​May 1st. Labour day in China. What a horrible start. That was my thought when I look out the window and see the heavy rain outside. But suddenly the sun came out. The sign to leave. So I took all my stuff and drive to the monument that everybody calls the northernmost point of China. It takes some time until I took all the pictures I wanted.

Btw. It’s funny to listen to the people around me talking.

“I’m sure he’s Russian.”

“This small bike must be hard to ride.”

“He is an English teacher in Harbin!”

Once in while somebody dares to ask me and I happily tell them the truth, that I am just about to take a ride on my bike.

In the end often follows a goodbye question:

“Can I take a picture with you?”

Once they got the shots I check out of the hostel and say goodbye to everybody during my stay here. It won’t be the last farewell I’m sure.

I start of around 12 o’clock. Once on the road the sun melts the snow and creates small rivers on the road. Snow and ice everywhere. It’s just beautiful. The first 80 kilometers to Mohe are rather exhausting. But the landscape is mind-blowing. And as I reach the city of Mohe, the very first day was a great one.

Joerg