Land of the Overflowing Bureaucracy
As we left early in the morning from a yurt in Kyrgyzstan towards the Chinese border, we were already expecting fussy luggage inspection and time-consuming controls. But entering the country was even more bureaucratic than imagined. When going to China with the own vehicle one must book a guide through a licensed travel company for the whole stay. It is needless to say that this is very expensive. We decided to book the shortest version possible: a four-day transit tour with Kashgar Newland travel company from Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan.
How to handle rude border officers
Before we could enter China we had to exit Kyrgyzstan. Normally we just showed our passports, got an exit stamp and were free to go. On the border to China that was not the case. Before the official exit point there were two different military checkpoints where we had to show our Chinese visa and had to open our bags. This took quite a long time and required some patience. On the last checkpoint one officer even wanted to keep our small helmet camera although it was switched off. He saw us packing away the GoPro, snatched it, put it in his pocket and told us to drive on. He would check our video material later. We protested vehemently and Peter ran after him immediately loudly involving other officials. In the end we showed them the videos on the camera. As they didn’t find anything incriminating we were allowed to go on with our camera.
Getting x-rayed, disinfected and being spied on
Standing at the massive Chinese border gate at over 3000 meters above sea level and enjoying the fantastic view we realized how far we have already come with the motorbike. The gate opened and the Chinese officials directed us to come inside. On the Chinese side a man came towards us and told us smiling: “Hello, nice to meet you, I am Abdul, your guide. Just follow me with the bike”. We went many kilometers through no man’s land until we came to a big building. Abdul told us to remove the soft bags from the bike as they were going to be scanned. Furthermore, we had to go inside the building for the passport control. With the bags we went inside and waited for them to be x-rayed. Meanwhile they asked us to give them our unlocked phones and walked away with them. Once our bags were finished we took them and went to the next desk where they were just looking at all the photos and videos on our phones. It was an awkward feeling watching strange people looking through our private stuff. They even installed a special spy software to monitor every step we take. Goodbye privacy, we thought. Later our motorcycle was x-rayed in a special room that looked like a huge carwash tunnel able to fit about five big trucks. The thought about riding on the famous Karakoram Highway with snowcapped mountains in sight lifted our spirits.
We also met a group of German, Austrian, and Swiss tourists driving in a bus on their way out of China. It was very interesting to talk to them and exchange information. They called the province Xinjiang a “maximum security prison” where local minorities were being watched and even held prison if they did something out of order. Practicing their religion for example is apparently highly forbidden.
After the border officials finished their lunch we were allowed to drive on. The roads were in a terrible condition and we had to ride zigzag to avoid potholes. Our guide had told us before that it was strictly forbidden to take any photos or videos in this area. We saw cameras every few meters on the road. On the side there were buildings protected with barbwire looking like prisons. Watching closer we even saw some children playgrounds. In the whole area we saw hardly any normal houses or villages.
At the next police station we had to go inside for another passport control. The motorcycle panniers were being searched once again. We went on and saw the same prison-like buildings once more. On the perfectly new street there was no other car anywhere to be seen. Considering the huge waiting queue of trucks at the border before it was very strange.
Our next stop was another border building where Abdul told us that the motorcycle had to get disinfected. Peter should drive through a tunnel where some strange smelling drizzle suddenly appeared. On the other side he came out again completely wet. With our newly disinfected bike we rode a bit further to another building where our bags once again got x-rayed. One time apparently wasn`t enough. Furthermore we had to open each bag and show them every item. They put aside our canned vegetables and one tomato as they were forbidden to bring into the country. Another passport control followed where a machine automatically told us in German where to put our hands to save our fingerprints. A few weeks ago, in the neighboring country Tajikistan there was no electricity at all in some areas and now a machine was talking to us in our mother tongue. Additionally our faces were scanned.
First night in Kashgar
Outside the building Abdul told us to leave the motorbike there for the night and continue tomorrow. There were still many things to do like getting a Chinese number plate and a Chinese driving license. We were allowed to put some stuff for the night in our bags. On our way to Kashgar we had to stop for another passport control. Hundreds of electric scooters were driving on the streets. They had a whole lane just for themselves.
We stopped at a huge hotel complex. Entering the luxurious highly secured building we felt strange. The night before we slept in a cold simple yurt without heating.
As the Chinese time was two hours earlier than the Kyrgyz time it was already late and we decided to find a place to eat. Walking around Kashgar we saw again electric scooters as well as cameras everywhere on the streets. The waitress in the restaurant didn’t speak English so we just ordered some noodles that tasted delicious. Back in the hotel we fell asleep immediately.
The breakfast on the next morning was different than every other we ever had. Soup, noodles, cooked vegetables and meat with soya sauce were available. There were also “normal” things like fried eggs, toast and tea.
Border procedures part two - the second day
Peter had to go back to the border station to continue the paperwork, whereas Claudia was lucky to stay in the hotel. Getting the Chinese driving license and Chinese number plate was a complicated procedure that took many hours. A doctor even checked Peter’s temperature with a laser on his forehead. A few hours, many passport controls and face scans later he was officially allowed to bring the motorcycle to Kashgar.
Kashgar – Oasis of the historical Silk Road
We spent the rest of the day wandering around the old city of Kashgar. It was demolished in 2009 by the Chinese government and rebuilt nearly completely, officially to protect it against earthquakes. Although we would have loved to visit the original old city it was still nice to walk around and watch children playing in the newly built streets of Kashgar Old Town.
In the evening we saw another travel motorbike parked next to ours. The owner, Gerhard, a friendly Austrian, was travelling from India to Austria. His son did the way from Austria to India with the same motorbike and he was going back. We spent a nice evening together exchanging information and having fun.
Race against time
The original plan was to go to Tashkurgan on the third day and spend the night there. Our guide should pick us up at 10:00 in the morning so we had already finished preparing our bike one hour before to have enough time for a good breakfast. We were sitting at the table with Gerhard and a Pakistani, when our guide came in looking very stressed and nervous. He told us to leave immediately because the border to Pakistan would be closed for the next five days. We should try to do all paperwork and cross to Pakistan in one day instead of two. The Pakistani guy at the table immediately protested and told us that there was no holiday in Pakistan and the borders would be open all the time. We shouldn’t listen to our guide. The guide answered quite angrily that the Pakistani guy wouldn’t know anything and we should hurry up. It was hard to leave the tasty breakfast behind but we got up and went outside.
We quickly got on the bike, said goodbye to Gerhard, who wished us all the best, and drove behind our guide’s car. After a few minutes we had to stop at a police control. There were cameras everywhere, countless policemen, SWAT units and even a man with a machine gun standing above us on a bridge. When we were finished with passport controls our guide told us that the speed limit for 60 kilometers per hour wouldn’t apply for foreigners so we should drive as fast as we can. He would meet us in Tashkurgan as soon as possible at the petrol station. We did as we were told and started riding on the Karakoram Highway towards Tashkurgan very fast. The scenery was fantastic and we regretted not having more time to enjoy the beauty and take some pictures. There were glittering blue lakes and very high snowy mountains everywhere. We even saw camels walking on the road.
A few hours later we reached Tashkurgan with an empty tank. At the petrol station there was a long queue of waiting cars. Petrol stations in this area of China are heavily protected with barbwire and policemen checking everyone. Chinese people have a special identity card they show to the officials. Of course we didn’t have anything like that and our guide had told us before that it was illegal for foreigners to get petrol in this area. We still tried and showed them with our hands to fill up the tank. The policeman asked for our passport and told us to wait. After a few minutes more policeman came and they opened the gate for us.
After filling up our tank we parked the bike outside the fence and waited for our guide to arrive. Sitting next to our bike we attracted a lot of attention. People were very curious and took many pictures of us and the bike. They were very friendly and gave us fresh fruits.
When our guide arrived two hours later, we went to the official border building not far away. We waited for some time for the gates to open so we could enter the border area, where we had to park our bike and remove all our bags again. Our guide told us that the Chinese border was officially closed at that time of the day and that they would come and open it again just for us.
He also told us that we would wait for four other motorcyclists. Officials didn’t start working before they arrived. About one hour later the door opened and the other bikers came in also looking a bit stressed. The three Canadians and one Spanish guy had the same experience and were also informed on short notice about the border being closed for a few days. Together we stood and waited for the passport control as the door opened and three officials arrived. Seeing us talking they rudely commanded to stand in line. After the passport control and face scan we had to position our motorbike in front of a camera and were free to go.
The Roof of the World
Our guide told us to ride the remaining 120 kilometers to Khunjerab pass fast without stopping and taking pictures. We started towards the famous Khunjerab pass, the highest paved border crossing in the world. The scenery again was fantastic and it was getting colder as we went higher. The sun was already behind the snowcapped mountains.
When we arrived at the military building the officials checked our passports and we were allowed to continue to the real main border gate. When they opened the gate for us we felt free again.
Route
Info Box
Duration of stay
17 Sept 2018 – 19 Sept 2018
Entry point
Torugart Pass (from Kyrgyzstan)
Exit point
Khunjerab Pass (to Pakistan)
Currency
Renminbi is the official currency.
symbol: 元/¥
code: CNY
The Yuan is the basic unit of the Renminbi.
Visa
We sent our second passports from Osh, Kyrgyzstan to Vienna where the visa agency Visaworld obtained the visa for us. One week later we could pick them up at the DHL office in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Tour
For overlanders travelling with their own vehicle it is mandatory to book a tour with a guide. Combined with hotels, car, guide and all documents that is very expensive. Kashgar Newland was the cheapest option for us. We still had to pay 800 $ per person for the transit to Pakistan.
Weather
Comfortable 25 °C in Kashgar, colder in the mountains
Best experience
Getting a glimpse of a small part of China was interesting. Coming from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan China was a cultural change. The food, the language and writing – everything was different.
Worst experience
The border bureaucracy was the most thorough we ever experienced.
Population
1.417 billion, the largest of any country in the world
Religion
China is an officially atheist country. In former times it was the birthplace of the religio-philosophical schools of Confucianism and Daoism.
Travel tip
Exploring China is probably better without you own vehicle. Then you can just move around freely. Just take your own vehicle if you need China as a transit country.
Accommodation
Kashgar
The tour company booked a room in the Chini Bagh Royal Hotel for us – very nice and luxurious hotel with a great breakfast buffet
Travel Agencies
Kashgar Newland
Ablimit organized everything. Our guide was Abdul. We took Kashgar Newland because it was the cheapest option for us at that time. Everything worked out well, we can totally recommend them. Their website is kashgarsilkroad.com
We can’t really say much about the other agencies. If you are interested, there are others we had contact with:
Navo Tour
We wrote with Paul. You can find them online at www.navo-tour.com
Tibetmoto
We met Hendrik in Germany. You can find him at www.tibetmoto.de
