Yesterday was the second half of our split-up stage. Un unexpected shortcut helped us further, and after some 63 km only we reached Turpan, a city situated below sea level.

Although this was a short one, do not believe it was an easy one. The road was not the best one and a strong headwind made this a strenuous and painful day. And then there was the heat, this terrific heat! The road was straight as a line and seemed endless. To both sides of the road: nothing. Only desert. After 35 km only our drinking bottles were empty.

Today it was Curt’s turn to have a bad day, and he had to slow down after a few km only. Jason stayed with him, and the rest of us continued fighting. I remember checking my altimeter and noticing, that, despite not getting on at all, the road was descending! Just incredible; we must be very, very tired, all of us.

The next three days should be another very long days, of around 150 km each, through the desert. Weather forecasts say temperatures will be around 43°. There is no major city for about 450 km, hence no hotel to stay, and also nothing interesting to see. So we decided to skip this part and take a train to the next big city. As we will be 3 days ahead of our schedule, we will use these to make an extra loop, and cycle through more interesting (and hopefully less hot) landscapes

Chen, our driver will leave us today. The new driver's name is .... Chen