[BACK] [NEXT]
English Version 5
Sunday 06.04.08
Fangshan 11.40 a.m.
All has gone smoothly this morning. I was up at 7 and took a last shower.
Went to buy some breakfast. It wasn’t exactly like yesterday. A new type
of pancakes. Weighing 250 g. And the “bread” I got wasn’t precisely what
I wanted, but all right.
I parted with Angela once more, or twice to be exact. We kept on meeting
in the yard, while we both were getting ready. She for her last day in
Beijing, before she flies back to Shanghai, and I for my first day
outside the city. I met an American just before I checked out, who had
been cycling with a friend in the south of China. He confirmed many of
my ideas about cycling here. Thought the Chinese were considerate to
cyclists. The road was fine and there wasn’t too much traffic.
It’s sad to say goodbye to Far East and all the people I’ve met here.
You get more tied up to random people, when you’re so far away from home.
Every new place turns into a home.
When I leave the hotel it’s raining a little – very little, and it soon
stops, but it’s misty like yesterday. Rolling out of Beijing is a dream.
No problems finding my way. The city is HUGE. After 10 km the
skyscrapers are more at a distance. After 20 km the buildings thin out
and Beijing is replaced by infinite road towns without names.
A couple of times I ask for direction. I am quite confident about it,
but it’s nice to have confirmed that they can understand my questions.
The answer to if the road leads to Fangshan is a yes, so I’m on the
track. When I later ask how far it is to Fangshan, the answer is 20
“gong li”, which confuses me a bit, but I have to find out about Chinese
measures in one of my books.
The main road is heavy from traffic. Small 3-wheeled trucks are the most
common. When they’re heavy loaded they sound like a fishing boat as they
drag along.
Work is being done all over. Often 8-10 men standing with pickaxes and
shovels to improve ditches, irrigation canals and what ever. And it’s
Sunday – do they never have a day off? Is it migrant workers? I
definitely don’t think so. It was the same in Beijing. The construction
workers were doing their jobs in the hutong at all times.
 |
 |
| The entrance to the Beijing man | My table in the hotel room in Lou Cun |
2.00 p.m.
I’m sitting in the cave of the Peking man. He’s not there anymore. Is
probably for a walk. Pretty long one as it’s more than 400.000 years
since he lived here.
Lonely Planet describes it as a flop, but I think it’s fascinating you
can actually see the locality even the fossils have been removed into a
museum, where I havn’t been yet. At one spot there’s a cave where you
can enter and down there there’s a hole 4 m down with a steel wire
fastened so you can climb there – if you dare. A do, but I havn’t
brought my headlight only the flashlight and I find it too difficult to
hold it while I’m climbing. Angela should have been here.
The continuation is not that exciting. I have to go back and turn at the
traffic light.
Then comes an infinite piece, where one stone cutting factory relieves
the other. Big factories where they apparently cut all the stones they
are using for the rebuilding of the hutong. On some of the houses stone
tiles are plastered. So they must be using huge amounts, when you think
of Beijing as one big construction site.
From time to time the stone factories are relieved by “shell towns”. Two
endless rows of shops with nothing behind except bare land. And so it
goes on, but the road is flat and with shoulders, as is the English word,
on both sides for the slow traffic and it’s with a nice surface even all
the dirt is lying in the right side.
At last a plantation with blooming pink cherries. A wonderful change.
And just after the road climbs for the first time more than just for a
little while. The hill is made of some red soil, which can be used for
something, because now there are companies on both sides. In the end
comes the long expected exit for Shidu, which is the goal of the day.
Now I’m entering the mountains which have been seen at the latest to the
right when it hasn’t been too hazy. When will I see the sun again quite
clearly?
Sitting at a small stone table on a hard stone chair writing. It’s in a
small park just beside the road. Nice place for a cyclist.
The last part of the long straight road I turned off my brain. Just the
“leg-engine” was running. I begin to feel exausted.
22 km to Shidu, that’s about 2 hours. I’ve found out how to pronounce
it, people I’ve talked to havn’t agreed on that issue. But when I see
the two Chinese characters there’s no doubt. It’s like a cross: the
character for ten. So it’s the second tone.
7.30 p.m.
The fairytale’s just started. Half an hour ago I could have cried. Now
all is fine again. There were two spots where I had to choose, and I
swear I chose the right one each time, if the signs were correctly
constructed. So I rush ahead. 20 km to Shidu.
The traffic was almost gone.
The road started to incline and before long it was clear that a pass was
coming on. It’s wasn’t that steep but in the end I had to change to the
smallest front gear wheel. Up at last – and then down again in a hurry.
Stone loaded trucks with hangers on their way up in low gears. Like they
have to go slow downwards. On top a minor chaos because a truck has
boiled. They’re doing hard jobs. It never would have been in Denmark:
overload.
After the descent I go on with a fair speed. I want to be there. As the
counter close in to the 109 km and Shidu is supposed to get nearer I
start worrying. Nothing looking like a town is to be seen. I decide to
ask somebody. 3 are standing waiting at the road. “Zhe tiao lu qu dao
Shidu ma?” No, definitely not. I don’t realize where it leads, but Shidu
is the opposite direction. SHIT! Even the signs were explicit, I should
have asked just to be sure. Almost 20 km back and then crossing the pass
and then… Only then I have to start the last 20 km maybe with a new pass?
I soon realize that I can’t – and I WON’T. I’m not going much further
today, it’s my first real day on bike.
The gesture for sleeping is the same in China – luckily. They don’t
doubt what I mean. I have to go back, not far - then there is a place to
sleep.
How far I havn’t got a clue, so when something looking a little like a
shop appears, I go in there and at the back someone are sitting – eating?
Is it here?
The scene is repeated and they’re pointing and discussing. That road
right there. Go down and turn right and then go a bit, if I get his
moving arms right.
On my way down the concrete road, where a name appears. When I passed it
before I took it for a school, an army camp or so. There are soon houses
on both sides and the road ends up in a T: a town, at least one street
with houses with first floors. To the right. Roll a bit. Ask again. It’s
apparently just ahead and to the left. I’, expecting something lousy.
With the risk of bedbugs and that sort of things, but no. The finest
house in town seems to contain rooms for rent in the upper two floors.
And now I’m sitting here. Alone in the restaurant with two full plates
with food and a bowl of rice and a cup of green tea. It wasn’t what I
pointed at at the menu, which had pictures, but there’s enough of it.
And it’s nothing I’ve ever tasted before. Never. While I was upstairs to
get my PDA the first plate had arrived. I thought it looked like “gold
corn”, a Danish cereal, having been fried on a pan and then being
stabled. It had to made of corn? But there was something thrusty in it,
like glumes. Tasted good. I wasn’t wearing my glasses I have to say.
Then I realized that they were small crowded shrimps. A thousand at
least. I was alarmed, you have to watch out for shellfish. If you’re not
close to the sea. Or is it the opposite? – we’ll see. Before I was
halfway the main course arrived: Thin slices of pork with something I
believe is green bamboo shots and some red fruits, which turns up to be
sour preserved. Maybe chillies but more round and not that hot. All in
all my lips are burning now. I can’t finish it. Wonder how much it is? A
fortune?
Compared to the room it can’t be that much. When they understood I
wanted to stay for the night all was fine, they had rooms. I asked if I
could see it? Some things I can express, but understand? – no not yet.
The room showed to be double with private TV and bathroom! And how much
is that? Eighteen says one of the girls. I try 18 in Chinese? No, it
wasn’t that cheep. Then 80? Yes, 80 RMB. It’s just a bit more than at
Far East, but with private bathroom. Do you wonder why I accepted at
once? I didn’t need to ask for something cheaper, which they surely
would have had. Is there anything I need, it’s my own room and a shower.
I had prepared for in the worst case to accept 200. I’m not ready yet
for tenting. Havn’t bought gas for the heater and the area is not for
it. When I stopped to pee two dogs immediately started barking.
9.00 p.m.
I’m sitting with another cup of green tea in my room. Here I meet with
the big thermos with boiled water I’ve been reading about. I have a
whole bottle with at least 2 l. A cup of green tea leaves and several
cardboard cups. So I can prepare it myself. There is one annoying thing
about the green tea: They put the leaves in the cup and pour the water
over. With the result that the leaves are floating on top. After some
time some of them sink but not all, so I’m getting leaves in my mouth. I
wonder if they drink them, eat them or what?
CCTV1 is showing commercials. They are relieved by a film with subtitles.
Chinese. The language sounds Chinese too, so what’s the point? Are they
for deaf people? It’s with people in old army uniforms with red stars on
their caps. So it’s presumably from the civil war. They talk and talk.
It’s definitely not an action film. They speak very clear. With English
subtitles I’d been able to learn a lot. Now I can only catch single
words.
I have entered the Hebei province. Here there’s another character to the
left in the license plates. Besides it’s the same: 2-3 letters and 3-4
numbers.
The license plates are blue with white printing, except busses and
trucks, which have yellow ground and black symbols and the official ones
which have white ground and black numbers. Maybe with a red character
first?
Now a heroine in a military coat with a child is crying – the heroine to
be exact. If it’s joy or grief I don’t know.
After some zapping – and there are quite a lot of channels – I succeed
finding the English speaking one Angela told me about. It’s called
CCTV9. It has English subtitles when other languages are spoken. There’s
a news report telling about an attack on the Olympic flame in London and
a lot about Tibet. Not from the Tibetans point of view. On the other
hand I won’t deny there’s manipulation with the evidences from some
Tibetans. It running in the background while I’m writing.
I go back to my arrival. A number of women in all ages crowded around me.
When I went to see the room some girls went with me. When I had to pay
it was another one. I thought she’d want my passport for the
registration, but after having searched for it in my money cat I
realised I’d moved it to the money belt. And to avoid undressing in
front of all the women I gave her my driving license in stead. Oh yes,
it was me in the picture all right. And then she started copying all the
right page from the license including birth registering place and police
chief counselar. Well done! I almost got a whole page in the
registration book.
Before all this we were interrupted by the neighbour who didn’t think my
bike was to be left unguarded outside all night. Of course I had
intended to carry all my luggage upstairs, but it was considerate anyway.
So I pushed the lot into his shop and placed it at a table full of flour.
If I was to be customer in his shop I wouldn’t have thought it suitable
for a dirty bike. Cause dirty it is! Even in the courtyard in Beijing it
started getting a thin layer of dust.
Angela thought I’d better get a mask, which some of the locals wear. Not
so many for the time being. I take it for that the particle content in
the air isn’t as high as it CAN be.
But you can easily clean your nose several times a day. It’s nice to
have a natural filter in your nose! Even it’s annoying it has to be cut.
10.40 p.m.
I’d better go to sleep, I’ve got extra kilometres for tomorrow.
Goodnight.
112,16 km
17,94 km/t
6:15:01 tim
41,9 km/t