September 26,2015 Zhuhai to Renhuai

The overcast skies and threatening rain caused a change in plans for our morning ride.  Last night we  agreed to go back to the bamboo tunnel to get better pictures and then continue through a nearby park for the views.  But with rain and mist, we figured the pictures taking opportunity was negligible, so left the Eden Resort, and headed further south through bamboo tunnels.

 As luck would have it, we did get a mini bamboo tunnel and a brief reprieve from the rain for pictures.

Kids on scooters - no such thing as child safety seats in China!  Faces in front of the dash, often to more kids on back.

Since it was a Saturday morning, there was a steady stream of pedestrians and scooters headed to the nearby town for breakfast and the market.

Soon to be a cooked goose

Ducks waiting for dinner.

Lots of produce and livestock was offered for sale.  I hear pig faces are tasty.

The mist added a magical element to the landscape.

We wondered about John’s navigational skills when we wound up on a road that came to a dead end at a pedestrian walk way.  But no problem, we rode on through.

Our morning ride up and down the mountains had lots of twists and turns, new national road construction nearby.

Freeway construction is underway in southern China, just like all the other provinces we've been to so far.  Although we've seen lots of half-finished roads, very few are actually active sites.  It may be that the Chinese economic boom is coming to an end.  Meanwhile, detours and mud rule the day - nearly every day.

 The first challenge of the day came at an underpass.  A scooter had apparently fallen into a deep hole full of water.  After scouting the situation on foot, John led the group through the mess using what little roadway existed on the far right side.

We’ve seen many things carried on scooters, but dragging a funeral floral arrangement through town was new.

Lunch was in one of the many small towns we passed through.  Mike, Yingchu, Marilyn, Dave and I had a spicy beef noodle dish.  It was quickly prepared in one of the small roadside shops.  It was delicious, but so spicy it numbed my lips. 

Once outside, we had fun with the crowd surrounding our bikes. his was a daily ritual, whether in China, Mongolia, or Russia.

One young lady was proudly showing us her English text book, and practicing her English.

She had us all write down our names including Yingchu, who signed next to Randy’s name.  When asked to write her name, she signed next to David and my name. Chinese looks so beautiful and interesting, sounds so bad.

Although her younger sister was shy, they both agreed to have their picture taken.  The taller girls was very outgoing, really wanted to try her English.

The people in the smaller towns are always so friendly and curious.  The motorcycles and Mike’s height (6'7") are great icebreakers.

Since we arrived in southern China we’ve noticed the young women smartly dressed, in high heels riding on the back of scooters even on muddy roads. Yet they remain spotless.  How do they do it?  We have to rinse our riding gear off in the shower most nights!

More amazing bridge construction, directly into a tunnel.

Again and again we’ve seen concrete pylons reaching for the sky to support future freeways or railways.  China is pouring billions of dollars into their future infrastructure.  The engineering is mind boggling.  These are in really poor areas, yet the many for roads and bridges seems endless.

The afternoon offered more... great country and mountain riding.

...more great scenery,

more fun roads,

 ...more traffic filled towns,

...more curious people

and construction, and dirt riding....

...and a lot more road construction and muddy roads to contend with after lunch.  The sharp edges on the pavement being prepared for patching caused concern for the bike tire’s survivability.  We've already had many flats to repair.

An afternoon “coffee” stop came just in time to help ease sore muscles and give the drivers a few minutes relaxation.

Yesterday, Tom and Mona had to replace their rear tire because of a manufacturing defect on their brand new tire.  But the only one that fit is the one that was plugged a few days ago in the Tibetan village.  It’s leaking air and Tom needs to pump more air into it every hour or so.  It’s been a struggle for them the last two days.

We gassed up just before Maotai Town.  Maotai is the source of the most famious brand of bailie, also know as shaojiu, an alcoholic beverage.  It’s a strong distilled spirit that is about 40-60%  alcohol by volume.  In this area it is distilled from sorghum.  Tanks are everywhere in the town, in yards and parking lots.

The steel vats and ceramic pots used for the distilling process are very much in evidence as we passed through the town.

The city of Renhuai was an architectural surprise.  The faux wood and painted cement are so well done, that the buildings look historical.  It was a cute main street.

Things have changed a lot in China in the one year since John & Janis rode our route for scouting purposes.  Roads under construction last year are now open, and those that were perfectly good last year are now undergoing major work.  A year ago, Yingchu and John  accessed our hotel for today via the freeway.  This year it’s a no go.  After a few minutes pause to get their bearings, they led us on toward the Guo Jiu Men hot Spring Hotel, through construction gravel and more mud.

The roads since Maotai Town had been very good, but wouldn’t you know it, the last kilometer of the day had to be through construction.

At least we got to see a new Masarratti and a new Porsche Boxster.   It boggles the mind to think of these cars on this kind of rough road.

Green and the hotel had a warm greeting for us.

Footnote:

You may have noticed that Alex was not in any of the photos today.  Last night he decided he really needed to be home with Ida after all.  He left the group to be with his wife while she recuperates from her adventure accident.