took over an hour. We had one storming of the toll gate today right off the bat and then one car accident that slowed the traffic to a crawl for about 4 km. We arrived to Honda and the shop is very nice. They set out to work on Trevor’s bike, but also agreed to swap out all our tires and balance them for a reasonable price. The local tire shop near by wanted double. We are beginning to find out just how expensive almost everything is in China. They agreed to do it for us after we said we would take off the wheels from the three BMW’s. They gave all the guys new wok gloves as well. They also ordered take out lunch for us.
 Beijing-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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20 Oct 2017
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The hotel is only 2.5 km from here and so we were checked in by 1. Trevor picked up his bike at 530 and all seems well. We had deciphered the Beijing subway map and headed to the nearest station on the Line 14. All along the way walking to the station there are discarded bikes that are part of several share bike companies, but they are piled up everywhere within 400 m of the stations. The official route is down into a sewer “canal” and across some broken paving stones (even on maps.me).
 Beijing-19 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9811 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
It is about an hour to the center with changing trains and some walking. You must go thru airport like security screening at every station.
 Beijing-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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20 Oct 2017
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We arrived to down town and went thru another security check point to get near to Tienanmen square to find all the actual access to the square closed off. We are not sure if this is a nightly thing or due to some construction being done.
 Beijing-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9816 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-10 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 IMG_9825 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
We wandered around the center and found a local place for dinner. It was another hour back on the Metro, but we are getting pretty good at it. It is surprisingly orderly. When you enter and exit the train and when you have to move up the stairs or escalators there is no rushing or pushing. The flow of people walking between he lines is constant, but ordered.
 Beijing-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-12 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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20 Oct 2017
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Join Date: Aug 2015
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Truly Amazing
I must say what a great RR and truly amazing.
Going by your request for help find to a new rear shock for the BMW.
You must be in Laos now.
I hope you have sorted out the problem ok.
Just 1 question the older gentleman who is riding in the group is he over 70?
Not sure if you were aware but China rised the age to 70 from 60 just last year for the age limit to ride a Motorbike.
If you were aware then he is over 70?
WELL done that man.
Looking forward to you next post which will be still in China.
Last edited by Nuff Said; 20 Oct 2017 at 16:48.
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21 Oct 2017
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nuff Said
I must say what a great RR and truly amazing.
Going by your request for help find to a new rear shock for the BMW.
You must be in Laos now.
I hope you have sorted out the problem ok.
Just 1 question the older gentleman who is riding in the group is he over 70?
Not sure if you were aware but China rised the age to 70 from 60 just last year for the age limit to ride a Motorbike.
If you were aware then he is over 70?
WELL done that man.
Looking forward to you next post which will be still in China.
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Yes we are in Laos now for the last 3 days. YSS shipped us a new shock to Luang Prabang and Daniel installed it yesterday so Lulu is back in action. Orvar is 65 and the limit of age for a motorcycle license in China is still 65. But money talks ans he got one anyway. Cheers S&D
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21 Oct 2017
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We have a big day planned today and we are up and out of the hotel and down to the metro station at 830. An hour later we were in Tienanmen square. It was packed with tourist of course. We spent a few minutes to take in its vastness even with the crowds. It is pretty hot in the direct sun so you can not hang out here too long.
 Beijing-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-21 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
 Beijing-22 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr
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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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Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
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Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
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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.'
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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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