June 29, 2023
Day P1: Taking the Train to Train
After the third day in a row of packing and rehearsing my key systems, it was finally time to get this trip off the ground.
There was a ton of stress in the last couple weeks of June which there always is but thanks to my advance planning the trip began relatively smoothly. First order of business was to test the combination of panniers, folding bike bag, and rain cover. Satisfied, I then folded up the bike, threw it in a taxi, and off we went to the train station.
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Right away it was apparent how much this was going to suck trying to lug around a heavy bike bag, two panniers, and backpack in sweltering weather like this. There were a lot of moving parts. I was drenched in sweat after a mere minute. But I just had to trust in the systems that I had devised. Thankfully it is only the transition parts of the trip that are like this when the bike isn't being ridden. Once on the road it gets easier.
The train station was absolute mad chaos. My wife helped see me off and she will be joining me in Macau later so we can finally enjoy our trip together there that was originally planned for December postponed due to catching actual covid.
The train staff were helpful to find a place to store the bike bag and I could then settle into the ride. It was of course packed since many people had the same idea to avoid taking delay-prone flights.
On the train, I decided to revise my earlier plan: the backpack would still be used for valuables, but I would leave behind the fully loaded panniers with non-valuable stuff at the hotel in Shenzhen over the weekend. The bike would come with me to Hong Kong first as planned for the bike shop errand, and then to Macau. Research shows I would have to take several buses including one across the new Hong Kong to Macau bridge, and walk for nearly a kilometer through transit halls in brutal weather. It would already be a nightmare doing this with the folding bike bag. Any more bags would just suck even more.
The train ride was in fact gruelling because I got stuck with a middle seat the whole way, but such is life. I didn't eat on the train since the food was so expensive. As a result I was famished. McDonald's was the last thing on my mind, but I went there right away because a tout was on my ass. Without permission, he "helped" me carry the bike bag and kept asking if I was going to Hong Kong (you can directly go from the station).
While it was nice that things were back to normal post-covid, I didn't appreciate this guy hassling me and Hong Kong was not yet on the agenda for today.
So I didn't tell him where I was going and went into the nearby McDonald's to try and shake him. Unfortunately that backfired as he just walked right the fuck on in. So then I ordered something and sat down. He kept hassling with more offers for Hong Kong. When I refused, that turned to a hotel. After refusing that he offered girls. I told him to get lost and said if you keep bothering me I'll get the staff to escort your ass out of here.
I felt better after eating the McDonald's then checked my phone to see if my would-be flight was delayed. Surprisingly it was on-time, meaning I should have taken it. Who knew? Anyways the train was still a win.
Eventually I joined the taxi queue and shook off more obnoxious touts. The challenge was finding a big enough taxi to store the bike and all the bags, and I had to look around for that. I asked him to drive me halfway to my destination where I would assemble the bike in a more chilled out place and then ride the remaining 20km to my hotel near Sea World.
Everything was intact on the bike which was another win for the train. I didn't have to bother with the whole business of taking air out of the tires and refilling on arrival. The only downside is that my right hip was bruised from lugging the bike around so much earlier.
But once on the bike and riding I felt so much more at ease. The morning had been absolutely crazy at the train station, and indeed all of Shanghai for that matter. The place is too busy and stressful. It was a much needed break to get away, even to another city in China to kick things off.
As I started riding down the wide roads with little traffic and amazing weather, I felt a profound sense of freedom. For real, the trip was starting, and this was just the beginning. Not only that, the usual swarm of e-scooters was absent and I could ride in peace.
The weather was hot, but not nearly as sweltering as Shanghai. Who knew that by going south, the weather would get cooler. That's more to do with the tilt of the earth. The reality is that Shanghai summers are absolutely scorching hot since it's near the Tropic of Cancer. For three years in a row I had no choice but to endure the blistering summer heat during covid when we couldn't travel. Now thankfully I could get away again.
Getting closer to my destination near Sea World, the traffic became crazy again but thankfully it didn't last long. I easily found the hotel and checked in. This was a very convenient location. There were no issues parking the bike outside nearby.
It was then a short nap and a walk to my favorite group fitness studio. This time they rocked the house for the workout and had me pose for various pictures as well as take videos for social media. I felt like a celebrity. The guy I was partnered with took the 'farmers carry' to a whole new level. For this you're supposed to grab two heavy dumbbells and walk back and forth along the studio track. He basically told me walk outside and go up and down the corridors, just walk anywhere for 35 seconds holding dumbbels with a combined weight of 100 pounds.
After that it was delicious healthy food in the adjacent restaurant within the studio.
Then it was time for a quick stroll around Sea World before re-packing all my stuff and trying to lighten the load for the the upcoming Hong Kong trip.
Today's ride: 20 km (12 miles)
Total: 233 km (145 miles)
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