Army

Rest Day in Xi'an
October 31st
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Took a morning tour of the famous Terracotta Army. The site was only discovered in 1974, after lying buried for 2,000 years. There are 8,000 unique clay soldiers and horses in battle formation...perhaps modeled on real people. Only 1,000 have been excavated so far as archaeologists try to prevent the paint from fading away when exposed to air. With all of the gift shops, there were at least as many warriors for sale as on display.

The laundromat lost one of my cycling jearsies - the new one that my parents couriered to me in Baku. Several other riders also lost different bits of laundry. Very frustrating!

Ben helped me change my entire drive train this afternoon: new chain, chainrings and cog set. We didn't have the right spanner to remove my crankset, so I couldn't change my smallest chainring. I walked around from bike shop to bike shop for an hour trying to find the needed tool...but found nothing. Hopefully, the rest of the trip will be flat and I won't need my (now unavailable) granny-gear.

Happy Halloween! (I ate two Dove Bars and a Magnum today to celebrate.)

Old City

Rest Day in Xi'an
October 30th
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Xi'an is a former capital of China, and was once the largest city in the world, It was also the primary “end” of the Silk Road for many years (at the other “end” was Rome). Thanks largely to the Terra Cotta Army, it is the most popular city for domestic tourism by the Chinese.

I spent much of the day walking around the old city, although it was overcast and eventually poured with rain. The huge city walls and moat were impressive and there were a lot of exciting little alleys full of local life. The street venders' coal stoves burst with orange heat.

It was strange to see a few other non-Asian tourists. The main streets were overbuilt, commercial and boring - dozens of McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants.

Xi'an's old city wall now has extra holes in it for traffic:


A local cyclist with a small bike and a big load:

The Bell tower in the center of the old city:

Smog

Chunhua to Xian
October 29th
93km (497m vertical)

Short, uneventful day riding down into the huge city of Xian. We lost a lot of altitude, so hopefully it will be warmer in the days to come. The pollution around Xian is terrible - everything is covered in a white haze. It looks like there's a bush fire somewhere.

Poor Nicole got a flat tire this morning and then lost her wallet at an internet cafe this afternoon. Stressful day for her.

My (saint of a) mother e-mailed to say that everything has been finalized with the Toronto condo that I'm renting. There was a lot of back-and-forth on the lease, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Thanks for doing all the work Ma!

Staying in a youth hostel over the double rest day in Xian. No heat and the bathroom smells like an egg threw-up. (The water has a strong sulfur smell. Terrible!) Looking forward to that nice Toronto condo.

Its not a cloudy day...that is the smog just outside of Xian:

This internet cafe must has more than 500 computers in it (along with 500 chain-smoking teenagers):

Walking home from dinner, there were dozens of people lighting small fires on the sidewalk. Apparently, its some kind of prayer ritual:

Mud, Hills and Hobbits

Changwu to Chunhua
October 28th
137km (2,412m vertical)

Great day. We took a new route this year, because last year's trip went through a coal-truck tunnel and everyone came out completely black. This year, we went over that mountain instead of through it. Lots of climbing, but lots to see...and we got some great downhills too. (Jimmy fell on one of them and hurt his hip. He should be ok, but won't ride tomorrow.)

On the initial downhill of the day, everyone got covered in mud...especially Dr. Joan:

Its always exciting to “discover” things like this Buddhist temple/grotto en route:

This fountain was “dancing” to inspirational marching music piped over loudspeakers:

Saw a lot of these “Hobbit Houses” today, carved into the side of the mountain. (I like the chimney on this one.)

The final climb of the day was the shortest...but was still 3km of switchbacks!

Overcast

Pingliang to Changwu
October 27th
118km (1,417m vertical)

Dull, overcast day. Much flatter than the last few days, with the same dramatic landscapes. I thought it might rain, but we made it to the hotel without getting wet.

View from our lunchstop:

Monasteries

Jinging to Pingliang
October 26th
103km (1,567m vertical)

What a great day! It started with a nice ride: sunny and crisp, dramatic scenery, a 2.4km tunnel at lunch and a long downhill that lasted almost the entire afternoon. At one point, we took a short detour off the main road and onto a tiny dirt track that lead through a 5 house village with a 170 year old Taoist monastery. So cool. There was still incense burning, but we didn't see a soul as we looking into the various shrines. Very authentic experience.

After we reached the hotel, a group of us took a taxi to Kongtong mountain, home of some magnificent Buddhist monasteries. Unlike the Taoist monastery, these were grand, spectacular, and popular tourist destinations...although we were lucky enough to be the only ones there. We wandered freely around the various temples and shrines, and Clive, Frank and I climbed all the way to the top of the “Stairway to Heaven”...the park's main attraction. This was truly an epic climb and I was huffing and puffing badly by the time I reached the top...and I thought I was in shape after 6 months of cycling.

By the time we were ready to leave it was already dark and the park was closed. We had originally taken a gondola up to the base of the monastery, but hired a bus to drive us back down. It was a hair-raising ride up dozens of tight switchbacks in the dark...and the driver had the gas down the entire way. He must have had the hairpins memorized...or a death wish.

Amazing terraced landscape:

I had to slam on the breaks mid-decent to get this photo of our road curving around the hills:

The tiny Taoist monastery...with Dr. Joan:

View from Kongtong mountain:

Colorful Buddhist monastery:

More Buddhist Monastery:

At the top of the "Stairway to Heaven" was this chanting monk:

A tiny shrine high on a cliff:

Fantastic Fall

Mountain Village to Jingning
October 25th
102km (1,686m vertical)

Another crisp fall ride. More fabulous mountain scenery, with terraces, canyons and lots of colorful foliage.

At one point, two donkeys almost ran me off the road. They were being chased by a guy on a scooter, and I was trapped between them. I managed to avoid contact, but the unsuspecting old lady further up the hill got body-checked into the ditch.

There was a 1km tunnel at the end of the day where the tour van rode behind us to illuminate the road. More tunnels in the days ahead.

Great hotel tonight but, again, the hot water didn't come on until 7pm. Spent an hour in the internet cafe across the road, reading through a condo lease.

My saddle had a thin layer of ice on it this morning:

Impressive hillside terraces were everywhere:

Man selling pumpkins from a tiny cave in the side of the mountain:

Canyons

Lanzhou to Mountain Village
October 24th
128km (2,204m vertical)

Great day! Its so nice to be out of the desert and back to some interesting landscapes. The traffic and pollution as we climbed out of Lanzhou were ridiculous, but they soon gave way to rugged canyons and sprawling hillside terraces that stretched out into the horizon. It looked like a fantasy planet.

There were small patches of snow in the shade of the terraces, but the weather was good for the ride. Cold but sunny.

Nicole felt good this morning and rode today. She did well on a day with a lot of climbing and only complained on the last downhill...which was really cold. (It was an amazing decent though, curling around the mountain contours at 50km/h.)

Sleeping in a “homestay” tonight in a very small mountain town. Its definitely basic, but it is a lot warmer than a tent.

Some photos of today's impressive canyons:

Condos and KFC

Rest Day in Lanzhou
October 23rd
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Spent several hours in an internet cafe today, weighing different options for Toronto condos. Hope to get that finalized soon. Otherwise, it was typical rest day activities: laundry (none in the hotel so I did it in the bathtub) and bike cleaning (a friendly man with a high-pressure hose did all the work...and refused to take any money).

Had a chicken burger at a KFC, which is the first western restaurant we've seen in ages. (I know...I know...KFC is not usually my favorite either.) Had noodle soup and dumplings for lunch, with help ordering from a bilingual customer...from Toronto. Great dinner staring sweet corn fritters and beef stir fry.

Nicole was feeling much better today, and plans to ride tomorrow. Not sure about Trine. She and Max decided to skip the next 6 days of cycling by taking a train to Xian. Presumably they were not excited by the prospect of more cold weather cycling. Max did not have any pants or leg warmers on when we rode through the blizzard!

Impressive escalators in the big mall (with the KFC):

Snow Storm

Tianzhu to Lanzhou
October 22nd
148km (1,732m vertical)

Looked out the window this morning and thought “Boy it looks cold out there. They sky is really grey...oh...and everything is covered in snow!” The roads were clear, but there was enough snow on the cars to have a snowball fight in the parking lot.

Nicole and Trine were still feeling terrible, so I rode with Al. As we set off, it started to rain and snow heavily, and quickly became a full-on snow storm. It was 28F and very, very wet. I'd never ridden in snow like this before...let alone on a 148km ride! My toes and hands were freezing, as the slush quickly soaked through my shoe-covers and gloves. By lunch it had stopped raining and the temperature had risen to 40F...which was a LOT more comfortable.

After lunch, we rode along the Yellow River, which is now decidedly more brown than yellow. (Apparently, up to 70% of the river's volume is silt...versus 4% for the supposedly muddy Nile!)

The traffic in Lanzhou is completely crazy! Traffic lights are ignored, with cars, scooters, buses, bikes and people swarming intersections randomly. As we entered the city, Al hit a huge pothole that was hidden in a puddle, and fell off his bike. Bad luck.

Made good time, averaging 26.1km/h on a day with a net descent. We arrived at 3pm but the hotel didn't turn on the hot water until 7pm...which was pretty frustrating after such a wet, cold day. At least we weren't camping!

This photo doesn't really capture how cold I was:


Al with all his warm clothes on:

Rolling hills covered in fresh snow:

The Yellow River (once the snow had stopped):

Main road into Lanzhou...now dry and warm(er):

Alone Out Front

Wuwei to Tianzhu
October 21st
134km (2,361m vertical)

With Nicole sick in the truck, I rode alone today, averaging 25.1km/h on a day with a lot of climbing. I was first to lunch (passing people that had left an hour before me) and first to the hotel...beating Al by 15 minutes. I haven't pushed myself to ride this quickly in ages, and was pleased to see that I could still do it. (Although my legs are much more sore than usual tonight.)

Although the ride was uphill almost all day, the 10km mountain pass had a surprisingly gentle slope. We also had a tailwind and crisp, but comfortable weather all day. A nice fall ride. The scenery was pretty bland despite all the climbing, but last year there was a snow storm and no one could see anything...so I can't complain.

Nicole and Trine are both still feverish and not eating much, so they won't ride tomorrow. Ben, one of the tour leaders, is also feeling ill and has taken a bus ahead to Lanzhou, where we will join him tomorrow.

Tree-lined street:

Woods with a carpet of leaves:

Autumn in the mountains:

Sick Nic

Rest Day in Wuwei
October 20th
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Poor Nicole is really sick, in bed all day with a fever and painful stomach aches. Trine is also bedridden with the same thing. I don't think that either of them will be able to ride tomorrow...which is really sad for Nicole, who has done every inch since Paris. Tomorrow's ride is a challenge, long day with a mountain pass, so it would be really tough to do while sick. Hope that this is not the start of another epidemic.

No laundry at the hotel, but there was a woman in a tiny (3m x 2m) storefront who did all of my laundry for $3.

I had Frank, one of our local guides, write the names of some good Chinese dishes on a paper for me, to avoid another chicken-head debacle. Food today was much better as a result.

The local internet cafe's could not access the blogger website, so I couldn't update this blog. I'll try again at tomorrow's hotel. Hope that Chinese censorship has not caught up with me.

I repacked my two bags today, moving my tent and camping equipment into my permanent bag (that I can only access on rest days). My daily bag is now practically empty, and will not require the precise packing and strained zipping that I have become accustomed to over the past 5 months.

Interesting building in town, with a main road running through the center of it:

Signs

Great Wall Camp to Wuwei
October 19th
145km (1,155m vertical)

Long day today. The 8 hours we spent on the road felt like an eternity. There was a mountain pass in the morning, but it was merely a prelude to the real pass we'll cross on our way out of Wuwei.

The temperature dropped to 37F last night and I was cold. Glad that we'll be staying in hotels for the rest of the trip. We did warm up once the sun hit us, and the afternoon felt like any crisp autumn day back home.

No luck ordering dinner tonight. We got a huge plate of potatoes and chicken...a whole chicken that had been chopped crudely and served completely (bones, feet, head and all).

Nothing exceptional to photograph today. The Arabic on the street signs has disappeared and been replaced by English...sort of:

Great Wall

Zhangye to Great Wall Camp
October 18th
107km (1,263m)

Impressive scenery today as we were surrounded by misty mountains (impossible to capture in photos, I've found). We followed the Great Wall all day...even riding through it at one point. Although small from a distance, it was surprisingly formidable up close – 15 feet tall and 6 feet thick, I'd guess. It stretched from horizon to horizon; a man-made structure on a truly massive scale.

Knut raced past us this afternoon drafting behind a big truck. He's already been told not to do this, since it is very unsafe and could get the tour in trouble if seen by local police. On the way into Jiaguan, he hit a big pothole (those are hard to see when you are right behind a truck) and warped both of his rims. He had his wheels rebuilt on new rims during the rest day. Despite this, he was still drafting trucks today. What an idiot.

Tonight is our last night of camping, and we're in an amazing spot - right beside the Great Wall and a kilometer into the open desert, away from the road. Perfect. We had a big campfire, told funny stories, sung songs and Louise even lit some fireworks...which exploded randomly in every direction. (Quotes from the startled spectators included “There's no way that was safe” and “Louise is standing farther back than we are.”)

Its sad that we won't be camping anymore, even though I'm happy to get a warm bed. In the middle of the desert, away from city lights, the stars always dazzle and the moon floods the vast terrain with soft light. It always inspires an extra moment of reflection...before I run back to the relative warmth of my tent.



Colourful traffic on the way out of town:





Riding through the Great Wall:

Me and the wall:

Camping beside the wall...in the middle of the desert:

More wall:

Rain

Desert Camp to Zhangye
October 17th
112km (802m vertical)

It got pretty cold last night...which helped me to justify the custom snow-pants. It started raining during the night and, for the first time, I had to pack-up my tent in steady rain. (Never a camping highlight.) I had hoped that sunrise would yield impressive mountain photos, but the sun and the mountains were both hidden in the clouds.

It was 42F as we hit the road, but the rain and wind made it feel much colder. Our initial decent from camp was enough to give me wet legs, frozen toes and numb fingers until the rain stopped and the sun dried me off.

Found an internet cafe all by myself this afternoon. I recognized the Chinese characters on a sign, and followed the posters of bikini-clad women with laser guns up two flights of stairs to the sea of computers. A proud moment.

As I write this, the radiator beside my bed is blasting hot air into an already hot hotel room and I am melting, despite the open window. There is no English television, so I'm watching Olympic reruns, which are on constantly.

Fall colours with a snow-capped background:

Me at lunch...with my seven local admirers...and Mike's finger: