Mission Abandoned in Xing’an

an even shorter day's ride

Sometimes sleeping on it helps, but not this time. There's nothing to do except leave China. It’d occurred to me to fly to Hong Kong, get a new visa there, fly back and continue the Long Ride, but I really need my bank details printed out and it's a risk to fly there without my bike. It really best to ride south to Guilin, do a bit of sightseeing, then get a flight home during the following few days. I have until the end of February. There isn’t going to be any riding in March, long or short.

Just two steamed buns and a couple of boiled eggs for breakfast

Manager Robert draws me a basic map of where the large Long March memorial is in Xing’an. It turns out I more or less passed it yesterday while looking for the nearby visa office. It's only about a mile or so away.

The weather is pretty similar, with a grey mass masquerading as sky and dampness hovering over the broad avenue outside the hotel. It feels pretty cool, but at least it isn’t raining. Not yet.

The memorial is in two parts - a tall column mounted on a hill reached by a long flight of steps, and a massive, granite sculpture of soldiers' faces at ground level. I am the only visitor and never get around to climbing up the steps as it does start to rain while walking around the base.

By the time I’ve got on the bike and made it back to the main road, my mind is made up to simply return to the hotel – it's on the X113 route south to Guiling anyway – and book myself in again.

It starts to rain while at the Long March memorial in Xing'an

Since starting the tour three long weeks ago, there hasn’t been a day I haven’t cycled. It's time for a break. There's no rush anymore. And at 130rmb for a nice warm room with decent wifi, it's silly to cycle in the cold rain, surprisingly the first wet weather of the trip.

It'd have been nice to have spent the inclement afternoon in a cosy coffee shop, reading a newspaper and glancing out the window as the world, or at least Xinag’an part of it, passed by. Realistically, it simply isn’t going to happen. But there isn’t much to do in the hotel room, so I grab my camera, get wrapped up and venture out to see what the town had to offer.

Only 130rmb including breakfast - you won't get a dorm room in a humble Youth Hostel for that

It's bitterly cold out and it' nice to pop into a bike shop not too far from the hotel. It boasts a large Giant sign; I go in to see if they have any long-fingered gloves. They do, so I get myself a pair and put them on.

A steam bun place is just five minutes further along the wide 113 and to get myself warmed up, I order two, holding the bag in my palms to soak up the heat.

After 20 minutes, I turn a sharp corner. The street has more banks and stores selling phones, hardware and basic groceries. These aren’t places to window shop. After a few minutes I make another right and find myself on a side street.

I had two of these rows of fish, with each skewer costing just 3rmb

The shops are even more basic, but in a good way. There are a few street food vendors and I have two skewered rows of tiny fish which the proprietor deep fries while I wait. They only cost 3rmb each.

Nearby a store was sells adhesive tape, so I buy a wide roll just in case it's needed to wrap up the bike at the airport. Across the road is a place selling military clothing and work-wear and after looking through what's available, the guy running the place brings out a jacket in my size. I'd my eye out for a traditional blue one, like what the villagers still wear, at least the men over 50, and this one is 100rmb – not too bad. It fits OK.

After paying for that I walk to the end of the street to find myself on a busy, more up-market shopping area, with clothes shops selling Chinese-brand designer wear, and an amusing KFC clone called DFC, which has a Colonel Sanders doppelganger as its logo. And there's a coffee shop of sorts. The drink I order is a bit too sweet, but it warms me up.

The retail therapy over, I make a beeline back towards to the hotel, getting totally disoriented and having to use my room’s key-card as a way of asking for directions.

Although it's chilly, it doesn't rain and my hopes are it'll stay this way for the next day or so. I'm ready to get going again.

Today's ride: 5 km (3 miles)
Total: 1,192 km (740 miles)

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