shecyclesolo

Day 98 892 days to go. Distance: yesterday 76km today 58km total 5909km. It’s 7.20pm Wednesday 7/3/2012 Quanzhou. All going well I should crack the 6000km mark tomorrow yay. Last night I spent the evening with the family that run the trucky’s stop I stayed at 5km past Xing An. It had been a ride in the rain but I was keen to do a decent wod of Kms despite the conditions. It was also very head windy and of course that notorious chill bill factor made the KMs well earnt. The area covered has been very industrial with factories and heavy transport coming and going . I stopped at the 35 km mark for lunch at a small dot town. The town appeared mostly about its concrete factory and catering for its workers. Across the road from the factory entrance was a bustling shop front with a couple of seats, two pool tables, and a small crowded area filled with workers on their lunch break and wanting noodles in a hurry. It was all hands on deck for the husband and wife running the crazy show. As quick as they could line up bowls, fill them with noodles, stock and a topping mix, the men were clearing the bench top. And so it continued for about half hour until the hungry hoards cleared. It was fascinating to be a fly in the corner waiting and watching the production line and feeding chopsticks frenzy. The woman then spotted me and flashed the biggest grin and hello. For 4 yen she served me up a bowl of the best noodles with a simple mix of nuts and herbs delish. Happy belly later I braved the rain again for the next stint. It got to ‘over-the wet-wind-and cold’ o’clock when I spotted this truck stop that had rooms above so stopped to see if it offered accommodation. The family were so welcoming and the eldest girl could speak a handful of English. The rooms were the basics, a bit dirty and smelly of men. They were dorm style with three beds to a room. There was a communal loo and clean up area that had hot water. I got a room all to myself. The family told me to clean up and join them to watch TV. I was all happiness and an hour later was sitting around a table with the two sisters both pregnant and their mother. They were chatting away with the sister kept busy interpreting what she could. Under the table cloth was a pot of colas and very toasty. Something nudged my leg and the family cat was enjoying the colas between my feet, just short of cooking himself. He was a lush and we bonded. He let me occasionally stop patting him to rejoin the conversation. I had grabbed the map and calculator and worked out my kms through to Beijing during the evening. The family and Truckee’s popped their heads over my shoulder to check how I was going and comment away. They were supportive and said I was brave but that it was too cold for cycling and to buy a moped :-). About 8.30pm the father got home and a communal dinner of rice and stir fry was brought out. I started packing up to leave them to it and was told to eat!! The father assumed host and welcomed me to his home, He said that China and Australia were good friends and to enjoy myself. The family was all about the TV and their conversation around it and whatever else was constant and colourful. The father talked to me about his job, how he wanted to go to Australia but was too busy at the factory, about the TV show, all the while wanting me to eat and enjoy myself. I was clearly his guest and he was enjoying himself looking after my stay. I had bowls and a belly full of dinner and the best evening. At 10.00pm I excused myself as the mother falling asleep on the table was a sign of bed o’clock. I finished my KMs and used the donas and pillows off the other beds to make a cosy nest to pass out. I was really happy to have done my kms and dots to stay. I should have Internet access every few days hopefully. In a few days I reach Nanyue the starting point for a day hike up the sacred Taoist mountain Heng Shan. Ive allowed 4 days for Xian including bus travel from Denghou to Xian then back to Zhengzhou to rejoin the highway to Beijing. Today I woke to super full on fog and cold but no rain in it yayayayaya. It stayed that way for the day which was fabulous. I had my break at the small town of Calwen that was having market day. The whole town was a market with stalls of fresh and cooked food buzzing with folk it was great. I wondered ad snacked and found my next favourite sweet treat. The ladies deep fry small balls of a sesame dough that expand when cooked to a tennis ball sized light tasty delight. I spent a couple of hours here and eventually dragged myself away to finish the kms to Quangzhou. I checked the route for tomorrow at the local petrol station and the fella pointed me to a hotel across the road. 60 yen later I have a very cosy room with air con at 30 degrees drying my squeaky clean clothes for tomorrow yay. The lady at reception grabbed the woman next door who knew a handful of English to help. I asked her if there was an Internet cafe and she said no but offered her computer. Nice!!! She served me fresh green tea and an apple while I got to send the family a quick ‘hi’ email. The room was still being cleaned by these quirky two ladies. They were full on colour and wanted to chat so we used the lonely planet guide and had fun trying to have conversation around the phrases. Later I found a hose to clean up my girl, oil her bits and adjust her cables. We’re all ready to tackle the next three days to Nanyue. This evening we went for a ride into town and found the local market that was selling tofu yay. On that note its time for dinner and a relatively early night after partying late last night with the Truckee’s. Well not really but it sounds good for she who usually goes to bed at Nana o’clock. I wrote this poem in my head watching a chicken scratch about my spot tracker this arv. Ive added chicken watching to my list of ‘fun to dos.’ Talk soon x  

Day 96 894 days to go. Distance today 70km total 5775km. It’s 8.50pm Monday 2012 Guilin. Ive just had the nicest skype  with my partner it’s so warm and fuzzy to be loved yayayaya. It’s been a good good day. Had to do a few have to’s this morning which worked out well because it was pouring so I had a legit excuse to hold off peddling. Finally headed at midday via a vending lady who was selling deep fried battered date fruit mix. I know this sounds a bit scary but they are super yummy. They use this date mix in steamed buns and bread but yesterday in Xingping I tried one of these as they smelt so good and they are. I spotted another vending lady this morning super perfect and one fills the belly nicely for an afternoon’s ride. I had spotted the road to Guilin on the way in so there was no mucking about with directions which was a nice break. It was farming land and dotted villages to Guilin amongst karst so the ride here was more of the beautiful same.
I spotted a woman herder earlier on watching out over her water buffalos in the field. She was singing to them. It wasn’t a song as such but like a spiritual call but with melody. It was so captivating I stopped and listened for ages. She didn’t seem to know I was there and just kept singing away. It was really heart felt with  such adoration and care in her tones. There is a similar scene on Wild China with a woman singing to baby alligators she was caring for as part of a conservation project. The same chanting like song full of a spiritual sense. I wonder whether its a religious thing and would have loved to had spoken with her today about it. Anyway it was a really special thing to see and another treasured memory now yay. It’s the little things that are big in significance for me. I love these moments and the feelings stick which is really cool. I had my break by another field of water buffalos. I spotted two young males playing head butts to practice being big. They so weren’t but you wouldn’t tell them that. They were clearly very brave and dominant and would someday soon be alphas amongst their peers 🙂 I enjoyed my coffee watching the darling idiots head butt  themselves silly. Again another little thing big. The road lead straight into the centre of Guilin and I soon found a hostel with rooms for 60 yen and wifi yay. About 20km before Guilin there was a clear change of weather and at least 5 degrees warmer. The difference between 5 and 10 degrees on the bike is huge for me and soo much more enjoyable. The sun even tried to come out as I cycled into town. On that note I owe the work experience lad at the Guilin Meteorology centre a huge apology. He’s doing a great job with a promising future ahead 🙂 I’be been trying to gather a few more Mandarin words for my toolbox. I’ve taken what I can from the Lonely Planet and tried Babel Fish for a couple other phrases but no luck so far. I’ll keep looking for a translating program. Anyone got any suggestions for a site that translates English to Mandarin? Mandarin is the official language in China with lots of dialects and sub dialects. Chinese writing is quite beautiful and is often referred to as pictographs. The characters are stylized pictures of what they represent. In 1958 the Chinese adopted a system of writing their language using the roman alphabet and planned to do away with the characters. This language is called Pinyin. Traditionalist resisted the change and it’s since been abandoned. You may see a bit of Pinyin on signage in the cities but not much and rarely outside the metros and never in villages. For me the translation needs to be in Pinyin so I can pronounce it. The vowels and consonants are unique but easy enough to sort out. For example ‘i’ after c.ch,r,s,sh, z, or zh has a rrrr sound. ‘sh’ is sh sound but with the tongue curled up and back. Same goes for ‘zh’ which is a j sound with the tongue curled. These three sounds are unique and common sounds when listening to folk speak. All very interesting!! So that’s about me for tonight. I still want to run my eyes over the itinerary for the next days and have some dinner so I might end it there and talk soon x

I wonder what your world looks like
up there amongst the peaks
soaring grand above the Li
diving for fish to eat.

Day 95 895 days to go. Distance today 62kms total 5709km. It’s 8.05pm Sunday 4/3/2012 Yangshou. isn’t it awesome when the hardest thing you have decide for the day is which photo to attach to the post. I can’t pick!!!!! I started the day with the most delish huge skype session with the folks. I love it. It ‘s so special to hear what’s happening at home. I love talking to Ma ad Pa. It gives me such a top up on all good stuff. They’re so cool and I’m so fortunate. Pops tried to fid out more o the weather i the Regions I travel over the next weeks but not much luck. The site he found said it was fine in Guilin today. MMMMM Looking at my wet weather gear laid out to dry from the day’s adventure I think they have a work experience student pointing the radar 🙂 All good!! It’s been one of those days that I’ll notch in the extra special belt. When I started planning this trip I was house sitting at the folks with the pooches. We would saddle up each night to a session of ‘Wild China’ or one of Kylie Kwong’s  cooking episodes which they have in their DVD collection. That’s where the China interest sparked and grew into 1080 days with a good dose of Ewa McGregor’s ‘Long Way Round’ and Down. One of my favorite parts in Wild China is on the Li River. And today I was there, sitting on the pebbly bank, getting my socks wet and savoring it over an extra good coffee. I love my flask and I love this part of the world. I watched a kingfisher eyeing his catch at the water’s edge and an eagle diving from a lofty peak to catch his fish dish. I think back to when this was a concept and now I’m posting about it. Very cool indeedy!!!! We actually ended up where we did accidentally so it was a ‘meant to happen’ thing which added to the cool factor. After speaking to the folks this morning I decided to stay an extra day and check out the sights. Rube and I went looking for a wee village the lonely planet mentions about 9kms
away. Must have taken the wrong road but instead found the road to the ancient village of Xingping. It is pictured on the back of the 20 yen notes and is over 1000 years old. The 30km cycle there was perfect. The cloud had lifted so we could really appreciate the karst countryside. The village was a maize of cobbled streets and lanes with local folk living their day to day pretty much unspoiled by it’s fame. We just wandered around and soaked it all up. The town lies right o the Li River and the local road follows the river through the National Park. Rube ad I did our best cycling to date. The road led to the river’s edge where we spotted the best coffee possie to Asian squat ad smell the roses. Great photos awesome amazing perfect happy happy girls!!! Apparently the scenery here outstrips anything in Guilin so I feel extremely lucky and content. I had a skype date at 5pm so we headed back not caring the slightest about the downpour that kept us company. Right up there in favorite moments to date. Had a hot date yay and now posting to you fine folk. It is however time for dinner as I’ve been googling over my photos from the last week trying to decide which ones to send to my sister to attach to the posts. As you know I cant update the blog due to internet censorship in China. It’s so great my sister is updating the blog for me through email. I’m only sending one photo per post as attaching photos is what takes time.  Thank-you so much for your comments they are very special and supportive and very appreciated. Unfortunately I can’t reply to the comments because of the censorship but I love receiving them nonetheless xxx Onto Guilin tomorrow ad very happy that I have seen the best of this beautiful part of the world. Talk soon x

Day 94 896days to go. Distance: today 66kms total 5647km. It’s 9.00pm Saturday 3/3/12 Yangshu. Internet Internet Internet Internet!!!!! My boiled eggs are getting rained on. Their hanging outside in the extra fresh air and it’s full on raining. They’ll taste pretty good very soon but!!  It’s a short post tonight as I have been having the most delish internet date with my partner and I’m tidy widies ad hungry. Yangshou has bee a bit of a milestone for us so it feels really satisfying to arrive here safe and sound with 10 days of China experience under our belts. The ride was beautiful as you can imagine it’s the karst country mecca and we rode with the lofty peaks for the 66km growing in stature as we got closer. Yangshou caters to the tourists as it’s primary industry. I found a cute hotel for 80yen and enjoyed an afternoon and emailing and pampering and checking out the local sights. It’s been really relaxing ad it’s really nice to be here. Not sure what we’re doing tomorrow we’ll see what the weather brings and decide from there. Talk soon x

Day 93 897 days to go. Distance: today 85km. It’s 6.40pm Friday 2/3/2012 ‘Somewhere’ 15km before Lipu. We packed up this morning and went to leave and the reception lady from the hotel ran out with 150 yen for me. Go figure!!!!!! The sign behind the counter had standard single rooms at 300 yen. But for reasons unknown and who cares  I got half refunded. $25 back in the pocket is better then $50 out any day of the week three times on Sunday even. What a great start to the day. The cycle today was cold and windy with drizzle on and off yuk poo!! However the scenery had lots of atmosphere with low swirling cloud and fog through the hills. The countryside was more green and rolling with backdrop higher mountains and pine forested. There were large cleared sections so it appears the industry in these parts. It made for beautiful  cycling. We’ve sorted our gear to keep cosy in the conditions so the drizzle chill weather is manageable. We were very
happy to stop at a small dot and get out of it for a bit at the 30km mark. The smell of fresh noodles was too much. Time for brunch!!! It was the best noodle soup Ive had with finely chopped mixed veg and herbs, heaps of greens, nuts and a crystalized chilly mix on top. It had a sweet sour tang to it and was delish. No really I’m not even joking!!! We’re coping better with the cold thing like I said so I wielded those chopsticks like a true local and even slurped the soup from the bowl. I then grabbed a toothpick and Asian squatted with the moped cabbies on the corner people watching.  Actually most people were watching me but i was trying hard to be cool and blend. Full bellied we headed off and did hills pretty much the rest of the kms. I totally didn’t care just super happy and content knowing we were on the right road for the day for a change. Rubes new front durailer got its first decent work out and she did a great job. Love my girl!! We had one
ascent that went for 10km but the descent was short and steep and big big fun weeeeeeeeeeeee. Looking at the map tonight I think it was the Daya Shan (Range) at 1700m which we crossed for any geography nuts out there along with my Pops. 15km out of Lipu we went through this tiny town that doesn’t even rate a dot so I have no idea the name but it’s got a great small town feel. I planned to just have a wee break before finishing the last kms for the day and parked alongside the moped cabbies who we have a soft spot for. They’re always very friendly and helpful and full of mischief.  I was striking up a factually irrelevant, quasi conversation of gestures with one fella, when I thought to ask if there was a hotel. It was straight across the road and 20 yen yayayayayayayay. We belong here!!!! It’s totally basic and clean and perfect with bucket hot water and a gas cooker I can use. I had my bucket bath and smelling like roses headed into the town to do a
spot of shopping. On the list were eggs and something sweet as I’ve finished the honey (good effort!!). I bought 10 eggs (10yen) even though I only asked for 5, 2 steamed sweet bread triangles (1 yen), and a packet of cookies (1 yen). Soo happy had my shopping fix in a town with a hotel at the right price. I had it in the back of my mind today whether Lipu would have the same hotel restrictions. A small town option works perfectly tonight. It’s only 40km from Lipu to Yangshu now 55kms with the extra 15km but still a very sociable distance.  All going well we should be in Yangshu by lunchtime to do some looking around.  Back to our wee hotel. The man and lady running it are friendly and real. She has some girl friends over and they keep laughing at me when I pass bye but nothing nasty in it just cheekiness. They gave me a almond biscuit when I headed to the shops. It was fabulous filled with coconut and poppy seeds. Its a little mecca for truckies to
stop
as they have a small restaurant attached and the smells are awesome. I do like being around everyday folk. It gives me a sense of homeliness which is nice. I’ve boiled up my ten eggs which I’ll devour over the next days and brewed the biggest pot of green tea which is keeping me toasty. I’m sitting in the room with the gas cooker as its heaps warmer than the room. It definately doesn’t have air conditioning set at 30 degrees and I’m happy happy happy. Now this is my kind of endulgence 🙂 It’s time for an early dinner and in bed with the China Lonely Planet to read up on Yangshu. Plus it’s friggin freezing!! The daughter who helped me carry my gear up said in her best English ‘tonight cold.’ No Shi# Sherly Sherlock. Have I told you lately how much I love posting each night. It’s just the best space to reflect over the day and put it to words. I’m so enjoying the process. The days are full on so to stop and enjoy is a wonderful time for me and very cool
to share with you. I’ve drunk too much green tea so got to go find the communal loo. Fun post! Talk soon x

Day 92 898 days to go. Distance: today 65km. It’s 7.40pm Thursday 1/3/2012 Luzhai. You know that scene from Robin Hood Prince of Thieves when Friar Tuck is pulling the cart carrying Kevin Costner and his merry men. He says when stopping ‘thank you Lord for teaching me humility.’ That scene encapsulates me in china. We are reliant on the local folk to move us through our day to day. I so feel a constant sense of vulnerability. It’s nothing about liking or disliking. Its the experience of sticking with it and seeing the challenge unravel. I like to feel independent and self reliant and patience is not a virtue (I can see my partner smiling). However in this situation theres not a speck of room for impatience. Its the dark side and like Yoda says ‘forever will it control your destiny. ‘ Instead I’m on huge doses of humility. This extreme learning environment is overwhelming for the most part but all good and very good for me. Im such an
experiential learner (again I can see my partner smiling). As such there’s lots of deep breath moments and trying again, but were getting there. It’s also not the place for my usual dogmatic head down bum up style of doing things. Instead its heads up and positive, staying open and approachable, one step at a time, and chipping away at it. I have a general plan to start the day but each day ends up looking quite different. Anyone planning to travel independently in China would do well to equip themselves with as much information prior.  I’m pretty pooped each day just managing the basics. Internet access is a luxury. Im relying on my spot tracker to let the family know Im ok and maintain a sense of connection. Otherwise my personal contact is with the local folk I interact with during the day. And it’s an adventure. The funny thing is that there’s no ounce of winge factor from my part. Maybe one or two at the road conditions when the calories are low
🙂 But Rube suggests it’s time for a break and we snack up and get back into it all good again. It took us 3 hours to get to and through Liuzhou this morning and onto the right road towards Lipu. This stuff I just cant plan for and instead have to roll with it and work with the locals to best sort through A to B. There’s no keeping track of the amount of people I approach for help but there’s definitely stand outs that make all the difference. here’s some highlights…… I had got to one of the main roads into Liuzhou and stopped to ask a tuk tuk cabby. He drew me a map with pictures I didn’t understand until down the road. He had drawn sets of lights and then tunnels which make sense are common in karst country. He had labeled the map in Chinese. I stopped to make sure I was on the right road and asked this man sitting by the road flattening the tin from a kettle for another use. He was somewhat overwhelmed by the situation but eventual got that I
wasn’t going to bite and nodded I was on track. At the next crossroads I asked some traffic police who dragged in a bystander with a 3G mobile phone. He checked google maps and got me on the right road. At the next crossroads I stopped and was checking the compass when this moped man came up and said, ‘ I like cycling.’ Awesome English!!!!!! His vocab was limited but his effort huge. He soon realized that directions weren’t going to get me out of the metro area so he lead me to the right road which would have taken me the most part of the day to figure through otherwise. His name is Weijiabo pronounced Wayjeearbor. He has ridden road bicycles for 8 years and loves cycling. He works in a factory as a driver. He said he has two names but I didn’t understand why. He gave me his phone number and email and said he wanted to join me in Guilin to cycle to Quaanzhou if he can. He had a look over Rubes and adjusted the quick release pin so that it fitted better.
He showed me on his phone where we were and explained the road numbering to Yangshou. He was my guardian angel today lovely lovely man awesome cool Chinese gent. By the way all this in the rain and cold which was constant and 5 degrees on average. Talk about Brrrrr drippy chill bill for this cold frog 🙂 !!!!! We had done 25kms and were only on the outskirts of Liuzhou. The road soon left the highway and was pretty much off road conditions with roadworks muddy slop potholes eeeeekkkk. Took our mind off the cold but. It was 4.00pm when we arrived 40km later. Luzhai isn’t a metro city but a large dot on the map. I was feeling pretty good and undecided whether to push onto the next smaller dot and  Weijiabo said there was a hotel there. It was another 30km but so I stopped for a coffee break to decide. Then I saw this young lad hosing down a truck and asked if I could clean Rube. He was all smiles and happy to help. I gave her a clean and decided to stay
the night, pamper my girl and tackle the 95kms to Lipu tomorrow. I was all happiness but had got pretty dampy hosing the girl so was keen to find a hotel. It was my first official experience of being refused accommodation everywhere I tried. We’re talking a dozen hotels all showing me an identification card which I now know is a Chinese ID card and that they don’t take ‘foreign diplomats.’ Rhe young reception ladies at a couple of places said ok but then another worker would step in and insist they couldn’t have me stay. By the last place I was so cold I think I had ‘beg’ all over my face of where I could stay in town. The young girl who had said yes but was overruled by her male counterpart, indicated she would take me to a hotel that took foreign diplomats. This language was from a google translator they used to help explain. So off we walked under her umbrella (sweetie) to a three star hotel. 300 yen later ($50). Very odd feeling being in this
situation. Certainly not impressed with the outlay but it was unavoidable and we dealt with it. I feel like we don’t belong  here it’s odd. Its not my idea of indulgence but I must say the bed is comfy. The beds are so hard here my air mattress is a triple futon in comparison.  I hope the whole foreign diplomat thingy isn’t a sign of whats to come. Its definitely a heads up to try stay at the right sized dots on the map unless I have info on the place in my lonely planet. Im kinda torn as its only in the big dots that we may get internet connection. Im sure we’ll find a balance. The smaller towns haven’t battered an eyelid at me staying in fact have been happy and welcoming hosts. Each day at a time but with more experience in our Chinese toolbox. There’s no emotion in it for me and I’m not taking it personally for a refreshing change (now I can see my partner laughing – stop it!!!!). China may not be good for my bank account but it’s good for me.
I’m planning to cycle to Lipu tomorrow then onto Yangshu Saturday. I have an internet date at 7pm so we’ll have to get in early to pretty up. For now one day at a time.  Rube and I are safe and sound and that’s what counts foremost. I have a theme song for us that popped into my head today and we’ve been singing it out loud at choice times during the day. It’s Bryan Ferry’s ‘lets stick together…….’ Love it!!!!!!! Time for noodles and our three star bed. Talk soon x

Day 90. 990 days to go. Distance: today 33km .  It’s 8pm Tuesday 28/2/2012 Heshan. One sleep Ruthy and Benny boy!!!! Ive had to go back and adjust yesterdays post as I thought I was in Heshan but not quite so opsy. I had myself all psyched and geared for a cycle to Liuzhou (90km). 33 kms later I arrived where I thought was  Datong, the junction town I turn east from the 322 to the 323. This road takes me to Liuzhou then another 133kms onto Lipu. There I turn north onto the 321 to Yangshou (40km) the start of the Li River and Guilin Lijiang National Park. Yesterday I had wondered why Heshan was so small for a big dot on the map. On the contrary I thought how big Datong was for a little dot. At least I’m the only one who has to deal with my dodgy navigation.  It all makes sense now. I stopped at the bus station for a break and for directions to the turn off. The tuk tuk driver indicated we were in Heshan.  Huh???Noooo really!!!!! I was a bit out
in my km calculations…. bugger. It ended up a later start this morning. I was all ready to head off and the same lad I had tea with yesterday invited me for breakfast. I saddled up to rice porridge with ginger.  I offered him yen and he said ‘no no my guest.’ He showed off his culinary skills and was very happy to hear my yums of approval. Two bowls later, lots of chats and starch issues for tomorrow later, we finally headed. I asked him before leaving if they were going to have more children and he said that ‘one was enough.’ I wondered afterwards if China still has the ‘one child’ policy. Does anyone know? The hotel folk and family gave us a bag of little oranges and waved us off. The hotel lady took one last picky of the boy sitting on Rube’s trailer very cute. They tell me their names but I’m lucky to pronounce them let alone remember them later doing posts.  It was overcast but not raining so we motored the first 30odd kms. Anyway back to the
bus station. I sat and digested over a coffee that we were actually now in Heshan. It was too late to consider another 90kms with no big dots in between, so we found a hotel and will do today’s itinerary tomorrow. The locals showed me to the best hotel in town bugger 100 yen later ($16). It’s very comfy and has air conditioning set at 30 degrees. Perfect chance to do some washing and have it dry for tomorrow. I then pampered and had the biggest sleepy attack so tucked myself under the doona and slept like a baby for 2 hours. Anyone who knows me knows I so don’t do day kips but what a treat. How amazingly delish yummy num feet rubbing purr. Woke at 5pm all doughy and happy and headed out to find the internet cafe the lady at reception gave me directions to. Very dodgy directions later this didn’t happen but I had fun checking out the town and doing some shopping. Anything that resembles western lifestyle like restaurants, cafes, fashion and entertainment
is western prices. Local markets, vendors or supermarkets are the go for food supplies which suits me perfect. I found a huge bottle of local honey (like huge) for 35 yen ($5.50) perfect. That’ll keep the sweet tooth happy for a good few days. Finding sweet treats the right price is a bit tricky with chocolate way too expensive for my rate of consumption. Honey’s one of my fav’s so happy girl. It’s already been dinted tonight for dinner with fresh bread rolls yay 🙂 I thought this afternoon just how much I enjoy hanging out with the locals doing what locals do in a foreign place. Of course visiting famous and beautiful places is amazing and I’m very excited particularly about Yangshou. This area is postcard southern China. But the day to day little stuff I enjoy just as much. There’s something pretty cool about eating home cooked rice and ginger porridge sitting around a dish of coals and bumping trolleys with locals in a supermarket or just Asian
squatting in the street and people watching while i send the spot message. These are the little things that make a big cool day. It started raining this afternoon and the temp has dropped again to chill bill degrees but we’re all prepared if that’s what’s installed for tomorrow’s cycle. It’s a bugger I don’t have internet access like Ive enjoyed to date. It makes me appreciate those opportunities more when I have the privilege. meanwhile I have screen savor picture of my partner on the Ipod and of course my book of photos the folks put together from the care pack I got in Hue. That aside I love my daily routine of posting to you. Even though you won’t read it for a wee while it still feels like I’m sharing my day. Our fengshu is positive so all important is all good.  Ive re-routed the itinerary to keep closer to green than brown on the map and to town hop between the bigger dots so I’m not stuck anywhere cold and homeless for the night. The days are
full enough and I need to know Ill find someone to stop and recoup. We’ll be traveling through the below places. Cycling distances will be mixed up to avoid getting over tired so to deal with China’s other day to day challenges. I’ve just named the main cities and distances in between. They’re the route distances not our cycling distances. I know my Pops is into this stuff x. Liuzhou (90km), Lipu (133km), Yangshuo (40km), Guilin (108km), Yongzhou (198km), Changsha (168km), Changde (179km), Jingzhou (214km), Xiangfan (195km), Bus to Xian, Xian (2-3 days), Bus to Zhengzhou, Xinxiang (82km), Handan (159km), Shijiazhuang (217km), Baoding (154km), arriving Beijing (131km) on the 5/4/2012. If you have any comments, recommended sights, variations or side trips let me know. The route I had planned was more west but it’s the wrong season to cycle the deeper hues of brown  😉 I’ve got such a happy belly after my fix of bread and honey. It’s 10.00pm so time to
snug up under this amazing doona and dream of my screen saver. Early up in the morning. Not too early but a AM start would be good 🙂 Talk soon x

Day 89 991 days to go. Distance: today 58km. It’s 9.55pm Monday 27/2/2012 Qianjiang. I’m so to be posting so late but I’ve been having chinese tea with the neighbors 🙂 How cool’s that!! Not a long day distance wise but heaps jammed into the day which was great. And needed as it is cold and wet. Not below zero as my snot monster nose isn’t freezing as yet but it’s not much above. The temp gauge in the neighbors house was reading 7. Add wind and rain and that adds up to a chill bill day of it for the girl and I. We put some thought into the attire for the day’s outing and even accessorized with yellow washing up gloves to keep the thermals dry. Nice look but who the bloody hell cares.  Our gear worked pretty well for us I just may wear all over thermals tomorrow under the rain gear. My hands are still so pink hours after stopping. When I stopped to take pickies today I had to take the gloves off and in no time the fingers were just stinging
wicked. Anyway I think you get the picture. Lets just say I have checked the map again to avoid the brown sections. The next three days are forecast rain and that’s eek as it’s hilly tomorrow hence the thermals. At least if I get too chilly I’ll freeze happy and smiling 🙂 With the added challenges now in China such as weather and getting from A to B our kms per day will be less. Ive done some calculations tonight and we’ll still do the distance without skipping quality. It just means we’ll catch a bus to/from Xian much like we did to go to Siem Reip to see the temples in Cambodia. I want to travel different routes there and back to see more of the mountainous countryside which surrounds Xian. It’ll be cool to check out the scenery without having to do the hills yay.  About half way here we entered Karst country and even in the cloudy weather it’s wonderful. The agriculture is mostly sugar cane with a backdrop of limestone mountains very cool. The
villages are therefore very much about cane: burning, cutting, stacking, ploughing, and transporting to wherever it ends up. The farming folk cut the cane by hand and  water buffalo are used to do the ploughing. So given such an important job most houses have their buffalo prize positioned out front lazing by the haystack and clearly well cared for. They look very happy and content which is cool.  We were all blowing smoke and steaming in the cold it was really funny. We had a break by a stream. The water was this amazing aqua color with the limestone backdrop it was beautiful. The water was heaps warmer than the air as it was steaming as well. I spotted fish in the water and enjoyed a coffee taking it in. It was a quick break but and time to move. It didn’t take much to cool down and get the chattery teeth so we were off again. We passed this town that had a great street market and perfect timing as it bucketed down. Rube wasn’t impressed as I left
her in the rain and ate my deep fried potato and onion pancake which was totally delish. I also bought some more tofu which I’ve devoured for dinner with noodles yum. Coming into Quinjiang there were more markets and I bought a peanut brittle type crisp which is for desert. I nearly passed out when I asked a taxi driver where the hotel was and he said ‘no.’ Another fella stepped forward as if to say ‘don’t be silly,’ and gestured to two options in town. We exchanged ‘it’s cold’ actions and that it’ll be good to stop and get out of the weather. I then looked at the first fella as blasted him a big smile. The hotel was 40 yen that’s the cheapest so far with the hottest of water so perfect. While I was outide sending my spot tracker message and inhaling a coffee the young man from next door came out full of smiles and curiosity. he showed off his few English vocabulary and invited me to join his family for tea.  The hotel folk joined me and we sat for a
couple of hours on our squat chairs around a dish of coals. He has a cigarette counter out front and his extended family all live in the small town. He lives in a one room brick house with a cement floor and roller door with his wife and 1 year old boy. We had a good time just mucking about with the camera and playing with his boy. The lady from the hotel loved the camera and went off sick taking photos each time cheering and showing off her cleverness with me 🙂 A very cold and very cool day. Probably time for bed seeing it’s going to be a full on day tomorrow with a few more kms planned at least subject to weather. We’ll see!! Talk soon x