The last day and we leave around 9 to try to get back to the Lhasa hotel by early afternoon so that we can handover the bikes and maybe do some shopping.
An uneventful trip back on the same road we took to get to Shannan. As I said yesterday, Shannan is modern, but doesn't really have a beating heart. There are people about, but as Steve said, it's like they are there for show, just to prove the city is inhabited.
The same lavender coloured flowers lined the route (although I still think they are not lavender), the river looking like a lake, the sleepy villages with 30kph speed limits that no one obeys. The same speed camera posts that flash at you no matter what speed you do, the same lumbering lorries and agricultural vehicles to overtake, the same sweeping roads to enjoy for the last time; except today, Biker Dom wound back the throttle to make steady rather than swift progress.
No events in the tunnel, sunglasses removed where needed and lights switched on in advance. As it happens, the return tunnel is illuminated much better than the other tunnel carriageway. Some of us gun the engines in the tunnel to hear that Zuumav sing - they sound better than they go.
One highlight is that as there were no police at the entrance to the motorway, we snuck on without anyone blocking our way.... No, that happens at the end when we meet, yep, you guessed it, YAFC! Wang, our guide was told off enthusiastically by a policeman, but I think it was received like water off a duck's back. It's a stupid rule not to allow motorcycles on the motorway, probably aimed at the 100cc bikes used by locals as cheap transport, which can't get to motorway speeds. While we have Zuumavs, which just about get to motorway speeds, and then shower you with radiator juice when they overheat! Only Big Al on his Benelli and Alex and Vidya on the Tenere, are really comfortable on the motorway with speed to spare - the rest of us are flat out in top sounding like a group of angry hornets, but with no sting.
The motorway saved us time and we arrive in the city around 1pm ready to get lost in the Lhasa traffic. We don't do so bad though and are back at the hotel before 2pm.
Handshakes and hugs all round, and Big Al hoists me on his shoulder like a rag doll, legs flailing for good effect. Arthur clucks his appreciation too. Mick and Mark join us and we give our thanks to Wang, Migmar and mechanic Lou in our usual way. Group pictures with us all and one of the shots will make it to the blog eventually.
Farewell dinner tonight then preparations for our departure. Some of the lads are off to Bhutan for a few days; it will be interesting to hear what that's like. Biker Dom will hang up his Sidis and is off to Shanghai for a satellite navigation conference. In real life he wears a tie....
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