[BACK] [NEXT]
English Version 19
Sunday 20.04.08
Heyang 22.30
Just before I went to sleep I heard a knock and I’m fully awake. The
police?
But it’s just upstairs they’re knocking the floor. Am I snoring that
loud?
Chinese beds are HARD. This one’s a special class. But I sleep until
3.00. Then I have to find out something. The quilt is so wide I can lie
on one part and drag the other over me. This way the rest of the night
passes by. But it’s difficult to turn around.
I’m off before 9. Shakes hand with the landlord. No hard feelings. It
has stopped raining, but the roads are wet and muddy. Either dust or mud,
you can’t have them both at the same time, but which is the worst? Both.
Soon I’m on a concrete road, which is divided into tiny little pieces in
a puzzle, pushed a little to the side. Unbearable. But one thing is
sure: it will change. For better or worse. For once it’s for better.
Today I have to cross the Yellow River: Huang He. One of Chinas two
nerves, with out spring in the highland of Qinghai far to the other side
of Lanzhou for then in big turns to move north to the Gobi Dessert, then
east and then south, where I’ll meet with it, before it at last moves
east and enters the Chinese Sea.
It starts to rain. It’s always only a light rain, but it’s enough so all
gets muddy and I end up bringing out the yellow raincoat around the
front bag with all the electronics.
When I get to Huang he there’s first a toll gate, where I pass right
through. Oh, it’s because the old bridge is only for vehicles under 2.20
m The trucks go on north along the river to a bridge, which I never see.
The great view of the river passing through the gorge in the mountains,
running into the flat land disappears in mist and rain. It’s all the
same a great moment, where I seem to feel some of Chinas soul, here
where the rivers muddy water floats by to feed 1 billion people.
 |
 |
| I chose the right bridge | Staff of a gas station |
I’m standing writing (by hand) in a gas station. There are NO places
to sit in China, except indoors. It has at least stopped raining. The
bike doesn’t look good, I can’t find words to describe it. I’ve been to
one gas station to clean it once, but now as the road has begun drying
it desperately needs a new cleaning. And I too.
On this gas station a taxi driver is cleaning his taxi. I interfere.
First I manage by myself with a wash basin, later I take over the hose.
When the bike is MUCH cleaner the manager sends one of the girls to get
some hot water so I can get my face cleaned. And then I must have a cup
of tea! And when I’m inside, I can’t leave without a bowl of dumplings.
And when the first are not hot, I have to have another.
The girls here are more shy than those I’ve met with earlier. They
politely says no thank you, when I offer them my expensive nut bars, but
the manager tells them to accept, so I won’t loose face.
The interior consists of a desk and two chairs with backs, which are
kept together with mounting and wire. Besides there are 4 stools. The
staff consists of the manager, two women and six girls. Maybe they have
6 pumps, but I only see them use the 2 of them. The manager sees the
costumers even before they themselves have decided to come, and sends
out a girl.
They have a map of China on the wall, so I can show them where I’ve been
and an English textbook is found. It’s not much they can say. Almost
nothing. In spite of all the sentences in the book all they manage to
put together in the half hour I stay there is: How old are you? And
something which I think should mean: Where were you born?
Although I say Copenhagen in the proper Chinese way, it doesn’t tell
them anything. But all are happy and think the day has turned out to be
a little better, including me.
They don’t want to be photographed and there are no camera phones here,
things change from one day to another, or maybe from town to land.
I cross Xiyu Expressway which isn’t even suggested on my map. Things go
fast here in China.
Little by little the sun comes through and the mud dries. We’re not good
looking the bike and I.
I arrive at Hancheng, where the new part is up at the plateau and the
old part down in one of those ravines that cut through the plateau.
After having ascended again from the ravine the road continues to climb.
It goes straight but is growing till 7 on the scale. And is goes on like
this one km after the other. Here are yellow rape fields which break all
the green. The trumpet flower trees are blooming and send out their
scent all over the road. I think it’s the first time there’s a nice
smell at the road.
At last I’m up and immediately the road descents in big and smaller
turns down a new ravine and then I have to go up again!
Here at the climb are beekeepers, who live in a kind of tents. Somewhere
there must be a generator cause there’s a parabole antenna. It must be
season work.
The last 20 km is a struggle against the coming rain – so it looks at
least, but it never comes. The weather is pretty unpredictable in China.
I go searching around the city until I by my own find a hotel.
If you want cheap accommodation you have to stay close to the main road
and ask for lüguan, if you want something bigger, which often will be
called binguan or maybe even hotel you mostly have to go for the main
streets.
This one is both called binguan and hotel.
I have the bike and the luggage cleaned scantily and later myself.
I enter their restaurant and eat – my favourite dish. We’re approaching
Sichuan, it gets more and more spicy. This one is SPICY and there’s
Sichuan pepper in it, like there should be. That’s the first time.
I sit alone at a big table with room for ten. The staff is sitting
eating in the other end of the room – except that – nobody. It’s rather
nice.
100.43 km
14.80 km/t
6:47:39 tim
43.7 km/t