Howzit my China!!!

Having read many opinions and stories from other travelers on the potential pitfalls when applying for a Chinese visa, I was not convinced that I would be able to complete my journey as planned. However, as with most embassies, there are forms to be filled out and documents to be produced. Provided you have all of the information requested you should have no problem obtaining the visa. Although the Chinese love cyclists, the system does not cater for cycling across a border. They wanted me to buy a bus-ticket to take me to Nanning which was my first major destination. After some discussion about the waste of money because I would have to buy the ticket but I would not use it, the embassy accepted my application and within 4 days I was the happy recipient of a visa to visit China and continue my journey cycling to Hong King. I was both relieved and delighted.

I packed my bags and collected Bobbie from the parking lot in Hanoi ( where she had been chained to the fence for a week). I said a fond farewell to my friends in Hanoi and headed East via Bac Giang and Lang Son to cross into China at the YouYiGuan Friendship Pass about 30 kms from Pingxiang. Entering China through a land border in the far South West is quite daunting. My friend, Xiaoyun, had prepared me for the experience but I was still overwhelmed. I had been in seven other countries and I knew I would have no understanding of the language and my experience is that it takes a few days to acclimatise and learn some necessary words. The major difference is that in all of the other countries, they have shop signs, street signs and route signs in English even if the writing does not use the Roman Alphabet.

In China, the moment I entered the country, I felt totally inadequately prepared. I could not speak, read, write nor understand a single word. Nothing was familiar. No words I could cling to, no signs to show me where to go and no one who can understand me. It was a real shock. Fortunately, Xiaoyun had told me to be sure I had cash as ATMs would be few and far between. I went to buy a drink and it took me ages to choose one as all of the packaging and content is unfamiliar. Until I reached Pingxiang I would also not have Internet access as I needed to buy a SIM card. I tried to use the wi-fi at the border but I was stymied because I did not understand the instructions and I needed a Chinese keyboard (and immense knowledge of the writing) to register and login. For the very first time, after 7 months of travelling, I asked myself just what I was doing there and why was I putting myself through all of this.

Nevertheless, there is no going back so as always I pushed on. My first challenge came about 2 km later where the road split and I did not know which way to choose for Pingxiang. My attempts at pronouncing the name met with puzzlement from some local construction workers but eventually one of them pointed to the left fork and mimed “go that way”

30 km later, having ridden through lovely countryside in pouring rain, on roads that were sometimes paved, I finally arrived in Pingxiang. Not that I knew it because my pre-planning had it at 45 km. At that time though I did not care. All I wanted was to find a place to stay – another challenge – and buy a sim card. As it happened I took shelter, as the rain increased to become a real storm, under the awning of a China Telecom store so I used the time to buy a sim card and data (with much gesticulation and mime) Now for my next shock – no browser in English, no Google, no online maps.

But I did have Maps.Me, Google translate (offline) and WeChat thanks to Xiaoyun’s advice. Finding an hotel was not so easy as I could not just look down the road for a sign saying “Hotel” After a week or so I figured it is
旅馆 which does help somewhat! What I did was ride slowly up and down the main street (in the rain) looking for something that resembled an hotel reception area – you would be surprised how many furniture shops take on that aspect when you’re desperate. Anyway the ploy worked and I found myself in a comfortable room in a nice hotel deciding that China was not as terrifying as I initially thought. I found beer and had a good supper and, from that moment on, life in China only got better and better!

I thought a map at this point would be useful as I really had no idea of the geography and routes in China. When I originally planned the trip I did not understand that the direct roues are all freeways – no bicycles allowed. The indirect routes, which I was obliged to follow, meander all over the country which is fantastic if you do not have a deadline. I knew I had to be in Hong Kong on 8th November so it was somewhat stressful trying to find the shortest way. Eventually I settled on the route you can see. It was a good decision.

I had planned to cycle to Yangshuo because I really wanted to see more of China than just the direct route to Hong Kong. In my research I constantly came across references to Yangshuo and how beautiful it is. This was confirmed by a German guy I met in Vang Vieng (Laos) who spoke very enthusiastically about his time in Yangshuo. The reality of not being able to use the freeways, added to the fact that I had spent a week longer in Hanoi than I intended, meant that I would not make it that far North and back down to Hong Kong in time to meet my deadline.
“Why the deadline?” I hear you ask. Well it is because Tarryn, my daughter, promised to meet me there to celebrate the end of my journey with me and she was arriving on the 8th November.

This all dawned on me when, on a Friday afternoon after I arrived in Nanning, I settled down to re-plan my route. I was very disappointed as I had set my mind on going to Yangshuo. So, as a last resort, I looked for an alternate means of transport and I was overjoyed to find that there is a high-speed train that links Nanning to Yangshuo. I immediately decided to go there for the weekend. This was one of those decisions that, when you look back, you ask yourself just how different life would be if you had done something else. I hurriedly booked my hotel room for an extra 2 nights (so that Bobbie would have a place to sleep undisturbed and I would not have to find accommodation for Sunday night). I booked and collected the train tickets then went exploring the city,

Nanning

I like Nanning. It is a big city by South African standards – population 8 million – and it is modern, clean, full of greenery and parks, wide streets and bicycle lanes everywhere. I entered the bicycle lane network when I was still 30 kms outside of the city. Oh! It makes cycling (and navigation) so much more simple! Sure, you share it with scooters but that’s no problem. Also, and what a difference this makes, every scooter is electric so it’s quiet!!

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Yangshuo

Much excitement reigned when I awoke early on Saturday morning and headed to the station to catch my train to Yangshuo. The distance is 450 kms and it takes just over 3 hours to get there in a comfortable, sleek, clean train. I was traveling through countryside that I should have cycled so it was good to see it albeit at speeds up 250 kph.

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There is a shuttle-bus into town as the station is about 20 kms away from Yangshuo City. On arrival I walked to my pre-booked hostel – a pleasant place up an alley in the centre of the city. I arrived in the midst of a power-failure (it felt just like home!!) I checked in, left my bag, took my camera and went to explore this lovely place.

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I wandered around. It is a beautiful, very touristy town. For the first time since I entered China I saw other Westerners and signs in English. After such a long train journey and walking the streets, I soon had a thirst that only a decent beer could quench. I found a German restaurant on a corner in the centre of the walking street. There was little space so I joined a Colombian couple – Paula and Ramiro – at their table. A lovely couple – I so enjoyed chatting to them. They had been in town for a while and they had good advice for what to see and do, They highly recommended a light and music show called Impression by Liu Sanjie. I went to see this and I have to say it was the finest show of this genre that I have ever seen. It is set on the banks and waters of the River Li, surrounded by 6 mountains towering over the 1.2 km stretch of river. The show starts at sunset, it is played out on the river and the shadows, mist, lights, music, costumes, very clever choreography and over 600 cast members constantly in motion are mesmerising. I was so spellbound that I took nary one picture. Click on this link to read more and see some pictures. This, alone, was worth the journey. But, wait….there’s more!

At the table just behind us sat two young Chinese ladies. Hearing us speak English they joined in the conversation (they’re both very fluent in English) and soon we invited them to join us. And so a great friendship was born. Yan and Yao were also visiting Yangshuo. Yan from Nanning and Yao from Hong Kong. We had such good conversation over a few beers that after Paula and Ramiro took their leave, we sat and chatted and made a plan to meet the next day and explore Yangshuo together.

Early on Sunday morning we met for breakfast and planned our day.

Initially we thought of cycling but then we decided to hire a guide and two scooters and off we went exploring.

First stop – a river cruise to see the beautiful karst mountains up-close and visit the famous Moon mountain. Yan had been here before so she relaxed while Yao and I went cruising. We also visited an old town called XingPing. This town was first settled in 256 AD and it is full of history and mystery.

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Delicious Food

We had such fun exploring and chatting and eating and getting to know one another. During the day Yan realised that my passion for food equalled hers so she went out of her way to introduce me to the best Chinese food in the district. Not only that but she persuaded Yao and I to spend an extra day in Nanning so that we could all explore and enjoy the style of food
unique to the Guangxi province. It didn’t take much persuasion!! We all travelled back to Nanning on the Sunday afternoon train and went straight to the street market for supper where we sat on small stools and ate a delicious hotpot and other tidbits and snacks. We met again in the morning for a day exploring Nanning and dining on the most delightful, delicious dishes. I have to say that Chinese food is absolutely superb whether it be a simple noodle dish or Michelin star Lemon Duck (my favourite) . Yes we ate a lot that day!!

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The Rest of my journey to Hong Kong

All good things come to an end and on Monday night, ever mindful of my deadline to reach Hong Kong, I bid a fond farewell to my new-found friends and planned my ride for the next day and those to follow. I decided to head South and to follow the coastal road as it seemed to be the least difficult to navigate. The countryside was beautiful and the roads (mostly) good

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Several times there would be flashing lights up ahead from a cop car keeping an eye on the traffic – it did not take long to discover they are cardboard cut-outs! This always brought a smile to my face. Back home this would have lasted but a few minutes before it disappeared for use as building material!

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On the way there were many bridges to cross especially as I approached Shenzhen – on that day I counted 30 of them – many are up to 2 kms long. Almost every bridge has a sign prohibiting bicycles from crossing on the roadway. There is a bicycle lane over the bridge but it is accessible by riding down to the river then wheeling your bike up a very steep staircase, crossing the bridge in the bike lane then repeating the steep staircase on the way down. Needless to say, I did that only once! Afterwards I just rode across the bridge and hoped for the best.

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In Kaiping I met a man, Gordon, who had been born there but had grown up in Toronto. He was back to visit family and to see if he wanted to return. I met him when I admired his E-bike as he rode past me. He stopped to chat and helped me find an hotel. Later he took me to the local market where we bought half a goose and a dozen beers. We went back to his father’s home for a fine meal. Gordon is a very private person and he asked me not to take any pics except of his E-bike which he had just bought.

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The food in China is very healthy tasty and delicious. No!! Forget all the stories about eating dog! I enjoyed the goose and I also had pigeon and duck.

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My plan on leaving Nanning was to cycle South to Qinzhou and then East as far as Yangjiang the head South for Macau. I calculated that I would arrive there on 6th November so I could spend 2 nights in this historic city, do some gambling and win millions then catch a ferry to Hong Kong (Kowloon) and arrive in style on 8th November.

When I arrived in Yangjiang I was on time and happy that I it would take only 2 days to get to Macau and to all intents and purposes my journey would be over bar the ferry ride. That evening in the hotel I had a thought, “What if I cannot take a bicycle on the ferry?” I nearly dismissed the idea but decided to check and, to my horror, I found that you are only allowed a suitcase on the ferries plying between Macau and Hong Kong.

Suddenly it was panic stations. It’s 4th November and I have to re-route through Guangzhou (Canton), cycling North then East and South to Shenzhen and the border of Hong Kong. I had been warned by other cyclists to avoid Guangzhou as the traffic is dense and chaotic. What they did not mention is that it is extremely difficult to navigate as most roads do not allow bicycles. Oh and the endless, deep, horrible, penetrating smog.

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So I re-routed rapidly and in the morning I set off for Kaiping followed on successive nights by Foshan, Dongguang and lastly Shenzhen. The riding was not fun, apart from the smog (which I had already endured for 3 days getting to Yangjiang) but there is no respite in the traffic. It is built up all the way, you do not know where one city ends and the other begins. Navigation is very difficult as you have to keep finding routes that bicycles are allowed to use. Often one of these routes will bring you to a bridge that you’re not allowed to cross on a bicycle but the road on the other side is available to cyclists. Hence the decision to just ride the bridges and hope not to annoy anyone.
But, before you think I’m complaining, this part of my trip was great . I met such lovely people on the way and as always was offered help and kindness.

Shenzhen

Finally, late in the afternoon of 7th November I arrived in Shenzhen. Last stop before Hong Kong. Just 15 kms from my hotel to the border then only 45 kms to Kowloon. Or so I thought…….

But I am getting ahead of myself. The journey had one more fine experience waiting for me. As I approached Shenzhen the smog lessened and finally disappeared altogether, the road was excellent and the ride was good as navigation became easier and I followed a cycle lane all the way in. It soon became clear to me that Shenzhen is a very modern city with super architecture and a whole lot of theme parks (12 in all). I was attracted by one called “Window on the World”especially as I saw an hotel right there and Bobbie turned in all by herself. I checked in and went exploring. The theme park had a special price for pensioners in the evening so I returned as the sun set. I watched a show with traditional dancing and then went for a walk to view all of the wonders of the world in miniature. e.g. Pyramids, Sphinx, Angkor Wat, African images, Paris etc

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The Show

As I was strolling through the park admiring the lights and displays, I saw a Chinese lady stopping to take selfies. I offered to take some pics for her and we walked on together. She spoke no English and I speak even less Chinese but we managed to communicate perfectly through WeChat. (A mobile application that is ubiquitous in China and which has a very good translation engine) We strolled for at least an hour through the theme park chatting and translating as we went along. Her name is Song Qiaohong and she is a Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapist. That gave us a common link once I told her that I am a Shiatsu Practitioner and had studied TCM as it applies to Shiatsu. It was so interesting to make friends with someone with no language in common. We still keep in touch.

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Hong Kong

So the 8th November dawned bright and sunny. I had breakfast at the hotel and, with a sense of achievement tinged with sadness, rode Bobbie slowly to the Hong Kong border, very aware that this was the end of the journey. But not the way I expected….

Time for a map again…

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So, my plan was to cycle to the border post and then down to Kowloon. The border is the pink line. Although Hong Kong belongs to Mainland China, it is considered an administered territory and the rules are different. For example, I needed a visa for Mainland China but not for Hong Kong. The route I planned is in red. Nice and easy and a triumphant entry to Hong Kong in time to meet Tarryn. But the best laid plans….

The gentle ride to the border was easy. On arrival I looked for the road across the border. No one could tell me where it was. Some people suggested that I ride another 30 kms North East to another border post as no one had heard of anyone cycling into Hong Kong. After 90 minutes of fruitless questioning, I noticed people walking upstairs into a huge building. I followed them and saw, in the hall at the top of the stairs, a sign saying HONG KONG BORDER. Perfect! I lugged my panniers and Bobbie up a long steep flight of steps, got permission to take it all up a long escalator and there it was – the immigration and customs post. Eagerly, I filled in the documentation, joined the queue and marched through the border wheeling Bobbie. Happiness!! I was officially in Hong Kong.

So which way to the road? A policeman told me that there is no road, entering the territory adjacent to the border requires a special permit, is not for foreigners and in any case the roads South are all freeways – no bicycles allowed. So here I was in no man’s land. I could not go back to China as my visa was single entry and there was no way forward to cycle. The only way was by train. Nervously I went to buy a ticket and asked about taking a bicycle on the train. “It is fine” they said, “but you must take the front wheel off before you go onto the platform”. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to wheel a fully laden bicycle on the back wheel only while carrying the front wheel? Eish!! Well, I managed somehow to wheel it into a lift and down to the platform then onto a train and balance it all the way into Kowloon.

I love the universal sense of humour – my triumphant entrance to Hong Kong turned out to be a wheel-less train ride with the only cycling being 1.5 kms from the station to my hotel (across a bridge that said “no cyclists!!”)

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And so the journey ended……. not with a bang but not exactly with a whimper!

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Of course there is more to come. Thank you for your patience while waiting for this post. My next post is the time I spent in Hong Kong. Coming soon to a digital device near you!!