Day 5: Touring China by Bicycle,
Today, we pedal over a 100 Kilometers
and cross a few small mountain passes.
Dennis and Mark participate in the Great Bike Race!
Sharon and Siobhán look at Today's Mountain Pass Climb.
Boats on the Li River.
Day 5 Begins
Above Left: We're assembling: L-R, Siobhán, Gordon (near), Sam (far), Lynn, Iris, Inga (head hidden by Iris), Sharon, Jon, Chrissy, Reg, Wayne, Glenda (near).
Above Right: We're off, early in the morning, a long day ahead, long shaddows, about 105 Kilometers to bike; Glenda left, Terry near right.
Above Left: Grandmother and Boy Child: It is culturally normal to have grand-parent(s - to include some grandfathers) take care of grand-kids during the day while Mom and Dad work in the big city. Grand-Parents are just as happy to do this act of loving care as their children are grateful for the loving child care. The Chinese have strong family bonds.
Above Right: Typical village houses and plantings near a roadside. Note the roadside Kilometer Marker too.
Above Left: Field Worker watering plants.
Above Right: Bovine/Oxen and calf; one only needs to lead the parent, the calf will automatically follow.
Above Left: Grandmother and granddaughter go to the market. Bamboo, in the background, makes that arching stalk that can be seen miles away.
Above Right: Roadside flowers.
Above Left: Silkworms for sell. Silkworms only eat the leaves of a specific kind of tree.
Above Right: Close up of Silkworms.
Above Left: Family bringing goods to the market.
Above Right: Man bringing live animals to the market, probably ducks.
Above Left: Some Mountains are taller than they are wide.
Above Right: Bamboo Shoots drying.
Above Left: Sawmill.
Above Right: Mandarin Oranges.
Above Left: Little hill climb for today's Little Pass.
Above Right: Group rest break near top of pass.
Above Left: New valley and gate with a view.
Above Right: Some rice but much more dry plant agriculture (versus irrigation) than south of here.
Above Left: Food/Plant drying; notice the territory markers.
Above Right: Work Cart, owner in the field.
Above Left: Nice new homes by Rice Paddy field.
Above Right: Cow on lead, calf following.
Above Left: Bamboo Leaves.
Above Right: Bamboo Strips.
Above Left: Building View from where we ate lunch.
Above Right: River crossing's View.
Above Left: Multiple use fields.
Above Right: House with a fence.
Above Left: Going home from the market.
Above Right: River Crossing.
Above Left: We could not tell if this was an old railroad bridge or an aqueduct.
Above Right: Young child peeking around Mommy to look a foreigners who just passed.
Above Left: Rice Crop in Harvest Bundles.
Above Right: Terry and I have China all to our selves.
Above Left: Pastoral China.
Above Right: Happy Water Buffalo.
Above Left: A type of Pea or Bean harvest.
Above Right: Late day snack. Note that these are the tallest stools that we have seen yet and maybe for the entire trip.
Above Left: Sam and Reg are Marking Kilometers.
Above Right: Obviously an UFO landed here, thus a few crop circle-disruptions.
Above Left: The big pass and big climb is coming.
Above Right: First view of the Li River valley from the other side of the pass, we are now in another agriculture zone and watershed looking down river.
Above Left: Looking up the Li River.
Above Right: Boat traffic on the Li River.
Above Left: Butterflies with florescent spots on their wings at a hillside spring.
Above Right: Show me your legs! Big rest Stop.
Above: Li Riverside Village.
Above Left: Kilometers later, crossing the River Li.
Above Right: Chinese styled grain silo.
Above Left: A bus stop.
Above Right: Bovine family going home from the field.
Above Left: Tao Temple, as viewed from our rest stop.
Above Right: Gotta Light Mister? Wayne is our bicycling group's only smoker. Two kids show up, one of the kids has his own pack of cigarettes and lighter, little brother is just tagging along. The big kid wants to share a smoke, time, and make small talk with Wayne. They all hit it off together. Someone tells Wayne that he shouldn't allow that kind of behavior. Wayne says that he has no control over the kid and that the kid brought his own cigarettes. Who knows, maybe Wayne kept international peace for that action. The spirits work in mysterious ways.
Above Left: Jon and Chrissy have discovered some Great Wine on the town's market and they want to share it with everyone. Chrissy is talking with Regina.
Above Right: You just know it is great wine, because it says so on the label!
Above Left: We had Chicken for Dinner, not to be confused with Duck, Goose or any other fowl. We know it was Chicken because the head was presented as a reminder, just in case one was unsure. This is the Chinese way.
Note that every eatery that we visited cut chicken in grid cubes, regardless of bones, they just cut parallel lines about an inch apart and then rotate 90 degrees and cut in parallel lines, again, about an inch apart. Every piece of chicken in China that I tried, had one or more bones in it. Carvers at a table make big theater out of cutting chicken (or duck or goose) into cubes with bones.
Above Right: It's Sing Along Time! Actually, after dinner, we get tomorrow's travel and route briefing from Vincent (standing).