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Published: November 29th 2007
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From Yong Feng, we turned our wheels southwards from Yong Feng, stopping off to enjoy a day at Ding Hu mountain park. This turned out to be less of a natural park than you would expect - more like a recreational area - Elvaston Castle meets Centre Parks. However, we did discover a footpath that promised to offer some seclusion and a chance to glimpse the wildlife. To access it, we had to take a boat ride but, once aboard the boat, we were aghast to find that we had inadverdently joined a tour group, complete with flag-waving guide. We were horrified lest we had to wear orange caps like the other group members and walk in line along the footpath. Fortunately, we disgraced ourselves by wandering off in the first attraction - a butterfly house - and were abandoned by the guide, allowing us to enjoy a quiet walk through a forest populated with brightly coloured birds and butterflies.
Our journey continued south to the China Sea, then eastwards towards the Pearl River Delta. The harvest around here grows in water and not soil: we passed duck and fish ponds; women walked to the fields with tribes of cheeping
goslings trailing obediently behind them. As we progressed further east, the scale of farming increased - fish ponds stretched away as far as the eye could see; geese grazed in the rice stubble. I was reminded of the North Norfolk coast. Once in the delta proper, our route was dominated by the river tributories which flowed down to the sea, like the fingers of an outstretched hand. We had to cross several broad rivers; sometimes by ferry; sometimes by low bridges up to three kilometers long.
Finally, we arrived in the port of Gong Bei, and pushed our bikes through the Chinese border to emerge blinking and dazed in the excitment and glitter of Friday-night Macau. It was party time, and we had a job finding accommodation. I checked out several hotels, and burst unannounced into two knocking shops, before we found a nice place to stay. We passed a relaxed and enjoyable weekend in this buzzing, Las Vegas-meets-China-with-a-dash-of-Portugal city, amongst the casinos and bright lights, before catching the ferry back to Hong Kong.
So, nine weeks and four and a half thousand kilometers later we find ourselves back on Lantau Island. We have held up surprisingly well,
only suffering a slight weight loss which we are now remedying. The road conditions have taken their toll on the bikes however; Richard's now requires a new bottom bracket and rear wheel rim, and mine a new front pannier rack.
It seems an eternity since our first tentative forray onto the road in Kunming, yet it has passed in the blink of an eye. And how can I sum up China? The only thing I can say for certain, is that it has been entirely unpredictable for us. Everyday has been full of surprises, shocks and the unexpected. I would also say that the real treasure of China is its people; they have been friendly, helpful and generous towards us, with a lively, open curiosity and tremendous sense of fun, at its most evident when faced with two incapable, uncomprehening foreigners. Another jewel of China is the food. True, it holds some challenges for western sensibilities, but sampling the immense variety of food has been a highlight of our journey, constantly changing as we have moved through different regions and climates - from crisp chilli-hot stir fires , meat and vegetable broths, to sticky, aromatic braised duck and pork
ribs. The landscape through which we have cycled has been magnificent in scale. Though largely cultivated, the neat and orderly patterns have a beauty of their own, and belie the apparent chaos and disorder that reigns outside the fields. Food miles here are about zero; there is a close and immediate relationship between the crops and animals seen from the saddle and in the markets and menus around.
We were both genuinely saddened to leave China, but are now thinking ahead to our time in Australia. We have been working hard (work, what's that?), preparing bikes for the flight to Melbourne and we have even begun training for conditions down under: last night we had a tough session with Jacquie and Ray and managed to finish several excellent steaks and two fine bottles of Australian wine. Many thanks to them for their hospitality. We owe them a big one when they come to the UK next.
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Kerry Rowling
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Feel the burn
You must feel a great sense of achievement covering the miles that you have. I was thinking about you yesterday when I rode Dave's bike to the butchers in Borrowash. It took me 6 minutes from your house to get there, and 20 minutes from Borrowash back to my house! How long do you think it will take me to get up to your standard? On second thoughts don't answer that! Glad you are having a good time, seems like you have finished China on a real high. Looking forward to hearing what you think of down under. Take care. Kerry x