Like most expats in China, I came here to teach English. I have been living in China for nearly six years. My job for most of this time has been teaching. Two and a half of those years were spent in the frigid cold of Daqing, Heilongjiang.
Like most expats in China, I came here to teach English. I have been living in China for nearly six years. My job for most of this time has been teaching. Two and a half of those years were spent in the frigid cold of Daqing, Heilongjiang. I then moved to southern China to continue teaching for a year but later was fortunate enough to have the unique experience of being a tour guide for two years.
Nearly two years worth of planning and preparation has to lead up to this moment. This week I will set off on a journey that will take me from my home for the past three years in Guilin, to London. I will drive through over a dozen countries and see some of the most beautiful scenery this world has to offer. The journey I am embarking on means more to me than simply visiting new places. I will ride my motorcycle to the far western reaches of China, Central Asia, across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and Georgia, into the great country of Turkey where East meets West, and finally into Europe where my journey will end in England.
Over the last few years, I have been driving a 150 cc Suzuki. Although small, we had many fun adventures together exploring the beautiful landscapes of Guangxi, Guizhou, and Hunan. Short trips of 2-7 days were perfect for this bike. All I needed to bring was a 35 Liter bag to carry everything I needed. Even with the small bike, I was able to keep up with a group of friends, all driving motorbikes a bit larger than mine. I’m the white guy in the back right.
I will be driving a Benelli TRK 502. After months of being indecisive about which bike I will drive, I finally settled on this one. The Benelli has more power and carrying capacity which will allow me to bring things like a tent, sleeping bag, spare parts, tripod, and camera.
Every week for the next three months I will be writing an article updating the progress of this trip. The first month in China will take me through, Guizhou, Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, and Xinjiang. My goal is to visit parts of this beautiful country that most foreigners are unaware of. These places will include, cities/towns, waterfalls, parks, temples, lakes, and mountains that are well worth visiting.
This cross-continental route I have meticulously chosen is one which will take me to remote and beautiful parts of each country. Most of these places—particularly those before Europe—will be places that most travelers know nothing about or even think of. My goal is to expose the beauty of these places: the everyday nature of the people I meet along the way, the variety of cities and grand countrysides, and every climate in between. I hope that through this experience I can show those following along at home and elsewhere in the world how incredible the places we hardly think of can be.
This will be a long and arduous journey, many unknowns lie ahead of me. It will not be easy, there will be many new languages and cultures that will be new. One potential problem is having a breakdown in the middle of nowhere, in a country where I don’t speak the language. Problems like this are just part of the adventure. I have read that locals in all of the areas I will travel to are very friendly to foreign travelers. The route that I chose was specifically chosen so I could maximize the number of countries and cultures I could visit while still moving west. But because of this, one potential problem could be border crossings. Even when all documents and visas are in order, something can go wrong.
The very first stop of the trip will be in a city called Chishui. Here I will wander around exploring the forests which boast a plethora of different waterfalls.
This trip is one I did not intend to do solo. I had hoped to do this with a friend, but an important job came calling that he couldn’t pass on. Never the less I decided to push on with my dream. That being said, costs of the trip that could be split between two people, now all fall on me. While I have been saving for a long time for this trip, small costs added up over three months can get high. So I am calling on friends, family, and strangers for support.
15¥—My gratitude and promise to carry you in my thoughts as I make my way west.
30¥—Gratitude and a shoutout in my next weekly article published by GuideInChina.
100¥— Gratitude, a shoutout, and a postcard from the country of your choosing.
200¥—Gratitude and a shoutout, postcard, and video shoutout from the country of your choosing.
400¥— Gratitude and a shoutout, postcard, video shoutout and a souvenir from any of the major destinations in China or any country I drive through.
Note: This is NOT a scam!! I know anything about 100 RMB is a lot to ask, which is why I will be taking the time to give back to the people who are interested in supporting me the most. ANY support what so ever is greatly appreciated but for the people who are willing to go the extra mile. I want to give something back to them.
For those people, you can add my Wechat number: seattle89. Then we can chat about what you would like.
