15 Aug 2008, 沙湾, 6001km

There has been many villages and towns along the route after Urumuchi. Greens are continuous. Tractors of farmers frequently passed by, often with lots of tomatos on their carts. Sunflowers were spread along the way here and there, perhaps in order to dry. The seeds are favorite snack of Chinese people

The altitude went down roughly from 900m to 450m after Urumuchi. The ride was quite smooth.
I reached to a city as it was getting dark. I couldn't find a camping place till 11 last night, didn't want to ride in the darkness again. There was a hotel which looked decent. I went and asked if I, a Japanese, could stay.
The young woman at the front desk didn't know if she could let me stay. So she asked other workers on the phone. They didn't know either. They all come together to the front desk and discussed. Meanwhile I found out on the board on the wall that it was actually a two star hotel. I wrote to them that a foreigner could stay there. But they still called to someone else, to their boss I assume. After the call, they told me to go to another hotel. To a governmental hotel. It must be expensive. (One of them actually affirmed so.) I didn't want to go to such hotel. But they didn't want me to stay there. I had to leave with a big sigh.
Another night ride after that. Dogs started to bark behind dark woods at every spot I stopped, though I still found a camping place much earlier than last night. Crickets were chirping all around. Are summer days over already? I missed the silence and freedom in desert.