February 3, 2016
Longtan and Longyan
The guesthouse is a cold place to spend the night and getting out of my fleece sleeping bag liner and from under my sleeping bag and the owner’s duvet is a task.
The bunch of students who’d helped me find the place are just along the street at their small shop and after I’ve had a bowl of noodles for brekkie, they wave me off. Longtan is the next stop, just a few kilometres away.
The road is flat and again made of concrete.
More tulou are scattered around, usually just a short distance from the route, and a couple of them have me stop to take snaps, but I don't quite have the nerve or inclination to venture inside any, plus time was a bit short. They are people’s homes, after all.
After about 30 minutes, I turn left at a junction with the X606 and speed down a long descent towards Longtan.
I know there's a small road going due north from this side of Longtan, beside a river, but I can’t find the bloody thing. Its location is not where it's indicated on Google Maps and after 15 minutes of walking up and down the road, I end up at the bottom of a lane which only leads to a solitary tulou.
A few men have followed behind and one starts talking to me. He's stocky and the bridge of his nose bears a small scar, which is blackened, telling me it’d likely been a mining accident. The surrounding area has small plants replete with black dust and the grim appearance which accompanies such places. Mr. Scar tells me to go back to where I’ve just come from, up the X606, but it’s been all downhill and there is no way, thanks. Besides, it would have then mean going on the main highway into the city of Longyan.
He gets my drift and escorts me to a shop nearby where a few of his buddies are hanging out. It turns out there is a small road going north, and the four men collaborate in sketching a basic route map to get me to Longyan. It doesn't mean a thing to me, but I put it in a clear zip-lock bag, just in case. It's certainly good to know the route I want actually exists, and Mr. Scar leads me the 50m to its starting point, on the other side of the river, telling me it is mainly rough, bumpy and hilly.
He's right. The concrete surface has seen quite a few heavy mining trucks. There's a lot of water around, with black puddles a few inches deep every 100m or so. Dust from the coal workings is strewn all along.
Thankfully, after a few kilometers, the grimness begins to dissipate. It still goes up though. Again, it's steep in parts and my lowest gear and tired legs cannot do the business. I walk.
I literally roll the sleeves on my merino top up and eventually get to an apex. The road has followed a stream which has a distinct smell of effluent. There's garbage floating in it. I even see a large mattress, then what looks to be a new suitcase.
The watershed marks a difference. The stream is clear, and the countryside much fresher.
The outskirts of Longtan bring a new set of issues. The traffic is obviously much worse. I didn’t realize how big the city was.
It takes hours for me to find my way, continually asking directions. Miraculously I only go off course once, riding too far by a couple of kilometers in search of a house Mao Zedong stayed in back in 1929.
Once I’ve located it and taken a couple of snaps, I simply find the nearest hotel, a place which looks swanky, but costs a very reasonable 150rmb.
Today's ride: 41 km (25 miles)
Total: 90 km (56 miles)
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