450+ KM. 11 Hours. Too long.
Got out of Dali old town yesterday morning around 10:00AM. This leg was particularly long because of a lack of accomodation between the two points. (many hotels are not allowed to house foreigners) Roads were easy breezy about 80% of the way. Wide, paved, asphalt - smooth with not a lot of hairpin turns. Dropped some altitude and breathing was easier.
Road turned to hell about 60 km outside of Kunming. Patches of dirt and rock with enormous ruts (up to 18" in some places!), mud, lumbering dump trucks panting out their black plumes of soot. Then, I lost the race against the sun and it was 'night driving.' Night driving is one of my "don'ts" in motorcycling. I would describe the night traffic in Kunming as a 'free-for-all' or 'road circus.' Finally I got to my favorite hostel, the hump. Treated myself to a huge single room, with a bathroom etc - $20 USD. Big spender.
No more long rides like that. Next is either elephant reserve or Yuanyang rice terraces.
Rocinante (my bike) handled the worst like it was nothing.
Got out of Dali old town yesterday morning around 10:00AM. This leg was particularly long because of a lack of accomodation between the two points. (many hotels are not allowed to house foreigners) Roads were easy breezy about 80% of the way. Wide, paved, asphalt - smooth with not a lot of hairpin turns. Dropped some altitude and breathing was easier.
Road turned to hell about 60 km outside of Kunming. Patches of dirt and rock with enormous ruts (up to 18" in some places!), mud, lumbering dump trucks panting out their black plumes of soot. Then, I lost the race against the sun and it was 'night driving.' Night driving is one of my "don'ts" in motorcycling. I would describe the night traffic in Kunming as a 'free-for-all' or 'road circus.' Finally I got to my favorite hostel, the hump. Treated myself to a huge single room, with a bathroom etc - $20 USD. Big spender.
No more long rides like that. Next is either elephant reserve or Yuanyang rice terraces.
Rocinante (my bike) handled the worst like it was nothing.
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