Nothing works without a passport...

When I got up at 9:30 this morning, the first thing I saw was the mountain panorama behind the apartment blocks. Then I went into the living room and found a huge selection of fruit on the table. I thought that, together with the bread I still had, it would be more than enough for breakfast. But as soon as I had finished getting dressed, Lijun’s father arrived and insisted on taking me out for breakfast. I told him I already had enough food at home, but he said I needed to eat something warm. He had already eaten himself, but accompanied me anyway—and paid for everything, including the water I bought on the way back for today’s ride.

Back at the apartment, I thought this would probably be the last time I entered it, so it no longer mattered whether I knew the code or could open the door myself. But Lijun’s father had a different idea: “Try opening the door again. That way, next time you come, you can just walk in as if it were your own home. We’ll be happy if you come back—you are always welcome here.”

With that, he said goodbye and left. But barely fifteen minutes later, he returned carrying bread and a cake to make sure I would have enough food for the journey. Apparently, six different kinds of fruit were still not sufficient. I am deeply grateful for such extraordinary hospitality. Incidentally, I also had to register with the police on the first evening so that I would be allowed to stay in their apartment.

I haven’t mentioned this before: during dinner, Lijun’s mother called the police, and they told her that sending a photo of my passport and her ID card electronically would be sufficient. However, she didn’t have her ID card with her. So we were supposed to visit the police station later. But first, according to Lijun’s parents, dinner came first. It got later and later, and the police called two or three more times to ask when we would finally come. In the end, once we had finished eating, they called again and said they would simply come to the apartment themselves. So we returned to the apartment, they took photos of my passport, and two minutes later everything was settled. After that, we went on the long walk I mentioned earlier.

Back to today. In the end, I set off shortly before noon. On the way out of the city, there were many traffic lights, and I had to stop at most of them. The road climbed gently uphill, and if there was a green-wave system at all, it was clearly designed for cars rather than bicycles.

Throughout the entire day, I was repeatedly stopped and asked to show my passport, and sometimes I had to wait as well. For simplicity, here is a summary:

1. First checkpoint: after 19.3 km, about 3 minutes.

2. Second checkpoint: after 23.9 km, about 5 minutes.

After 32 km, I was escorted by a police car for about 3–4 km.

From around km 42, I was escorted again by police for roughly 10 km.

3. Third checkpoint: after 67.66 km, about 5–10 minutes.

4. Fourth checkpoint: after 71.6 km, about 1 minute; it seemed more like a friendly chat.

At km 74.5, I met two gentlemen from Gansu Province who work as teachers in Xinjiang and were also enjoying the holiday. They gave me a bottle of water, and we had a short conversation.

5. Fifth checkpoint: after 92.4 km. The officers there were very friendly and not particularly strict. They mainly wished me a safe journey and reminded me that safety comes first.

6. Sixth checkpoint: at the hotel. However, the receptionist seemed more stressed about the process than I was.

The checks don’t bother me at all, and of course they are much easier because I speak Chinese. The officers were always very friendly and usually wanted to know where I had come from and where I was going. Their personal curiosity and official duties clearly blended together. When the first officer who checked me today asked for a photo with me, I said I’d like one too, and he seemed perfectly happy with that. I even had the impression that they themselves were sometimes unsure what exactly was required by regulation. There’s a foreigner on a bicycle—what do we do with him? Some of them made phone calls back and forth before eventually letting me continue, which explains the waiting times.

Today’s route climbed steadily overall, especially after I left the G218 and switched onto the S315. In return, the S315 also offered a few descents. In the end, I reached my hotel at around 7:30 p.m. The day’s ride felt surprisingly long, and I was a little tired. It was also quite hot. I probably need to establish a better sleep rhythm, since I once again went to bed after 2 a.m. yesterday. But I had simply enjoyed the company so much. And since I only moved my clock forward by three hours a few days ago, my current schedule still resembles my old Kazakhstan routine. I’m sure it will gradually improve.