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Letter 33
Friday 14.05.10
I eat mysli in "Emmas Kitchen" 6.30 am., I`ve ordered the night before.
The yougurt doesn`t look like the usual one. I ask if one can get
yougurt in the shops here? No, it`s from "The Grasslands". It`s yakyoug.
Mnn. The real stuff.
Where was she when the earthquake started? In the restaurant. They had
all out in the street in a hurry, some had to leave the internet all in
a rush. Then they stood there in the middle of the street and felt safe,
as there were no tall buildings around, and nothing was destroyed in
Songpan. The bottles in the fridge were klinging violently and the
bottles in the bar, but they did not fall down. But afterwards they
slept outside for a long time except those in wooden houses.
We`re going with different busses, the german and I, there is a special
one for Maoxian. So I find his bus and we say goodbye - maybe we`ll meet
again in Chengdu?
The bus leaves, the driver hasn`t closed the door, it`s cold and I`m
sitting in front, but he will hopefully close it when we`re out of the
city after having picked up people. They show no ticket and don`t pay
when they enter. I wonder how it works?
We go to the southern part of the town and turns around at a gas
station. Then we go back. Why is that? Back at the bus station more get
on and we leave again.
Two more enters with big packages - and eventually - the door is closed.
Now it`s serious.
The valley is quite wide, around 300 m and the road is not so bad as I
feared. Somewhere there`re blooming peach trees.
Aha. It`s cash when you get out - no ticket. He get use of the stop to
pass through the bus and collect money. The door needs an arm and a leg
to open - there`s often an explanation.
Then he turns the bus around and goes back for the second time. It`s not
so popular it seems.
It`s 7.55 am., the children are on their way to school and we`re back
where we started - in the busstation.
Some rushes out and while the driver turns around they rush back with
some more I think. It was apparently a minibus that had given up getting
more passengers.
NOW we`re really moving. A violent thunderstorm has made the Min rivers
waters brown. The sheltered yard in the hostel was declining and all the
water gathered in our end. If there had been more the water would have
ran into the rooms.
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| The outline of the road... | ...wasn't shear fun |
The thunderstorm hasn`t improved the road. From time to time the bus
sails across the mud, but we get through. The valley widens and narrows
like after a scheme, we`re at 2800 m, from time to time there are fields.
We arrive at a town I, from the map, take to be Anhang. We`ve done one
fifth of the road and it`s 8.45 am. So we`ll make it in 5 hours?
We make a stop and get some bags on board. Right through the drivers
window.
From time to time we encounter men with red and green flags. Just now
we`re waiting for a big cortege to pass.
A turned over truck in a village tells its tale. We have two high loaded
ones ahead of us. That close to the river they don`t seem to like moving
a lot. We can`t see what`s happening until the front truck appears in
the line of sight just as it slides against the river - but it manages -
and slides back.
We do move forward, for a distance where the new road is being
constructed on the other side of the river, the old road is intact - but
for too short unfortunately.
The road is blocked by a pile of rocks, but a machine is loading them to
a truck - that`s what we`re waiting for.
We`ve just come up to a bigger bus, it`s obvious that it`s difficulties
with this road.
Two westeners on bicycles are on their way up north. We meet them in
some part with hard surface. The dirt and the hardship is painted in
their faces.
At 11.30 am. There`s a stop for toilet. The bus with the german is there
with a breakdown, I don`t know what`s the matter. He says, they expect
to arrive at Chengdu at 9 pm. We`re leaving soon - the driver is one
hour late.
The number of oncoming cars dies. There shouldn`t be any. Those we`ve
met must be those that didn`t make it all the way yesterday.
The Min river, whose from time to time very swirling waters we`ve
followed all day is stopped by a dam somewhere ahead.
Here they drill tunnels and construct bridges for the new road.
The last 36 km (or is it 56) seems to be on the old road. What I didn`t
know was, that it inclines, up across a smaller mountain. The new road
has to be drilled through, I think. We`ve been up to 23-2400 m, now
switchbacks lead us back down to the river. We have to cross to the
other side for the last 22 km - that much I know.
I think I was lucky never to get this far last time on bike. All this
cannot be seen from the map. But I think I`ve read about it. It appeared
as much closer to Songpan.
Then there is one ore break - the bus needs a wash. Maybe the road then
will be ok for the rest of the distance?
At 1 pm. We leave, it was just a quarter of an hour.
We`re declining, they`re constructing the new road down deep under by
the river. But when we come down there, nothing`s finished, but the bus
is clean - as long as long as it takes.
The road is moving from one side of the river to the other, that cannot
be seen in the map either.
We`ve stopped. Some machine is going to clear our way.
In the end we arrive at the "right" bridge to the other side, 28 km to
go, 22 according to the map. And then we stop again. It`s 2 o`clock pm.
We move on quite fast but at 3 pm. the traffic comes to an end. It only
takes 10 min`s then we`re rolling again - for some 100 meters? No it`s
serious.
After a couple of more stops we pass Maoxian International Hotel which
lies some km north of town, and at 4.05 p.m. We stop at the bus station
in Maoxian. I know exactly where I`m going: WestQiang Homeland Hotel.
It`ll cost me 160 RMB a night, but it`s worth it. The girl in the
reception recognizes me, I don`t have to show my passport. I try to ask
for a cheaper room, but I don`t understand the answer. The room is
heaven compared to last night.