7th June - Butouzhen to Tongan

I had stayed up late last night faffing on the internet and so did not get up until 8.30. Packed, coffee, porridge, checked out and on the road for 10.15. It was a cloudy day and much colder than it has been recently.

The scenery again was very lovely. The road passed around the mountains but was not very hilly. I regretting not pushing further on to the next town 15km up the road last night while there was still day light as there were actually loads of hotels there and it had not been a hilly ride. A local last night had indicated to me that there were no other hotels until much further on but maybe I had just misunderstood.



Google maps directions took me a fab route along mainly little country back roads. Very little traffic.



I stopped off for lunch at midday and was again given a feast for £2. I could not eat it all and so saved half for later in the day. People are very friendly but the language barrier can be a problem. 3 old men came up to me while I was eating and enjoyed checking out my bike and laughing with me.

It is quite easy to find little restaurants on the side of the road which will cook up rice, veg and meat. Each time I have just asked for rice and veg it has also come with a bit of meat as well mixed in. It would be very difficult to be a vegetarian here.


I had got used to Ricksaws in India and I kinda miss them. They try to have the same here but a box that fits on the back of a motorcycle is just not the same! These are only allowed in the less modern towns. They are quite cool really. The back wheel of a normal motor bike has been removed and this cage with a seat and 2 wheels attached to the back.....


As I get closer to Guilin area there are more of these limestone hills covered in trees. By the end of the day they were everywhere. Very Chinese and very beautiful. I am looking forward to taking the boat ride on the Li river to Guilin and taking in more of this scenery. It is on the list of top 10 things to do in China :-)


I had hoped that I might get further today but the torrential rain really slowed me down. It was dry until about 2 and then it rained heavily. At about 5 I stopped under some shelter to eat the second half of my lunch and to wait for the rain to ease off.


This lovely little old lady tried so hard to spark up a conversation with me in Chinese while I ate my dinner under cover from the rain. She was very sweet. Everyone keeps on coming up to me and pointing at how tall I am. I towered about 2 feet above this lady - much to her's and everyone else's amusement.


These 2 photos were taken just as the rains where clearing.


It really was a great day of bike touring today. China is really good for bike touring with regular, cheap and clean hotels along the way, cheap quick food, great scenery and friendly people. The only thing is as no one speaks English and I am currently cycling on my own it can be a rather solitary existence. I am making up for this by having loads of time to myself to catch up on my blog, organise my GPS tracks and music collection and during the day to listen to loads of documentary podcasts from the BBC and listen to audio books. I am very glad to have found a site to download classics on audio for free (and legally). I am currently listening to War and Peace. I have been wanting to read it for ages and so listening to it while biking along is a great way to multitask....

I stopped of at a hotel in Tongan about 7 having done 130km today (about the right distance). The hotel receptionists found it funny as I was absolutely soaked and covered in mud having been riding in the rain for the last 4 hours. The room was huge and cost £6. I did not bother with dinner as I had eaten the second half of lunch at 5.


This photo does not quiet illustrate quite how muddy I was when I got to the room. It took me 1 hour to get me and my bike and bags clean in the shower. I just got in with all of my clothes on and my bike. Kinky hey!


I have a problem with my gear tuning on my bike and all the dirt and water today did not help so I decided to try and fix it..... I gave up with fiddling about 10. I will try again tomorrow when more in the mood!

6th June - Huaiji to Butouzhen

Up about 8 and spent a while getting breakfast and packing up. I ended up faffing with my laptop for an hour or so trying to upload some things to this blog but my computer kept on hanging and so I gave up.

On the road for 11 (about 2 hours later than planned) and had another quick ride around town to make sure that my bike was OK before I headed off.


I had a small bowl of porridge for breakfast and I was quite hungry when I popped into a very cool looking place on the side of the road at 1ish. It is different to anywhere else I have seen so far when traveling in China. Very pretty. They have built huts on the lake for accommodation and have a huge hall for a restaurant. It was absolutely heaving with people so I thought it must be good.

I decided to order some food and just typed into my translator rice, chicken and vegetable. A feast turned up. It was very tasty and the thoroughly enjoyed it but I was not expecting to be charged £9! They did show me the prices on the menu and they were correct. Just a very expensive place and I was not expecting it. So far meals have been somewhere between £1 and £3. I thought it might be slightly more but not £9. Oh well. It was a lovely place and the enjoyed reading my China guide while having a relaxed lunch and lots of tea.


The ride in the afternoon was perfect cycle touring. The roads were great quality, with hardly any traffic and through really beautiful countryside. Most of the route was through mountains covered in deciduous trees. There is a new toll road which runs parallel to the road that I was cycling on. Most of the traffic went on this road instead leaving tractors, local motor bikes and me to the other road :-)


The route that I took was considerably more hilly though. The toll road went through tunnels under the mountains and also across bridges over the valleys. Personally I think it should be the other way.... cyclists are more likely to struggle with hill than fast cars etc. Therefore, only bikes and tractors should be allowed to travel on the toll road (for free of course) where as the others vehicles should have to go on the hilly road :-)


One very strange site was this hillock just by the side of the road. It is the type of hill that one associates with China. Covered in trees and just standing there with flat land around it. I am heading towards Guilin where apparently there will be loads of these types of hills :-)

I stopped off at a town about 6.15 to get some water etc still with about 25-30 km to go to get to where I was planning on getting today - a large town called Hozhou.


The locals tried to tell me that there was no other hotels between Botouzhen and Hozhou and that it was a 5 hour bike ride. I knew that this was rubbish as even with serious hills but I decided that rather than turning up past 8 when it would be dark I would just stop and spend some time catching up on old blog entries and get going early tomorrow morning.

It took a while to check into the only hotel in town as there was no one at reception. Yippee I have managed to find a flea pit to stay in! Much more in my comfort zone now. It just did not feel hard core enough staying in lovely rooms and having to pay for them. What a major difference between my room for £5 to night and the one for £6.50 last night. I do however plan on being back in the UK in Oct so that is about 100 more days. At a difference of £1.50 per day..... is it worth paying the extra?

The people at the hotel where very nice and several locals pointed to their hearts and then to the hotel and so it seemed quite safe. They even called in the English teacher from the local school to help with translation :-)


I went to a internet place only 2 minutes walk from my hotel and tried for 1 hour to get on their network so that I would have a fast internet connection to upload some photos. We did not manage to work out what the problem was and so I gave up and headed back to my room. It was interesting to see the internet place though. It was absolutely heaving with young lads watching movies and playing games. They were not just on the internet, they were using the machines as you would do a personal computer. Obviously they do not have their own machines at home.

5th June - Bike Fixing

Up at 8ish and had a leisurely breakfast in my room. It is really lovely having cooking gas again (I bought some in Hong Kong). It means that I can easily make myself a fresh coffee and some porridge in the morning without having to go and find breakfast elsewhere.

I took my bike and took a wonder along the river into town. I passed a few places that I thought might be able to weld the bike but they did not feel quite right. Eventually I found a motorbike repair place with a smiling chap inside. I popped in and tried to explain what I needed to be done. The guy seemed very keen to help but I was worried that he might misunderstand me and so I phoned Rantu (from Couch Surfing whom I stayed with a couple of nights ago) and asked for his help translating. It was really helpful having Rantu as an emergency back up for this task. Rantu said that the guy was not trying to rip me off and that I should trust him and if I wanted I could go with him to his friends workshop. It turns out that it is a festival for the next 3 days in China and most businesses are closed. The guy in the shop had to ask his friend to help out as a favour.

Couch Surfing and getting contacts in a particular country can work really well. They are generally happy to help out in emergencies and also give advice on what to expect and whom to trust. Rantu also gave me invaluable advice that you do not pay the price advertised at hotel receptions! You can bargain down. A room with AC should be about £8 and I should be able to get one in small towns without AC for about £5.


While I sat an waited for the guy (unfortunately I have no idea how to write his name in English) to arrange things with his friend and then wait for his son to come and mind the shop, I was given enough tea to drown myself and also some sticky rice and beans wrapped in leaves to eat. It is a local dish.

The man was incredibly welcoming. He showed me to his computer so I could use the internet while I waited.


The guy used this fantastic writing tool to put Chinese symbols into google translate so that we could communicate. He writes on the pad and the symbol appears on the screen as a huge symbol which the computer then converts into a digital version.


I followed the guy round to his friends house where there were about 5 men all sitting smoking and drinking tea in lovely little cups. They were really welcoming and offered me lots of tea.


And then they set to work........


First they un-did all the brake and gear cables..... (oh no I thought)



Secondly they used a HAMMER to bang my bike....... (ARRGGG)



Then they melted out the bent bits.........



Then they covered the frame with a steel sleeve and welded it in place........


The whole experience was very nerve racking as I was not sure whether they would be able to do a good job......


Once I was sure that they were doing something sensible I left them to finish the welding and I took a walk into town to buy some treats for the guys doing the work and also to get a new phone cable (mine has disappeared) and a new Sim card for China with a better data allowance package. It turns out that the package that I had purchased for the first Sim card that I bought when I had crossed the boarder only clicks in at the end of this month rather than straight away. A different sim card has different packages which allow immediate package activation. Cool. I now have 5G to use on my phone for the next month. It means that I can use my phones' internet connection on my laptop and keep up to date with my blog without having to find internet cafes. However, the connection is pretty slow!

It worked really well to phone China Mobile and talk to an English speaking advisor who then instructed the guys in the shop to do what I needed. China Mobile is the only mobile company I have ever come across that answers the call immediately and are actually really helpful! I have called them about 5 times now and each time it has been excellent service :-)


The town is actually quite large with shinny shops and a KFC! It was interesting to have an explore.


When I got back with biscuits, cake and tea for the guys I was really happy to see my bike all finished. They helped me to tune my gears again and also fixed my pannier rack properly so that I no longer need cable ties.

It worked out so well. I was very happy. The guys were really very nice and would not except a single penny for the work that they did on the bike. I had a lovely afternoon with them and I enjoyed the insight into the Chinese culture. I have never drunk so much tea in my life! It is amazing how much you can communicate without language.


This little child ate about half of the biscuits and cake!


After another explore of the town and a quick very late lunch at 4pm, I went back to the hotel. I had a very decedent couple of hours while there was a thunderstorm going on outside. Rather than catching up on my blog I watched a film on my laptop. I must remember every now and again that I don't need to either be blogging, cycling, meeting people or exploring all of the time! I am supposed be having a year off. As I don't want to forget parts of this trip I like to keep on top of my diary/blog and as I keep on trying to fit in to many things I am often behind on it. Therefore, sometimes it becomes a chore that is hanging over me of something I must do when ever I have a spare minute. Today I said no and just chilled on my own instead. Well done me ;-)

I then did do some blog stuff until late at night. I found out that it is very difficult to catch up on my blog at the same time as watching a foreign film with subtitles - watching Father Ted in be back ground is much easier... (thanks Johnnie) :-)

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.