Report No 22 - Guilin, Dated 29 September 2007

The seven hundred kilometers from Guiyang was amazing. We followed rivers downstream for nearly four days so virtually a four day downhill. I was thinking that this is world class just like the United States. Long rivers, forests, quiet roads just perfect cycling. Then it all turned to custard with rain, rocks, mud, and no milestones to reassure you along the way. It was just as bad as Laos and Cambodia. After about fifty kilometers I thought that this cannot be right not in China but the compass was okay. So I found a guy and pointed at the Chinese characters on the map showing him where I wanted to go. He pointed back up where we had come from which suggested that I had come the wrong way. After a lot more pointing and talking in two different languages I had an offer of lunch and it turned out that I had already passed these places on the map and that I was on the right road.
One night I stayed at a family type guest house. They didn't seem to mind my mud coated bike in the room. They had cold beer and the lady served up a great meal. Granny starred at me the whole time, the young couple sat on a motorbike outside and starred, the lady kept on pointing me out to people passing and couldn't stop laughing; the husband watched TV and ignored me. The starring was okay time and it was a very relaxing setting. Another night the restaurant lady sat at my table and chopped ginger for two hours. During this time not once did she look at the ginger, it was all automatic and she had her eyes glued to the Television. There are various ethnic minorities that live in these parts wearing different clothes and headgear. The only ones I recognised were the Hakka dressed in black. You're not supposed to photograph them as they say the camera is stealing their soul.
The whole area is prone to landslides and I was a bit concerned about getting blocked in but the road was passable (just). The shocking road broke my rear rack and burst a sidewall so that's another parcel from England. You can tell you are getting near South Eastern Asia by the number of water buffalo. They wander all over the place and I even saw them in the main street of a town.
The Guilin/Yangzhou area is one of the top places in China famous for the limestone peaks. But I've been here before so I won't linger. Jan wants to cycle at his own pace which is fair enough as this is what every cyclist wants. So I'll forge on to meet my 1 August next year deadline and give myself time to have a holiday or two on a beach somewhere.
When I arrived in Guilin I got a taxi to go to the Public Security Bureau to apply for a visa extension. I showed the taxi driver on the map where he was to take me but he had his own ideas and took me to another Public Security Bureau. I knew it was wrong so I didn't pay him. Then another taxi driver tried to convince me I was in the right place. So I went inside, woke up the receptionist who was asleep, who then went outside and came back with a young kid who translated. I was taken to an office and after a while two policemen arrived. I thought it was something to do with not paying for the taxi but they took me outside to their police car and with lights flashing drove me to the correct Public Service Bureau on the other side of the river.
I will pick up my visa tomorrow and will head off and my next report will be from Hong Kong.