LONG WAY HOME - 26th May 2005 Chinese border, Mongolia Mick and Sue: China today? To the Mongolian border control where we learned that we needed a special form issued by the army to enable us to exit the country. Three hours of running around and we ended up being 'escorted' through the border control by a high-ranking army officer, to whom everyone, but everyone saluted. They even saluted us as we rode under the quickly raised barriers. To the Chinese border control where we were just 'put on hold' for four hours with no checking of documents whatsoever. We were told to "Wait there"... so we did. Eventually some officials from the Chinese border control came to see us, just told us that we didn't have the 'necessary papers' (How did they know what we had?) and we were to return to Mongolia. It became clear that we needed a Mongolian company with a Chinese subsidary, to 'underwrite' us before we could take the 'bikes into China
Help and assistance was saught, and given, back at the Mongolian border control, with a meeting with a top rank official, in his office, with interpreter, and his deputies. We were asked to return at 10am the next morning where it would all be sorted. China? Not today! Back at the Mongolian border control the next morning we were told that we could - they had checked with the Chinese side - quite properly load the motorcycles on to a truck, go through the border control and into China and unload t'other side. Now we know of motorcyclists that have done this and ridden through China, and now we're told that this is how we should go about it ourselves... so we went for it. Chinese guy in a Chinese-registered van was more than willing, for a few dollars, to take the 'bikes through in the back of his van. The Mongolian border officials even helped us load them... Through the Chinese border control no problems, into the office and had our passports/visas stamped... we were in. Easy eh! I suspected somehow a sting in the tail... it couldn't be this easy... could it! Then the customs official asked us to go to Room 204 where a high-ranking guy, as nice as he was, as helpful as he was, told us that we couldn't take our 'bikes into China without this special form! He'd no right to help us, or be as nice as he was, for we had implied 'guilty knowledge' by putting our 'bikes into the back of a truck! But he telephoned round, made enquiries on our behalf, let us use his phone, his e-mail and internet... but to cut a long story short... WE could go into China, but not OUR 'bikes! It would take a month to get the necessary paperwork sorted! We made the decision -as much to help him as ourselves but we really didn't have any alternative -to go back into Mongolia and put 'Plan B' into operation... back to Ulaan Bataar, obtain another Russian visa, head north to Lake Baikal, into Kazakhstan,Uzbekistan etc. then pick up our route for The Long Way Home. All stops were pulled out for us, for it was now 5.30pm and the borders closed at 6pm. We were rushed through, slipstreamed through the system... but as we neared the final Chinese exit control the barriers were down. This control is manned by a couple of young officers and when we roared up on the 'bikes demanding the gates be opened they didn't know what to do. When Sue's foot slipped and she dropped the 'bike they were totally in a quandary... they helped pick the 'bike up, and then answering their radio they rushed to the barriers and opened our way back into Mongolia... 90mph through 'no man's land' and into the Mongolian side just in time... The barrier fell behind us. God knows what the Mongolian border officials will make of our visas when we eventually leave to the north... for we only have a single entry visa into Mongolia... but we've entered it three times, left twice... and have a 'cancelled' Chinese visa!!!! So it's back to Ulaan Bataar for us... but how? We don't have the time to ride back up through the Gobi Desert... or the inclination if we're honest.