28/04/2019

In Bangkok I was the only one at Grannybike hostel and always feel more friend than paying guest when I'm there. And although there is no other accommodation in the immediate area, there are plenty of western tourists walking around. And if I want a rowdy crowd of them, there is always Kao San road not far away. I've only been there once, that was more than enough.

So far, my initial impressions of Kunming are very different. For starters, I was the only westerner on the flight. There were a few Thais and the remainder looked like Chinese returning home after some R&R in Bangkok.

Immigration, customs and bag pick up were quick and efficient. My fingerprints and face are now in the great Chinese database. From what I could see, I was also the only westerner in the airport - that I didn't expect either.

There were the usual taxi touts hovering at the arrivals entry point. I did my best to ignore them and picked up a metered taxi out the front and even if we had a shared language between us, it still would have been nigh impossible to find the guest house. I certainly couldn't have done it on my own on the bike. The driver finally gave up and phoned the guesthouse when we dead ended in an alleyway. The poor guy must have really been fed up with the whole thing by that point. The receptionist stepped into the alleyway with phone in hand only a few feet from us. We all had a good laugh. 

After a bit of a rest and lie down I went for a walk around the block, mostly to see how I did in the thin 2000 metre air. And to watch the traffic to get a feel of the rules, written and unwritten. My lungs so far are not a problem and the traffic looks promising. Unlike Bangkok which is a bit of a free for all at times (but nothing like Vietnam), Kunming traffic has some semblance of order to it. And there is often a  scooter/bike lane to swim along in with the other two wheel traffic. The scooters and bikes do get a bit creative at the traffic lights and there are pedestrian crossings where the cars do usually slow down for those brave enough to step out into the swarm of traffic. The scooters are electric and near silent - I'm going to have to be extra special careful with them.

I'll open up the bike bag tomorrow morning and see what I find inside. All being well, I should have it together and be  out there pedalling with the rest of them by midday. 

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PS - I am not alone, there is at least one other westerner staying at the guesthouse. 

29/04/2019

Well, that was an interesting day. It had it's moments.

I started out the day putting the bike together. That was fun, mostly. I like the Surly Troll, but getting the rear wheel on and off is a pain in the arse. I think I had better google it to see if there are any tips or tricks to doing it. In the end I had to undo the quicklink and then do the chain up once the wheel was in place. Surly, I think you could do better. 

Once it was together I went for a ride, of course. I though I'd try and find the Western Bus Station, where I'll have to pick up the bus to Baoshan on Monday. My OSM based map is fairly accurate, but they are in such a building frenzy here that roads easily disappear or get rerouted. I got there in the end. According to the receptionist at the guesthouse the buses run frequently, first one at 0830 and about every hour after that. Getting both me and the bike on the bus will be an interesting exercise. Not to mention the 10+ hour bus ride. There will be pain involved. 

Later that afternoon I opened my wallet and could instantly see that my debit card was missing. My first big Homer Simpson moment of the trip... DOH!! Couldn't find it anywhere. I think I left it in the ATM machine at the airport..... two days ago. DOH!!! 

Not a good way to end the day, but I did it and now I have to let it go and move on. Still, it sure was a rookie mistake... DOH!!

30/04/2019

Today was spent on admin and family matters back home. First thing this morning the receptionist tried phoning the airport and the bank. No luck there. Cancelling the card was a bit of hit and miss because I had to negotiate the internet firewall to get to my card company. Once there it only took a couple of seconds. Luckily I have a backup card and that's what I'll be using for the remainder of the trip. Now if I lose that one I am farked.

In the afternoon I found my way to a bike shop near the zoo and bought a couple of cute little tubes of chain lube. Hope it is enough... Tonight will be spent packing for the bus trip.  

The vpn and internet access has been good here at the guest house in Kunming. Don't know what it will be like in the coming weeks, so updates will most likely be few and far between. 

PS - riding the bike and walking around the city is not unpleasant. The buses and trucks aren't too fumey, but still no fun to get caught riding behind. And in general the traffic downtown is manageable. The two main concerns are the state of the road and the scooter drivers. The road surface has lots of obstacles and king sized pot holes where you least expect them. Hit one of those and it could be trip over. The electric scooters are silent and deadly. They don't have licence plates, which confirms my thought that anyone over a certain age can drive one. And they drive them very very creatively: right side, wrong side, on the sidewalks, through the middle of pedestrians on the crossings... All done brazenly right infront of the traffic police. But given those two caveats, it is a hoot riding the bike amongst it all. I went through one underground unlit traffic roundabout for pedestrians, cyclists and deadly scooters. To add to the thrill, I was wearing my sun glasses, too. It was even more fun on the way back, sunnies still in place.

This is also a walking city with people always out for a stroll, especially in the evenings. I love watching parents with their toddlers, matrons walking their wee dogs following dutifully behind them without a lead, and the elderly couples strolling arm in arm down the footpath.