Day 9: Longshan to Lianshan


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Asia » China
April 8th 2012
Published: April 9th 2012
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Distance: 35km (of 60)
We headed into town for breakfast at an extremely popular Yum Cha restaurant. We had our own private room and feasted on dim sum and cheong fun (rice noodles).

It was raining quite heavily this morning so only Dimiter and Birgit dared the weather. The rest of us rode in the van and I even watched some TV shows on the iPad with Lyle. After 23km the riders rejoined us (thoroughly soaked, including Birgit's iPhone that stopped operating) and we headed to the Yao Ethnic Village. I sat in the truck for a change, watching the countryside and the strange antics of drivers on roads that need some serious repair work.

The Yao village is part authentic village and part tourist operation. There were a few exhibits and we could walk around the village but it showed signs of disrepair. There was a delightful singing and dancing show and I even joined in with some of the dancing. Some performers wore a happy smile while others clearly looked as though they didn't want to be there. Quite funny.

Lunch was served on a picnic table outside the village, once again peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I love them, but others opted for fruit they had previously purchased.

We were then transported to the town of Liannan and most of us decided to ride since the weather had calmed. We went through a 700m tunnel, cruised through rural areas and then attacked a hill that rose 1200ft over 10km. That's higher than a 100-storey building! Our sheet with directions said that we'd reach the peak at the 596km marker, but the hill continued to climb. We didn't reach the top for another 2km, darn it!

We then had a wonderful downhill but with the slight rain and high speeds I got quite cold during the descent. We eventually met up with the van, which Demiter had reached about 30 minutes ahead of the rest of us. Alas, he got a flat tyre within a few hundred metres of the van and had to walk the last part.

Our ride still wasn't finished - we had a few more km to ride into town. Just as we pulled out, I discovered that I also had a flat tyre! Our truck driver / mechanic soon had it fixed and we entered Lianshan, which felt like Las Vegas because of its wide roads and remarkably tall buildings. The city, however, seemed deserted, perhaps because it is Sunday.

A chance for a shower and then we headed into town for dinner and a walk around some shops. Our group of Westerners seemed to attract a lot of attention from children and adults alike.

We are still without wi-fi, but at least we are well fed and washed.


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