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English Version 20
Monday 21.04.08
The visit to the wang ba yesterday was another failure. They had this
kind of network, that doesn’t allow my PDA access.
This morning it’s hard pulling myself together. I need to rest, but Xian
isn’t that far way anymore.
When I go down a city street all a shops staff is gathered in the
pavement. Considering the shop doesn’t look big 50 people seem a lot.
There is peptalk and gymnastics. When I stop across the street I see how
the attention quickly change direction. Against me.
I pass a long bridge, which tie the plateau together across one of those
ravines. Where it is not too steep there are terrasses on the side. This
is the real China I think.
It’s another grey and dim day and even cold.
As I advance the wind turns more and more and grow to hard wind. I get
it on my side but the longer I get the more headwind it gets. Damned.
But then a miracle happens that has nothing to do with the wind., no
it’s about far more important things. I have just waved to two workers
at the road when a pffft... make it clear that the back wheel has a
puncture.
When I pull off the tyre to fix the tube I realize a disaster: There has
come a 2 cm long cut at the edge of the tyre. All the bad roads have
made it happen. A cut that surely isn`t going to grow smaller.
The tube is soon fixed and I decide to find a better place to change the
tyres - put the front at the back and visa versa. The front doesn`t
carry so much weight as the back.
As I am doing this an old man come by watching. I have them changed but
realize I won`t get far. Thoughts of how and where I can get a bus that
can take me and the bike to Xian begins.
But the old man points at the direction I am going. Something will show
up there, I just can`t understand what. Could it be some kind of garage.
Could they vulcanize new rubber on the inside of the tyre? You never
know in areas like this where it often is nescessary to think of
alternatives to the common solutions.
Well, I just have to follow him it seems, so I do - only a couple of
hundred meters, then a pffft... makes it clear that the front wheel now
has a puncture.
 |
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| Peptalk for the staff | A most needed friend |
I drag the bike on to him and continue down a very small village
street where the cows are tied up. At last he disappears into a house
and i start fixing the front tube. After some time he comes back
carrying something in his hand. It shows to be a 26 x 1.75 tyre which
exactly fits my bike. How on earth has he got that? I haven`t seen a MTB
since I left Beijing, and it certainly doesn`t fit his bike.
I`ll never know. I just know that to me this seems like a miracle.
What I shall pay him for this is a question we can`t find a solution
for. They (some others have shown up as they always seem to do in China)
speak some dialect I guess, I can`t understand a single word. It is not
until a young man shows up the solution is found. He and I understand
each other. 20 kuai I have to pay for the tyre it seems. I`d gladly paid
him 100 or 200 but I feet it isn`t the time to be generous. The old man
is just glad (and a little proud I think) having had the opportunity to
help a poor wayfaring stranger and just wants what the tyre is worth. (I`m
still wondering if it really can be so cheap).
The rest of the day is terrible. I toil much too slow through the wind.
A wedding party is the only positive thing. I decide after some
consideration only to make it to Dali. The wind is blowing against me
most of the time. Then there’ll be more than 100 km left for tomorrow,
but the wind will probably cease?
You never know.
 |
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| I thought it was a wedding - | - but it was a funeral |
Just before I get to Dali there’s a traffic control and I desperately
needs a break. I only stand for a moment. Then an officer arrives, this
time they’re all men, and asks if I’d care for some hot water?
Yes, that would be lovely, now I’ve bought both a mug and some tea. So
we walk into the “officers room”. I tell them where I’ve been and where
I’m going. I just need to do it once, because every time a newcomer
shows up, and they do 4 or 5 times, the first one tell it all again. I’m
offered an apple, and what do you do in a situation like that, when you
know you shouldn’t eat fruits that are not pealed? You accept, you
simply have to. The stomach comes second in a case like this.
When I’ve had several cups of tea and the map has been looked at just as
many times, I give them my hand for goodbye and stride into Dali. It’s
not that I’m totally finished, but here I’ll be able to find a three
star hotel. I don’t know about those two small next towns? I’m looking
for a binguan – and find it – after some looking. Tong Zhou Hotel. For
the first time I have the bike with me in the room. They did it while I
had my back turned. I was first up on first floor to examine a room and
had accepted it, but it wasn’t meant to be like that.
There are many strange things about Chinese hotels. This standard too.
When there’s no thermo, there’s an electrical kettle, that’s seen before.
But this has a cord of 10 cm and the outlets are in the middle between
the floor and the table, so what’s the meaning?
In stead of taking the kettle with me to ask, I solve the problem myself.
An oval paper basket is laid down and for security I sit and hold the
kettle till the water boils.
Another day full of surprises.
67.44 km
14.67 km/t
4:35:46 tim
38.1 km/t