4-25-08

Yesterday’s experience in WuXuan at the Huaqui International Hotel was exemplary. Apple, the assistant to the Director, took care of us in a fashion we will probably never experience again – even if we became King and Queen! Apple’s English was great and she personally made certain everything was five-star for our needs. She joined us at dinner, introduced us to the chef who sat with us and designed our meal. We stayed up way too late, using the computer provided in our room, so we were a little late for a very delightful complimentary breakfast buffet. Before we left, Apple gathered us and the hotel Director/Owner for photos.

Then we peddled off into the mist through the construction for 37km for wonderful mountain biking: mud, pot holes, slippery slurry with the addition of the convoys of dump trucks, buses and buffalo carts! When we thought “it couldn’t get any better than this” it began to pour and the pot holes filled into swimming pools like bottomless gaping chasms! By the time we arrived at our destination we were redskins - the mud so thick on Bici, our panniers and us. We had a couple of beers, so we are doing laundry blitzed. Where is Apple and the service of the Huaqui International Hotel?

4-26

China is full of surprises. We studied the map and selected a route that allowed us a stop at about 80km. The road had a smooth, wide surface and little traffic as we pulled out of town in fog. We’ve decided we could fill a photo card with nothing but water buffalo shots, another with rice fields backed by old villages and another of karst mountains! Today’s karst mountains were on top of real mountains. After 50km we turned onto our last leg of 33kms and saw looming before us humongous mountains. A short discussion and we pushed forward – better to do 30 more kilometers than 60km to a large town by the big toll road. If only we knew how much climbing we were in for: 15kms to start, then more ups and some downs. Unsurpassed scenery was our reward. There were a couple of traditional villages with signs advertising festivals complete with native dress, instruments and games, however, I am unable to communicate with anyone to learn how to see these performances or events. When I asked at the tourist office, I was told I could reach the village easily: 22kms back! Oh, for a knowledgeable, English speaking tour guide.

Finding a hotel was entertaining. We had heard some hotels will not allow foreigners (the two in town made this category. We ended at a nice looking place: no electricity until 5pm, no hot water until 7pm, no heat ever and these mountains are cool!

1. Morning fog 2. washer women 3. mountain valley

We ran into street urchins as we wandered town in search of the hotel. They were yelling and screaming; whacking the bike with their hands; touching everything; changing all the settings on the mileage computers. These kids were out of control! We told them to get away. I told them NO! Nothing kept them off the bike – literally. When we rode away, these mountain children ran blocks and blocks through the streets chasing us. They had a great time following Art into a store hitting him on his back and pounding on his water pack. Their behavior was very disconcerting. This area is very isolated, tucked into lush mountains in a river canyon. These boys were not one of the polite, curious Chinese kids we have encountered before.

4-27

Our plan to ride out of the mountains by the ‘red road’ was dashed after riding for only 6km to dead end in a village. The dirt road should have been enough indication that we would have difficulty traversing 50km in the pouring rain, but the dead end and ferverent shaking of hands and heads by the villagers persuaded us to turn back. Another misunderstood route on our map! At least the majority of yesterday’s 33km climb was a wonderful downhill, today. Then we still had another 60kms to the nearest town with accommodation and it was nearly 11:30 so we stopped for lunch of noodles and dumplings. On down the road we began to throw the timing chain (the chain that connects the front peddles to the rear to keep both of us together and working would come off). It happened often. After the tenth time in less than 20kms, we attempted fixing it only to find that something was wrong with Judee’s bottom bracket. Thanks goodness Race Face sent us two when Art’s broke, so we just needed to find a repair shop that has the tool to pull it (take out the old and put in the new). We were heading towards Yangshou on the way to Guilin and read that both cities hosted many foreigners and catered to their sporting needs. Hoping the closer city would be able to help us, we asked for the bus station and with many kind Chinese helping us, secured seats and a place for Bici on a bus with a transfer.

Dead end village

Arriving at about 5pm, Bici made the couple kilometers around this bustlingly tourist mecca as we located a guest house ($60Y/$5.50US) to settle in and sort out our problems. Out dinner and our laundry cost more than the room. Some hotels charged $200-$300Y. This town is full of foreign and Chinese tourists; restaurants with English menus and even western selections; many people speak English; and souvenirs including seconds or over runs of name brand sports clothes (the North Face, Teva, Columbia, Mammoth, etc.) as well as copies such as North Fake. This should be a great lay-over place!

4-28

Warm sunshine. Hey! A great breakfast of fried eggs, toast, oj, ham and coffee lead us to the street shoe repair man who stitched up Art’s broken Shimano sandal - now good as new.

Back at our hotel we joined the young man who runs the place and speaks broken English. He takes us to the street bicycle repair corner. No luck. No bottom bracket puller. Back down town to the Lizard Lounge and ChimaClimbing center where we find helping friends with bike tools. But their puller doesn’t fit Bici. Off down the alley and around the corner, through the bar, up the stairs that lead to Asia Bike. Yes, they have a puller and will let us borrow it. Back to Bici where we run into trouble with the crank puller. It is not designed for hollow cranks. We struggle, bang, pound and pull to no avail. One of the helping friends from the climbing store, Matt, calls their bike mechanic to bring his personal tools and come to help! The bike guy takes one look at the problem, disappears comes back with a washer and with effort off came the cranks. Next we fit the bottom bracket tool and with heroic effort he pops out the cups; we clean and grease the threads and install the new sealed bottom bracket cartridge that Race Face had so kindly supplied. Finally, we tackled the timing chain issue. Judee took out two links, we adjusted the elliptical and voila! Bici was back on the road again – singing. We went for a test ride out along the Li River passing among tall karst peaks ending in a small country village with ponds of croaking frogs and rice paddies. On the way back we walked Bici through the gauntlet of souvenir stalls and mobs of Chinese tourists exiting their river tour boats.

Yangshou

Good dinner, a stroll down the walking street, a new CD burned from the I pod; then ice cream and bed.

4-29

What? No Rain? Sun is shining once again. After a great breakfast we go back to the shoe guy to have Art’s Keens repaired. He loves to sew up our shoes.

Grab Bici and head out to explore the by-ways; get lost; get muddy; go through road construction, see more karts peaks and small villages. We found the paved single lane road that all the bicycling tourists use, passing hoards all going the other way as we head up river. Speaking of the river, it is filled with floating rafts: two seats covered by a colorful umbrella and a man standing poling the couples and their bikes down river.

It is a challenge to describe the scenery we are experiencing. Visualize 2,000 green carpeted karst peaks poking straight up out of rice paddies being plowed by water buffalo with little people in conical straw hats guiding them. This is a totally other worldly experience! Judee has said it more than once, but I must also say it: the Chinese people and the local expats have been very, very helpful, getting us on the bus (we were told by two English cyclists that they could not put bikes on buses in China), helping fix Bici, giving us information and directions. It is very demanding to struggle with the weather, language, break downs, etc, etc. All the help and thumbs up we have received make up for the trials and tribulations!

By the way: I forgot to mention that while we were on the bicycle trail route we stopped to take some pictures of the Chinese tourists riding toward us. Judee saw a bunch of younger women wearing garlands in their hair and bright clothes approaching us and so she started taking pictures. They all dismounted their bikes, pulled out their cell phones and crowded around Art giggling and jocking to be close. They sort of nudged Judee aside while they took turns (all 12 to 15 of them) snapping shots with Art. This wanting a picture with us reminds us of our experiences in Argentina.

Yangshou countryside

4-30

Sprinkling, overcast day, but warm. Today we did odds and ends: laundry, internet, copy of pictures of the grandchildren so we can have characture T-shirts made. This morning the hotel told us as we inquired about staying another night that the cost of our room was $140Y and tomorrow will be $300Y, quite a bit more than the $60Y we had been paying. We were warned that during the Labor Day holiday period May 1 to May 5 or 7 that prices would go up – but not by that much! We had a wonderful time last night as we attended an extravaganza pageant and light show featuring 600 actors and singers. WOW, what a knock out performance held outdoors on the river amidst the karst mountain scenery!

1 & 2 Light extravaganza 3 Chinese cyclists and hostel mates

Our last evening in Yangshou we shared a few beers with Matt of ChnaClimb, the young man who graciously orchestrated our bike repairs and he gave us a sticker for Bici (we add a new sticker to Bici’s bumper in each new country). We asked Matt many of the same questions we ask most foreigners who travel in a similar style to ourselves – small towns and back waters rather than big town to big town – and learned that the area we have chosen to ride is some of the best for biking: less pollution and traffic, smaller settlements, more of the real China. Yangshou attracts many sports enthusiasts, particularly climbers since it is a center of the densest number of karst mountains. Yangshou is also special in China, attracting a huge number of foreign tourists by providing a small village feel with all the western\European comforts – a very easy place to negotiate. We’ll save Beijing and Shanghai for a non-bicycling trip.

5-3

On 5-1, Labor Day, a major holiday in China, we left Yangshou and rode north to Guilin. The road was a mass of bicycles, buses and police cars, all enjoying a lovely sunny holiday. This area is the destination for most travelers to both Guilin and Yangshou to see the kart mountains carved by the Li River. We were lucky to find a nice little hotel with English speaking hostess for $160Y ($22US).

Forgive us! We have sinned eating at the three star Korean hotel down the block. No one asked for money – we offered none! OK breakfast – great price! Then we headed downtown and were accosted by Tom who invited us to his sister’s tea shop to try various teas, including the special tea from his mountain village of 700 people where his mother and father still live. After our $20US(!) tea purchase, Tom took us to meet his art professor and to see an art exhibition presented by the local university that Tom attended. Then he aided us in finding a bicycle shop (the only one in town) that specialized in foreign bikes with parts and accessories that work with our bicycle. Bici needs some more maintenance before we leave this western tourist area and head into the hinterlands. Tom also recommended a show featuring several of the mountain people/hill tribes. These groups have lived their lives relatively free of Chinese or tourist intervention until recently. We plan to ride several days into these areas where their villages are located and wanted to learn more about heir customs and traditions.

Tom’s professor, Gerry (both using their English names for our benefit) met us and took us by car to see a pearl museum and a silk museum, after we hosted lunch for the four of us. Both ‘museums’ were hard-sell shops, and then our two new Chinese friends treated us to a reflexology foot message (also a hard sell for herbal medicines). After a most relaxing rub down they dropped us at the hotel so we could rest a bit before heading to the evening show.

[Gary offers an editorial intervention:   Art and Judee have apparently got caught up in what seems a classic tourist-fleecing scheme, not unlike one we experienced and some we resisted in Beijing.   Featuring the "art exhibition" enticement, then foot massage plus selling herbal medicines at very high markups.]

Today we had new business cards made with the help of a lovely young couple who came to our aid as they heard us struggling to negotiate in English. We did a bit of shopping. Guilin, a mecca of international brands and “you name it, they fake it” products, too. The streets are so dense with recreational Chinese shoppers; one gets pushed along by the crowds. Lunch at McDonald’s satisfied a taste for home. There is even Pizza Hut and KFC (Keep Fat Company, according to Tom). All of the activity slows a bit when the rains become torrential, but the streets fill with people as soon as the sun shines, again. The humidity is palpable. There are many sights here; parks, some mountain peaks to climb, caves to roam in, each with an admission fee for the well manicured grounds and paved walks. Older folks find quiet spots to play instruments, sing, and exercise to music. This culture also smokes, smokes, smokes! For a group of people who speak strongly about tea and walking for health they sure smoke a lot. All the little babies have split trousers because there are no diapers. When nature calls, a parent picks them up, holds them over the curb or the fence to relieve themselves. In a local village, we saw a child pee on the floor at the table next to us!

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