Diary: Conquest of China by a Kazakh Biker
Entry 37. Conquest of China by a Kazakh biker
Sensation! Sensation!!!
sensation!!!
This is how I want to start my story about China, because there is no other way to talk about the realization of a dream. Indeed, for so many years I have been trying to enter the Celestial Empire on my two-wheeled friend, and now, thank God, my fantasies and dreams have become a reality!
But still, no matter how much I try to believe in what happened, so far I'm not very good at it! I remember when I drove those first 100 meters after the Vietnam-China border, I was seriously afraid of going crazy from such a grandiose event. My mind and body were rejoicing at the same time – I wanted to scream and cry at the same time, there was a lump in my throat, tears involuntarily rolled down my cheeks…. It had happened to me only once – when I returned to Kazakhstan from the first round-the-world trip….
Already on the territory of China, having quickly completed the paperwork and given an express interview to the Chinese media, I immediately rushed into the interior of the country to start my trans-China motorcycle race as soon as possible. The 70th country in my round-the-world collection!
And now everything in order. Of course, the languid days of waiting at the border were very stressful for me. And how could I not be nervous, when both the Vietnamese and Chinese sides said with one voice that it was a gamble, and my chances of entering China "on my own two feet" were zero.
They said that no "round-the-worlder" had ever managed to do that, and here was a biker on a motorcycle on his motorcycle! It all boiled down to the fact that there would be big problems. Well, I have nothing to lose, and I am always ready for any fight!
Problem #1: Where to put the motorcycle ? The thing is that, according to Vietnamese law, I need to leave the country, as my visa has expired, and with it my permission to be in the country. But how can I leave the country if China does not let me in yet?! And it's forbidden to stay in the neutral zone! The Chinese don't want to hear that my bike should stay at the border for some time…..
With great difficulty, I negotiated with the Vietnamese side, left my bike with them, and crossed the border into China. Here I first had to undergo an in-depth medical examination to obtain a Chinese driver's license. I was amused by the eye test: they put me on a chair and started to show me big and small…. characters! Then they realized that I was not Chinese and just signed the act of passing my medical examination. I signed my calendar for them in return. Then began the procedure of getting insurance and getting a license plate for the motorcycle. While doing so, it was easy to realize that all of this was new to them and there were simply no rules and regulations for entering their country on a motorcycle yet. I remember when I went to Australia or the USA, I was presented with a full list of conditions for motorcycles to enter their countries. Here it a complete improvisation!
Still, I am grateful to fate that in April 2008 I was lucky enough to carry the Beijing Olympic flame on my bike (www.olympic.kz/ beijingtorch.php?id=687). At that time, the Chinese leadership was watching the event with interest! Most likely, this is what decided the fate of my claim to enter the Celestial Empire in a positive way.
And now the day has come when everything must happen! I couldn't sleep practically all night. Early in the morning I hired a cab and drove to the Vietnamese border to pick up my bike and start the process of crossing the border. The Vietnamese had previously warned me that if I went backwards from China, they would simply arrest the bike and I would never see it again. The mood is bad, but I don't let it show, on the contrary – the show is on! I'm doing everything I can to make the event a celebration.
Although photography is strictly forbidden at the border, I could not refuse the people on both sides who demanded autographs and group photos from me. Even the border guards and customs officers themselves could not deny themselves the pleasure of taking pictures with me, although their cage-bosses were filming everything on video. In general, I was once again convinced that people all over the world are the same, they are interested in travelers like me, and they have great respect for my journey.
And now all the procedures have been completed, and I am already on the Chinese side with the documents in hand. All that's left is to open the barrier and – victory? But no! At the very last moment, the head of customs came up and said that I should put the motorcycle aside and cover it with a cover. There was some kind of permit missing that would have to wait. Oh, my God, it was so close! Is this a failure?! But everything turned out to be much simpler: we had to let some foreign group through (and they demanded to cover the bike so that no one would take pictures of it).
Okay, I'm waiting. Hurry up! The group has passed. I look at the border guards, waiting for the command. Behind the barrier there are already waiting for me representatives of the press and just a mass of gawkers… Yesssss! Permission granted! The barrier is open! I'M IN CHINA ON A BIKE!!! I'm so happy! I stop to talk to the press, chat with people, rejoice with everyone at this event. But the border guards and police push the mass of people along with me away from the border post. And still the show succeeded!
To this day, I am always nervous when people ask me: "Ve a yu from?" (Where are you from?). I answer that I am from Kazakhstan! A new question follows: "Where is that?". Then I unfold the map and show them: here it is – our huge Kazakhstan, the 9th country in the world in terms of territory. Please love and complain! In general, I am used to it and I am proud that in this way I make our country recognizable in the world not only for leaders, but also for ordinary people of those countries I visit during my motorcycle trips. That's why I want to say a huge thank you to everyone! I always feel the support of my friends, officials, sponsors, and ordinary people – everyone who is interested in biker life and my motorcycle tours!
But why do I keep talking about my emotions? It's time for a couple
Mao Zedong Mausoleum. Tianmin Square. A few words to say about China. Although many of my readers have already visited this country, and everyone will probably say how cool it is! I like it too – and people, and culture, and cuisine, and cities with monuments! China is huge! Almost 10 million square kilometers, making it the third largest country in the world. And the first in terms of population – 1.3 billion people. The numbers are impressive! The main part of the population is made up of the Chinese (Han Chinese), but there are also Uighurs, Mongols, etc. Almost throughout the country, the population considers itself atheists, but there are quite a few representatives of a variety of religions. This is a little bit of facts…..
And now – let's go around China! The first big city on my way is Nanning. It's about 400 kilometers away. It takes about 3 hours on the expressway or 6 hours on country roads.
As soon as I was released from the press, I went straight to towards Nanning, so that I could get there before dark and already there soberly realize that I was already on my way to China. The representative of the travel agency, which was in charge of processing my documents for entry into China, also decided to go with me to the city. After 10 km we approached the highway, and just as I was about to enter the expressway, I was briefly and clearly pointed to the parallel road. Such a bummer! And nobody even talked to us! Well, there is no point in arguing, especially since I don't care where to go. The main thing is that I'm traveling in China! And most importantly, amongst people! And what an amazing village cuisine! The prices are unbelievably low, and the choice and quality are excellent!
Anyway, I was even glad they didn't let me on the freeway. How can you talk to anyone on the highway? But here you can. Slow down, stop, and you can chat! Once again I am convinced of how interesting and inquisitive people live in the periphery. And with what delight and joy they perceive my presence among them! They say that even a world traveler from Kazakhstan has honored them with his visit! Probably, looking at such a kind attitude towards me, I get additional strength and desire to continue my mission! Besides, there is no outright poverty and criminality here, it is very calm and quiet. I traveled from the border to the city in my Olympic costume. So many people recognized me, saying that they had seen on TV how I carried the Olympic flame of Beijing. I can't say anything, these Chinese are an advanced people! They know everything and follow the situation in the world….
We had to drive almost 200 kilometers in total darkness. And it felt like all the cars had gone out for a night out. Only then I realized that out of economy many Chinese do not use highways! (By the way, the most expensive toll roads are in China! But I'll get to them later in my story.). So, for me, the main discomfort is driving at night. But being under such a doping as conquering China, it's as if I don't notice the inconvenience! One truck brazenly clamped me so hard that it blew off my side mirror. I had to pull off the highway to the side of the road, but I didn't even swear at him! That's the mood I'm in today. By the way, I have one rule on the road: "Pay attention. "Watch out for everybody. Don't rely on anyone.
You're the only one to blame for all the trouble!". So far it's working for me…
Nanning is a big city (over 10 million inhabitants) and very beautiful! It glows with colorful lights until the morning! As an old biker's habit, I immediately look for the city sign to take a photo against its background. But as soon as you stop, a crowd of hundreds of gawkers and curious people gathers from nowhere! I know myself, even if I don't have a motorcycle, I still approach a biker-traveler and ask the same questions as everyone else. And that's fine. True, in some countries, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and India, I tried to avoid such rallies (because in this case suicide bombers have a great opportunity to commit high-profile terrorist attacks), but not in China. After all, foreign motorcycle riders have NEVER been seen here at all!
My friend from the travel agency Victor (his real name is Tan Suen) brought me to the Marco Polo Hotel. While I went to check the price and availability of rooms, some drunken young men who were vacationing in the casino gathered around the motorcycle. noisy they were! At first I thought I had to get out of here. But it quickly became clear that I should not be afraid of them. On the contrary, it was a shame I couldn't talk to them! They were babbling something in Chinese, and I was only occasionally inserting English words that they didn't understand.
I took a photo near the Marco Polo and went to look for another, simpler hotel. The prices here are very expensive! I was lucky to quickly find a 2-star hotel with internet (by the way, internet is available throughout Southeast Asia and China without any problems!). As a result, I did not sleep a wink until I told all my friends about my conquest of China!
I'm 1.90 and the wonder giant is 2.30!!!!!!! I can see the difference!!!!!!!!!!
Pingback: Diary: Hello, Rio, or Fighting Customs - Байкер Петрухин