An answer that was not expected


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1. Beijing 02.04.08

2. Beijing 03.04.08

3. Beijing 04.04.08

4. Beijing 05.04.08

MAP 1 Beijing-Yingxian

5. Beijing-LouCun 06.04.08

6. Lou Cun-YudouCun 07.04.08

7. YudouCun-Laiyuan 08.04.08

8. Laiyuan-Wangzhuang 09.04.08

9. Wangzhuang-Hunyuan 10.04.08

MAP 2 Yingxian-Taiyuan

10. Hunyuan-Dai Xian 11.04.08

11. Dai Xian-Xinzhou 12.04.08

12. Xinzhou-Taiyuan 13.04.08

MAP 3 Taiyuan-Linfen

13. Taiyuan-Pingyao 14.04.08

14. Pingyao 15.04.08

15. PingyaoHuozhou 16.04.08

16. Houzhou-Xiangfen 17.04.08

17. Xiangfen-Hejin 18.04.08

MAP 4 Linfen-Weinan

18. Hejin-Heyang 19.04.08

19. Heyang-Dali 20.04.08 Heyang-Dali

20. Dali-Xi'an 21.04.08

21. Xi'an 22.04.08

22. Xi'an 23.04.08

23. Xi'an 24.04.08

24. Xi'an 25.04.08

MAP 5 Weinan-Hanzhong

25. Xi'an-Mazhao 26.04.08

26. Mazhao-Yangxian 27.04.08

27. Yangxian-Mian Xian 28.04.08

28. Mian Xian-Ningqiang 29.04.08

29. Ningqiang-Guangyuan 30.04.08

MAP 6 Hanzhong-Mianyang

30. Guangyuan-Jianmen Pass 01.05.08

31. Jianmen Pass-Zitong 02.05.08

32. Zitong-Loujiang 03.05.08

33. Luojiang-Chengdu 04.05.08

34. Chengdu 05.05.08

35. Chengdu 06.05.08

36. Chengdu 07.05.08

37. Chengdu 08.05.08

38. Chengdu 09.05.08

MAP 7 Mianyang-Maoxian

39. Chengdu-Dujiangyan 10.05.08

40. Dujiangyan-Miansi 11.05.08

41. Miansi-Maoxian 12.05.08

42. Maoxian 13.05.08

43. Maoxian 14.05.08

44. Maoxian 15.05.08

45. Maoxian 16.05.08

46. Maoxian 17.05.08

47. Maoxian 18.05.08

48. Maoxian-Chengdu 19.05.08

49. Chengdu-Chongqing 20.05.08

50. Chongqing-Wanzhou 21.05.08

51. Yangtze River 22.05.08

52. Yangtze River-Wuhan 23.05.08

53. Wuhan 24.05.08

54. Beijing 25.05.08

55. Beijing 26.05.08

56. Beijing 27.05.08

57. Beijing 28.05.08

58. Beijing 29.05.08

59. Beijing 30.05.08

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English Version 38

Friday 09.05.08
Chengdu

Going nowhere. These words describes my day very well.
It rained the last part of the night and part of the morning and it was nice and cool after the rain. Sent a lot of pictures back home early in the day.
But when I talk to Laura, who`s the manager and is the most competent one and tell her I`m going up north to Xining, she says I can`t. They won`t let foreigners pass longer than to Songpan, the next is tibetan area, which doesn`t mean that it`s Tibet, but it is tibetans who live there. So that`s why.
Oh - that was bad news. What then? Well, if I can`t go through not even in a bus, then the solution is to go around with the train. So I prepare for that. This will mean that I get more time the last part of my trip and that suits me fine. One and a half day in the train instead of 13 days on the road.
But I am still longing for the blue sky in the high mountain and to get used to the high altitude little by little, so I seek a second opinion. PSB that take care of visa and visa extensions must know? So I go there. Before I get to the desk I`m "taken prisoner" by an Indian, who teaches philosophy in Chengdu and, as far as I understand, has sent an application to the Danish Ibis for a job. His wife standing at the counter with a Chinese interpreter looks angrily at him several times, because he`s not concentrating on the important things.
 


For a few coins someone is guarding your bicycle A long word - each character represents a syllable

 

At last I get to the counter and tell my problems. They don`t speak much English but when they`ve seen my passport and understood that I`m not there for visa extension, they`re ready for negotiations. Their English goes as far as to say: You`re travelling China by bike? You CAN go. They`re out somewhere behind to ask and I show on my map where I want to go just to be sure. No problems!
And then I`ve really gotten nowhere, I just feel an unpleasant uncertainty about what`s true.
When I tell Laura about it, she doesn`t understand because: "At the bus station they don`t sell tickets to foreigners longer than to Songpan, because it`s tibetan area", and that`s most likely true, but I`m not going by bus.
So all considerations and requests about staying 2 days longer are forgotten.
And then I use the day to find out, that the sun cream I bought in Taiyuan is something for itching. I have to go to the shop twice, because first time I show them my "sun cream" when they don`t understand what I want, and that kind of stuff they don`t have. So I need Laura to write: Fang shai shuang with Chinese characters to get the only one they`ve got. Factor 30. Nice.
This way you can use a day doing almost nothing!

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