Day 23 - Express to Shanghai !

After some "lull" time in Yangshou it was time to head towards home

It was with a little trepidation that we waited for our 3.30 p.m. car shuttle after it had turned up at 8.00 a,m, that morning where we explained with difficulty that we were in fact leaving in the afternoon !

The journey to Guilin Airport was a long one taking some 90 minutes the highlights being the extent of the wonderful Karst scenery and an expressway that we seemed to start out on the middle of nowhere !

Out flight to Shanghai (2 hours) was uneventful but our taxi ride into the city was not with the driver doing a good impersonation of an F1 driver only slowing for the speed cameras on the overhead gantry's

We finally found our well hidden hotel and set off to get a night time look at the lights on the Bund .

Directions were scarce until one english speaking couple pointed us the wrong way which we quickly realised after walking about 4 kms !!!

Retracing our steps we found the Bund was in fact only about 10 mins from our hotel ! We arrived to view the Bund skyline in darkness as apparently the Chinese have taken energy conservation seriously switching off the Bunds lights at 11p.m. !

We did glimpse though how spectacular the view could have been !

It was back to our hotel via a Chinese "Lolly" shop where Marysia could get her fix of "White Rabbits" and where Henley got a whack over his head for sampling the merchandise !

We collapsed into our freezing air conditioned room and hit the sack about 1.00a.m. a new record for the trip !

Day 22 - Yangshou - Henley cooks up a storm !

There is only so many times one can walk the touristy area of Yangshou called West St and compete with the tourist throngs both Chinese and European so at Marysia's suggestion the boys with Marysia undertook an afternoon Chinese Cooking course

Those that know us would most likely be flabbergasted as Kev's version of cooking is deciding what meat to throw under the grill and what veggies to mix up in his famed Veggie mush - as my cooking skills are not much better it was with a little trepidation that we headed off with our  Chinese guide Mona to the Market

Wisely deciding to go Vegiterean for the night (this is after all the region where dogs and frogs feature on the menu) we selected an impressive array of vegetables and with our Israeli cooking colleagues headed off to the countryside to cook up a storm

Our first lessons included how to tie an apron (Kev failed) and how to look most fearsome with our primary dicing and slicing weapon - something like a machete (Kev passed !)

With some basic cutting and cooking instructions we set about preparing a 5 course meal of dumplings, book choy, eggplant and a number of other veggie dishes using a supper heated wok and an assortment of sauces and spices.

Id positioned myself wisely opposite Marysia so when instructions were being yelled at us I could do some in house cheating !

The real beauty of Chinese cooking is that cooking under heat preserves the nutrients of the tasty veggies, add in some spices and sauces including garlic and ginger and we soon had a beaut array of Chinese courses for consumption !

With Kev having successfully prepared his first ever meal all providers on his well established free loader circuit can now look forward to a night of cooking under the Henley roof !

Day 20 / 21 - Yangshou - Hanging Around !

After the ardur of the last 2 weeks it was soooo nice just to sleep in a trifle and spend most of Sunday washing clothes and farewelling friends and cycling colleagues to all parts of the world
Eduardo to Mexico by way of the Phillipines, Moshe to Israel, Sarah to Edinburgh, Paula to Bangor in Wales, Viv & Linton to Cairns, Andrew and Jacquie to Hong Kong then Cairns, Aidan to London, Arlene to Noosa &  Kee Wan & Mel to other parts of China before returning to Melbourne.

For us Orphans (Kev, Marysia and self) it was time to explore some more of Yangshou before heading out at night for the marvelous illuminations show performed by 700 performers against an incredible backdrop of mountains and river in front of an audience of some 5,000.

The show was stunning although slightly spoilt by the Chinese audience who a) talked over the singers b) encouraged their kids to play computer games during the show and c) annoyingly left before the how had even finished - obviously because the last train to Beijing was pulling out !

Dazzled by the light show our next day was all about cycling and relaxing
Jumping back on Hired bikes we traipsed back 20 kms up the same damned hills wed descended on down into Yangzhou before this time heading a further 10+ kms into Bai Sha on the Yulong river where we took a stunning bamboo raft ride back with our bikes to Yangshou.

What a way to spend an hour and a half as we drifted amongst stunning karst scenery at such a relaxed pace that

Kev nearly off the raft into the river while asleep - the scenery was stunning and the river so serene .. well until the area where it appeared a few hundred Chinese were waiting on rafts to go over a small rock section purely so they could get their photo taken as per an amusement ride !

From our exit point and with Henley on map duty it was a simple 6 km ride back into Yangshou to this time hang up the bikes for good on this China trip

A great day and now only 1& 1/2 days left before we head off to Shanghai !

Day 19 - Yangshou 45 kms -

We left our scenically located accommodation in Xingping following a morning downpour that had turned our exit track sadly into pools of mud !

Despite Melbourne Mel having 8 falls (none  captured on camera) Marysia chose the exact moment I'd turned on my gopro (showoff) to take a slow poetic role narrowly missing one of the pools of mud !













Finally out of the swamp we started what could only be described as an enduro climb on a steep narrow rocky rutted path up towards a mountain side view !

The treacherous nature of the path claimed a no.of victims, first Welsh Paula, then Jacquie (grazes) and finally Scottish Sarah who painfully embedded her handlebars into her ribs.

The most spectacular near miss though was Harro who riding in a high gear up a steep section lifted his front wheel like a bucking bronco narrowly avoiding a serious back flip !

By the timed we reached our lookout point after 5 kms of dirt and rocks we'd sweated a collective "lake" and were down to our last few drops of water !

The spectacular karst and river view taken in we hurtled down hill on a beaut concrete road to raid a local village shop of nearly it's entire stock of bottled water !

With a few undulating climbs and some scintillating downhills we finally arrived in Yangshou elated to have successfully ridden over 780 kms in some really trying conditions !

We rode as a group into the main part of Yangshou and barely had time to deposit our gear before heading out to lunch to farewell our hard working crew including head Chinese guide Bobby who were heading back to their home cities some hours away !

Showered and rested we dined to celebrate our success and new friendships while toasting our English guide Aidan who led us well during the trip achieving many milestones

Jacquie's first 100 kmer -
Viv's longest cycle tour -
Mels spectacular 8 dismounts -
Andrews first 3 dayer -
Marysia's incredible effort in the heat -
Harros barnstorming hill climbs -
Keep Wans first cycle tour and learning that undies and bike nicks don't mix -
And Henley's fantastic effort for an 85 year old (Arlene believed this to be Kevs age !)

With all the backslapping over Kev, Marysia and self take on operation R&R with 3 days of rest in Yangshou before flying back home !

Day 18 - Xingping 65 kms - The Karsts are Alive !

We left Guilin in morning steamy conditions battling our way through heavily trafficked  roundabouts to eventually find ourselves back out in the countryside.

We took in our first views of the lovely Li river enjoying the good cycling surface which unfortunately was not to last very long

Andrew was back in the saddle demonstrating some power cycling chasing the sprinters while Jacquie was just wishing the trip was over !

Our first climb took us on an off road surface with rock quarrying seemingly happening on every corner with the very real chance of rocks being loaded into trucks bouncing out and taking out an unwary cyclist !

Our 2nd climb was a beauty on mainly good surfaces providing stunning views of the Limestone Karst hills which were everywhere  - the descent following was incredibly spectacular !

Professor Harris at one corner observing a nearby lake made a Nat Geo discovery sitting under the noses of the Chinese apparently for millennia - with some modesty he named the moving large lake water masses the "Harro Invictus" - (pretentious said Henley), which turned out to be massses of shoal fish which had congregated in packs !

With temperatures a little shy of the surface of the sun (accurate according to Marysia) we started to wilt and fell into Xingping taking lunch and then ferrying our bikes and equipment across the river in a boat held together by super glue !.

At our hotel we were finally able to relax and replaced some of the litres of sweat we'd lost !
Taking a late afternoon walk we took in some incredible sights of the Limestone Karsts on the Li River with the sun setting !

For the adventurous there was even a night excursion for some cormorant fishing !
We are nearly done and dusted and only 50 kms from our destination at Yangshou !

Day 17 - Guilin 52 kms - Land of the 7 peaks !

After a less than impressive breakfast we left our less than impressive resort where frogs in bedrooms and non flushing toilets where standard options.

Without looking back we headed out into the countryside on an undulating ride in once again incredibly steamy conditions !

A coffee stop after 15 kms was followed by some single track experience as we bounced along a muddy / rocky path through jungle like scenery that included the odd grenade throwing pit or two (land owned by the military) - going off path here might have a really interesting consequence !

Our ride into Guilin eventually included some good narrow path concrete roads which Andrew was finally able to enjoy after battling a stomach bug condition for the past week.

Almost like the old RACV service we were picked up by a Chinese guide who's sole role was to guide us from the outskirts into the center of this incredibly busy city !

Our initial joy at the beautiful surrounding Karst scenery was replaced by a smidge of terror as we competed with the throngs of vehicular traffic including the silent but deadly electric motor scooters !

We finally arrived unscathed at our hotel in downtown Guilin just after 1.00 p. m. And while some thought another Asian lunch time meal was the go Kev, Jacquie, Andrew, Viv, Linton and self scurried next door to a Spanish restaurant that had all sorts of mouth watering western delicacies !

Lunch done the ladies took to the streets searching for a take home gift or two while Kev and I adjourned to our palatial hotel room rudely interrupted at one point by some jibbering Chinese room maid who burst in telling us that the reason we could not watch any TV was that Kev had stupidly left his towell covering the TV screen - the fact that we'd not rung anyone about our TV or we're anyway interested in watching it seemed to be lost on her !

The last we saw of her was heading out of the room to report on how stupid Australians were !
A beer on the hotels roof garden and some free evening time wandering the streets were the highlight of our evening !

Only 2 days cycling to go !

Day 16 - Mishaidi 101 kms - " Jacquie no longer a Virgin " !

The beautiful evening we'd spent taking in a full moon while indulging in after dinner deserts was washed away from our memory as we trudged back down the hill from Ping An to our bikes in torrential morning rain.














From here it was back down the steep switchbacks we'd climbed yesterday taking great care with the very slippery road conditions.

After nearly 2 hours we were finally at the start point of the days100 km ride !

The day didn't start too well as a steady drizzle accompanied us on a busy road with buses and trucks as we cimbed 18 kms to our first summit point

The descent in the traffic following was treacherous with the Chinese habit of driving on the wrong side of the road when overtaking slow vehicles causing some riders great concern !
Marysia was very lucky at one point to regain control when her bike skidded on an oil patch with a bus fast approaching - thankfully she recovered with both Kev and the nearby Romanian judge  scoring Marysia 9/10 for creative content !

Off the busy highway we headed backwaters on a lovely potholed country road that combined with a beautiful concrete section took us to our lunch stop where the steamy sun finally appeared
After lunch the ride got even better with a stunning 10 km downhill that brought into sight our very first limestone Karsts !

Stopping to reassemble we were admonished by a military vehicle for being outside a Chinese military establishment - we were in trouble until the lovely Mel smiled at the occupants getting us out of 10 years in solitary !

After a final climb we arrived at our 1960's resort at 5.30 p.m. With Jacquie elated (& exhausted) after having completed her first 100+ km ride - an exceptional effort by a very determined lady !
Even the "Vivster" had secured a personal best  with this trip being the longest one she has ever done - well done Viv !

We checked in to our 1/2 star guest house and set about hanging out our wet gear - Kevs priority instead was to dominate our clothes line with his wet cross word sheets !

Harro and Andrew became our cultural attaches for the evening mixing it with some holidaying Chinese who kindly invited them over to share drinks on their table - Henley was sent over to take a few photos but instead was forced into a rice wine sculling contest - (his photography effort consequently suffered !)

With only 3 cycling days left we head into the city of Guilin tomorrow after a welcome short days ride !

Day 15 - Ping An 32 kms -

It was an uncertain start to the day with landslides some weeks back forcing a re-route but in what direction even our guides seemed not to know !

We left busy Longshen battling with peak hour traffic before 13 km of open riding with the morning close to 100% humidity - very sapping !

A stop for coffee allowed us to stand collectively around a huge circular fan - moving as one unit in time with the moving fan !

Off again we did some serious climbing on a section of switchbacks for stunning views of the receding valley !

You could not help but stop and take in the magic views as well as use the opportunity to wring a few litres of sweat out of our saturated riding jerseys !

After climbing 10 kms we eventually reached the parks entrance. Here we said goodbye to our bikes, donned our day packs and walked for an hour in searing heat on a path to Ping An village with fabulous views of the terraced rice fields falling away from us !

Being bike fit is definitely not being walk fit and with little energy in reserve we staggered into our hotel the Ping An complete with wifi, western food, western toilets, air conditioning and an open air balcony where you can eat and drink while taking in the fabulous hillside views

Marysia who doesnt even drink wasted no time in appearing on the balcony with a beer in hand while Andrew was left salivating at so many Western food choices before finally settling on a chicken club sandwich minus head and claws !





















Kev has decided on propping up the bed while i'm off with Viv,Linton and Jacquie for a full body massage - bliss at last !!!!

Ps  the race is on with Andrew and self having collectively lost over 12 kgs in 2 weeks in China so far !

Day 14 - Longsheng 107 kms - Heroes All !

Trying to escape the days heat after yesterdays experience we left right on 8.00a.m. saying goodbye to our 1/2 star guest house and working our way out of town through a crowded market where the towns dogs were cleaning up the blood of the mornings freshly slaughtered animals (enough to nearly make us throw up our meagre breakfasts !)

After a warm up 5 km cycle we hit a huge 11km climb gaining over 600 metres in altitude
The climb although steep was doable because the foliage offered this time some form of shade. Jacquie's effort to summit was particularly character building !

A lovely cooling descent followed before we undertook a really tough 20 km ride to lunch in oppressive conditions on dusty roads competing with oncoming traffic for not much available road space !

Our arrival had most of us diving for ice cold cokes - Andrews effort in making it this far was a huge one given his stomach bug condition yesterday !

Riding to our lunch stop restaurant Linton and self became separated from the group. We had nearly cycled out of the city before we rang one of our group leaders to say that we were lost !
What was impressive was not that our Chinese guide eventually found us but that Linton's first phone call was actually answered by someone in China after he'd realised that he'd used last nights wifi password no and not our guides phone number !

Back with our group after an extra 5 km it was a hurried lunch and a few more cokes before again hitting the boiling cauldron with still over 65 kms to go !

Our first stop after 20 kms had a few of us including me heading for the support van - it was just too bloody hot !

Linton hyper after the 5 cokes he'd drunk battled on despite sweating nearly twice his body weight ! Kev loves the heat so was having few problems while Viv was determined not to succumb - the Sandler True Grit !

Marysia joined legends status by completing the 100+ km journey despite her aversion to heat and with the group crossed the finish line at Longsheng just after 5.15 p.m. a long and tiring day !


Tommorrow is only a short 30 km ride with a 1 hour walk required because of landslides near our destination !

Ps seeking to avoid another night of Chinese noodles and vegetables I wandered down the road and secured a tin of Pringles - the flavour - you guessed it, Noodle !

Day 13 - Dudong 54 kms - A heat stroke too far !

Feeling refreshed after our rest day team China left Zhaoxing on a steep but scenic 10 km climb out of the valley in very hot & steamy conditions !

Poor Andrew only made it part way up the first hill when his stomach bug kicked back in causing him to make a quick detour to the bus were he acted as team photographer for the rest of the day

With our hill summited we look a magic 20 km combo of descents and flat riding to our coffee stop at a place with barely a breath of wind !

Having made good time it was decided to push on to our destination in one hit. The first15 kms were on a concrete road that wound its way upwards through a narrow valley almost gorge like where the heat reflected from the concrete was stifling !

Without air movement and with the constant climbing a few of the big engines (read self and Linton) really began to suffer !

Marysia , Viv and Kev put in brave efforts while Jacquie I think even surprised herself by her strong cycling although paying for her effort feeling exhausted on completion !

Linton decided to shorten his chain one kink more by yet another chain break which raised his temperature even more !

Finally summitting I had to quickly take some rehydration tablets feeling the effects of the blazing sun while a number of the group were also feeling nauseous !

Our descent into Dudong was a bone rattling dusty 8 kms that really tested Kev's arthritic wrists

We timed our arrival to join on the rear of a funeral procession that had half the village as mourners throwing fire crackers as they took the body to a coffin and burial - there way some of us feeling like asking if they offered a 2-1 special !

The day finished in Dudong arriving in our pretty spartan guest house and little else offering in town !

Our excitement for the evening was in fact finding amidst the plates of chicken feet and been sprouts a plate of French fries and tomato sauce - luxury !!!!

Tomorrow its a 100+ km day as we draw closer to Guilin !

Day 12 - Zhaoxing - Rest Day - No Somking !

What it delight it was to rest our weary bones and sleep in on our rest day in Zhaoxing !

While Kev and I didn't present for an underwhelming breakfast untill after 10a.m. the rest of the crew took part in a tour of the village .... well at least until the women spied the craft shops

Returned from the walk we took in a local Chinese lunch before retiring for a mid afternoon snooze mine about 15 mins because of Kev's constant fidgeting - when i mentioned this to him he said he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he too went to sleep so decided to keep me awake as well !

We cght up with Marysia and our Welsh dynamo Paula for some late afternoon apperitifs broken only by exploding firecrackers that had us nearly falling off our chairs !

The night times entertainment was provided by yours truly when I moved backwards in my plastic chair in an open air eating place causing the leg to snap and me to end up on my back much to the mirth of the many Chinese diners and my own cycling compatriots

With the rest day over we are looking forward to jumping back on the bikes tomorrow !

Day 11 - Zhaoxing 72 kms - Chinese Enduro !

Wow rarely is there a cycling day that can embrace nearly every single known road and weather condition but this one was pretty damned close !

We departed the city of Liping population 40,000 going on1 million based on the number of high rises being built !

We'd barely left the city when Aidan's (our guide) prediction of a few morning showers quickly went pear shaped when the heavens opened !

The rain was torrential and caused rivers across the roads as well as hidden potholes concealing litres of lurking mud !

After a tough 4 km descent we pulled up for a coffee and a chance to remove our saturated gear to allow it to semi dry !

The next section of riding of some 20 odd kms took us through villages and rural countryside on surfaces bearing little resemblance to roads but more to the bomb pitted battlefields of Fromelle in WW1 with its quagmire state comprising rocks, boulders and washaways !

The day had a few minor mishaps. Mel added another 3 failed decleats to her tally with one to the applause of a watching Chinese road crew when she rounded a corner !
Our guide followed up looking for a sympathy vote (got none) when he slid out on a treacherous downhill descent grazing his elbow !

Kev feeling left out also put in an "entry" with his spectacular slow motion dismount when cycling 3.2 kms an hour uphill through a section of muddy and rocky road debris - Kev's 2 band aids clearly trumped our UK guides paltry looking gauze for the most serious / life threatening injury on tour so far !

While Jacquie, Andrew and Marysia rode themselves into a pain filled nirvana Harro took Hero of the day status by strongly sumitting the days 2 steep climbs even though his chain was 2 chain links shorter from 2 previous chain breaks ! One more missing chain link and Harro will be riding a fixed gear !




Lunch saw a drying mud splattered lot pull into town right beside a freshly cut up family pig that did little for some appetites (read mine)

Our final section of days riding included a great decent and a chance to hose down our mud filled bikes before some sedate riding into the wonderful UNESCO village of Xaoping our destination for 2 nights to allow our sore and sorry bodies to recover.

A quick night time meander around the village revealed brightly lit temples and a lively night life including chinese line dancing and restaurants and bars advertising pizzas and waffles - may not be Lygon St but it looks pretty damned good compared to fronting up to another meal of $&#$@# noodles !