I rode a good deal of what used to be the Burma Road in Yunnan (southwestern China) right up to the Burma border in '92. Most of the road was cobbled with blocks about 6 inches square. They were maintained by local work crews and in excellent condition. The grip really was surprising. That really was an adventure we had special permission to go into areas that were forbidden to foreigners. We went to several ethnic minority areas including a matriarchal society. In one town I think the whole town turned out to look at us and we were told they had not seen Europeans in living memory. We must have seemed very strange, dressed in leather and with full face helmets. It was all a bit experimental for the Chines government to allow foreign tourists into these areas.

Peter

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