11- 9 WE ARE NOW IN CHINA!

Eight o'clock in the morning we checked out of Mongolia hoping for the best and not knowing what to expect on the Chinese side. A policeman in body-armor and white gloves told us to wait. A moment later our Chinese guide Serena greeted us. 23 years old and full of energy she had everything ready for us and we were in China in less than an hour! We got rooms at a luxury hotel in Erenhot where Green Car had to wait for the final customs-papers. We took a taxi into town and found two new tires for Green Car. Next door was a small workshop where the muffler for the generator was fixed. On the way back we stopped at an optician and got new glasses for Hjalte and me, made on the spot. Finally I found someone to do our laundry. Serena gave us our Chinese driver's licenses and the very important Chinese license-plate for the car. We were totally overwhelmed by Chinese service. Hjalte rearranged the stuff in the car to make room for Serena while workers from the hotel performed a noisy military drill. In the evening we took a walk in this hot desert town and saw the beautiful old cars from the Beijing-Paris Rally being repaired and made ready for the next stage: Mongolia. We wished them good luck!

Nina