i am planning to going from hong kong to kunming and then on into tibet and lhasa.
does anyone have a route to suggest? i dont want to go to guiling and yangshou so i was thinking about a route more to the south but in my map it looks like there are mostly big roads along the coast? also, does anyone know the approximate distance? i have about a month and a half to reach kunming.. i was also thinking about catching the ferry to macau and enter china from there, hoping to avoind shenzhen, guangzhou and the urban areas around there. is it possible?
how about accomodation in hong kong that is bike-friendly and cheap. doesn't have to be in the very center as i'm only going there to get a visa. i stayed in one of the mansions before but it didnt feel like a good place to bring a bike.
the plan is to enter tibet in the middle of april. i know this is very individual, but what kind of sleeping bag would i need for tibet at that time. the plan is to camp a lot. would a +3C/-3C (comf/extr) and maybe some kind of liner be ok or way too cold? i will bring thermal underwear, gore tex shell and all the usual clothing as well that could be used during cold nights.
if someone else has the same plan (leaving hong kong in the middle of feb), drop me a line
thanks
/petter
I biked Yunnan-Tibet in May 2005, and while it was very cold over some of the passes, it was mild in the valleys - I stayed in towns most of the time, but when camping it didn't go below freezing, so I don't think that would be a problem in April; but it will be nippy on the passes.
For the Hong Kong bit, it's not a problem to go to Macau by ferry and then cross the border to China but they are for passengers only which means that you have to bag or box your bike. Same goes for accommodation... Space is at a premium in any cheap accommodation so it will be a challenge to find somewhere cheap that accommodates a bike that's not in a box/bag. A creative idea could be to get a tune up and leave the bike at the shop for a few days.
I have made a few trips out into Guagdong Province W of HK and can add the following observations:
<b>Big roads</b>
Once you get away from the Pearl River Delta, 'big roads' (wth the exception of the new toll roads which are strict about not allowing you on) are often tamer than you might imagine - you can get four-lane highways with only the odd vehicle every few minutes.
Still, not eveyone's cup of tea for aesthetic reasons. In my expereince there's usually a small road alternative (the x and Y numbered roads in China). You can nearly always find a route on these - the exception being in very hllly terrain where there is often only one through route.
<b>Getting from HK to China</b>
Lving in HK, I've done some fairly extensive research here. The best option, imo, if you're heading W. is to take one of the
Chu Kong Shipping Co's ferries up to the edges of the Delta. Look at the map and schedules on their site. They don't make a fuss about bikes but charge around RMB 70 extra.
If you want to go via Macau, you can put your bike on the Jetfoil providing it's not too busy - they were fine when i went at night. They also charge a few bucks extra.
OR you can get the CKS ferry to Zhuhai, which faces Macau across the border. Either way, you've got 10 Km of urban sprawl going due W out of Zhuhai towards the Ya Men river (and a problem when you get there as the only thing that crosses it is the expressway, forcing you to head N towards Xinhui and cross the river up there.
Not bad riding in these parts, but not quite the Garden of Eden either.
My advice would be to take a CKS ferry to Tai Shan or Kai Ping. You're a bit further NW by this time and although both are sizeable towns, you're out in the sticks once you clear them (only takes about 15 min to get shot of either of these.) You could then head due W - the hills in this region are my own targets for future explorations .
Google Earth is quite useful in those places where they have high-res images.
Accommodation in Gaungdong Province is usually pretty straightforward, I've found. Any town large enough to show up on the Nelles S China map, will probably have something of the sort. Budget RMB 50 up for crash pads.
Not sure about accomm in HK. There's always the Youth Hostel on Mt Davis on HK island. I'm sure they'd take bikes. A good, invigorating climb up to it, too.
#2 Don't think you're right about bagging or boxing. The Far East JEtfoil Co (or whateve they call themselves these days - the red-and-white ones and by far the biggest fleet) give you the option of lugging it down the steps yourself (small charge) or checking it in (bigger charge)
If in doubt, go late - there's a 24 hour service.
thanks! i was thinking about the ferry-alternative but heard that they stopped service or something like that. sounds like a good idea to go to kai ping and then cycle nw towards xin xing and catch the G324, next stop kunming =)
could be a problem that i'll arrive around new years with crowded ferries, trains and buses.
I may be wrong but I think I heard the ferry to Kaiping has also stopped in the last year, which would be a shame as it's a good inroad to Guangdong. The Turbojet service as well as the First ferry service to Macau both take bikes i've done this many a time, a small charge I think, First were slightly cheaper.
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