I decided to have a treat for breakfast today! A burger. There is a place opposite the hotel where I am staying and I thought it would make and interesting change from Chinese food. I went there about 10.30 and found that although they were open they were not really ready to served (even though there were loads of other people there) so I had to wait for about 30 mins to get my "fast" food. The girls serving were fascinated by me though. They were so cute and giggly. For the first 10 mins while I sat there they kept on pushing each other towards me, daring each other to come and say hello. Eventually they did and asked to take my photo etc.
I was told by one girl "I love you" twice. Bless. I don't think she meant it in THAT way.... Nice to be told though :-)
It was reasonably cloudy when I set off. I took the route north to go and see the wooden Chengyang Wind-and-Rain Bridge. There are 100 such bridges in the country but this one is celebrated as the finest. 78 meters long and 20 meters high. According to my guide book it was completed by the Dong people in 1916 with such precision that it did not require a single nail. I thought that is was very lovely but nothing major. The village of Chengyang was also very pretty.
After the bridge I passed through loads of little villages all made of wood and very quaint. I found it strange that there are so many of these villages in the area that I am passing through at the moment but I did not see a single old building for about 10 days of entering China. Around the Guangzhou area everything is new. I stopped to have noodles for lunch in one of these little villages. I sat with the people playing cards and they smiled and laughed back.
The road to the bridge was good but as I headed further north it turned into a dirt road track. It was absolutely beautiful but really hilly and hard work! There are rice fields on any small patch of flat land and a village every 10km or so. The villages are exactly the same as they would have been 200 years ago. Very little has changed in terms of their way off life. They work in the fields in the mornings and early afternoons and then all sit round playing cards and looking after the children. Grandparents obviously play a big role in helping to bring up the children as I often see old people carrying round young children on their backs.
This was one of the best days cycling that I have had in China because it was so remote and untouched. It is very unlikely that many other tourists have passed through this amazing area. It was a shame that the weather was not a bit better as the photos are rubbish. It was too muggy.
At about 5.30 I hailed down a little gray van. These small vans act as the local bus service as big buses would not manage to get down these roads. I knew that if I carried on at the speed I was managing I would not get to anywhere with accommodation until about 9pm. The guys were helpful and I took my wheels off my bike and put it in the back and off we went. The van was slower than I would normally bike on a tarmacked road! They dropped me off at a large village/small town at about 7 and I checked into the only place in town. It was ok in comparison to India but the worst place I have stayed in China.
I had dinner at a restaurant just round the corner. The lady opened up her fridge full of different types of meat and I just pointed to what I wanted. She bought me a feast. I was quite hungry by this point and so it was good!
It was such hard going! Mud and gravel and hills with no tarmac. I was cycling for 7.5 hours and I only managed to get 63km and that was with 10km on a bus... I bought myself a bottle of Chinese Red wine for £2 as a treat and sat in my room and drank the whole thing!
I am unsure about whether to just bike straight North to Xian or whether to get on a train for about 24 hours and go across the country to meet another girl that is also cycling solo through China. I am intrigued what another one is like! Ummmm?
I was told by one girl "I love you" twice. Bless. I don't think she meant it in THAT way.... Nice to be told though :-)
It was reasonably cloudy when I set off. I took the route north to go and see the wooden Chengyang Wind-and-Rain Bridge. There are 100 such bridges in the country but this one is celebrated as the finest. 78 meters long and 20 meters high. According to my guide book it was completed by the Dong people in 1916 with such precision that it did not require a single nail. I thought that is was very lovely but nothing major. The village of Chengyang was also very pretty. 
After the bridge I passed through loads of little villages all made of wood and very quaint. I found it strange that there are so many of these villages in the area that I am passing through at the moment but I did not see a single old building for about 10 days of entering China. Around the Guangzhou area everything is new. I stopped to have noodles for lunch in one of these little villages. I sat with the people playing cards and they smiled and laughed back.The road to the bridge was good but as I headed further north it turned into a dirt road track. It was absolutely beautiful but really hilly and hard work! There are rice fields on any small patch of flat land and a village every 10km or so. The villages are exactly the same as they would have been 200 years ago. Very little has changed in terms of their way off life. They work in the fields in the mornings and early afternoons and then all sit round playing cards and looking after the children. Grandparents obviously play a big role in helping to bring up the children as I often see old people carrying round young children on their backs.
This was one of the best days cycling that I have had in China because it was so remote and untouched. It is very unlikely that many other tourists have passed through this amazing area. It was a shame that the weather was not a bit better as the photos are rubbish. It was too muggy.
At about 5.30 I hailed down a little gray van. These small vans act as the local bus service as big buses would not manage to get down these roads. I knew that if I carried on at the speed I was managing I would not get to anywhere with accommodation until about 9pm. The guys were helpful and I took my wheels off my bike and put it in the back and off we went. The van was slower than I would normally bike on a tarmacked road! They dropped me off at a large village/small town at about 7 and I checked into the only place in town. It was ok in comparison to India but the worst place I have stayed in China.I had dinner at a restaurant just round the corner. The lady opened up her fridge full of different types of meat and I just pointed to what I wanted. She bought me a feast. I was quite hungry by this point and so it was good!
It was such hard going! Mud and gravel and hills with no tarmac. I was cycling for 7.5 hours and I only managed to get 63km and that was with 10km on a bus... I bought myself a bottle of Chinese Red wine for £2 as a treat and sat in my room and drank the whole thing! I am unsure about whether to just bike straight North to Xian or whether to get on a train for about 24 hours and go across the country to meet another girl that is also cycling solo through China. I am intrigued what another one is like! Ummmm?
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