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English Version 30
Thursday 01.05.08
Guangyuan
I’ve been in China for 30 days now, half of the time. Only HALF.
Ningqiang never became my favourite dish. A hotel with 2 stars and the
hot water only gets lukewarm. A kettle with a cord of 10 cm. I search
everywhere for the extension cord – it’s not there. But that’s not new.
They understand NOTHING, don’t posses the ability of communication.
When I downtown ask for the post office by showing a postcard and point
in different directions, everyone comes running and want to see it. Ooh,
it’s from Beijing… I have to find the word for post office in the
phrasebook, you ji, I’m lucky there are Chinese characters too, because
they pronounce it you jie. Point down the street.
When I’ve gone long enough I ask again. The other direction, back again.
At a side road I ask again.
No, go on. I pass the place I first asked and go on. At last I find it
by myself.
Also the visit to the wangba is a failure. A hawk-like lady survey every
single of my presses on the keyboard, apparently it’s interesting?
Normally it’s very un polite to read over ones shoulder? Also though she
doesn’t understand a thing. It’s this personal space. We’re used to
certain limits around us. And when they are crossed we find it
unpleasant. I do in this case. And irritating, especially when I take up
my USB-stick and she almost cross herself and waves preventing. No, no.
Last time the computer wouldn’t let me install Irfan View. Now it’s the
hawk.
It is like every single truck in town has been loaded this morning and
is on its way out of town in my direction. The town stretches a long,
long arm out in the direction of the highway, and they’re building a new
piece that shall connect Ningqiang to the world outside. Until then I’ll
have to follow the trucks.
It’s a long dusty and dirty arm, which is stretched, so my laundry stays
where it is for now.
A tunnel turn up. At first I think it is 2 km, but it shows just to be
450 m.
After a couple of more small tunnels I’ve gone 30 km already at 11
o’clock.
Three Chinese cyclists with a minimum of luggage pass in the other
direction. They salute.
I’m a bit confused according the map and have to withdraw some of my
words.
There is a finished highway on the map, but in reality it’s the one
they’re building. The road I’m travelling is a kind of motor traffic
road. It has crash fence all along and you can only get on and off at
the exits and the entrances. When a farmer is bringing fx. timber to
town. (that’s what I see), you screw off a piece of the crash fence and
put it on afterwards.
This road hasn’t so many climbs and descents, but it carries a lot of
traffic.
Mingyue Gorge, which is marked on the map, is magnificent. At first a
narrow gorge which the road has to climb up above, then a broad canyon,
where the river has dug into the rocks at the bottom and a spectacular
waterfall from one side and a minor river from the other meet, to send
on their waters in the direction of Guangyuan.
 |
 |
| Birds are sold at the roadside | Crossing the river |
In the north of Guangyuan the road turns into a highway that crosses
the river on its long legs heading southwest, and I roll by a bad road
the last kms into town.
And then another of those small miracles, there seems to be so many of
here. Roll around town to find a suitable place for the night. Decide
it’s now to ask. Lüguan?
Yes, right there. He points and I misread his finger and walks into a
restaurant, but they can also offer rooms sometimes. No rooms they don’t
have, but I can eat there! And then suddenly a woman says: Can I help
you? Yes, mam, actually you can.
It’s Diana (her English name) who runs the restaurant with her husband.
She doesn’t speak much English, but I just need a little to get things
SO much easier. She walks with me and have me set up in a room for 30
RMB. I hadn’t found it by myself up all these stairs in the alley. All
problems are solves by her small amount of English.
It’s without private toilet and bath but there’s CCTV9.
After two cups of tea I hurry out to find a supermarket, a bookstore and
a internet-café. I find it all, and only misses to put my converted
pictures in my e-mails. Crtl-V doesn’t work in live mail. But maybe
you’ll get some pictures soon anyhow.
Now I’m sitting in Diana’s restaurant. 20 o’clock would be the best, she
said, then they’re not THAT busy. I’m glad I didn’t come earlier! But
it’s the first of may! Earlier at the bookstore there was fireworks like
a small war.
When I’m about to leave, Diana wants to show me, how to go tomorrow. She
just has to change her shoes first. I look at them and think they look
all right. When she turns up again she wearing those coloured ones with
a medium heel, which the girls apparently HAS to wear. I liked her
sneakers better. It’s a hot night. It’s 23.45 before I’ve finished my
diary.
Goodnight.
83.58 km
16.28 km/t
5:08:05 tim
43.5 km/t