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Letter 15
Monday 26.04.10
Last night the charger for the PDA stopped working. This is a disaster, I
thought at first. But after some consideration I hoped to be able to find one,
maybe not identical, but still able to replace it. After all it's not the worlds
smallest city I stay in.
So that's the first thing to do today. No, actually I would like to hire a
bicycle first, but when the shop still hasn't opened at 9.15, I start walking to
the nearest of the places I've been told about.
I succeed in the first tiny shop I try - unbelievable! Back to hire a bike.
They're not worth much, but I had seen it already. The first one I discard. One
of the breaks is not functioning properly and he doesn't seem to be able to
tighten the wire. I accept the next one but 20 kuai is too much. Much to my
surprise he accept at once and asks for 15. Fine.
So I start my ride in the city with the lousy map for which I paid way too much
in direction of the lake. A BIG lake. I stroll along wide boulevards filled with
new constructions where the present and coming generations of rich chinese
tourists are going to stay.
In the end I'm close to the lake. But here I have to pay it seems. It's a park.
I pay and ride in direction of the shore, where newly build restaurants lie one
next to the other next to rotting fishing boats. The area has moved into the new
chinese capitalist age.
I move south - out of the park. A few times more I'm at the shore. All seems to
be changing. Huge areas have been levelled and are ready for the next stage. In
the villages all is still done by hand. With big mauls two workers are tearing
down a wall. Here they're using traditional methods.
I loose the orientation after having passed two streets of kilometer length in
two villages. A light drizzle starts. At last I arrive at a bigger road. Try to
ask which way to go. I'm afraid it's me that convince them of what to answer.
The rain gets harder. The road is being constructed which means dirt road - bad.
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| Not only Bentley have come to China | There are constructions all over the area between Kunming and the lake |
In the end the rain gets even harder. And thunder as well. I seek shelter in a
small abandoned house together with a poor man with a carrier cycle. He's
probably collecting plastic bottles or something similar. For recycling. We're
soon joined by a neatly dressed middle class chinese.
When the rain's almost stopped I go on only to find out I've taken the wrong
direction. So - back again. More kilometers in the bad road. I realize that the
lower part of the bicycle and my pants are covered with mud, I have to reduce my
speed.
It's a LONG way back to the city, but when I realize which road I'm on and in
which direction to go, there are no problems... I have to start using my compas
- I do have it with me.
Before I've got back the orientation I get good use of the airport - they
haven't moved that resently.
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| At the lake | They're working in the village |
In the evening I visit Sophia and see her dormitory and say hello to
her room mates. I've promised her the photos from The Stone Forrest. In
return I get some chinese music on my USB-stick.
I'm a little surprised that I can enter the students area quite freely.
There is a guard, but he doesn't seem to care about who's coming and
who's leaving.