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| 16500 km |
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| China! We actually reached China! In fact, we already cycled 1000 kilometres. In only two weeks. And not the easiest kilometres, but still they were amazing. |
| We had a hard time in a few places. It was so tough at certain places. One steep pass after another. Rain, landslides, mud up to your ears. And after a long, hard day arriving in a hotel with cockroaches doesn't make it easier. A couple of days ago we climbed a 30 km-pass which was totally unpaved. When we finally reached the top and were happy to descend, the road became so horrible that we could only ride down with a 7 km/h max. The holes were so deep that you couldn't even see Patrick. Your legs want to quit, in your head you just want to give up. Did I really choose to do this voluntarily? |
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| But then it doesn't take much to get over this. In China you get rewards everywhere. The most beautiful landscapes, valleys, mountains, rice paddies. Usually the hotels are very good and dirt cheap. And the people, so incredibly nice. A man on a motorbike gives you a big smile and a thumbs-up. It happens many times daily. Old women staring at you, mouth wide open. You can see people in traditional clothing. When we rode this unpaved road, there where men in suits clapping for us. That makes you forget all the troubles and makes everything worthwhile. |
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| Laos was such a special country. So different than China. We really enjoyed it and were happy to share it with Charlotte. Even though we had some hard 7 to 19 days, she really had a great time as well. The rides were beautiful and so were the people. We will never forget the small children all standing in a row, shouting Sabaidee. But despite this great country, we were longing for new adventures, a country we had never visited before. We were really curious about China...The first day after the border crossing, it looked like not much had changed, although it was much more developed. But then we came in a city. That was a shock! A small place on the map turned out to be bigger and more modern than Rotterdam! Every city turned out to be like this and we like it. Ok, there is concrete, but it is much more colourful and alive then you would think. Outside the cities, it is totally different. Greenery and mountains everywhere. I don't think there is a flat road in Yunnan. |
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| In fourteen days we cycled from the border of Laos to the touristy Dali. In these 2 weeks, we didn't see any white people and we couldn't speak a word of English to anyone. The Chinese do not understand a word. In the morning we always ate the local noodle soup and in restaurants we would just walk into the kitchen to literally point out the meat and veggies we wanted to eat. And then we arrived in Dali. A real shock. Such a touristy place, white people everywhere, Dutch people everywhere! It should have been a nice, old, small village. We had expected a lot more from it. Maybe also because the day before, we had arrived in a small town that was probably like Dali before the tourists came. We didn't know, but it turned out to be such a beautiful place. You could see people in their traditional wear. You can see them here in Dali, but then they are guiding groups of Chinese tourists. On the other hand, it is nice to meet some other white people sometimes and eat pancakes! Little by little we start to climb towards Tibet. We are at an altitude of 2000 metres now and we cannot wait to see snow topped mountains! |
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