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Letter 49
I’m sitting here in my new "hotel"-room for 30 RMB of which I only
was allowed to pay 10. The police has just been here, a very young
officer with a cap, all must be done according to regulations! But let
me take it from the beginning.
I woke up early. This bed like a stone doesn’t really invite you to stay
for long. And if I hadn’t already been awake I would have woken up
quickly. Two chinese men in my floor had to leave early and as a chinese
you haven’t learned consideration. On the contrary.
To have a chance in this country with 1.3 billion people you have to
fight your way - and they do.
For a moment I thought it was raining, but that was just the water from
the shower upstairs that sounded in the pipe. For another moment I think
I’ll really be starting early, but only until I roll the bike outside,
it has been stoved away for night. Outside I realize what’s the matter.
The front tyre has a flat. When it HAS to be it’s maybe not the worst
moment this could happen.
A girl appear and ask for my email address? I’m a little confused. I
think she looked different yesterday, but it IS apparently the daughter.
Oh, is it a flat. She’d better help then. And we start walking together
with the front wheel for some possible bicycle repair shop. I can do it
by myself and I HAVE thanks to Max the tools but if I can pay someone to
do it, it’ll be alright with me.
No, it’s unfortunately too early. So we walk back and I start working
myself. The tools for the tyre works. The new pump is falling apart, but
it works too. The hole is found. The patch glued with rubbercement.
There’s nothing to feel inside the tyre. But when I’ve put the tube back
in position I just check from the outside and then I see. A piece of
glass sits burried in the tyre. I get it removed and soon after all is
ready.
I did ask her how she’d experienced the earthquake. She was on her way
back to school so she was outside. The houses were swaying but none fell
apart. She didn’t know it was that violent until later. A story like
mine. If you don’t have experienced it before it’s hard to say.
After all I leave at 8.30, not bad.
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| Reconstruction in Mianzhu | Deserted roads make me suspicious |
The beginning is good I’m on the S105 so it just to get moving. It’s not until
Mianzhu things go wrong. I end up at a big crossing where the road seems to
continue. The road is wider than ever, it can’t be wrong.
I’ve done around 4-5 km when a sign turns up. Wise from earlier mistakes I
check. Where the hell is the town with those two characters? Then I find it in
the end of what I thought was a railway. I’ve made a mistake. Back again. I’m at
least doing a fair speed, almost 30 km/h I think. So I should have taken the
road the the right. I ask for Beichuan? It seems right. There’s not much traffic
so I check with someone on a motorcycle. They want me to go down a small road to
the left, it’s obviously a shortcut? But I don’t want to do shortcuts. I stop
someone in a car, showing him the map. I have to go on. This is not 105 but
ahead at a "lu kou", a crossing, I have to go left.
In the end the crossing appears, there’s even a sign telling it’s 105. Back on
the track. I wonder where things went wrong?
Now I just need to get to An’xian and from there, it should be 31 km to Beichuan
according to the map. I hope to reach An’xian around 3 p.m..
I arrive at another crossing, where it, surprisingly according to the compas,
says 24 km to An’xian to the right. A big road without much traffic. The
surroundings start waving up and down. The hills are 1-2 km.
Today it’s more my behind that gives me trouble. I stop to eat several times.
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| They build a town | A WHOLE town - for 50.000 people |
Then the road suddenly comes to an end 3-4 km before An’xian was
supposed to appear, but a street goes on to the left. I asked some truck
drivers at the roadside earlier. They showed I should be going left at
some moment. Not long after comes another crossing. No signs saying
Beichuan, but I ask, yes, it’s alright. An’xian is situated to my right
and soon after comes the sign that surprisingly tells: Beichuan 9 km.
They’re done too but no sign with Beichuan, but I can easily see they’re
constructing a town on the other side of the river. It’s got to be the
new Beichuan that was 9 km away. A town. A whole town is under
construction. Blocks in numbers. 20-40-50? Cranes all over. A town for
50.000 people? I drive around this "ghost-city". Some blocks seem to be
finished, but noone’s living there. A girl is sitting on a bench in
front of the empty blocks. Somebody comes walking with their shopping
which is fruits. It seems likely to be some workers who has the day off,
it’s after all sunday.
But what will I find further in front? Can I stay for the night? I find
comfort in the thought that I can always go back to An’xian if
nessescary - and I go on.
I come to another town and stop where there maybe is a busstation? I
have to have some informations, where the hell do I find someone who
speaks english? I try some boys but they’re too shy it seems. I see a
group of younger women. "Does anyone speak a bit of english?" One of
them, a small curvy one does. A bit. But enough. There is still some
distance to Old Beichuan, but there are busses around each hour.
Accomodation here? Yes, just there, it costs 200 RMB. I’m surprised. It
doesn’t look that expensive. Oh, she meant 20 RMB, that’s quite
different. But all is occupied. She takes me down a side street and into
a courtyard.
He seems not too happy about it, but she persuades him, but this is
where we have to send for the police, maybe more because he brings a
form where everything is written in BOTH chinese and english.
When I have to pay and ask for the prize, she asks if I’ve got ten? Yes,
but how much? Thirty. But when I bring my thirty, she just grabs one ten
note and add the rest herself. After some attempts I give up, she WANTS
to pay (but wasn’t prepared it would be 30).
She tells me the name of the city is Anchang, but that’s in some way
also the new Beichuan. People from Beichuan lives here.
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| But there are not many inhabitants until now | Provisional houses in An'xian |
Anchang and An’xian should according to my map be two names for the same
town, but I passed An’xian 12-13 km earlier? So it can’t be like that.
When I later go on my bike to find a supermarket I can’t help to
continue north out of town. There I find a part of Beichuans inhabitants.
A huge area at the river covered with temporary houses. For once none of
them have been removed.
Further ahead a bridge crosses the river and another road goes on on the
same side. It looks like one’s not allowed to go there, but everybody
does.
A little down my street there’s a cinema or maybe more a theater. After
a short glance at the girls outside, I don’t want to know what’s going
on there. It’s not for children it seems.
There’s loud noisy music that can be heard into my room. I wonder for
how long? It’s 10.40 p.m. now.
Now at 11 p.m. when I’m ready to turn off the light the show is over and
the rain has started. Hmm.