March 8, 2023
March 8th
Longtan
I'm up at dawn and as the weather is sunny again and I don't need to leave for work till gone five-ish, it's a good opportunity to ride. It's about nine when I eventually set off with the modest goal of cycling to Longtan. A novel is stuffed in my barbag so there's something to read once I get to Louisa Coffee. I'm organised.
I opt to take my camera, too, just in case there's something to snap and the first thing is a man who looks to be at least 70 on a bicycle with a handcart strapped to the rear rack. It has various recycling materials piled on it. He doesn't seem to be able to pedal and pushes himself across the wide road with one foot. His bike is a typical cheap single-speed one with the saddle very low. There's a wire basket on the front filled with a few plastic recyclables and I wonder how much money he'll get for his load.
Five minutes later, once across the junction and close to an army base, the wall that had a painted mural of a tank on it has been demolished and now the interior of the old house is visible. An electricity meter is still mounted on the painted surface and I wonder what will happen to the place. A man is sat at a table inside an adjacent room that no longer has a front wall and it looks like he's selling something or other.
My younger brother messaged me yesterday and told me to stop taking boring snaps of rice fields and instead head to a beach, so when I see a rice field with a home reflected on the water, it occurs to me to get my camera out again.
The ride to Lontan takes about 30 to 40 minutes, but today maybe it's a bit more as I ride a slightly longer route just to be different. After going through a square tunnel, I make my way east and enter the town near the market area and go to Louisa Coffee as I'm ready for a bite to eat, what with breakfast being a few hours ago now. They have a mushroom quiche that gets microwaved and it hits the spot, after which roughly 30 minutes pass by as I read some of a novel called China written by Edward Rutherfurd. Ralph gave it to me.
It's a while since I explored the market and I opt to have a quick look before heading home. There's a woman is having her hair dyed and across the path is a man offering facial acupuncture. Lots of cheap clothing is for sale, as well as meat and fresh fish. It's a strange mixture. After five minutes I'm back on my bike.
The ride back is uneventful and there's not a lot to take photos of that I haven't already. There's some countryside between areas of homes and businesses and in one field is a farmer in rubber boots is bent down, pulling slimy weed up from below the murky water and throwing it in a plastic container. It looks like he's just planted taro, with the small plants barely 6" tall. They'll be a few feet in next to no time.
When I get home, Debbie is just getting ready to leave for work as it's noon, while I'll likely take a nap before long as getting up at dawn is just too early.
Today's ride: 26 km (16 miles)
Total: 2,469 km (1,533 miles)
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