Travelogue

Maps of Cycling Days: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

Saturday - Flight to Beijing

I arrived at Heathrow Airport, on 5^th June 1999, with several hours to spare. I had gratefully accepted the offer of a lift from a mate who was picking up friends from Singapore. I hadn’t anticipated the lack of activities at the airport and had forgotten how low my boredom threshold was. Nevertheless I eventually began queuing with my fellow cyclists. I wondered if they felt as nervous as I did. They certainly looked confident and raring to go. We finally left Heathrow at 16.50. I tried to hide my fear of flying by concentrating on the in-flight magazine. This almost worked until we hit some turbulence several minutes after take-off. I read the same inane sentence so many times it became a sort of mantra. Outwardly I must have looked calm because, as we reached 35000-ft (10668m), Steve Punter who sat to my left mistook me for a "seasoned traveller". Of course British Airways are skilled at taking nervous flyer’s minds off things and an endless stream of films and meals ensued. I was even woken at midnight (BST) and given a choc-ice! The flight took us over Norway; Sweden and then Russia and we were due to land at Beijing at 0930hrs on 6^th June.

Sunday - Lake Yanxihu

We landed on time at Beijing and, in the instant we stepped off the plane, it was obvious we were in another country. The air was heavy with the scent of spice. The spruce trees to the north side of the airport were filled with the sound of crickets. The atmosphere was humid and the temperature around 27c. Upon entering the terminal building I experienced my first taste of Chinese bureaucracy. Everyone had to fill in an entry visa – a small square of white paper - with a scarcity of biros, most of which refused to work. After a 10-hour flight it was hard to remember my own name let alone any other personal detail. We lugged our bags to the waiting coaches and sat sweating while the stragglers were rounded up. Several of us took the opportunity to share a cigarette with, and get to know the local guides from Amazing Tours, while we passed the time. The journey was my first chance to suss out the Chinese roads and I was encouraged by their seeming flatness (how wrong can you be?). I should have taken more notice of the way our coach driver was cutting people up as we sped towards our first hotel. The taxi drivers, mostly driving VW Jettas, didn’t seem to have any regard for their own or anyone else’s safety…more on that theme later! Our main guide, Da Lee (or was it Dali?) gave us a brief introduction to the city and added a bit of local colour as we made our way to our first stop.

The Green Lake Hotel was air-conditioned (bliss!), which made us all feel more comfortable. Reading the list of names I found I was sharing with Pete Seeger, so we introduced ourselves and went to find our room. The first thing I did was to open the window – luckily there was a mesh screen to keep the mosquitoes out – and plug in the zapper. I had no wish to end up as some insect’s lunch! Somehow I missed the Rep from the Bank of China and subsequently ended up with about 20 quid sterling and a load of traveller’s cheques in dollars that were useless to me at that moment. To those who took pity on me and bailed me out (Rachael, Da Lee, Gary and Pete) I am grateful and will always remember your kindness. That afternoon we took our first look at the bikes - Trek 800’s, which the organisers had bought in China – adjusted the saddles and rode them round the car park. A few spots of rain dampened the concrete but not our spirits. Thoughts of omens were banished by the bright sunshine that followed. It wasn't long, however, before the first rider had an accident. I walked out of reception just as one of our number could be seen sailing over the handlebars of his bike, landing heavily on his arm. On Chinese bikes, it seemed the brake levers operated the other way round to British bikes (front and rear brakes are reversed). He was all right after a visit to the local hospital. No broken bones but cuts and bruises - not to mention a few stitches. The evening drew in and it became even sultrier and hotter than before (around 32c), so we retreated into the bar for a few bottles of Tsing Tao beer. We met for a briefing about next day’s ride over a superb meal. Some of the 20 or so courses were more obvious than others. Only Finlay was brave enough to try the pork-knuckles in gelatine. My excuse was that a fly landed in it before I had a chance to sample this superior local delicacy. We were all lulled into a false sense of security by the cheap beer (40p a pint) and the delicious food. Maps of the next day’s route were handed round. We were expecting a few hours leisurely cycling (about 40kms) in the afternoon. The reality dawned on us. We would be cycling, mostly up hill, all day on Monday, over 65kms, in the same heat and humidity we had experienced during the day today.

Monday - Mutianyu to the Ming Tombs (Map 1 )

I didn’t get a tremendous amount of sleep what with all the thoughts of the first true day’s cycling ahead. Breakfast was a quiet affair despite the excellent food. Listening to my fellow travellers it became apparent that not everyone had mosquito mesh at the windows. There was much talk of biting insects, bats and comparison of bite marks! It seemed odd loading up the truck with the luggage as we had only been at the hotel for what felt like five minutes. We cycled slowly out of the gates, over the potholes and on to a proper Chinese road at last. The terrain was mercifully flat to start with which compensated for the temperature which was already over 25c, and the air was thick with the odour of suntan lotion, which most of us had larded on. We were heading toward The Great Wall at Mutianyu and along tree-lined avenues shrieking with insects and birdsong. Eventually we could see a thin ribbon of stone threading its way through the mountains and we knew our destination was in sight. We were pelting along the flat road and it all seemed to good to be true. It was. We started to climb and the road began to bend this way and that. The first hill presented itself and dozens of us were grateful for a short stop in a little village. A canopy of trees provided shade and the villagers came out to marvel at our athletic ability (I think). How they laughed! I soldiered on and eventually made it to the visitor’s car park near to the wall. Doubts, having crept in earlier, were now having a field day in my troubled head. It would be fair to say that those queuing patiently for the bottled water could have been killed in the rush! The heat was intense (30+). I drank as much as I thought I needed to. Read on to find out if I judged correctly.

We were given the option to either walk up to the Great Wall or ride to the top in a cable car. Nothing to it I thought as I trudged up several hundred clay steps (some paved). The views of the wall and the surrounding countryside did not disappoint. Inner Mongolia lay on one side and China to the other (left and right of the photo) both equally spectacular. There weren’t as many hawkers as we expected except one persistent "shouty" bloke whom Gary Oliver had to pay to go away – sorry, I mean pay to have his photo taken with. There was a slide to go down the hill (a bit like a log flume without water) which some of us braved but I had to decline due to lack of funds. There was a clutch of market stalls at the bottom of the steps and I ran the gauntlet of the traders, all of them shouting "Hello T-shirt!" at the tops of their voices. I also had my first experience of Chinese public loos as well. It seemed odd paying with a bank note to have a pee! Lunch was served in a small restaurant below the wall. We filled the whole of the upstairs floor, which necessitated the opening of all the windows, so that we could breathe. Temperatures had continued to rise to 40c. The food was even better that that of the Green Lake (if that were possible). It was also the first time sugared tomatoes featured on the menu. The jasmine tea was very refreshing and I wished I could have filled my water bottle with it. The loos at the restaurant were a bit of a shock. As the urinal was fully occupied the only alternative was the cubicle. This comprised of a saloon door behind which lay a ceramic trough in the floor with a couple of footplates either side. The smell of ammonia was somewhat overpowering. The second part of our ride took us though many small villages where children and adults alike came out to see us. I tried to imagine what we must have looked like to them – at best a friendly invasion – at worst a freak show. Still they all seemed pleased to see us, waved and called out "Ni hao" as we thundered by. After many miles and a steep uphill section we eventually reached a tunnel which was pleasantly cool. By now I was finding the going really tough. The heat and accompanying dehydration began to kick in and I started to get cramp in my legs. The only compensation was that we were able to coast downhill for a few miles. Unfortunately one of us took a bend too fast and hit a wall. Fortunately his injuries were not serious but required for him to go to hospital and miss a couple of days cycling. The agonising cramps continued and I limped to the last water stop (it’s on the video, mores the pity). Here Steve and Gary James gave me some sound advice about the quantities of water that I should have been drinking – at least double what I had actually swallowed. Feeling somewhat foolish I drank as much as the time allowed before we set off for the hotel. After many more arduous miles we reached the hotel around 4.30pm. Even the lack of cold beer didn’t dampen my relief at having completed the first leg of the journey. The meal was a blur and so was the briefing on the next day’s ride. Gary very kindly bailed me out when it came to paying for the trip to the Forbidden City, which was to take place on Saturday. I bought him a beer to thank him and then made my weary way to my bed. I’ve never been so glad to lie down in my life and I offered up a silent prayer that I might actually make it to the Forbidden City in one piece!

Tuesday - Ming Tombs - Longquin Gorge Hot Springs (Map 2 )

Our wake up call was at 6am, with breakfast soon after. This was a Chinese version of a continental breakfast, which consisted of lots of bacon, eggs and sausage-based dishes. The briefing was started by Theo (pronounced "Tayo"), who was met with chants of "TAYO,TAYO!". We started cycling at about 7.40 am, with the temperatures already soaring. I was having serious doubts at this stage, about being fit enough, having enough stamina and keeping up with the rest of the party. The first few miles were downhill and then the land flattened out. First stop was a short visit to one of the Ming Tombs. There are some 13 tombs in the area built by the Emperors of China between the 14th and 16th centuries. This was a very dilapidated building, which was closed to the general public. Although I felt privileged seeing something not many people are allowed to see I was a little disappointed not to have visited the tombs I had seen in the guidebooks. But then I remembered that this wasn't a sightseeing tour and we had other fish to fry. We were allowed in to the area of the tomb and although it was a ruin it was explained to us that it would be renovated or at least preserved in the future and opened up as a tourist attraction. We were all able to judge the size of the structure and marvel at the architecture. The Emperor came to rule at the age of 10 and at 22 started to build his tomb it took about 8 years. It was, apparently, a replica of the Forbidden City. Our Chinese guide Da Lee informed us that this tomb cost the equivalent of two years of the then total income of China to build, and many people were made to help build it. Part of the tomb was destroyed in the revolution but the main chamber was still intact. Flat roads and orchards were soon to disappear with the road taking on a decidedly vertical appearance. The climb was constant for 12kms. The gradient wasn't too steep but with the heat and constant climb it was hard work. Every now and again I could hear a cowbell, which sounded just like Da Lee's bell to signal the last kilometre. Russell's rucksack water bottle made its first appearance! We compared notes about how tough things had been so far and was grateful that someone else felt the same as I did about the heat, the humidity and the gradients! I plodded on after the water stop, determined not to make a prat of myself today. Climbs were hard, some of the party (not me I hasten to add!) found that brick lorries go a little faster than bikes and if you make a dash for them you can hang onto the back and get a tow.

Everyone was drinking lots of water and we were very pleased to eventually reach the top. I'd guess that around half the party was there to greet me with a few encouraging cheers and applause. This became common practice on the main stops proving what a team-effort this was becoming. It was here that I first realised how badly the heat and exertion were affecting my breathing. It was getting hard to breathe and any attempt to take a deep breath caused a lot of chest pain. A lot of others also complained of the same problem and this gave me a little reassurance. What goes up must come down. Today was no exception. I really enjoyed the long descent but the temperature had now risen to 40c. We were cycling through small villages again and alongside many of the roads were large numbers of beehives. The beekeepers were living alongside the hives in shelters ranging from basic tents to wooden or sometimes brick built, single room huts. Several people were stung as they tried to avoid the swarms. We passed Dazhuag He Middle School and a group of children come out to cheer us on our way.

Our support vehicles had gone ahead of us and informed local schools that we were soon to pass through the village. It seemed quite an impoverished community and housing was very basic but many people came out to cheer us on and some factories also had their workforce out on the road waving to us. Everyone appeared very friendly and pleased to see us. . The scenery here was spectacular and lots of photos were taken. It reminded me of the illustrations of Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings, for some reason, although we were halfway around the world from Tolkien's Britain. We stopped for a picnic lunch. We all fell upon the ham, tomato and cheese sandwiches like gannets and sat in the shade of some trees to eat. This turned out to be our favoured way of taking lunch as restaurant meals left us feeling too full and sleepy to cycle.

The journey that followed was around 20 km through sensitive military areas where we were not allowed to take photographs or even stop for a wee! This made me want to go even more of course and I was practically crossing everything (not easy on a bike!) as we all drew to a halt at a crossing. No, it wasn't a train, tram or heavy vehicle crossing but a fighter plane! If only we could have taken a few snaps! Passers by wondered at the helmets everyone in our party wore. In China nobody wears a cycling helmet and very few wear crash helmets even on motorcycles despite this being compulsory. We eventually came to Yong Ning Town, which was bustling. The Doctor with us, Barry, was travelling on the inside of a lorry which stopped to let a tractor pull out. Unfortunately Barry didn't stop and hit the tractor. He was a bit bruised and dazed but OK. Today had been a particularly hard day with over 79kms covered. Arrived, tired but happy, in Yan Qing City at the Badaling Resort Hot Spring Hotel. It was very posh - without question the best hotel we stayed in during our trip. The bath water was lovely, coming straight from a hot spring, and was much needed by all especially Pete who was suffering from a painful attack of leg cramps. Had an excellent meal and retired to the bar where Steve had discovered, to everyone's delight, that the canned beer was cheaper than the mineral water!