When leaving Ireland almost 10 months ago the original plan was always to try to cycle around the globe using just by bicycle and to only progress using a boat or plane when I met a large body of water. Basically no unnecessary motorised transport. But plans change. Just before I left Osh,Kyrgyzstan, I received an email from Markus from Austria. Markus had joined me from Osh to Bishkek. Ye may remember previously in this blog (Day 225) about our adventure off the main road, with our bags on donkeys, as we slid down glaciers and carried the bikes on our shoulders up over steep passes. Well, after 4 attempts, Markus finally got his Chinese visa. He's on his way down from Kazakhstan, and the email reads 'if you fancy giving this Taklamakan desert a go, I'll be in the town of Luntai on the 12th'. Rule number 1 was to cycle every kilometre. But I think its worth breaking rule number 1 to have good company on the world's longest road through a sand desert. And besides, I've never taken the most direct route across Europe and Asia. I think I deserve a sleeper bus after that 550KM adventurous, scenic detour in Kyrgyzstan. So I'm cheating. I'm taking an 800KM bus ride across flat, featureless, arid steepe in the hope of meeting Markus in the town of Luntai on the edge of the Taklamakan.