Disclaimer: Due to the number of comments that have been received it has been felt necessary to clarify that this trip is in no way based on "The Long Way Round" which the authors of the trip were not aware and nor was it first broadcast of at the time at which this trip was drunkenly conceived. The authors of this trip would like to distinguish their intended trip from the journey undertaken in "The Long Way Round" in that unlike Charlie Borman and Ewan McGregor they are not experienced riders (they have both only been riding motorbikes for just over one year), they are not receiving sponsorship and they will not have a support crew with them at any point on the journey. Just to avoid any further confusion it has been thought that it would be helpful to point out that Tom Horovitch and Peter Caley are both fictional characters and are not famous film stars.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Kashgar, China - 11,553 miles from London

Web-site quality photo - Tom
Tom's bike with a Chinese number plate complementing the Chinese driving licence and travel permit - both of which he also has to have in order to be able to drive in China and which are currently sitting in his wallet (not pictured)

We are now at Kashgar in China's western Xinjiang province after an exhausting day dealing with both the Krgyz and then the Chinese customs posts at the isolated (but suprisingly busy) Irkeshtam Pass. Tom had a few problems with altitude sickness before the border crossing but he did claim to have seen a shooting star during the night so that's OK then. After an unprecedented amount of delay at the Krgyz customs post (at every other Krgyz border we have crossed we have pretty much been waved through) we then hit massive delays at the Chinese border - mainly caused by us arriving just as they started their two hour lunch break. Having then explained to the efficient Chinese officials at the border that Tom's plaster of Paris touristy souvenir from Samarkand was not actually cocaine we then rode to Kashgar and arrived late last night. We will leave here on Thursday and take the Karakoram Highway to Pakistan where en-route we will cross the Kunjerab Pass which, at just less than 5000 metres, is the highest road pass in the world.


Tom playing snooker with an audience in Kashgar
Tom plays a bit of pool in Kashgar's main square with his loyal fans rooting for him to sink the next ball and sweep to victory

Web-site quality photo - Tom
The strains of the Chinese customs are too much for Peter

Web-site quality photo - Tom
Our hotel in Kashgar - apparantly the former British consulate
Written by Peter

posted by Tom and Peter @ 13:57   1 comments

1 Comments:

At Wed Oct 25, 07:55:00 am BST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, can one of you explain what procedures or who you contacted in order to arrange the Chinese motorbike license, number plate, etc? Living in Xinjiang (Korla) I've always been told it's impossible, although I know people in Beijing can get a license. How did you get a license not even being in China? Do I need to bribe someone? (By the way... I'm David's friend... the English guy you met in Bishkek.)

 

Post a Comment

<< Home