Orphan Ride Day 1

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Today Gordon and I arrived at China Orphans outside of Langfang. The ride was terrible. I am clearly out of shape. I was riding so slow, slower than I ever thought I could. I must be in the worste shape I've ever been in. It was painful. Gordon was delightfully patient. He's really doing this because I am. So for him to have to carry me is really pathetic. He's a real trooper. If Ali or Dre had made this trip with us, I can't imagine they would have been so forgiving.

We left Beijing at around 7:30. It took us two hours to ride the 20km to get out of the city. I have a new appreciation for how terrible the roads are designed there. The ring road system makes the city like a sprawling bowl of LaMien. It was very frusterating. Once we found the highway that we needed to get out of the city though, it was easy sailing. The ride was entirely flat, the shoulder was generally wide, and the road was good. Unfortunately, of course, I was so tired I couldn't really take advantage of these benefits. However, had the road been otherwise, I don't know when (or if) I would have made it.

The scenery on the road was delightful, albeit boring. Most of the way was some kind of farm land, but the highway was mostly lined with willow and poplar trees. More like something out of middle America. But then again, the climate here is very similar, and we're in the country. Kind of. Anyway, en route, during one of our many breaks, we got to talking with some locals. At one point, one of them pulled out an American one dollar bill. He asked us if it was real. After studious inspection, we said that it was. The interesting story is when we asked him where he got the bill. All he said was "drinking beer." While we asked him what that meant over and over, "drinking beer" was the only response we got. Another of China's little mysteries.

Once in the orphanage, the HR woman here, Leah, showed us around. She was genuine and wonderful. She was a young woman not yet thirty, and her passion for this place was very visible. Almost a full year in China and she hadn't been much outside of this little town. Incredible. The orphanage itself is incredible as well. They have gobs of funding and have room for 225 orphans with plans to maintain that after their main facility gets taken by the government. Simply everything is donated. They also host foreign school groups in an onsight hotel of sorts. While I initially worried that their motives were less than clear, the fact that everything was donated, and the rest of their work eradicated that thought. They take orphans with special disabilities from other less fortunate orphanages and give them a home and surgeries and help them get adopted.

This evening, after dinner, the restaurant manager notified me that my tire was flat. So we tried to pump it back up only to find there was a significant hole in it. So he led us down the street to find a repair man. This man and half a dozen buddies fixed the inner tube faster, and more professionally, that I could have imagined. He used the same patches we use in the states, but he used experts hand to do it. While we sat around and joked, he worked quickly and efficiently. Once we got back to the orphanage, I was so high on these locals that I had to sit with the security guard and chat. Gordon and I did well, but the hi-lite of the conversation was somewhat of an externality. A Chinese orphanage employee strolled by at one point with his wife and daughter. She stopped to stare at us foreiengers. So I did what I always do, I smiled and waved. This was wayto much for her. She, quite literally, and to a point I've never experienced, BURST into tears. We all laughed and all apologized, and the mother quickly whisked her away. Even on her way back she hid behind her mother and pulled her to walk quickly. It was soft and silly. The people I've met here are so wonderful, so pure. I suppose you can find them in Beijing, but I think its harder. The pace of life here is so noticeably slower. It is refreshing. This is a good place.

Tomorrow we will set out to explore this town, Langfang. It is a small, boring college town. However, my sore ass will find it a welcome relief from another day of riding. Sunday, however, we'll get on the road again. The locals have all told us it shouldn't take more than two hours to get to Beijing. They must mean on the outskirts of the city, which, I must say, are vast. Anyway, we won't make it in two hours, maybe three. I hope I do better on Saturday.

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