Pedalling the paddies

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The weather in Yangshou was finally clear this morning so we set off on a four hour bike ride, with a local guide. We were thrilled to have a guide as we got to go off-road and explore the back lanes. We met other travellers along the way who'd decided to do it independently and they were hopelessly lost even on the main roads. When I say off-road, I mean that we pedalled through rice fields, through grass paths, through mud paths, through gravel paths, and through paths where there was nothing but puddles! We ended up with mud splashed all up our legs and arms and with saturated feet. Just as we rode back into Yangshou there was a sudden tropical downpour and we were drenched when we got back, much to the amusement of many of the locals who chuckled as we rode by. Life be in it, as Dan likes to say.
The scenery was beautiful. The paddies are lush and verdant and the colour reminded me of the English countryside. We cycled through karst country and the peaks looked amazing. We also stopped in a few tiny villages and saw water buffalo working the fields, and women carrying their babies in baskets attached to poles which they had slung over their backs. Who needs prams?!
I'm not going into much detail here but to sum up it was a great ride, albeit a bit bumpy and muddy. Thankfully we had proper mountain bikes and gears that worked!
Now it's off to Thailand for some R&R.

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