3rd June - Zhaoqing to Yongfeng

I had stayed up using the internet until 2.30am and so I did not surface till 8.30. Had a chilled morning fixing Rantu's brakes for him on is bike, fixing a bell for my bike and organising photos and blog on the internet. I also managed to get VPN working on my phone so that I will have FB etc while on the move.

Rantu has been introducing me to different Chinese dishes and so last night I bought some Kellogg cereal and we had Coco balls and milk for breakfast followed by a small bowl of porridge cooked with milk and served with brown sugar and bananas. We also had some coffee :-)


After faffing for most of the morning Rantu took me in to town so that I could buy some cable ties. These are the best thing I could thing of to use as a temporary fix for my front pannier rack. After the accident in Nepal the metal bent and it means that the bolt is not holding it properly to the frame and the whole thing is wobbling about. Cable ties work well to fix it in the short term.

I took some photos of the lovely lake and then set off.

I had listened to Rantu about theft and I decided that it would be sensible to keep a spare credit card between my cycling short and knickers. Unfortunately, I then forgot that I had done this and ended up having to fish my card out of a swat toilet with my arm all the way in to the elbow..... Not one of the nicest things I have ever done....


The first stretch of the ride was on the motorway that I had taken from Guoungzhou but it was much quieter than the stretch closer to Zhaoqing. There are mountains surrounding the road and it was quiet pleasant with views of the river all the way. There is a large project to build a bridge across the river.


After about 30km I turned off on a country road "short cut". I could tell from the shape of the road that it would be hilly and probably take longer to complete than going the longer distance on the faster roads but I fancied seeing rural China.


It was a lovely ride through the villages. There were loads of children on bikes that passed me and then turned round to follow me and say "Hello, Hello". The road was also very lovely. It did take me a while though as it was extremely hilly. I only managed about 80km this afternoon.


Just after 6 I arrived in a town and saw a nice clean looking hotel. As I am not sure yet what I can get for my money I asked to see a room. For £7.50 I could get an awesome room. I was not sure how easily I would be able to find another hotel in this small town (or surrounding towns) and so I decided to stay. In the future I know that I can bike until 7.30pm before it is too dark.

I went across the road for something to eat. The people in the restaurant were really lovely. It works well using my English to Chinese translator on my phone to communicate. They took me and showed me all of the ingredients and I pointed at what I wanted. I ended up with a complete feast! It cost £3 and left me with plenty for breakfast.


It was a very hot day today with out very much cloud cover. It does not take long before my cycling tan lines return. Each time I am off my bike I try to wear clothes that mean that other parts of my body get some sunlight and it balances off a little bit. As soon as I get back on my bike for a couple of days they become ridiculous again..... ;-)

A good first day exploring the Chinese countryside.

2nd June - Zhaoqing

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.

1st June - Sanshui to Zhaoqing

Arrggggg! How did it get to June? I have only just left the UK!

35p pot noodles for breakfast. How classy and healthy....

I spent the morning using the internet in the room planning CS, emailing and also catching up on this blog and photos.


On the road for midday. The road to Zhaoqing was basically a motorway all the way. I did not know what to expect beforehand. Even though the biking was rubbish the road was good quality and I am still all excited by a new country even if what I am seeing is not the most beautiful part of the country.


Again I was very surprised by the wealth of the area. I did see a few older buildings today though.


I love these umbrellas that the Chinese attach to both motor bikes and bicycles to keep off the sun and the rain. Awesome.


It was very humid today and the sun was pretty bright. Everything is very hazy. I did not even notice the mountains in the distance until they became really close. I saw for the first time the type of mountain that China is famous for: pointy with trees.....

I am enjoying listening to Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything on my ipod at the moment while taking in this new country.

I met Rantu at the main train station in Zhaoqing around 4.30 without too much trouble finding it. He is a really lovely man that I met through Couch Surfing. He came to pick me up on his bicycle and we rode back to his lovely flat which over looks the lake. I was very impressed by the cycle lane all which runs all the way around the lakes edge. The infrastructure again is totally different from what I expected. Everywhere there are new houses and shopping centers. It is all very clean.


I had not eaten lunch and Rantu suggested that I have something light to eat as he would take me to a yoga class in the early evening and then back for a big meal later. He had prepared boiled mung beans cooked in sugar for me. Apparently it is a thing that is often eaten chilled in warm weather. It was very tasty and refreshing and exciting because I have never tried it before. :-)

We cycled to the yoga class (which Rantu organises) and I gave it a go..... I am so rubbish though. I am strong not flexible! It is just like stretching for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I was of course the only westerner there and everyone was looking at me. I was rather embarrassed as I am rubbish at yoga.

We took the long way back to Rantu's flat so that I could see more of the area. His English is fantastic. He used to work as a translator and he was very happy to explain many many attributes of current Chinese culture and give me many tips for cycling through the country.


After the yoga class, we biked back to Rantu's flat and talked cooked us noodles with eggs and veg (he seems to be the only vegetarian in China). I loved his cooker which is designed to have a wok in the middle rather than on top of the stove.

Wan Yun (the yoga teacher) and Xiao Yu (her daughter) came round after dinner to say hello, drink tea and eat water melon. We had a lovely evening of many giggles.

It has been a fantastic way to met people in this new country and get a feel for the place before heading on. I changed my mind and decided to stay for one more day and see more of this area with Rantu. They were all very friendly and Rantu is playful and loves to tell jokes.


After the others had left Rantu took me for a walk along the side of the lake. It is very pretty.