Superb scenery from the touring raid and people encountered.
Scenes experienced by the tour staff. Here is a collection of on-location snapshots that are worth seeing.
*Click on the photos to see larger image
Lhasa
The city of Lhasa stands at an elevation of 3,700 m. One of the things that impress one most about the city is how close one feels to the clouds. A view from Potala Palace
Window frames of the roadside hotels are colored brightly
Around Lhasa's numerous squares you will find outdoor stalls and women waiting to give your shoes a shine
In business or just setting up? This relaxed attitude is something all the vendors seem to have in common
Lhasa
Walls around the Potala Palace have rows of prayer wheels. Turning a wheel is the equivalent of reciting the Lamaist scripture written inside it
Cookies and sweets are sold on outdoor stands, much to the delight of travelers with a sweet tooth
This is real inventiveness. Closer to the sky means stronger sunlight. The kettle hung above the metal plate gives you boiling water? In fact the water was hot
Curious children fear nothing. They gather out of nowhere whenever you bring out a camera
Yangbajain
The paved road from Lhasa to Yangbajain. As the first day's course, it served as a good warm-up for the long touring trip ahead
In the town of Yangbajain at an elevation of 4,200 m. Not far from here stand mountains of 6,000 and 7,000 meters
We arrive at the Yangbajain Central Elementary School for a commemorative tree planting. The children who board here come out to greet us
A group photograph after we went out to plant some Himalayan cedars, a tree that grows well even at this altitude. The innocent smiles of the children are a welcome sight for the riders and staff
Amdo
Entrance to the
Tanggula Mountains
At passes and bridges in this area you will always see prayer flags called tarcho
Despite the remaining clouds, the scenery is magnificent. Up here at an altitude of over 4,500 m, even a little exertion gets you out of breath easily
On the road to the "Entrance to the Tanggula Mountains," we are hit by snow flurries and hail. The scenery around us looks like severe winter
The "Entrance to the Tanggula Mountains" (5,231m) is the highest point on our touring raid this time. The station attendants here are dressed for the cold
Entrance to the
Tanggula Mountains
First Bridge of the
Changjiang River
Golmud
Because of the clear and thin air, you can really see for great distances. Before us lies the Tanggula Mountains range
The "First Bridge of the Changjiang River" is 1.4 km long and the roads on either side run straight as an arrow
In Mongolian, Golmud means a place of many rivers, but what we saw was a big city. With a population of 120,000, it is a city known for the production of petroleum and salt
A square in the center of Golmud. It is a pedestrian area closed to traffic and the citizens gather here to relax. Less crowded due to the weekday
Golmud
Da Qaidam
About 60 km out of Golmud there is a salt flat called Wangzhang Yanqiao (Salt Bridge) near Salt Lake. Because the salt isn't refined, it has a very bitter taste
In the town of Xitieshan where we stop for lunch, these children are playing the same way we used to long ago in Japan
At Xitieshan people enjoy playing "8-ball" billiards. The man in the center is as good as a pro
The restaurant where we stop for lunch in Da Qaidam on the way to Dunhuang. As you can see, there is nothing else in sight
Dunhuang
The road to Dunhuang is well maintained, but it is so sandy that your mouth gets gritty not long after getting out of the bus
At the Yadan Geological Park about 190 km from Dunhuang. I take a beauty shot of the YBR125G
At the famous Mogao Caves. This is a shot of cave No. 96. Inside there is a Buddha sculpture 33 m tall. Photographing is prohibited inside, so all I can do is to say that it certainly is big
At Mingsha Shan. It was still light like this even after 8:00 p.m. We waited for the sunset and by the time it went down it was after 9:00 p.m.
Hami
A priest at the Tianshan temple in Yi Wu at the eastern end of the famous Tianshan mountain range. He is one of the priests that worked to rebuild the temple after it was destroyed during civil war in 1931
We see these pao lodges used by nomadic herders near Yi Wu. In fact, they are being used as family-run lodgings for tourists ...?
The Hami court was the home of the royalty of the Hami kingdom that reigned here from 1697 to 1930. The graves of the royal family are preserved here
A commemorative photo on the grasslands of Yi Wu with members of the Yamaha touring club from Karamay near Urumqi who came to escort us on our tour. Of course all their bikes are Yamahas!
Turpan
The famous Islamic mosque named Emin Tower at Turpan. Religious festivals are still held here several times a year
Near the "Flaming Mountain" of Turpan the earth is all red. The YBR125 Tianjians kick up a rooster tail of red dust as they run
Grapes are one of the best known products of Turpan. The grape trellises run for hundreds of meters
At the ruins of the Gao Chang Court where the ancient priest Xuanzang and his entourage are said to have stopped on their pilgrimage to India, we see these local girls. They all look like being beauties someday
Urumqi
The lean of the motorcycle on this straight section of road is caused by the tremendously strong crosswinds
These strong winds were to have been expected, considering that this area is so famous for its strong winds that wind power is used to generate electricity. There are too many of these huge wind turbines to even count
Around Tianchi Lake there are lots of dirt courses like this to ride. Here the YBR125 Tianjian runs like a spirited colt set loose in the fields
The final goal of the touring raid is the Tianshan Tianchi Lake. No place makes a beautiful backdrop for the YYBR125 than this scenery
