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English Version 31
Friday 02.05.08
Jianmen Pass
Today I’ve got many new friends.
The day didn’t turn out as planned, but that’s often the charm of it.
It was a hot and damp night, but I slept from 24 till 4 and later till
past 7.
The road out of town is worse than ever. It takes me two and a half
hours to go the 25 km to Baolun, then the road cross the river and gets
OK. It’s still very damp and gets more and more hot, but it’s lovely
here along the river, where there’s quite a current.
I come to place where the road divides and there are two policemen,
their motorbike, a parasol and a big bowl of water. To Chengdu? No,
you’re totally wrong. I have to go back to Baolun. Damned, how could it
go wrong? But I havn’t seen the markers of G108 for a while, it’s not
the first time, but this time it matters.
The policemen speak the local dialect, but also a few English words, so
we get along all right. I have to sit for a while in the shadow and
drink some of their water? Yes why not, now everything’s gone wrong.
 |
 |
| Two friendly policemen | And two more friends |
We also do a photo session, which is just about over when a younger
couple arrives on bikes on their way to Baolun. She speaks English and
he does too. I can accompany them? Yes, thank you. I’m not used to
English speaking company, so instead of a bad necessary piece of road,
it becomes a nice trip, which quickly (10 km) is over. And can they
offer me a cup of tea, where they live, in a fine lüguan. They are
lovers and she lives in Chengdu and he some place in a power plant up
the river, and now when they have 3 days off because of the first of may,
she’s up here.
One hour has soon passed, where we talk about all that, we didn’t have
time to while cycling: Danish social conditions, politics and government,
the cultural revolution and my classic questions about that and a lot
more.
I shall call her when I’ve arrived at Chengdu, so we can meet again, and
we exchange e-mail addresses. A couple of pictures are taken and THEN
it’s time to move on.
I’ve already revised the plan of reaching Liugou, but I don’t get far
before there’s a BANG from the rear wheel tells me that also this old
tyre is finished. This I find out after a short investigation of the
tyre. Luckily it’s in a village, so I have my hands washed after having
repaired the tube and changed the tyre.
It’s always interesting to watch me take off the wheel and repair it, I
can tell.
The plan is revised once more. It’s 17.30 so how far can I get?
I met some more Chinese cyclists and talked to one of them, and Jianmen
Pass, which is on the map as a scenic spot must be the goal.
But how high I have to go, and how steep it will get, I don’t know. Only
that I still have 15 km left at 18.15. If I have to go with 7 km/h it
will take me 2 hours!
It’s a wonderful gorge I go up through. Steep parts change with small
descents until I get to a plateau, through which the road entwines
dressed in woods. In front vertical multicoloured 500 m’s high cliffs
are seen with woods underneath. A house and a radio tower are seen.
Then comes the final climb. The steepest I experienced until now. I draw
myself up in the smallest gear with 5 km/h.
Up the pass there’s a temple and restaurants and the road has been fine
all the way up. This is a new Chinese tourist spot. Then comes a flat
piece and I’m waved in. I’ve turned others down on the way up, but now?
Stay for the night? It’s 19 o’clock. It’s a restaurant but a little back
there is a lüguan.
They want 100 RMB for a double room. It’s got all, but is looks awful. I
decide that 80 is the limit – and get it.
A quick shower, the water cannot, havn’t got time to get hot.
Before coming this far I was addressed in German, by a Chinese that has
worked seven years in Cologne. Lives in Chengdu now. I speak German! As
good as he does I think, but it takes a little to get the rhythm. It’s
good to know other languages!
Back in the restaurant where I had promised to be at 20, for once I get
it as I want it. They can’t do chicken but fried rice with vegetables
and beef is fine. There are two girl from secondary school, who speaks a
bit English. They are very shy and one of them brings a schoolbook to
ask: do you mind waiting another 30 min’s?
I have to look in the book to understand. They are nice people all of
them. The father reminds me of the Danish actor Thomas Bo Larsen. I
don’t think a foreigner ever has stopped here before. It’s as if I fill
the whole restaurant, everything else seems less important.
The food is brought just after, so the question was more an English
exercise I think.
The landlord brings a guitar. Do I want to play? When the first guitar
can’t be tuned, he brings another one, where only the d-string has lost
the screw. I tune in after the d-string and sing and play Donovans
Donna, Donna with plim, plim before the chorus and all. When I’m half
through the first verse the applaude breaks through. I’ve saved the day.
This they won’t forget for a long time. At once comes free tofu dishes
and cucumber and eggplant dishes on the table.
I shall eat breakfast there at 8.30.
The girls have got my e-mail address and shall write me, when they are
back in school.
80.69 km
13.96 km/t
5:46:40 tim
34.6 km/t