A life in the day of two foreigners on heavenly bicycles

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Dear reader, to give you a taste of life on the road in China...

Wednesday 10th October. We haul ourselves from bed at around 7 o'clock, and start the packing up process. We fill water bottles and eat cakes, fruit and sweet fortified milk, bought the previous evening, as a precursor to breakfast. Next a visit to the local market, to restock with fruit and snacks for the day ahead, and to search out steamed stuffed dumpings to complete breakfast. And then the climb over into the next valley begins. The road today winds for about 40 km in a series of broad, sweeping zig zags, through wooded mountainside, peppered with rice and corn fields. As the slope curves away gently above it is possible to see only one or two stretches of road above. Eventually, an obelisk and plaque mark the head of the pass, but it's a mistake to get too excited, as from this point the road merely levels slightly to traverse the broad dome of the mountain top. I round a corner to find Richard, astride his bike and surrounded by five guys. I fear that he has become ill, but it is merely his first photocall. The chaps are taking snaps of him, his bike and themselves in every feasible combination. Normally lunch is taken at a roadside eating place in a small town, but today none is available and so we raid our emergency provisions - bananas, oranges, Snickers (half the UK retail price), peanuts and raisins - and continue. I am almost startled from my bike by a very loud glooping noise at my right foot, and look to see a water buffalo immersed to its neck in a muddy roadside ditch. As I approach the very top of the pass, I see a tiny, uninhabited scottish castle, complete with turret. Soon, at the very topmost point of land, appears an enormous turreted, mansion-like property with gardens and a leylandii hedge. Opposite, a herd of Fresian cattle graze. At this point the road tips us down into the next valley on blissfully smooth tarmac. The work of the mystery Laird? Another tiny castle appears, but this time I have the presence of mind to take a photograph. I will check later, to see if it really was there. We helter skelter down and arrive in a truly one horse cowboy town. The locals gaze blankly at us. Our Planet Zog aura is very strong here. We debate whether to stay the night here, but on Richard's assessment that the route to the next town is a straight 15 kilometer descent, we decide to mossey on. As I complete the last pedal turn of the following 10 kilometer climb, I try to remain philosophical. Richard tries to remain married. Eventually we swoop down into Gaoqiao and fnd the single broad, paved street that promises a hotel. The dominoes school on the pavement confirms the location of a hotel, and obligingly rouses the hotel owner from his snooze on the sofa in the hallway. We move into a neat, clean little room with all mod (ish) cons. It cost just 2 pnds. Tonight's dinner is stranger, and less appetising, than usual. We inspect the larder and the bubbling pots and Richard, in a frenzy of over optimism, goes for the turkey soup. As usual, the stock is excellent but it takes an age to remove the boney rubble that takes the place of meat. We stop off for a beer and a, largely unwatched, game of scrabble. Richard is now 4-1 up in the series; he appears to be less troubled by a dozen uncomprehending eyes gazing over his shoulder than me. Later on we snack on a few biscuits and cakes from the local bakery. The fruit teacake, with lemony filling and spring onion topping is particularly interesting. And so to bed - another fascinating, challenging and unpredictable day complete.

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Photos

Compressed Sesame Bar
Great cycling food - light, tasty and sustaining.

Menu
Even when you have one, it doesn't always help

Comments

[dad]

onward, upward.
all the locals here look forward to your up dates. hows the servicing going? are the bikes behaving. everything sounds interesting and strange. more downwards will appear Di, maybe. love dad.

[Jacquie]

good news
glad to hear that you are still married after all those miles/kilometers! Well done to both of you!

[Nora and Dad]

Do I still have a son in law?
Did you know that there is in Wales a road that appears to everybody who views it, to go down hill, but in fact it definitely goes up hill. You did go to China didn`t you?? Joking aside though, you seem to be coping better each day with the strangeness that is China, and no doubt you have made new friends on your journey. Good luck, keep up the good work. N and D