October 4, 2014
A hotel near Hami: Still looking for some motivation
Unfortunately for me I could not speak Chinese. This was unfortunate primarily because I was in China. This caused me difficulties for a number of reasons. Because I could not speak Chinese I could not talk with anyone and no one could talk with me. I also couldn't understand where I was or where I was going, because the signs were all in Chinese and the only maps I could access were in Chinese. After a little while it dawned on me that there was a perfectly simple solution. I would just learn Chinese. But then it dawned on me that was going to be quite difficult. Apparently there are three or four thousand Chinese characters in common use. In my opinion that's too many. I imagine the Chinese felt quite silly a few centuries ago when they discovered other societies had developed written language using only 26 very-easy-to-write-learn-and-remember letters. "OOPS!" they must have said to one another, "We've been a bit silly here haven't we?! We've made things much more difficult and silly than it needs to be!" And then some old sage would have nodded and said, "Yes, that is the Chinese way."
So instead of learning Chinese I came up with a better solution that involved creating my own system for remembering the names of towns. I just turned the symbols into words. This worked very well until I had to ask someone for directions:
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Aside from amusing myself with the signs I was finding the going difficult indeed. I was still cycling on the G30 expressway surrounded by desert which was just so completely and utterly boring. I felt alone again, and all I could see ahead was thousands of kilometres of the same. As I got closer to the city of Hami I switched to the G312, thinking that it would take me through the centre but it actually bypassed the city too. It did take me through some populated areas though and I didn't get past the first hotel before stopping and checking in for the night even though it was only the middle of the day.
I needed to find a way to motivate myself for the rest of the desert, I couldn't keep going like this. So I tried to organise some couchsurfing hosts along the way to give me some English-speaking people to meet, but the stupid website wouldn't work. I messaged some warmshowers hosts instead, although there were hardly any on my route. It seemed I wasn't going to be getting any motivation.
In the evening I went out to buy some food and asked the man on reception where to go. He had arrived since I'd checked in so it was the first time that we had met, and I was shocked and delighted that he spoke some English. I can't remember his name, nor would I be able to spell it, but it sounded something like Jshe-Jshe. He actually escorted me to the shops and back and we talked for a while and it was great to do so. And, because this was China, there wasn't any bread anywhere, so Jshe-Jshe got his wife to bring me some from somewhere. They were lovely people.
The next morning things got even better. I wanted to stock up on some fruit and vegetables that they also don't sell in the shops (or expressway service stations) and so Jshe-Jshe and his wife took me to the daily morning market. Now this was really something special. 'Here at last is the real China!' I thought as we walked among throngs of people, some of them wearing masks against the pollution, others on bicycles, shouting and haggling amongst rows of apples and grapes, potatoes, carrots, onions, everything. I noticed chickens in tiny cages, others running free in the dust. For the first time that I can ever remember I had the idea that maybe the bicycle wasn't the best way to travel out here. Whilst I was being bored to tears on the expressway all this was going on - real, raw, exciting, interesting life - and I was missing it most of the time. But I wasn't missing it now as I sat with Jshe-Jshe and his wife eating delicious street food together and soaking up the atmosphere all that I could.
I was feeling much better about everything by the time we returned to the hotel. Of course I was still going to try and cycle all the way across the desert, but this pleasant experience had lifted my spirits enormously. But I knew it was going to be mentally ever so difficult, and I still needed some motivation to get me cycling again. And then I checked my emails and there it was.
A simple email.
Motivation.
I started cycling like a madman.
04/10/14 - 47km
05/10/14 - 80km
Today's ride: 127 km (79 miles)
Total: 29,991 km (18,624 miles)
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