Original source
Caught between mudslides in China 🇨🇳 |S8, EP153
Caught Between Mudslides in China: Motorbike Routes Blocked
After that flash flood, I had to take another route, and that turned out to be blocked everywhere by mudslides. I've never seen anything like this!
International Paperback edition = NOT signed
Here I teach all my filming techniques including getting drone shots while riding!
After that flash flood, I had to take another route, and that turned out to be blocked everywhere by mudslides. I've never seen anything like this!
After a flash flood forces a dramatic detour, this solo adventurer discovers that in China, the mountains are still in charge. Every route she tries is swallowed by fresh mudslides, one after another, blocking her path like a closed door that refuses to open. What makes this episode so gripping is not just the extreme conditions, but her calm determination amid the relentless chaos. Riding a vintage 1987 Yamaha Tenere through storm-battered landscapes, she captures her vulnerability. For anyone who loves raw overland travel, this is an unforgettable look at nature's power and a rider's refusal to give up.
After that flash flood, I had to take another route, and that turned out to be blocked everywhere by mudslides. I've never seen anything like this!
After a flash flood, Itchy Boots takes another route in China, but rain has left water running across the road and caused multiple mudslides. She waits for the water to stop and seeks shelter during lightning, then speaks with two construction workers. They show her a forecast of rain until 7:00 p.m.; she decides to return toward the town where she had lunch. The route has slippery slurry, deep mud, boulders and a section where the road appears to have washed away. A loader clears mud while a line of cars and a vehicle carrying sheep wait. She eventually takes her motorcycle around a stuck car rather than waiting for the loader to free it. Later she notices her front brake is not working and the chain is affected by mud. In town, she finds a self-service wash; a local woman helps her operate it and appears to pay because the wash does not accept her Alipay. She reaches the hotel after ten and a half hours and reunites with Bing and Xiao Yue for dinner.
Itchy Boots rides her motorcycle through a route in China after a flash flood forces her to change plans. The alternate road is affected by flowing water and several mudslides, leaving a long line of vehicles waiting while a loader clears mud. She eventually takes a route around the worst blockage, but later finds that mud has affected her motorcycle's front brake and chain. In town, she looks for a self-service car wash and a local woman helps her use it. After a day of ten and a half hours, she meets up with Bing and Xiao Yue for dinner.
A China motorbike ride turns into a long detour through flooded roads and mudslides before a late-night wash and reunion.
China Motorbike Travel: Mudslides, Flooded Roads and a Long Detour
2:08 When water is flowing across a road, the rider waits for it to stop and looks for shelter; she says riding in those conditions is not a good idea.
3:26 The rider asks construction workers about conditions and checks the forecast they show her before changing her route; they tell her rain is expected until 7:00 p.m.
8:19 The rider encounters knee-deep mud, a road that may have washed away and a long vehicle queue; the scene shows that muddy road conditions can remain impassable even when traffic is waiting.
23:58 After mud affects the motorcycle, the rider checks the wheel and later confirms that her front brake is not working and the chain is affected; inspect the bike before continuing.
25:18 At the self-service wash, the rider scans a QR code to start the wash and gets help from a local woman; she later says the site accepted WeChat but not her Alipay.
2:08 When water is flowing across a road, the rider waits for it to stop and looks for shelter; she says riding in those conditions is not a good idea.
3:26 The rider asks construction workers about conditions and checks the forecast they show her before changing her route; they tell her rain is expected until 7:00 p.m.
8:19 The rider encounters knee-deep mud, a road that may have washed away and a long vehicle queue; the scene shows that muddy road conditions can remain impassable even when traffic is waiting.
23:58 After mud affects the motorcycle, the rider checks the wheel and later confirms that her front brake is not working and the chain is affected; inspect the bike before continuing.
25:18 At the self-service wash, the rider scans a QR code to start the wash and gets help from a local woman; she later says the site accepted WeChat but not her Alipay.
0:01 A flooded road blocks the route
1:16 Waiting for water and shelter
3:26 Changing plans after the forecast
4:27 Riding through the muddy detour
6:22 Boulders and slippery slurry
8:19 A washed-out road and traffic queue
9:39 A loader clears the mud
12:44 More vehicles get stuck
14:21 Finding a way around the blockage
16:51 The bike gets stuck in deep mud
18:32 Local help and a brake problem
23:49 Searching for a self-service wash
25:18 Using the bike wash
27:25 Reaching town after a long day
0:01 A flooded road blocks the route
1:16 Waiting for water and shelter
3:26 Changing plans after the forecast
4:27 Riding through the muddy detour
6:22 Boulders and slippery slurry
8:19 A washed-out road and traffic queue
9:39 A loader clears the mud
12:44 More vehicles get stuck
14:21 Finding a way around the blockage
16:51 The bike gets stuck in deep mud
18:32 Local help and a brake problem
23:49 Searching for a self-service wash
25:18 Using the bike wash
27:25 Reaching town after a long day
Why did Itchy Boots change her route?
A flash flood blocked her original way, and the alternate route also had flooded sections and mudslides.
What did the construction workers tell her about the weather?
They showed her a forecast indicating that rain would continue until 7:00 p.m.
What happened to the motorcycle after the muddy ride?
She found that the front brake was not working and that the chain was affected by mud.
How did she get help at the self-service wash?
A local woman helped her use the wash. The rider thought the woman had paid because the machine accepted WeChat but not her Alipay.
How long was the ride day?
The rider says it had been ten and a half hours since she left that morning.
