4th June - Bike and Motorbike collide....

Up early and spent about 1 hour trying to find the noise coming from my bike. I had been so happy in Kathmandu when the team at Everest Bikes had tuned it so well. It was running perfectly for 1 day until I had the accident and so many things broke.

Yesterday I had a lovely ride but it is very frustrating not being able to find the noise. My cleats are not quiet right either and are giving me some knee pain. On one shoe the tread has gone on the cleats though and so I can not turn the cleat to change it. I love biking but this is rather frustrating.


I left at midday and carried on the journey. The first 30km were really slow going as they are rebuilding the road and major sections where just dirt. It took my average speed down to about 10km per hour and was not particularly comfortable. However, the countryside was really lovely. There were villages/small towns every 10km or so and then the rest of the time the road passed through forests and hills. There are now 2 different types of houses. One type which are square and made of red bricks and look recently built and others which are yellow what looks like thatch. I think the yellow houses are the older properties made of mud etc.


Just as the road started to get better I biked into a village and continued along the main road. A smaller road meets the main road in the middle of the village. A man on a motorbike suddenly came round the courner on my side of the road and hit me at speed. He had completely cut the corner and was looking the other way. I was far over on the right (as I should have been).

We both fell to the ground but he just got up and biked off. Other locals came to help me. I was OK for the first 10 minutes and just got up and rubbed myself down and got out of the way of the main road. I hit the road hard but I was not too physically hurt - just a few bruises and scratches. However, my bike frame was seriously bent.


The locals took me to a workshop but they indicted that there was nothing that they could do. No one spoke any English and it was the first time that I found this really hard. One of the lads asked for my number so he could text me and I could use my translator to translate from his Chinese to English on my phone (how did anyone ever travel without a smart phone?). From what I could gather he was saying that it was both of our faults and therefore the Chinese man should not pay. I do not understand at all how this could have been my fault as I was about 1 foot away from the edge on the right side of the road and he just ran directly into me.

Logically I should have been absolutely fine as I was not seriously hurt and I thought that my bike was probably ridable into the next town (and even if it was not - things can always be fixed or replaced if needed) but I found myself fighting off tears around the villagers. Got on my bike and left the village and stopped and cried for about 5 minutes when alone. It was just the shock I think. Not like me at all. I felt alone and posted to FB pictures of my broken bike. I really gained comfort knowing that my friends and family are there even though they are on the other side of the world. It was lovely to get responses.

I carried on biking and it was actually a really beautiful ride but I was still all shaken and I could not stop crying every now and again - although nothing was actually wrong. It was just shock! Eventually I put on some really good music and got my head sorted and started to enjoy the ride again. The road was rubbish in places and I really had to push to get to the next big town in 60km after the accident before it got dark. Much of the route was through hills and forests.


I stopped off at 5ish as I had not eaten lunch and I was running low on energy. I felt so much better having sat down for a while and eaten some noodles and had some iced tea. The people were really friendly in the town and it helped to get my thoughts completely straight again and put everything in balance.

I have found the Chinese people so far really friendly and welcoming. It is strange being in a country were pretty much no one in the countryside speaks English though. It is fine at the moment but I wonder whether I will actually get lonely after a few weeks of being on my own in this country? It is good to know that I am meeting my Dad in Beijing in July and then Lu in the middle of July to tour Mongolia. I might also meet up with another girl, Jenna, who is cycling in China right now.


The last couple of hours riding were really lovely and it was a beautiful sunset over the mountains and it really helped my frame of mind.


I arrived at the town of Huaiji at 8 by which time it was dark but I knew that it was a big place with loads of hotels and so I was not so worried. I tried to find a cheap hotel but I have not yet managed to work out how to find the flea pits in China. It was very easy in India! I bargained for my room and got it for £6.50. It is actually a really nice room. Amazing price for English standards but I need to find cheaper ones if I am to stick to my budget through China. Only spent £1.50 on food and drinks (including water) today though.

By the time I got showered and my clothes washed etc I was pretty shattered and fell asleep watching Withnail and I on my laptop.