From May 9 to June 5, 2025, I spent 28 days riding through Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Tibet, Qinghai, and Gansu. The route covered 7,439 kilometers, with a Voge 250GT carrying me through the Sichuan–Tibet journey.
I arrived home at 6:16 p.m. on June 5. After photographing the mileage on the motorcycle’s instrument panel, I posted a brief message to my social feed: “Back safely.” I unloaded everything from the bike, put my phone aside, and went straight to sleep.
For the next couple of days, I drifted in and out of sleep. When I finally returned to something resembling a normal routine, the trip felt strangely unreal—as if it had only been a dream. Talking about a dream is rarely interesting to anyone else, so I hardly mentioned the journey during the following months. I did not revisit the photos or videos, either. Occasionally, I would come across someone else’s motorcycle trip through Sichuan and Tibet, and that would remind me that I had once been there too. The thought lasted only an instant. I did not try to open up the memories behind it.
The lost files brought the journey back
Things changed after the data on my Redmi Note 12T disappeared.
A few days ago, I changed the password on the phone. The next day, I somehow forgot it. With no practical way around the problem, I restored the phone to its factory settings. Every file stored on it was lost, including some of the photos and videos from the ride.
I had taken two phones with me: a Redmi Note 12T and a Meizu 21. The Redmi was mainly used for navigation, while the Meizu handled most of the photography. I occasionally used the Redmi to take pictures and record short videos, but there were only a few dozen files. It was not a huge amount of data, but it was still gone.
I have been less busy lately, and I have also built a blog. That made it feel like the right time to write something about the journey. Files can disappear again, and memories fade whether we are ready for that or not.
The records I am organizing are drawn from several places: the posts I made during the ride, rough daily notes saved in the Meizu’s note app, the travel photos and videos that still remain, and my own recollections. I posted something almost every day during the trip, but those short social-media updates captured very little. A blog gives me more room to combine words and images, and the files can be saved and kept under my own control.
These travel notes may not be especially polished, and they may not follow a particularly clear line of logic. They are mainly being written for myself, so that is not a serious concern. If someone happens to read them and finds my writing clumsy, all I can say is that I am sorry.
Before setting off for Tibet
The motorcycle trip began long before May 9.
On March 22, I bought a used Voge 250GT at the Trade Plaza on Xuesong Road in Zhumadian.
Between March 23 and May 9, I dealt with a long list of scattered preparations. I made an Excel itinerary, bought touring equipment, carried out minor maintenance on the motorcycle, tested some of the gear, and took several short rides to check the bike’s performance. None of these tasks was especially dramatic, but together they took a considerable amount of time.
From April 4 to April 6, I completed a short motorcycle trip through the southern Taihang Mountains. The three-day ride covered 940.8 kilometers and served as an early test before the longer journey.
On April 21, I officially announced the Sichuan–Tibet trip on my social feed. I wrote four posts that day.
I suppose this counts as an official announcement, even if it looks a little rough. I’m going out for a ride in May—off to travel through Sichuan and Tibet by motorcycle.
When life begins to repeat itself day after day, a voice inside eventually reminds you that it is time to make a change. I paid a price for that change: I left a job that, in other people’s eyes, was quite good, after nearly ten years there. I would also have to endure all the discomfort of a long journey. But life is meant to be lived vividly, so I have no regrets. [sheepish smile]
First of all, this trip was only possible because my family tolerated and supported me. Behind every person’s dream, there is usually a group of people quietly making sacrifices. But if I am the wind, then I should be free to wander. [looking around] [looking around]
“Dad is going to places with glaciers and plateaus, 66. The scenery is beautiful.”
“Dad, be careful of avalanches.”
“I will.” [covering face]
On April 22, I visited my friend Hairu’s repair shop and replaced the motorcycle’s spark plug with a double-iridium one.
Because too many pictures can make a post difficult to read, I decided to keep each entry to roughly ten images. The length of each installment will therefore be determined mainly by the number of photos rather than by a fixed word count.
