T-0: Monday

May 15, 2023

After a bit of a headache in figuring out how to attach the electric pump, I'm in 💕 love 💕 ... And, it weighs the same as a regular pump

I really should have spent at least part of today working on the manuscript for Tibetan Medicinal Bathing. That I say I should have done this is probably indicator enough that I did not, in fact, do this. Why procrastinate today when you can always procrastinate tomorrow?

Woke up too early to go to Feng Quan's and pick up my bike. Fussed around for a while with organizing the bags and taking things downstairs, then went back to sleep for another hour before heading out around 9am on a Meituan share bike.

The pedals I hate have been swapped for something a bit better for touring. Nice, big flat pedals with the kind of pokey metal nibs that destroy shoes but make for an excellent grip.

New brifter hoods instead of new brifters. Also, for some reason that I can't be arsed to figure out with my level of mechanical (in)ability and the Tour starting tomorrow, although the front shifts now, I've only got two of the three chain rings. The wrench said something about mountain bike gearing and road brifters but I know that it started life as a three speed road brifter.

So, at least for now, it's a 28 speed bike instead of 42....

Considering that everything, including new bar tape (the previous stuff was covered in mold) ended up under USD 200, and it got finished such that I technically could hit the road tonight if I wanted to push for the unheard of situation of departing on my departure date, I'm merely whinging rather than complaining.

The * to provide anonymity to the patient being called next don't really work so well with non-Chinese names

Home again, home again, lickety split... then off to the International Clinic at Haikou People's Hospital which I've somehow managed to have not been to since last year's Tour prep. Only time I've been sick though was Covid in December¹ and even if I know that there's checkups and things I probably ought to get as a woman my age, I've been shoving them off on account of nothing bothering me.

I got a care package with Sudafed and cough medicine and OTC painkillers and antipyretics in February so I really just needed to get asthma inhalers² and codeine³.

Cost to see an English speaking doctor - 13.8y, cost for medicine - 177y, and I forgot—again—that I've got a social insurance card which I could have paid for things with instead of paying out of pocket.

More packing and repacking. I've come to the conclusion that I damn well better have as many off-bike government related work trips as I'm expecting to have this Tour as, otherwise, I will be very annoyed at having wasted sweat carrying a pannier that is literally nothing but Normal People clothing.

One pannier for food. One for coffee and charger cables. One for clothing and my laptop. One, and it's literally the largest one, for Normal People clothing.

I'm trying to convince myself that I don't really need three pair of shoes (sneakers, sandals, flip-flops) but I'm aware of how much things suck when I break one of my shoes and how hard it is to find a place to fix⁴ them these days, so that's a luxury I won't be dumping.

Ended up by riding the loaded rig to Roxy's to test my balance, to get a final blue cheese burger, and to see if I could figure out what I forgot before I get on the ferry.

¹ When the country suddenly transitioned from a "Zero Covid Policy" to having zero Covid policy.

² Although my lung capacity is at the higher end of the range at sea-level in a low pollution area, part of diagnosing my "turning blue" habit was discovering I've got asthma.

³ Primarily used by looking at the bottle and deciding I'm not actually in need of it.

⁴ I have a fairly serious leg length discrepancy and wearing new shoes that haven't been modified by a cobbler is not an option

Today's ride: 26 km (16 miles)
Total: 126 km (78 miles)

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