Tramatic Event of the Day: I had to throw out my flip flops (more below)!
Up early to quickly see the sites of Guilin and then get on the road north... However, that did not quite happen. It was raining really heavily and once I sat and had a leisurely cooked breakfast and coffee and got on the internet in time just disappeared.
In the afternoon I took myself off on my bike to go to the good bike shop that had been recommended at the hostel. Apparently it is the only bike shop in town that sells good bikes. It is a Giant supplier.
I have been putting off replacing my flip flops for about 2 months now. I have worn them constantly when not hiking or biking and I have become rather attached to them. The have molded to my feet and are just like an extension of me. The right one has a chunk missing where a parrot in Australia ate it (I was too busy laughing and taking photos of the event to actually stop him). They are the most comfortable shoes ever! The only problem is that the grip on the bottom as worn off and when it rains it is literally like I am ice skating. I knew that it was silly to keep wearing them as I was going to break my neck at some point but I could not bring myself to part with them.....
That is until today when I was trying to carry my bike down some steps into a subway (on the way to the bike shop) and it was so slippy that I actually had to take my flip flops off and walk bear foot. It was very silly as there could have been broken glass or anything on the pavement. I went to the first shop I found (actually one in the subway) and bought some new ones for £3. I put my new ones on straight away but it still took me 24 hours to actually put the old flip flops in the bin and walk away from them :-(
It was good timing though as it meant that I was delayed longer in the subway than I would have been and I bumped into Jean Marc and Marrie - small world as it is a big town! We caught up walked together to the bike shop as they were also looking for one.
I was glad to have them there at the bike shop because the guys in the shop tried to convince me that because my bottom bracket rings where loose I needed to replace the whole group set and pay them £100 for the privilege. It is the fact that the bottom bracket is loose that I had a mysterious clicking sound and sent several hours trying to get to the bottom of it a few days ago. I had worked out that this was the cause but I thought that it just needed tightening. It turned out that it does need replacing but only that one small component. Having them there helped as they gave me a second opinion on the problem and agreed with me that I did not need to replace the whole set.
I went to the shops to get some porridge oats, noodles, cans of fish and a few snacky things for the road. I don't want to eat sweets and bad things at the moment and so I am trying to make sure I have other alternatives for when my blood sugar goes when on my bike. I also managed to find some superglue as I have several things which are broken.
I took myself off on my bike for a tour of the sites of Guilin city. I followed my guide book (not the lonely planet as I am hard core and a cheapskate and did not want to pay the extra £10 - mine has pretty pictures too) and just pottered round to see the different areas. All of the things had a entrance fee and did not look particularly exciting from the outside - just touristy. I asked a few westerners on their way out of different things if was worth it and they said "don't bother" - so I didn't. It was a good little wonder around the city anyway. It is nicely laid out with loads of parks and relaxing places.
I had arranged to meet Jean Marc and Marrie at a bridge at 6.30 but they were delayed at the bike shop and so we missed each other. I went back to the hostel and spent a chilled evening eating orange duck and endless rice, making use of the fast internet connection at the hotel to upload photos and chatting with the extremely friendly hostel staff.
I was really impressed with this hostel. The reception area always has some music playing and you can sit and chat with other people in a relaxed environment. They provide free drinking water and serve very tasty food at reasonable prices. The laundry service is good too.
I was faffing with photos and things and did not get to bed until well past 1am.
Up early to quickly see the sites of Guilin and then get on the road north... However, that did not quite happen. It was raining really heavily and once I sat and had a leisurely cooked breakfast and coffee and got on the internet in time just disappeared.In the afternoon I took myself off on my bike to go to the good bike shop that had been recommended at the hostel. Apparently it is the only bike shop in town that sells good bikes. It is a Giant supplier.
I have been putting off replacing my flip flops for about 2 months now. I have worn them constantly when not hiking or biking and I have become rather attached to them. The have molded to my feet and are just like an extension of me. The right one has a chunk missing where a parrot in Australia ate it (I was too busy laughing and taking photos of the event to actually stop him). They are the most comfortable shoes ever! The only problem is that the grip on the bottom as worn off and when it rains it is literally like I am ice skating. I knew that it was silly to keep wearing them as I was going to break my neck at some point but I could not bring myself to part with them..... 
That is until today when I was trying to carry my bike down some steps into a subway (on the way to the bike shop) and it was so slippy that I actually had to take my flip flops off and walk bear foot. It was very silly as there could have been broken glass or anything on the pavement. I went to the first shop I found (actually one in the subway) and bought some new ones for £3. I put my new ones on straight away but it still took me 24 hours to actually put the old flip flops in the bin and walk away from them :-( 
It was good timing though as it meant that I was delayed longer in the subway than I would have been and I bumped into Jean Marc and Marrie - small world as it is a big town! We caught up walked together to the bike shop as they were also looking for one.I was glad to have them there at the bike shop because the guys in the shop tried to convince me that because my bottom bracket rings where loose I needed to replace the whole group set and pay them £100 for the privilege. It is the fact that the bottom bracket is loose that I had a mysterious clicking sound and sent several hours trying to get to the bottom of it a few days ago. I had worked out that this was the cause but I thought that it just needed tightening. It turned out that it does need replacing but only that one small component. Having them there helped as they gave me a second opinion on the problem and agreed with me that I did not need to replace the whole set.
I went to the shops to get some porridge oats, noodles, cans of fish and a few snacky things for the road. I don't want to eat sweets and bad things at the moment and so I am trying to make sure I have other alternatives for when my blood sugar goes when on my bike. I also managed to find some superglue as I have several things which are broken. 
I took myself off on my bike for a tour of the sites of Guilin city. I followed my guide book (not the lonely planet as I am hard core and a cheapskate and did not want to pay the extra £10 - mine has pretty pictures too) and just pottered round to see the different areas. All of the things had a entrance fee and did not look particularly exciting from the outside - just touristy. I asked a few westerners on their way out of different things if was worth it and they said "don't bother" - so I didn't. It was a good little wonder around the city anyway. It is nicely laid out with loads of parks and relaxing places. 
I had arranged to meet Jean Marc and Marrie at a bridge at 6.30 but they were delayed at the bike shop and so we missed each other. I went back to the hostel and spent a chilled evening eating orange duck and endless rice, making use of the fast internet connection at the hotel to upload photos and chatting with the extremely friendly hostel staff. 
I was really impressed with this hostel. The reception area always has some music playing and you can sit and chat with other people in a relaxed environment. They provide free drinking water and serve very tasty food at reasonable prices. The laundry service is good too.I was faffing with photos and things and did not get to bed until well past 1am.
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