I had a bit of a lie in until 8.30 as I have not been getting much sleep recently. Rantu suggested that we have breakfast at a local restaurant and then go swimming. Cool.
We biked round the corner to get breakfast. It was great as it was a totally new experience. They have wooden towers to which contain trays through which steam passes. They make a paste out of rice power and water then pour this on to a metal dish and often add some meat on top or other things. This is then put in the steam tower and a few minutes later out it comes having hardened up. They use a piece of wood to then gather it all together and out comes fresh rice noodles. They put on soy sauce and seeds and there's breakfast - for 3CYN (about 30p)! Awesome..... I think I will be having lots of this for breakfast.
On the bike ride to the swimming pool we were chatting away and I said "watch out" to Rantu. He did not get the problem and rode his bike over about 1m of broken glass. He then asked what the buzzing noise was coming from his bike...... His tyre was completely flat after about 30 seconds. After much laughter we walked the bikes to the pool.
The swimming pool was about 1 mile or so from Rantu's flat and up in the foot hills of the surrounding mountains. As it was so hazy I could hardly see that the mountains were even there. It is very hot and humid right now in China and we were sweating by the time we arrived at the pool. The huge swimming pool was fantastic as there were hardly any people and it is fed by cold mountain water. Apparently the other pools in the area are much hotter. The flow of water into the pool was considerably colder than the rest of the water.
Rantu is a fun, playful character and we messed around having races. Afterward I did a proper swim as well. I am still contemplating doing Ironman when I get back to the UK and if I am to do this then I need to start some serious swimming and running distances.
You can rent tandems to ride around the lake.
We got back from swimming about midday and Rantu cooked us a lovely meal of fresh veg and rice noodles. Very clean and healthy.
We both needed some things from the bike shop and so we popped there in the afternoon. I bought a new bell as my one from India had broken and also some more inner tube patches. I offered to fix the puncture on Rantu's bike but as the bike shop only charge 30p to do it I really could not be bothered to do it myself. I think if I am close to town and I have a puncture, I will just get someone to do it for me for that amount.
I enjoyed taking in the local area on the way to the shops. I found it interesting to see how many people gamble in China. It is very usual to see people playing cards in little cafes. These people were all playing cards behind the grocery market.
We bought some fresh fruit and veg from the market and then also went to the supermarket. There were loads of things on the shelves that I have never seen before and so I bought a selection of stuff to try. Dried sweet potato is a must have! Why do they not sell it in the UK?
Rantu has been warning me all the time about the amount of bike, money and mobile phone theft that there is in China at the moment. He says bikes in particular get stolen everywhere and I need to be really careful.
Rantu left me alone in the afternoon for an hour or so while he went off to work and then he cooked dinner on his return.
After diner I went with Rantu back to the Yoga center where he manages classes. He suggested that I might want to do a belly dancing class! I had enough of a problem with coordination for yoga let alone belly dancing and said thanks but "NO"! The lady who took the yoga classes was actually a student in the belly dancing class and was trying to persuade me to join in....
After he had done his work we took a taxi (65p) into down town. I was really glad that we did this as I was totally shocked by the area. It could easily have been in HK! The area has only been developed in the last 5 years. China is absolutely booming right now. There is a huge cinema, KFC, McDonalds, clothes shops, jewelry shops..... Very western!
We went for a wander round the largest supermarket in the city to buy some food and also to see if I could get some ground coffee beans. It was one of the largest supermarkets I have ever seen. The prices were slightly less than the UK - but not by much! It was incredibly busy. There was so much choice including ducks heads and chicken feet! It looked like you could buy absolutely any food stuff you wanted in there...... however NO FRESH COFFEE! Only instant..... How? The place was huge! I was so surprised to find this sort of place in China.
I never thought I would be happy to say this but I was saved by Wall Mart! After the Chinese supermarket we went to Wall Mart to see if they had fresh coffee. It was the biggest Wall Mart I have ever seen (even in comparison to those holes in the ground in the US). They did sell one make of fresh coffee! I bought 2 bags to last me :-)
On our wonder round down town we went past the stadium where hundreds of people where all doing dance classes together. These are free of charge for anyone to join in and so hundreds do - every evening.
When we got back Rantu helped me plan my route through China and gave me many tips for cycling, how much to pay for a room and how to avoid getting ripped off. It has been so lovely of Rantu to show me his city and help me learn about the country. He is very much fun. He loves to tell jokes and funny stories. I think that I let him down in reciprocating.... I never remember jokes.
We biked round the corner to get breakfast. It was great as it was a totally new experience. They have wooden towers to which contain trays through which steam passes. They make a paste out of rice power and water then pour this on to a metal dish and often add some meat on top or other things. This is then put in the steam tower and a few minutes later out it comes having hardened up. They use a piece of wood to then gather it all together and out comes fresh rice noodles. They put on soy sauce and seeds and there's breakfast - for 3CYN (about 30p)! Awesome..... I think I will be having lots of this for breakfast.
On the bike ride to the swimming pool we were chatting away and I said "watch out" to Rantu. He did not get the problem and rode his bike over about 1m of broken glass. He then asked what the buzzing noise was coming from his bike...... His tyre was completely flat after about 30 seconds. After much laughter we walked the bikes to the pool. 
The swimming pool was about 1 mile or so from Rantu's flat and up in the foot hills of the surrounding mountains. As it was so hazy I could hardly see that the mountains were even there. It is very hot and humid right now in China and we were sweating by the time we arrived at the pool. The huge swimming pool was fantastic as there were hardly any people and it is fed by cold mountain water. Apparently the other pools in the area are much hotter. The flow of water into the pool was considerably colder than the rest of the water. Rantu is a fun, playful character and we messed around having races. Afterward I did a proper swim as well. I am still contemplating doing Ironman when I get back to the UK and if I am to do this then I need to start some serious swimming and running distances.
You can rent tandems to ride around the lake. 
We got back from swimming about midday and Rantu cooked us a lovely meal of fresh veg and rice noodles. Very clean and healthy. 
We both needed some things from the bike shop and so we popped there in the afternoon. I bought a new bell as my one from India had broken and also some more inner tube patches. I offered to fix the puncture on Rantu's bike but as the bike shop only charge 30p to do it I really could not be bothered to do it myself. I think if I am close to town and I have a puncture, I will just get someone to do it for me for that amount. 
I enjoyed taking in the local area on the way to the shops. I found it interesting to see how many people gamble in China. It is very usual to see people playing cards in little cafes. These people were all playing cards behind the grocery market. 
We bought some fresh fruit and veg from the market and then also went to the supermarket. There were loads of things on the shelves that I have never seen before and so I bought a selection of stuff to try. Dried sweet potato is a must have! Why do they not sell it in the UK?Rantu has been warning me all the time about the amount of bike, money and mobile phone theft that there is in China at the moment. He says bikes in particular get stolen everywhere and I need to be really careful.
Rantu left me alone in the afternoon for an hour or so while he went off to work and then he cooked dinner on his return.
After diner I went with Rantu back to the Yoga center where he manages classes. He suggested that I might want to do a belly dancing class! I had enough of a problem with coordination for yoga let alone belly dancing and said thanks but "NO"! The lady who took the yoga classes was actually a student in the belly dancing class and was trying to persuade me to join in.... 
After he had done his work we took a taxi (65p) into down town. I was really glad that we did this as I was totally shocked by the area. It could easily have been in HK! The area has only been developed in the last 5 years. China is absolutely booming right now. There is a huge cinema, KFC, McDonalds, clothes shops, jewelry shops..... Very western! 
We went for a wander round the largest supermarket in the city to buy some food and also to see if I could get some ground coffee beans. It was one of the largest supermarkets I have ever seen. The prices were slightly less than the UK - but not by much! It was incredibly busy. There was so much choice including ducks heads and chicken feet! It looked like you could buy absolutely any food stuff you wanted in there...... however NO FRESH COFFEE! Only instant..... How? The place was huge! I was so surprised to find this sort of place in China. 
I never thought I would be happy to say this but I was saved by Wall Mart! After the Chinese supermarket we went to Wall Mart to see if they had fresh coffee. It was the biggest Wall Mart I have ever seen (even in comparison to those holes in the ground in the US). They did sell one make of fresh coffee! I bought 2 bags to last me :-) 
On our wonder round down town we went past the stadium where hundreds of people where all doing dance classes together. These are free of charge for anyone to join in and so hundreds do - every evening.When we got back Rantu helped me plan my route through China and gave me many tips for cycling, how much to pay for a room and how to avoid getting ripped off. It has been so lovely of Rantu to show me his city and help me learn about the country. He is very much fun. He loves to tell jokes and funny stories. I think that I let him down in reciprocating.... I never remember jokes.
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