Twenty-second stage : Korgas

For their last chinese stage, Geraldine and Xavier stopped in Korgas (Huo'er Guosi), city located near the border separating China from Kazakhstan. Tomorrow they will cross the kazakh frontier post and will go on their trip.

Twenty-first stage : Jinghe

Arriving in Jinghe, Xavier and Geraldine have already gone through 5100km (3169 miles) !

On the road to Jinghe, an important traffic jam allowed them to contemplate the surrounding landscapes. So, they were able to observe an atypical herd mixing camels, horses and cows.

Twentieth stage : Kyutun

The more the crew gets closer to Kazakhstan, the more landscapes and faces change. If Chinese characters were not there to remind it, we would forget that they are in China.

In Kyutun, Xavier and Geraldine tasted the Ouïghoure speciality, the sesame pancake.

Just before arriving in Kyutun, there is the wonderful Tian Chi (celestial lake), located in the hollow of the Tian Shan mountains.

Nineteenth stage : Urumqi

Today the crew arrived in Urumqi, Prefecture of the Xinjiang province. The city is located at the feet of the Tian Shan mountains, which culminates at 5500m (18044 foot).

Geraldine and Xavier make the most of a day off to visit this city, in particular the Ouïgour area

Eighteenth stage : Turpan

Arrived in Turpan this Monday, Geraldine and Xavier do not have more than 720 km (447 miles) to travel to get to Kazakhstan, second country of the trip.



Outside the city, the two adventurers had the opportunity to visit the Jiaohe city's ruins.

Seventeenth stage : Shanshan

The crew keep going its route through Gobi Desert and choses Shanshan for this nth Chinese stopover. On the road, our two adventurers also have to face a sandstorm, frequent phenomenon at this period.

Sixteenth stage: Kumul

Geraldine and Xavier arrived this saturday at Kumul. They went through 430 km (267 miles) from Dunhuang! This stage makes them being closer to Urumqi, the Prefecture of the Xinjiang province.

Fifteenth stage : Dunhuang

On the way to Dunhuang, an amazing landscape appears with the Gobi desert and the old battle station vestiges.

They can enjoy the city, and its surroundings where they can see a 1700m (5577 foot) sand dunes during a well deserved day off.

Forteenth stage : Guazhouxian

After having driven more than 3000 km (1865 miles), crossed mountainous regions, and braved difficult conditions, Xavier and Geraldine enter now the Gobi desert.

Thirteenth stage : Jiayuguan

Having gone through 230km (142 miles) since Zhangye, our two adventurers stopped at Jiayuguan, their thirteenth stage.
To get to this town, they had to rise a 3100m (3300 foot) mountain pass! To compare, the highest one in Europe (Col de la Bonette, situated in the Alps) reaches 2802m (3064 foot). Ride over this pass with the Berlingo " Powered by Venturi " demonstrates the reliability of electric vehicle.

They had the opportunity to see the last part of the Greatwall which symbolised in the past the limits of the imperial China.

Twelfth stage : Zhangye

After two weeks of journey, Xavier and Geraldine already gone through 2500km (1553miles), or that is more than half of China.

Between Wuwei and Zhangye, rise of the 2700m (8858 foot) mountain pass under the snow. The external temperature then felt to only 0°C (32°F).

In spite of difficulties caused by the state of roads, our two experimented drivers keep going their route. The vehicle shows a big resistance: mountain stages, temperatures drops as well as bad weather did not alter its capacities.

Eleventh stage : Wuwei

On the road to Wuwei, local people invited Geraldine and Xavier to a religious ceremony in a traditional temple. The welcome was enthousiastic and warm.

Tenth stage : Lanzhou

For their tenth stage in China, the two adventurers stopped in Lanzhou, a village located in a mountainous area.

Ninth stage : Tianshui

For this first ride on the Silk Road, Xavier and Géraldine went through 350km (218 miles) from Xi'An, and climbed a 1850m (2023 foot) mountain pass.

Eight stage : Xi'An

Our two adventurers already achieved 1/10 of the route, that is 1500km (932miles)! They are now at the beginning of the mythical Silk Road.

This stop in Xi'An was the opportunity to visit the city's battlements, as well as the exceptional terracotta army of the emperor Qin.

Seventh stage : Shangzhou

Since their last stop in Nanyang, Géraldine and Xavier went through 303km (188 miles) of moutains, with a 700m (2300 feet) altitude difference.

Arrival of the crew in Shangzhou

While reloading the vehicle in the backyard of a hotel, the two adventurers were able to meet the staff.

Sixth stage : Nanyang

After a 210km (130,5 miles) journey from Xinyang to Nanyang, the crew have finally reached the 1000 kilometers (621 miles) traveled!

As experimented drivers, our two adventurers keep going their route without troubles, despite the quality of chinese roads.

Visit of Wolong Hill, built in 250 in commemoration of Zhuge Liang, a charismatic politician.