The Journeys ... The Current Trip

We are currently in Hong Kong, after riding the rainy southern Chinese states of Guanxi and Guangdong. Despite the rain, the ride along the South China sea was actually nicer than expected. We expected a 1'000 kilometers of urban sprawl and plenty of smog. But this only really happened once we go nearer to Guangzhou (Canton).

Especially Guanxi is quite rural and we had a few great days of riding on tree-lined roads along rice paddies and chili orchards. Most of the cities were rather boring, but compared to Vietnam and Laos they certainly had a developed feeling with some even sporting KFCs and McDonalds. Not that we ever frequented one with the great Chinese food available. But what really struck us about the cities is the fact that there are hundreds of cities with a population of well over one million but we had never even heard the name. Or did you know such cities as Maoming (6.7 million), Beihai (1.4 m), Yangjiang (2.6 m), Jiangmen (3.7 m) and Zhuhai (2.5 m)? Didn't think so.

During the last few days, we have reached a new milestone: 10'000 kilometers of cycling. Now, that sounds cool, doesn't it? Hopefully, there will be many more to come. Currently, we are in Hong Kong and have been so for the last few (and expensive) days. Tomorrow, we will take a train to the city of Zhengzhou in the central Chinese state of Henan. From there we'll cycle due west to Golmud at 2'800 meters above sea level. Yes, after a couple of thousand kilometers of riding in the flats and only having the (head)wind to worry about, there will be climbing!

There are plenty of new photos in the Vietnam and China galleries for your viewing pleasure. We have also created a new video for the Vietnam section recently, which you can watch on the video page. And don't forget, we have a Facebook Page as well. Become a fan today!

Until the next news from somewhere in China. Take care.

Adrian