We spotted this farmer surveying his land on a windy road to KunmingWe were up early to go back and get our the license plates and Dave's Chinese drivers licence. After waiting at the station for about half an hour, a one armed police chief emerged to tell us that the car had to pass a roadworthiness test. We reckon he just wanted a go in the Hummer but agreed regardless, lucky its an automatic car. The car passed with flying colours and we were finally on our way.
Not long out of Meng La the roads took a serious turn for the worse. These were by far the worst curving roads we had seen in our lives and to add insult to injury there a nearly completed expressway in constant view as we weaved our way along the mountainside. Dave had to be in full alert at every bend as crazy truck and bus drivers who seemed to have complete disregard for their own lives and others on the road drove right in the middle of the road, cutting off the road at corners. There was therefore a fine line between dodging them and keeping away from an acute 6foot high drainage verge. This ordeal ended up being a 13 hour slog which Dave endured the whole way to Kunming while the lads sat back and enjoyed 6 hour long episodes of Sopranos. Chuck wasn't feeling well all day and with about about 3 hours to go, he hit the emergency exit button and had the first of 2 chunders! This is a milestone as the first puke on the road so far.
Finally for the last hour of the slog, we were all relieved to hit a two-lane expressway but coming into Kunming, Dave suddenly had to swerve as out of nowhere came an overturned truck in the middle of the road directly in front of us. We've seen this a few times in China, but we think this had just occurred. Arriving at 4.30am, Dave claimed that this was the most punishing drive of his life. Our guide Jason then calmly informed him that much worse road conditions lay ahead in the Himalayas. Needless to say we all went straight to bed in a cheap hotel in the city centre.
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