Biking trip Shenzhen--Beijing 

Preparing

I'm coming to start 19.2. and today, 15.2. I am packing my equipment and clothes. Everything is in quite order, flying ticket to Shenzhen, open ticket to back from Beijing and Chinese visa for three months trip. I'll come back to Finland in beginnig of May, need to be here at least 13.5. because of family matters.

During my trip I try to update my pages here in TCG community. I've found this forum as a quite a peaceful and nice place to discuss about travelling in China. As well I've found out these pages works well from Finland but from China too.

This is somehow a test message also. I will send more text during my trip.

Shenzhen

Flying is very hard to me... I lost six hours last night, didn't sleep at all and I had to find my way from Guangzhou to Shenzhen and my accomodation, too.

I made it and here I am. This is a very nice homestay in a suburban of Shenzhen, I found the place with the help of these pages :)

Everything is fine except... Some of connecting pieces of my biking panniers were broken during the flight. This is a kind of trouble for me. I need to fix broken pieces or find new panniers from Snenzhen.

I've never been so south before and the atmosphere is really really different than in winter Finland. Weather is cloudy but not raining. Lets hope the best.

22.2.06
My second day in Shenzhen. Yesterday I spent in the city. It was really amazing looking with Finnish eyes. Shenzhen is a young city of about 20 years. It was the first special market zones in China, this was also one reason for me to visit here.

Today I found a bike for myselfe with the help of Daniel, my host here in Shenzhen. Its quite a small body with 26" tyres but I guess I can bike it. I paid about 200 euros for the bike, quite about what I expected.

There is really hot for me, +26C today, yesterday it was even more. I saw bananas in the trees for the first time in my life...

Today I also made my first 25 km biking in China. I took my bike from the shop to Daniel's home. Traffic there is really something. You really can't sleep when driving. However, I'm still alive.

I should write so much more, but need to go...
May asked if about my route. This is an address to my planned route. It is a big file, sorry:

http://www.kolumbus.fi/jukka.karvonen/Kiina06/kiinakartta_PLAN_i.jpg

Tomorrow morning I will continue my trip. Lets hope I find an internet cafe somewhere. See you!

Huizhou

>>>>> 23.2.06 Huizhou

It's a hard days night, and I've been biking like a dog... But still alive and found a hotel for night. Only 79km but really lot of traffic allover, every kind of traffic... After the border of Shenzhen the traffic disappears and no signs with latin letters any more...

I started in the morning as early as I could. I had to build up the bike first, and also had some small talk with Daniel, who proved to be a very nice guy. I really needed his help to buy the bike.

The weather was not so warm and the sun was not visible. I was thankful for that because my face is already red after the first days, and didn't want more burning. Biking to the centre of Shenzhen went already better than yesterday. I had some difficulties aslo, but I didn't understand that it was just the beginning...

Near the place where I bought the bike I also bought a sleeping bag and a mattress which I didn't take from Finland. I also ate well - I show from in my small dictionary rice, pork and mushroom soup. I didn't like the mushroom soup. It seems to be impossible to starve here, there are very many restaurants of different levels.

I then started to bike and thought that I will soon come to the peaceful countryside. It didn't happen because the Shenzhen economic area ranges tens of kilometres from the centre and I had to bike all the way in a very heavy traffic. There was really everything that moves there, except domestic animals. I biked very slowly and carefully, and it began to darken. The darkness comes here very fast, so at that phase it is good to find a sleeping place. I found it in a Seven Star -hotel with the prize of 150rmb. The prize/quality -ratio is very good, evenif it does not perhaps really have seven stars...

I sit now in an internet cafe where they asked for my passport. So it seems that they follow a bit, who has done what mess.

So I am OK. In the hotel I was quite a sightseeing, not because of being European but because of biking. The personnel of the reception giggled a lot after they had carried my bags to the room with a big group. Well - it is nice if you can make the other people glad.

Tomorrow I will continue to north. My problem is that I have not been able to find a map with Chinese characters. The guides having Latin characters decreased sharply after Shenzhen and here there are no Latin signs.

24.2.06
Happy birthday Suvi! (This is my daugters birthday) I am sitting in an internet cafe in small country town 20 km south from Longmen. I took a hotel when I saw one. Just could make only 95km today. Yesterday I wasn't in Huizhou. It was a small town before Huizhou. I found this out when I got a map with Chinese letters from bookshop. I spent some time in Huizhou, looking a famous lake they have here. When I started from Shenzhen I didn't know muchof whats coming up. I asked Daniel if there is a hotel in Huizhou... Now I know better. City is much bigger than our capital, Helsinki. And a lot of ultramodern buildings exist. It was just pointed so small in my map...

Last 40 km today I've been biking in countryside. Road is still wide with four lines but not too much traffic. I came over some small hills and tomorrow will be new ones, bigger (I saw them from hotel window).

Just now it is a bit difficult to write becouse a group of young boys are asking me "What's your name" etc. So Things are going better. As we say in Finland: First day is worse, even if you are hanged.

PS. I bought strawberries and ate them beside the road.

25.2. 104 km

I am in a simple accommodation ( 1 euro) 23 km north of Xinfenh, on the planned route . In the end of the day I crossed a significant mountain pass and lost all my energy. It was cold and raining. No internet here (information by text messages).

Shaoguan 27.2.06

I was biking on a very beutiful mountain road. The road was brand new and very well done. This road like most of so far was covered by beton plates. But the work is so good that I did'nt have any difficulties to bike. After I left my guest house in a mountain valley I had to take some altitude again. But it was much easier than yesterday, when I was biking in the evenig without no good idea of any hotel. (Or actually I had an idea. In Xinfeng I met an english teacher by a help of a nice reception officer in a hotel. The officer coudln't help me but she gave me a very good tip to ask english teacher from school. The teacher gave me good tips for my road and showed me the right road to continue.) This second mountain pass was easier. I came again to a village in the valley. There I met a highscool girl with very good english skills. She (and her friends) showed me the village and I visited her home. There are four kids in the family. I didn't ask is it possible because they are living in country but I think so. We were talking about education systems in China and Finland, our families etc..

From this village I continued down the river to the big road. Biking was easy, wind was on my back. Then my route turned up to north again and I got wind to my face, it wasn't easy any more. However I made 101km and with a good luck found a guesthouse beside the road. In the guesthouse there was about three years old very pretty and nice girl. She understood me well and I took photographes as souveniers. Also her parents seemed to be happy about the girl, and because I was so good a friend with her. I was watching TV, really lot of satellite channels were available. (Satellite antenns can be found beside most of the houses, sometimes even more, pointed in different directions.

Today it was raining. My big road had also to go over some hills and through one tunnel, about 500m. I was biking in the cloud and I used my led lights not only in the tunnel. Before Shaoguan there was a temple where Zen Buddhism was found(?). I took a break in front of it, but didn't visit because it was raining all the time. Now I am in Shaoguan, I got a good hotel with 150rmb/day and I booked it for two days. I try wash my clothes, make CD from photos etc.

Bike is doing well now. I've adjusted accelerators and some other things and everything seems to be ok now.

28. 2. Second day in Shaoguan

I'm sitting in an internet cafe now, making updates&checking e-mails. Yesterday I made my update at the home of a young construction engineer, Hu Quing. He also offered me lunch in a restaurant beside my hotel. It is pretty cold now but not raining just at this moment. Tomorrow I'll continue and I have difficulties to make up my mind: Visit the mountains north from Shaoguan or just try to go so many kilometers up as possible... My trip has started a bit slowly but I don't take any pressure about that, yet.

I was told that road signs with latin letters will end after Shenzhen. This wasn't true. Not all of road signs are with latins but a lot of them are. I have also got maps with chinese letters, and one combined chinese&latin letters. There only seems to be the same trouble as somewhere in Europe: I can't find a detailed map of the next province herefrom. Just maps of whole country or this province.

1.3. north of Hunan 109 km biking

I biked first in a valley and saw fine mountains, then I had to climb over one of them. There in the hight trees were covered by ice. Now I am in a hotel in a room of 9 degrees temperature (only 7 in the morning...). People here are nice, but it is cold. (No internet, text message communication).

To north east

2.3. Guidong 95km

I am in Guidong, 95 km of biking today,. There were very beautiful landscapes and it was a nice weather. but very heavy risings up. Now I am in a good hotel with even a bath tub. The tub is, however, short for me. Anyway, the hot bath was very nice. Now I am going to eat.

In Shaoguan I discussed long with a teacher, Mrs Luo Man-Hong, and I also visited her fine home. She has visited several Central European contries and she was very satisfied with the fast development of China. Her Eglish was vey good but she don't teach it but geopraphy.

Tomorrow I will probably change my route to the north-east, I have got enough of mountains. Also today it was a hard day, even if the landscape was very beautiful.

Suichuan 3.3. 101 km

Air condition worked well in my hotelroom in Guidong. So the temperature in my room was 18 C this time. Night was cold, gardens were covered by frost. I started early in the mornig with heavy clothes on. But sun got up and I had to start uphills at first again. So I had to take almost all clothes off. First because hard uphill biking and later because the day was hot for me. Sun was shining from blue sky, mountain springs and rivers turned running to Jangtse and I was biking down serpentine roads with happy feelings.

I expected only 60 km biking to Suichuan but when I looked forward coming tothe city I saw a road sign: Suichua 41 km... It collapsed my plans to continue longer today. I came here in good time, found a pretty good hotel with 100 yuan and a good internet caf'e also easily. Here I'm sitting now even without my therapeutical beer of today. Hmmm talking about beers. I have a feeling that Chinese beers may be little wet for me. Yesterday I was sure about this before I looked the text in the bottle: Extra Light... Okay I need to make more studies.

In a small town today I was drinking tea in a roadside kitchen. There was a little boy, perhaps 7 years who knew some words in English. I let him look my dictionary and suddenly he pointed me: Do you have an internet address? I gave my visit-postard to him. Perhaps I can receive a message from him some day.

Today I saw also the first traffic accident in China. A bus and a motorbike crashed in a crossroad. Nothing really bad happened (I hope) but the face of the motorist was in blood. Cars are not usually driving very fast there, but in towns and cities you must be careful because there is so much of all kinds of traffic.

4.3. Ji'an
Yrsterday evening I visited in a home of a teacher family. Some of their colleagues came also and we were eating and talking some time. Interesting discussion, two of the teachers were teaching English, so we could talk properly. I also saw some Chinese schoolbooks for English.

My hotelroom was warm, air condition worked well. I continued early in the morning by a long slow downhill. Actually I can't say "downhill", the road just was going a bit down all the time, by the river. Biking was easy now and I came to Ji'an early afternoon after 116 km biking. During the trip the landscape wasn't so beautiful as in the mountains. Road however was wide and without too much traffic. A new expwy (like printed in road signs) was beside my road, long distance traffic was there. Once I was having small break under a gigantic tree when a local farmer came to me. We tried to talk a little... and he asked me to come his home for lunch. But I was too hurry to accept his offer. Later I was sad for that.

I'm in a four-star hotel now. Price is actually too high for me (428 rmb) but the room&hotel is very good too.

And now looking for something to eat...

Zhangshu 5. 3.

I'm sitting in a local internet cafe with about ten youngsters looking very interested what I"m doing...

In the morning I got back about half of the money I had left to the reception. Don't understand the reason... I'm sure the original price was 428 because it was written in the paper. OK I didn't start any struggle for that, just left my visit postcard to the hotel. Hotel was a good one, btw "Bai Lu Hotel", visit there during your trip in Jian :)

Well, biking was very easy again. 130 km in a flat road. Ofcourse a bit boring too. I visited a memorial place of Mao Tsedung(correct?) & other good old comrades. Place was actually ,more like a recreation park and I'm not sure what is the basic idea. In the park I saw bears (siis karhuja) biking! also some other animals walking in trapez etc.. interesting. Later I took a break in a roadside restaurant where I had a long but difficult discussion with a family. They did'nt believe my story about my route at first but when I showed pics from the mountain (they are still in my memory card) the housewife gave me apples and mandarins for the further trip. And no money was accepted...

Bike is in a good condition, so am I. I'm going to look a bit more like a sportsman than in the beginnin gof the trip. There was quite much traffic during the last kilometers. I'm quite near Nanshang and I guess it may be the reason. One really have to keep eyes open over there. Drivers are not actually trying to kill anybody. They are just driving with a very anarchist way.

6.3. Jinxian
Today was a booring and dusty day in a flat road. I made 115km as a job. In the end of the day I found a roadwork and lost my road. Roadworkers pointed me the correct way to Jinxian where I am now.

Yesterday evening I was looking TV in my hotelroom. CCTV9, an Engishspeaking channel there broadcast a lot of program of somekind of party meeting in Peking. Lot of talking about harmony, new socialist countryside, developing of education, specially in the countryside... and building a well fare society. Wery good rethoric to me, lets hope everything goes ok. People who I have met are optimistic, this is true. Situation here seem to be somehow different than in Europe, where lot of people are pessimistic and not waiting good for future (so far as I now).

Tomorrow I'll turn my route up to north, to mount Huanshan. I have not had holidays lately, I save them for Huanshan.

To the Huangshan

7.3. somewhere...
(Mountain pic here is near Shaoguan, not from Huangshan)
Yesterday evening I met a teacher in Jinxian. He offered me a dinner in restaurant and I visit his school also. It was evening but lot of students were working in big classes perhaps 30--40 students in a group. School was gigantic, just managing building is bigger than my old school and there was an obsevatorio in the top (not first I've seen in chinese schools). My host was just about to start his trip to India. We discussed about education and this seem to be the subject I know something now. China is really panostaa for education.

I started my biking in early morning. about 20km I made OK, following one motorcyclist just is his back (Motorist found out my reason and he was looking my speed through mirror) In a flat road it is very easy to make fast speeds like this. It wasn't even dangerous because road was quite empty. But very soon started to rain. First a little but then heavily. I turned to a small road up to north and this time small road wasn't in good condition... it was bad or terrible for 20 km, then good road appeared again. I was biking in the rain but weather wasn't cold, so -- no problem.

About 1 o'clock afternoon I came to a small town which name I can't write in latins. My hotel is in very poor condition and the town is not a real garden city too. But I will spent rest of the day here, bit tired for raining.

Btw, I can eat with chopsticks now. At least so well that people in the restaurant is not laughing to me any more. And waiter dont give me a fork... So some progress with me to?

8. 3.
International women day. So, good luck for you, all women in the world...
After 123km easy biking I'm in Jingdezhen. Everything was OK, good weather good road, but I got my first tyre puncturing today. It was so bad that both, tyre and inner tyre from my backwheel destroyed. Big piece of glass cutted whole tyre... I had new tyre with me but no inner tyre. I solved my problem by a taxi driver who took my backwheel to small town just beside the road and gave it back with new inner tyre. I lost some time with it but thanks for early start I came here in good time. City looks very good in deed. My hotel is also good this time. I'm just not sure what is the price... Usually receptionist keep all the money I give when I come to hotel. But usually they can also tell me what exact price is. Now I don't know what the price will be. Something between 210--300 rmb I hope.

I met a blacksmith beside the road today. I was looking his working and took some photos too. Landscapes are tuned to better, there are hills again. And I believe next days I'll meet more and higher..

This internet cafe in so warm and lot of smoke that I stop here for now...

Huangshan

10.3. Huangshan
I got troubles with police in Qimen. Qimen is not open for foreigners as they said. OK, but how in hell they can't put any sign about this beside the road! Why can't they print information about than on the map? In Finland we have also some military areas for example but all of them are well pointed on the map and as well signed during the road.

After 136km hard biking among hills I had to change the hotel (how couldn't hotel reception know they are not allowed to take foreigners?) late evening and in the second hotel (I went there by car, about 50km), middle of the night when I was sleeping two police (in civil clothes) came to my room asking for passport etc. I was really angry and still with bad feelings.

I'm in Huangshan city now and everything is OK, I guess. Just with bad feelings. I'm not going to make updates before I get better...

12.3. Tangkou
My feelings turned better already in Huanshan city. I just was up in the Huangshan mountains yesterday and couldn't find internet there.

Huangshan as well as the city are real tourist traps. I've seen first European looking people here aftyer Shenzhen. And first menu in English too.

I came to mountains by old (and small) road. It was clever idea because the road was really beautiful and almost without traffic. Only in the beginning was about 10 km road work, rest of the road was good for biker. I made 75 km upphills but it wasn't very hard because I had to leave my bike here in Tangkou and go by bus and telpher to the top. Yesterday it was raining and mountain was in the cloud. I couldn't see anything. In the morning it was snowing. Cold storm and ice covered paths and steps made moving difficult. But I saw some really beautiful scenes too. I don't know how good pics I got but I tried my best. Up there was really difficult conditions. Not for me, I took warm clothes with me, but lot of local tourists were weared too light. But almost everybody were in good mood, smiling and laughing and fotographing themselves against clouds.

I came back to town and found a homestay immdiately when I came out of the bus. Tourism is obviously really important for these people. Also prices are perhaps bit higher than in ordinary small towns.

To northwest

13.3 Beside the lake, north side of Huangshan
(place is called Pinghu, I guess)
I was walking up from Nine Dragons waterfall. I made a reallyl good walking trip and came back to my bike by bus and taxi. Biking was easy, landscape beautiful and road good. Before Pinghu I found out one of my spokes as broken. I couldn't fix it because I took the wrong special tool with me from home (siis ei rataspakan irrotustyokalua vaan keskion, ne on samannakoisia, taa on vaan isompi ja mina hohla pakkasin sen...) 50m from this place was a bike repairer. He fixed my problem without any special tools in a few seconds. And didn't accept any money for help. I left my card to him, and I was grateful. After 62km biking I came to a lake and found a hotel here. It was very good, price was 260rmb but guality much more. Wiew from my balcony was wonderful. I was sitting here, looking how sun was setting behind the lake.

14.3. Chizhou 97km
(In my map this plase is called Guichi, but on the road Chizhou, or something... don't know)
Hotel was really good, breakfast too. I usually don't eat very much in the morning but this time food was so good that even I could eat in the morning.

Weather was good but early morning cold. Later sun was hot but wind from north cold. It was a little difficult to decide which clothes should be used. During the day I found three more broken spokes. And found help from bikeshop again. This time we tried first put a new spoke by the official way but because there also wasn't the needed tool, mechanist made the same trick I saw yesterday. And this fellow didn't accept money too. I must practice this trick at home, it's very useful in deed.

In the afternoon I hit a bigger road to west and beautiful scenes disappeared. I got lot of dust, signal signs etc instead. I found a room from a kind of hostel. Actually I was looking one hotel when an older woman came to me and showed me if I'm looking for a room. The place is clean and properly and price is low, just 60rmb. So, good for me.

I should write so much more, there are lot of stories to tell. But I have to go, I'm hungry...

15.3. Anqing 60km
Only short biking today. I came over Jangtse river by ferry. There was a 5km long brigde too, but biking was not allowed on the brigde. Actually it was funny to make such kind of boat trip on Jangtse, or how the name should be written. On my map it is Chang Jiang. I stopped in Anqing after short biking, it was only 12 o'clock when I came here. Just wanted to take a look of the city. And it's too big for me. I like more small cities or towns where can't get lost. City looks bit chaotic. Brand new and old buildings in poor shape are between each others. People are pegging and recycling just beside most modern business palaces.

I don't remember, perhaps I've written this before... But about internet. In my first message from an internet cafe I told administrator asked my passport. This is very unusual. Somtimes I have to put my name in the paper, but usually two or thee yuan is all paperwork needed. My pages, and elisa-email works well here. With Yahoo is sometimes troubles. Yahoo main page don't open always, but when I ask mail.yahoo it works.

Tomorrow I will look for smaller roads again. Some hills too, I suppose.

Mountain biking

16.3. Tianzhushan 90 km

(The figure was not taken from Tianzhushan, but earlier during my trip)
This bloody computer destroyed my story...
Now just something.
After Anqing I made a mistake with roads and had to bike through an airport and really small village roads for hours before I found my correct route. People were helpful, they just had sometimes more than one opinion about the right course.

After 80 km of easy biking I got an idea to visit Tiangzhushan mountains. It made 10km hard upphill for me. I found a cold guesthouse room from a village beside the mountain. In the morning there was 12 C temperature.

17.3. 57 km to a small town the name of which I can't remember
In the morning I visited the top of Tianzhushan. I lost some time and money, but couldn't see anything. Thick&rainy clouds were allover. Ok, it happens. I came down amd continued. Today I made 20 km hard uphill. I came between two clouds, one below and one over me. Very interesting scenes. But dangerous too, in the cloud you can see only 20--30m. Most cars were using lights and I took my led light too.

In some serpentines there was a road sign: Use sign signal. And yes, drivers really used those and they have really really noisy sound in use. My luck there wasn't a lot of traffic.

The town where I am now is not very good looking but I found a nice room with low (80rmb) price. Just beside my hotel there is a bikeshop and the shopkeeper wanted to adjust my bike a little. He really fixed some small things I've been too lazy to do. Actually there is only one really important thing in the bike: BRAKES. Everything else can fix somehow but if you haven't brakes in the mountain road you are in real troubles.

I was just taking shower when my door was knocked. There were policemen who wanted to make registration papers about me. Ok, I said but can you wait a moment... We made papers needed, policemen were happy and I wasn't angry too. Policemen are welcome even if I am in the shower.

Hmmm. I've not got my therapeutical beer of today, so goodbye... need to go.

18.3. Ynexi Hetu 58 km
In the morning my front tyre was empty. So my day started with some repairing operation. In the bikeshop there weren't my type of inner tyres so I had to repair my old one.
I started with an optimistic attitude but very soon I had to realize that uphills were too heavy for my plans. So, only 58 km today. The day wasn' t over yet when I stopped but according to my map the distance to the next town was 60 km. Too much in those circumstances... But landscapes are very fine. And the weather is too. I'll try to bike west now and get out of those mountains. Here I can't move at all because all roads are serpentine. Average speed today was 13km/h! I've met nice people again on the road and right now I think it may be better to end this cyberwriting and continue discussion in real life here in Ynexi Hetu.

19.3. Huanggang 52 km
I've get out of mountains. Mostly dowmhill today but not very much kilometers because I started today just afternoon. I spent the morning in a lovely mountain village as a guest of my teacher friend Yu Ying. It was a very interesting visit for me and I enjoyed peaceful atmosphere of the village.

At first I had to make the last uphill and then a very long downhill to Huanggang. There I met teachers too. I visited a middle school too. There were students working evenif it is a sunday evening. I visited two classrooms and tried to answer the questions they made to me. And they made very good questions in deed. I'm writing this in the home of one of the teachers, called Warren as his English name. Tomorrow I really try to do a good biking day. I have lost lot of time in the mountains. It has been interesting but now I really have to try to get Xian... We will see.

Long road to Xian

20.3. Roadside guesthouse 100 km west from Wuhan

In the morning the hotel receptionist gave me a note from Warren. He wrote me about breakfast. Thank you Warren, but I have to tell you and all my friends... I'm terribly bad to eat breakfast. I usually bike 30--39km before eating. And heavy food I eat only after biking. Right or wrong, its my way. But thank you Warren once more for visiting your school & our discussion.

Not much to tell about biking today. Road was bad and I lost three spokes, which I fixed. After 100km I started to look for a hotel and after 4km I found a very poor roadside guesthouse where I spent my night.

21.3. Hekou (north from Wuhan) 110km
Biking was easy today. A very good road, only small hills and soft backwind. Can't be easier. I'm in a modest guesthouse again. No shower, no WC no TV of course. This area is more poor than the roads I was biking in the beginning of my trip. But people are kind and helpful here too.

Some days ago I told I can use chopsticks. Yes, but now I get new tips in restaurants: We use those in right hand.... Well, I'm totally left handed... But also some useful advice. Hmm. need to stop, a policeman wants to talk with me. Thanks to Jabatroo.

22.3. Xinyang 120 km
Bad road, lot of traffic, 40km uphills, hard frontwind... But it was not raining. Yesterday the policeman just wanted to ask me why I was in such kind of a place. He asked me to be careful. Ok I try. My guesthouse yesterday was also a photographing studio. I was eating with the family and we compared our cameras. In the studio the camera mostly used was Nikon 35mm single reflex camera. Ok tool for such a job, perhap a digital one next year?
I continued early in the morning. First 40 km was easy, just a bad road. Then 40 km upphill, bad road and wind... But Iwas pointed my goal to Xinyang and here I am. Last 40 km was mostly downhill and I followed some motorcyclists -- so wind couldn't make harm to me.
Now I'm quite tired but I should try to find a photolab here. I must print more Thank-you-postcards. Very often people want to give me some apples, mandarins, food.. on the road. It is very good to have some souvenier to give in such kind of situations. About help: In most upphills a truck or two stopped to me and the driver shows: pick your bike on and come with me. I always just show my legs. This is a physical excercise for me too.

23.3. 20km east of Tanghe, 133 km
Absolutely nice weather, a good road, nice people wherever I stopped. I lost two spokes today (propably damaged yesterday in the bad road) and my backwheel should be repaired properly. It is OK now, but there are too many spokes fixed by trick I learned some days ago.
Road was good today and I could have made a longer day but I had too many long breaks looking at flowering trees. So I stopped here only about 20 km east of Tanghe.
This is a small town now, there are oil drills (siis oljypumppuja, oljynporausta). I met some schoolboys and girls while I was looking for a restaurant. First I gave some of my postcards and then I wrote a lot of autographs. This has not happened before during this trip, but in Sibir some years ago. Hmm, there are oil drills too.

Still on the road to Xian

24.3. Zhenping 116 km
Yesterday I was riding a bike, today biking again. Slight upphill all the time sidewind and too hot (for me) weather. Too much traffic, very loud sound signals and dust. I drunk a lot of orange juice today.
I didn't visit in Nanyang at all. Road passed it from north. But I saw a high technology developing park of Nanyang. Lot of buildings under construction.
Here in Zhenping I visited first in a kind of revolution museum. Here I got an address to the hotel where I'm living now. Good hotel and suitable price (160rmb) for long time. And this internet cafe is also good. What more I can want... perhaps a bottle of good beer? I still think that Chinese beers are bit tasteless. Don't understand this. Food is (sometimes) so spicy that I have tears in my eyes a long time after I stopped eating.
One day I visited in restaurant where waiter could speak English. Very good. I asked simple food: scrambled eggs with mushrooms, beef, vegetables and beer. First I got milk... I didn't accept this but asking for beer again. Then I got my food. Nothing was like in my order but it was very good, just spicy. I still don't know what it was.

25.3. Xiping 135km
End of the day was bit hard but I couldn't find a hotel before Xiping. Some hills appeared beside the road and during last 40 km I also had to come over some. Afternoon was again too warm for me and I'm tired now. So I just like to say I'm OK and still going strong.

26.3. Shangzhou 130 km
Hard day again. Hills were not too bad but strong front wind made my travelling difficult. So sorry I'm not going to write more, just tell to you I'm OK.
Landscape here is different. It looks somehow like Buryatia in Russia (near Lake Baikal). Just hills are bigger. And I've seen horses. It's new to me in China. Tomorrow I try to get Xian. We will se if it is possible.

Xian

27.3. Xian 120 km + 7 km missed in the city

Beginning of the day was against hills. I passed two long road tunnels (and two also long yesterday) Upphills weren't too hard but the wind was really angry to me. In the longest tunnel biking was not allowed. So I tried to hitchike just before the tunnel. But these lovely and helpful people couldn't obviously understand me. They waved hands to me and showed thumble. Probably they thought I was just happy to be at the highest position of the road. Then an old man walked with a bike to the tunnel. OK I thought. If he wants to die in such kind of a place its good for me too. But I put my led lights to bike and weared to light colour jacket. The old man was without any light in the tunnel. And it was really long... After this tunnel I met a biker from Canada. This good fellow was going to Shanghai. He has been 9 months on the road and visited many Asian countries. He told me there are a lot of tunnels before Xian. This was true but they were very short ones, no problem with them.

Now I am in Xian. I've got a tip for a youth hostel near Bell Tower from May. I asked people to show me from the map where the belltower is. Unfortunately they showed me a wrong building, out of a city wall. I was tired, nervous, almost angry when I finally found this Youth Hostel. But the place is OK. There are English speaking people working and price is not too high.

Xian is just too big a city for me. But I'll write more about Xian tomorrow, I hope.

28.3. Xian 0 km
Bike is OK now. All spokes in the backwheel are new. The bikeshop where my bike was repaired was a good one. Lot of high quality bikes and parts for sale. Whole street was full of bikeshops. Ordinary bikes, mountain bikes, racing bikes, electric bikes... I was looking a biking shirt with some chinese text for me but I couldn't find. All shirts were printed full of logos with latin letters...
Xian looks good and there are some European looking tourists, too. Between Huangshan and this Canadian biker near Xian I didn't see any.
China is really bit different here than in the south. I visited the yard of a muslim mosque. I saw first women dressed like muslims some days ago but I thought they just think the weather is too cold... Now I know better.

Some words more about this Canadian biker. We shared an opinion: the most kind and helpful people are living inthe most poor areas. We both have seen this many times.

29.3. Weinan 70km
Yes, I met May yeasterday evening. We were eating and looking for big music-light-fountain-show near Big Wild Goose Pagoda. We were also talking this and that. In my eyes May is a optimistic realist. And thats good.
It took some time to go to terracotta warriers museum because I met a young student boy on the road. He was also with bike and want to come with me, just the speed was under 15km/h.
This terracottawarrier place is also too big for me.
Both, bike and me are in good condition now and I am looking for road to north. This will mean mountains.

Way up North

30.3 Heyang 135 km

(The figure has been taken earlier, see chapter 10)

I was thinking about those terracotta warriers today. My road went through extremely interesting scenes, flowering gardens, old villages, deep canyons with small rivers in the bottom. And I saw places where grand grand grand... sons&daughters of those terracotta artists are still living with traditional style. I wasn't planned so good a route, actually I missed my road after 40 km. There was no roadsign in the crossroad and no people to ask for, too. I picked the wrong road. But this was my luck, I saw really fine places, just some parts of the road was bad... I'm sad for my new spokes in my backwheel. Bike got some shock therapy today. But my souvenier terracotta warriers didn't broke and the bike either.

I can now say some few words like hotel, beer, tee, coffee... in Chinese. And I understand some more, like: No, we don't have (coffee). In big supermarkets there is instant coffee but in small ones not.

Today it was too hot for me. I drank a lot of orange juice. Let's hope there is cooler in the mountains.

31.3. Hejin 97 km
Terrible day. A kind of hell on the earth. Coal mines, endless lines of truck carrying coal and lot of industry burning it. In the end of the day I was looking like a miner too. I washed my biking clothes as usually in the hotel. Water was just this time absolutely black. And yes, it was hot too and the road was bad.
But everything is OK now. Nice hotel and the master can speak English somehow.

1.4. Xianging 64 km
I'm much higher now and not too hot anymore. Xianging looks good and air is clean. Just the beginning of the day was difficult, bad road and lot of trucks carrying coal. Around Xianging are mines and some industry too but not as much as down around Hejin. Today I've seen interesting landscapes and cave-houses. Some of the caves are ruined, some still in use and there are also new buildings which are partly made inside the hill. Before Xian I saw horses, there is a new animal in use: donkey.

I've made over 3300 km so far. Two days ago I saw a road sign: Beijing 1000 km. Ok, I turned to mountains after that, so I have more to do but under 2000 km I hope.
Two days ago I also came over Yellow river. Good name, it really is yellow.

2.4. Daning 93 km
In my maps Daning is pointed as same size as Xianging where I was yesterday. But this is much smaller and not so wellfare. There seem to be no real hotel, so I am located in kind of guesthouse now. Well, I got shower, washed my clothes, and there is TV in my room. So everything is fine.
In the morning was cold, frozen water under my window. The room was warm, there in central heating everywhere and in use too. Windows are usually with single glass, quite uneconomical I think.
Most of the day I had some altitude but afternoon I made a long downhill to Daning and there is hot again. Road was mostly good but once I had to walk with my bike. A piece of hill, or mountain was collapsed to the road and road was full of sand.

My old&faitful biking shoes are about to coming in the end of the road. I'm so sorry for this. I've been biking in Finland, Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraina, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany and China with those shoes. I hope I still can continue to Beijing with them.

Mountain biking

3.4. Jiaokou 85 km
First 75 km upphill, but slowly in the valley. 40 km there was water in the river, then only dry river bed. Then 10 km serpentine to Jiakou. Yes, cities are always in the valleys. Scenes here are like from Western movies. I was thinking this and how the culture of Indians was destroyed in America. And I was happy to see how people there are developing country on their own. Old culture mixed with new.

I am tired and angry. I should take a rest day or two but not here. After two days I'll meet a mountain scenic area, perhaps I take some holiday there. I don't know the road to Beijing yet. It is possible I continue to north so far I come to the Great Wall. I have time for this, I think.

Before I came in this hot&smoky internet cafe I was in Xinhua Bookstore (thanks for May&Cali) Now I have a good Shanxhi roadmap.

Two days ago I had a harmful discussion with a man who was driving a police car. I was tired, eating icecream 6 km before Xianging. The man said something to me from the car. Ofcourse I couldn't understand. Later he came to me and told I'm not allowed to stay in any of the near cities. He was dressed in civil clothes and didn't show any police sign. He pointed me cities more than 100 km away... I got angry and told him with very big letters what I was thinking about it. Then I came to Xianging, without problems. I saw a policemen in the city too and nobody asked me anything. Strange thing.

4.4. Lishi 76 km
First 13 km up from the valley where Jiakou is. Then downhill all road to Lishi. So not very hard. I'm just afraid I have to make lost altitude back later. During downhill water appeared back to the river. Now just running with me. 15 km before Lishi started coal industry area. Smoke and dust. I was sorry for mountain river but suprised when I saw it again before Lishi: water didn't look bad, it was still clear.
I'm planning for a rest day here in Lishi. Also I try to think positive. It's not easy for Finn to smile all the time but I try for it. Local people smile to me if I'm also smiling. It's so simple.
But I have to say China is really big country. Like Russia there are lot of different people living. In this area people are actually like Finns... I think. They drink more than South and driving style is mixed with bad sides of Chinese and Russian traffic (anrchist chaotic chinese style added with Russian style to drive so fast as car can go) Today I saw a traffic accident where motorist was propably died.

Rest day

4.4. Lishi 0 km
It's not so easy to find a computer with PhotoShop and internet connection. Now I had more time because of my rest day. So I could find one and send some more photos here. Btw it's also not easy to use PhotoShop with Chinese localication... Unsharp mask? No deal... So I've only rezised and cropped and made some corrections which shortcuts I can remember.

Today I've just been walking here. I visited in a buddhist temple. I've printed more postcards, washed more clothes than usually. My feelings are good again, just this computer is terrible.

Yesterday evening I got a Chinese name. "You Xiang" I was told it is a bird (or was it fish?) who like to go as free. Very good, I'm a kind of social--anarchist and don't know if I'm a bird or fish...

In the forest

6.4. 57 km On the tourist mountain 40 km north from Lishi
Easy road, I washed my bike too. I came to a brandnew hotel beside the mountain and ate. Then I continued by an empy bike so up as there was road. This mountain was also a kind of tourist trap but without telpher or else powered help. So everybody had to walk up. Landscapes were beautiful but I didn't like people who tried all the time sell me some souveniers etc... Weather up there weas quite cold, it was snowing a little but sun was shining as well. Interesting weather.
There were only three customers in the big hotel but really lot of workers. In the evening I discussed with some of them.

7.4. Hadihu, or 10 km north? 75 km
Absolutely different wiews today. I continued to east by a small road. I was waiting for hard upphill but it was even more... Then down to the gate of Pangquangou Nature Reserve. And from this gate up again. It was like a gigantic Nuuksio (a National Park near my home) This was real forest, first time in China. And a many trees were familiar from Finland. Pines were almost like ours, oaks, birches, firs, aspens and granite rocks... The road was in the forest, so mountains were hidden: I was like at home. There was snow too, like Finland and first time my Chinese bike found ice under the tyres (fortunately not much). Very good day in deed. Just couldn't find a real hotel. I'm in a guesthouse without a shower. Which is more important: colour TV or shower? Colour TV I think, in China.

8.4 Small town South from Jingle 42 km
Yesterday evening was funny. At first one fellow thought my guesthouse was not too good for me. He took me 30 km South to an other hotel (I was thinking I was going to take a beer with him to his home...) Then we were eating & drinking beer in the restaurant beside my original "hotel". There were two English teahcher too, translating our discussion. For this reason I spent my mornign in the local middle school and started biking just before midday. So I didn't even try to get my original goal (Jingle), just stopped here.

9.4. "Nature reserve" 101 km
In my map was a forest area pointed near my planned route. So I went there. This place was beautiful too, not so much forest but rocky mountains. I spent my first night in the tent here. Evening was nice but night very cold. 2 C in the tent and waterponds with ice cover in the morning. My light sleeping bag is not designed for this. Road was not asphalted, ice and mud made my biking difficult. But place was so beautiful... I'm happy I visited there.

10.4. Shuozhou 114 km
I planned only short trip today but I couldn't find place to stay before Shuozhou. My toalet wasn't perfect after camping etc. So I needed a hotel with shower. Now I'm tired and perhaps I take a rest day here. 20 km before Shuozhou I came through Great Wall. Here I got very good feeling: I'm really made a kind of trip. I was standing on the wall, looking yellow landscape... fine. Great wall here is far from the tourist trap in Badaling, I visited last year. There I was alone with ruined wall, good for me.

Looking at The Great Wall

11.4. Beside Great Wall 114 km
12.4. Qingshuihe, Inner Mongolia 45 km biking and ? km hitchiking
I didn't stop for the rest day... I continued west to the Great Wall and Inner Mongolia. Here I am now... after extreme biking. Snow, sand, wind, cold... bike was so frozen that chains didn't work anymore. But peaceful environment and harmony on my mind. I lost my road and hicthiked through an area where no roads exist. I still dont know what happened to my road. But I saw lot of Great Wall. And everything is OK now. I met good people again.

13.4. Horinger 74 km
Today the weather was better. Sun was shining and snow disappeared from the landscape. Only highest tops are still white. Road was good and wind was helping me too. I'm going to have a rest day. This time I really have it: I paid two days in the hotel. There are no latin letters in road signs but some funny figures with Chinese letters. I guess it's Mongolian. Those letters exist in advertising too.

14.4. still Horinger
I made CD from memory card of my camera, washed my bike (+ more clothes than usually) and adjusted a little. Bike is in good condition but pedals which I took with me from Finland are not.
Horinger is small town but there are a lot of things I need: pretty good internet cafe, photolab etc. I was walking in the "mountain" actually big hill what is a kind of recreation park for local people. Now there are big building works going and it look like will to be a real tourist trap some day.
Today I called to Air China office in Beijing and asked for return flight. I'll come back to Finland 4.5. from Beijing. Now I have a strong feeling -- my trip is coming to final lap.


(Pic: a self portrait of me during the days in coal minig area)

Still looking for The Great Wall

15.4. Liangsheng 84 km
A very nice day. A small mountain to get over, deep blue sky and cold wind pushing me. I saw funny birds, a big eagle and something almost like a peacock. Some places here are similar like in North Finland, Lappland but some are unique for me.

I was going to eat at a restaurant here when a Chinese man asked me if he can help me with theorder. His English was really good but didn't sound like British or American English. So I asked if he is a teacher. First time during my trip I was wrong. He looked like Chinese and spoke Chinese too. He was a Canadian businessman making some business here around Beijing Olympic games.

I have a very good feeling now. I think I've found peaceful&harmonious atmosphere here. There are people living but not too much for me. Locals are also pretty similar than Finns or Russians. Today when I came to my hotel (early afternoon) a lot of really drunked men vere all around... Very good. In South China I never saw anybody drinking spirits.

16.4 Zuoyun 86 km
One of the hardest days so far. But one of the best too. Upphills, 50km unpaved bad road, hard wind with sand&dust in the air... And I crossed the Great Wall twice today. I was sitting in a watch tower, looking at mountains -- only me nobody around, no traffic too. I was just waiting to see mongolians coming from the valley...

My average speed today, 12.8 km/h tells something to bikers. Yes, I'm tired. I had to walk sometimes because the wind was so strong I couldn't bike. But everything is OK. And now to east and Beijng. The final lap.

Final lap

17.4. Datong 75 km
About 60 km downhill and backwind. No need to use pedals (average speed 25km/h, see yesterday). Then some kilometers sightseeing in the city. I visited a tourist trap where there were a lot of Buddha & etc sculptures in caves (60 rmb, too big place to me again). Before that I was in a temple beside the road. To me it was better.
Datong is a big city and I had difficulties to find a hotel. Difficult to make up your mind if there are too much to choice.
I made a cd from my photos but unfortunately couldn't find Photoshop&internet combination. Well, I'll make an illustrated story when I'm back home.
Everything is still OK with me & bike. Now I just have to take careful last kilometers.

18.4. Hunyuan 70 km
I lost my hotel yesterday evening. I usually ask receptionist to write the hotel's name. I asked fora bank and I was put in a taxi too quickly... At first I thought I can find my hotel easily... I was wrong. I could remember only that it was a kind of army hotel (a red pentagram with army sign over the main door and military buildings around). Finally the second taxi driver understood my talk about "army people" "army hotel". Hmm, never leave hotel without it's name.
I came to Hunyuan over a small mountain, no problem. Here I'll take a rest day, I have more time than kilometers to Beijing.

19.4 Hunyan 0 km
The picture in this chapter is some days old, when I was going to Inner Mongolia. My way, yeah... See my photo album too. I uploaded some photos now.

20.4. Guangling 65km
This town doesn't exist in my original map (and so doesn't the road) A very easy day. I came over a low mountain line, then long downhill to here. Actually I planned to continue a little longer but I crashed my bike a little and now I have to fix small problems. Nothing serious.
Weather is good today and I lost a lot of my altitude today. There are small leaves in the trees and flowers again. I also used short biking trousers for long time.

21.4. Near Huailan 131 km
Downhill almost all day long. I'm now NorthWest from Beijing, my plan is to go Badaling tomorrow and then to Beijing from North. This is not mountain area anymore, trees are green and lot of flowers.
My bike repairing was great success. With super glue and small pieces of my reserve spokes i fixed my broken connection piece of the left back pannier. The connection piece has been half broken from Shenzhen thanks for extra careful handling of Finnair. Now I made so good repairing that I'm sad I didn't do it before.
Today my front tyre punctured. No problem, I had a new one in my pannier. After 4759 km biking my tyres have punctured four times. It's less than 1/1000km. Not bad, my front tyre is not even puncture protected.
I was just in the shower when two policemen wanted to talk with me... again. I don't know what they really wanted. At least they said I should change the hotel to some business palace. I had already paid and my hotel is not bad at all. We discussed some time and the result was that I don't change the hotel.

22.4. Yanqing 104 km
I'm just north side of Badaling. Originally I planned to go to Badaling and spend night there but I wasn't sure about hotels there. Also a terrible traffic jam (30km) made my moving difficult. The road was absolutely full of trucks roadside too and
I was a bit angry for drivers. It didn't help them at all to block roadside but for me and other bikers (I wasn't alone there) it was really bad.
I lost a spoke from my backwheel too. This wasn't a problem, I had bought a tool from Xian and I took the chain cassette out with it. So I could put a new spoke properly.
Tomorrow I'll go to Great Wall. Then I continue to Beijing but if I spend a lot of time in the wall I may stay out of city. I don't want to go there in a traffic jam (if possible...).

Beijing

23.4. Beijing 86? km
I came to Beijing, Tianmen Square. After visiting in Badaling backwind was so good and downhill all way. So I came here. Biking in Beijing was easier I expected. Good order on the road and wide biking lines everywhere. Much better than many cities I've visited. Ok' more traffic, thats true. But CARS WERE NOT in the light traffic line. Good for me.

I came to Badaling quite early morning and at first there were not lot of people. Just Chinese tourists, lot of them some kind of uniforms. But later (I was there some hours) walls were quite full and really lot of European looking people.

So, I came to Tianmen Square with really good feeling. Sun was shining and about 80 km downhill backwind riding... Just great.

I got hotel very near from Tianmen Square. Poor, but price is low too, somehow I like it. I paid for one night but I guess I stay here all the time (I'm coming back to Finland 4.5.)

So, this is it. I'm not going to update this page daily any more, but I may load more pictures here if I find a place with Photoshop&internet. Later I'll publish my story in my homepage.

Very interesting trip in deed.
See You, Jukka