It Remains Dry and Hot

This morning, I got up early, ate the breakfast I had prepared—or rather, bought—in advance, and set off as early as 7:19 a.m. At that time, the temperature was still pleasantly warm, although it could no longer be described as cool.

Before long, I was back on National Highway G312 and out of the city. In the distance, I could see snow-covered mountains, although the visibility was not particularly clear. I remembered what our tour guide had said yesterday—that we had been incredibly lucky with the weather, because normally there is a slight haze, making the view less clear and the colors much less vivid. So today was actually the normal situation, while yesterday had been the exception. My luck with the weather throughout this journey has truly been remarkable. Well, apart from the little sandstorm a few days ago. 😉

I had planned to take more breaks today, but somehow I simply didn't feel like stopping. Several people had told me that everything would become much greener after Zhangye. Yet before long, I once again felt as though I was riding through the desert, except that there were many small villages scattered on either side of the road. The already warm temperature kept rising, and with almost no shaded places to sit, I ended up making only one short stop at an intersection where traffic had been halted because of a military convoy. There must have been well over a hundred military vehicles, divided into three groups, moving along at a fairly leisurely pace. I took my brief break while the second group was passing.

Throughout the ride, the road climbed steadily, just as the temperature did. The final section was also the steepest, and I eventually reached my accommodation at an altitude of just over 2,150 meters. It was only 12:50 p.m., giving me the entire afternoon to rest—fortunately in a room equipped with air conditioning.