Shan Yang

Welcome one and all to the 2015 Colorful Yunnan Granfondo Cycling Festival! As most of you are already aware, cycling has become my hobby of choice over the past couple of years. Hiking in Korea was so convenient and affordable, but higher and higher peaks came calling and the hobby of hiking became more remote, dangerous, and expensive (especially to do alone). Cycling was introduced to me by a friend in the states and it was continually on the back burner until recently. This year I finally splurged and picked up my first real racing bike fitted for my body size and type. Carbon frame, Shimano Ultegra groupset, the Swift R830 is the a very solid and much to my dismay, entry level road bike. If Jimi Hendrix could make even the worst guitars sing, I ... read more

CYCLING AROUND KUNMING As many of you already know, I have become a pretty avid cyclist. Living in Kunming provides some excellent places to ride and explore. Just 15km or so from my front door brings one into the real countryside of Southwest China. Lacking of cars and trucks, the routes usually get held up with herds of goats, water buffalo, and dairy cows. The occasional flock of geese or random chickens running about also make it a fun place to ride. It has been fun to cycle this year starting in February to watch how the crops cycle, and seeing when (and where!) our food is being produced. Early this year saw the planting of wheat, which was harvested about a month or so ago. The farmers take the stalks and beat them against wooden ... read more

Greetings from Laos! A drier, yet colder, first step out my door this time and onto the bus to Luang Prabang. 26 hours (16 Chinese and 10 of Laotian, teeth rattling roads) and I'm there! Welcome back to Southeast Asia and the lovely provincial capital of Luang Prabang. Founded in 698, this town has its own special history and architecture. The French wandered in about 100 years ago and set up their own "Paris of the East", and I think this is about the 15th "Paris of the East" that I've visited so far in Asia. Though this one is certainly one of the more beautiful Parises out there. Colonial French architecture among ancient Laotian temples with traditional housing sprinkled in the mix provide a really special atmosphere for wandering. And no I do not feel ... read more

The weather did NOT improve at all as I set off on my ride on Sunday morning. I left the hostel around 10am and into the cold rain. I took precautions to ensure that I stayed completely weatherproof. Waterproof shoes, gaitors, pants, jacket. I was good to go; so I thought. The ride started smoothly enough, heading south out of Guilin. The road was good and the rain was light. After a few kilometers, I got off the main road and was heading into the Karst landscape of the region. I don't know really how to describe the geography of this area. The flat plains are interrupted by tall jagged peaks that seemingly come out of nowhere. I am in deep southern China, perhaps on the same latitude as Miami, so the climate is tropical. That ... read more

Greetings Everyone! Well, David Friedman hit the ground running on the evening of December 22 after 18+ hours of travel. Both of us were immediately awed by the sheer size of China's capital city. The plan was to ride the subway to Tiananmen Square and walk from the subway station to our guesthouse. As it happens so often when travelling, things don't always go according to plan. We arrived at our transfer station and were not permitted to continue as the subway shuts down at the early hour of 11pm. So, plan B is to take a cab. What can I say about Beijing cabs? They're unfair? Unprofessional? Uninformed? All of the above? Anyway, we exited the subway station into absolutely frigid temperatures ranging from 0-10F. It was also quite windy in the evening. Cab hawks ... read more