The ride from Hotan to Minfeng was totally uninspiring with dry and hot conditions doing nothing to help. All the bike riders were not looking forward to pitching their tents on the dirt. Nobody is coping with the forty degree Celsius heat. Decision made - no camping is there other accommodation available? Lun managed to get us rooms in the Minfeng 'government' hotel.
Jon, Vaughan and Kimberley had their vehicles so they parked just out of town for the night.
Up early next morning and we headed north straight through the center of the desert. Until now we had been skirting the southern edge. The road was surprisingly good with a good sealed surface and hardy shrubs growing along both sides. It soon became obvious how the plants were surviving. The Chinese have sunk wells at regular intervals along the entire roadway - all six hundred kilometers. Each well and pumping station is manned and well maintained.
Arrived at Tazhong which is a bit less than the mid-way point through the desert. It is more of a large desert 'roadhouse' complex rather than a town. Again the bikers decided not to camp - we accepted the alternative of rooms in a guest house. It is to bloody hot to be pitching tents. The other rooms in the guest house were taken up by road construction workers.
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