We had a dream of riding from our doorstep into the great unknown territories. However, the logistic and reality have crushed the romance. There are 4 border crossings between Hong Kong and Mainland China, however none of them are human-powered-vehicle friendly. Either we have to take a train and haul our trikes as over-size luggage then walk through the customs, or we have to take a bus which is more of a hassle than convenience.
Luckily there are plenty of ferry services between Hong Kong and China. A short ferry ride from China Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong to Doumen, Guangdong saves us from riding through Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhongshan, 3 of the most densely populated cities in China, and we are more than happy to have a chaos-free start.
Surprisingly, our first real border crossing – Mong Cai, Vietnam is only 707km away from Doumen. At a very leisurely pace (59km/day), we can get there within 12 days. However, our Vietnam visa is valid from November 1, 2013. That means we will have 5 days of spare time before we can cross the border. Ready for slow travel? We shall see.