Bike-Ride To Australia Monday 16th-January 2012 Dongguan to Puer 75 miles. It’s funny how some things work out for the best! I was just about to leave the hotel this morning when I thought I’d check with them to make sure I was going in the right direction. Just as well I did, I shouldn’t have even been in that town! It turned out that there was a crossroads about a mile back up the road where I took a wrong turning! So glad I did, though. I’m also happy I asked. I might have ended up on quite a big detour! Once I was back on the right road, I had a lovely downhill ride for a good 15 miles or more.
I’d left the hotel in lovely sunshine, but as I started to descend into the valley, I dropped into the clouds. And it wasn’t long before the sun had vanished completely, and it turned pretty cold. Cold enough for me to put on a couple of layers, I even put gloves on for the first time since Turkey! It wasn’t long before normal service resumed, and I was again climbing! I’d just like to be able to ride on a level surface for a few miles.
Lunch today was spent in the company of some truck drivers. I was going up yet another hill when some people beckoned me over. As I was going uphill, I didn’t need much of an excuse to stop! And went over to see them! They pointed to some food and a chair. They didn’t need to ask twice! There were two pork dishes, chicken and rice. And yet more Baijiu! I gave the chicken a miss; the sight of the chickens head put me off! And I managed to get away with only a couple of small shots of Baijiu. I still had a long way to peddle! And the last seven miles of the day were all uphill.
I had trouble finding a hotel again tonight! The first didn’t have anywhere for my bike, and the next couple were full. And the next one I pulled up to saw me, and had disappeared by the time I’d parked my bike! I’m beginning to get a complex!
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