So here I am.
The streets are still a mess today. Nobody is driving anywhere without chains. The weather report changes all the time, but even if I could get passed Yuping, there would be more snow, hail, freezing rain and sleet ahead. All of southern China is blanketed under a shifting mess of winter storm.
The streets are still a mess today. Nobody is driving anywhere without chains. The weather report changes all the time, but even if I could get passed Yuping, there would be more snow, hail, freezing rain and sleet ahead. All of southern China is blanketed under a shifting mess of winter storm.
The blue line represents my route, the red dot my destination.
On top of it all, I've got a bit of "spicy stomach," the Chinese term for what is not quite food poisoning but just ones body rejecting something that aught not to have gained admittance.
So after all, my trip will end here. The last few days have been a bit of a roller coaster. Three days ago I was worried I wouldn't be able to continue because of fatigue.
Two days ago I was feeling better and planning my last week to Guiyang. Now here I am again, stuck behind an impassable 300 kilometres of slush and ice. Today I will head over to the railway station and buy a ticket to Guiyang. It feels like an enormous defeat. I suppose I always knew this could happen, but the first week was so promising that I became optimistic.
Though unsuccessful, the past week has not been a waste. I have biked 550 kilometres of countryside, and seen a face of China I could perhaps never have seen another way. I have met a lot of amazing people, and learned a little about how they speak and think and live their lives. For the past four years I have only really spent time in half of China, and I am glad I have finally seen the other half.
Sometime in the not too distant future I hope to do this again. Next time I will be better prepared. Maybe I will find ways to pack lighter. Maybe I'll pick a different season, find a multi-speed bike, give myself a couple of months, or find a travelling companion or two. There is much more out there to see, I have no doubt.
Thank you to everyone who has read this blog, everyone who has emailed in support, and every Chinese farmer who has invited me to warm my feet by the fire over the last week.
But don't stop reading yet.
This blog will continue to be an outlet for all my stories, photos, observations and articles about my time in China, even when I'm off the bike. So check back once and a while and see what I've been up to.
Regards,
Niko
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