Blogs from Xinjiang, China, Asia - page 11

The last day dawned beautifully, cloudless and cold, before the sun came up it was very cold around 3 degrees. The necessity of socks, full skins, merino top, jacket, woolly hat and gloves in bed made a bit of a fib of the below zero rated bag and liner, another lesson, always carry a thermo safety blanket. It also doesn't help having the gentleman athlete bladder which had me, every hour or two, doing the three degree dance down the rows of tent mates, there and back without trying to disturb anybody, snuggle down and mercifully back to sleep. The joy of this beautiful morning was knowing that the hard work was done and today was a scenic 14.5 km jaunt, for those that were interested to maintain or gain some position, for the walking wounded ... read more

Goes like this A 40.8-kilometer journey through rocky grasslands, gullies, past river streams and local villages. After a chemically assisted good night's sleep, a packet of porridge, I was actually starting to feel quietly confident about the day. Amazing how it all can change, is this the great 'mind over matter ingredient.' Started stage 1 with a shuffle, yes was back into it. I have Changed the days food plan slightly, still having the required calories. Halved the perpet, and used more Hammer gels about 600 calories instead of the 1000 in the perpet I was using, no wonder I was getting ill. A day in the high country pastures under the mountains, wow, very beautiful scenery, and a day to enjoy it, cool, sunny. Coming down off the high country into the villages ,the streets ... read more

Is Anybody out there ?? the weather and satellite troubles may leave me playing catch up and you wondering ...day 2 sees me Sitting hunched over a computer, cold, cramping, shoulders barely moving, I'm thinking I overdid it a bit, only slightly ! ! Hmm forgot the major rule and used the turbo shuffle a little too often. The golden rule," don't forget the big day". Tomorrow's approach will be to take it a tad easier, we really get into some of the perpendicular and altitude tomorrow. Today was called easy, road and track and basically flat. 39.2 kilometers over traditional Gobi Desert terrain, starting on farming land and moving across rocky open terrain with gullies, small bushes and grasslands. 39 Kilometers 6 and 1/4 hours, 3/4 hour better than yesterday, and sitting in about 53-54 ... read more

Bole China, a small city, Approx 500,000 people, 80 kilometres from the Kazakhstan border, with more construction going on than probably the whole of New Zealand put together. Somebody ordered a new city built, so there be the building of a new city. Thousand upon thousands of apartments, glittering shopping malls, green parks, visions of the next few years, and then the people will come, are coming, swamping the sometimes unruly hinterlands. It might be interesting to have a look at Tibet ? It really takes your breath away, when they decide to do something, it gets done. We will have fast trains across the country, ka ching done. Express ways from coast to western borders, thank you. A modern colonisation of Africa, job well in hand. As Hamish keeps saying you ain't seen nothing yet. ... read more

Das chinesische Neujahrsfest (chinesisch 春節 / 春节 chūnjié ‚Frühlingsfest‘; chinesisch 農曆新年 / 农历新年 nónglì xīnnián ‚Mondneujahr‘; chinesisch 過年 / 过年 gùo nián ‚Jahreswechsel‘) wird als der wichtigste chinesische Feiertag erachtet und leitet nach dem chinesischen Kalender das neue Jahr ein. Er liegt aber weder in der Volksrepublik China noch in url=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repub... read more