Both yesterday evening and today, it was extremely obvious that I was now in China. The difference compared to Kazakhstan is really significant. On the one hand, the signs here are no longer written in Kazakh and Russian, but in Chinese and Arabic script in this province. On the other hand, I don’t see any old cars here. Not just fewer — literally none at all.

After only a few kilometers, I met Ganibet, an ethnic Kazakh born in China. His parents live in Korgas, while he himself studies in Ürümqi. We rode together for a few kilometers, and he was extremely talkative, constantly riding beside me so we could chat.

After about 11 kilometers, I reached the first checkpoint on the road. I had to go onto the highway, show my passport, and explain where I was going and what my plans were. After around five minutes, once everything had been entered into the computer system, I was allowed to continue.

After only another 20 kilometers came the next checkpoint, but this one only took about a minute. The police officer took a photo of my passport and looked at my old visa, which had already expired two years ago, then handed the passport back to me without even checking my current visa. So these checkpoints really aren’t that bad after all. Mathis had already told me yesterday that things had improved a lot compared to seven or eight years ago.

Soon afterward, Ganibet said goodbye and I continued riding alone again. I could definitely feel my tiredness, but otherwise I felt quite good. Shortly after 5 p.m., I arrived at the address Lijun had sent me. However, once I got there, I received a message saying that her parents were currently at their new apartment. They thought there would be more space there, especially for my bicycle, so I rode another five kilometers to the new place.

Lijun’s parents had bought the apartment two years ago, but since her father still works near the old home, they hadn’t moved out yet. After I took a shower, we went together to eat at a nearby restaurant. Afterwards, Lijun’s mother asked whether I would like to go for a walk. Since I had eaten a lot, I thought that sounded perfect. But what I had imagined as a short walk turned into more than 10 kilometers on foot, which naturally took quite a while. Once it got dark, I experienced another Chinese specialty: the countless lights throughout the city, and especially the lantern festival.