28/6/25
We should’ve left early, but we sat around having tea and coffee. Polished off the second, rather dry, corn cake and some grapes. We couldn’t carry soft fruit. When we left, by around 9am, it was still fresh. Before us were beautiful green mountains. Crisscrossed with brown paths and tracks. The huge Jianshi River lay on our left. We set off with some trepidation. An extensive set of tunnels lay ahead. A new obstacle to contend with. Generally roads with tunnels are off limits to cyclists.
The first 15km felt like it was mostly tunnel. Each one was around a kilometre long. Most of them were lit. Some of them were without ventilation or lighting. Some of them were short enough we could see the other side. The noise of vehicles was terrifying. Lorries sounded like trains barreling through. In the unlit ones they looked like trains too. The sound of their horns reverberated all the way through the tunnel, and us. By the 25km mark we’d stopped burrowing. The scenery was magnificent. When we could see it. A gigantic river, gigantic mountains. Everything was gigantic. It was an environment that made us feel very small.
After the climb up to Jintang we found somewhere to stop briefly. Zero shade. We drank the second coke. The road took us inland to cross the Yili River. We descended down to incredible views of the consecutive bridge, tunnel, bridge that took us to the other side. A newer, larger bridge took the expressway across. Our route was far more exciting. The first tunnel was all downhill. The second was 2km long, uphill with a headwind. Just what we needed before a big climb. At least the Sun couldn’t get at us. Not yet.
We stopped for some orange juice with a spoonful of salt. We knew what was coming. We still couldn’t believe we were back in this incredible heat. To top it off we had a hard climb ahead of us. The road first took us up a steep straight which hit 15%. Then multiple hairpins up and over the mountain. We took regular breaks when there was shade. Which wasn’t often. It was around 35C.
Even when we thought we’d made it, we hadn’t. The garmin didn’t include the random little inlets and several steep 10% climbs. It underestimated the whole climb. The road was steeper and climbed higher than it had predicted. We had wanted to wait till the actual top to have a proper break. Instead we took shelter early. Under the jut of a building. We stuffed in spicy salty tofu sheets followed by biscuits.
After a small downhill, followed by yet another climb, we stopped again. The first shop since the bottom. We bought an electrolyte drink and ice cold water. There was just one more 91m climb ahead. It just never ended. It was appallingly steep. We zigzagged up the road. Only the closeness to the top willing us on.
The top was, as always, anticlimactic. We bumped fists and finally began going down. It was just as steep as the climb. As we were flying down we took turns to take pictures at the hairpin bends. After 2/3 of the way down there was a blockade. Our hearts sank. The man said something that we assumed meant we couldn’t go through. Then he came over and ‘opened the bunting’. We had no idea why the road was shut but it explained why there were no trucks. We soon found the remnants of landslides. Rubble and dirt across the road. Then we came across a part of the road which had completely collapsed. Broken tarmac on the edge of the cliff. All that was left was a dirt track. Then we crossed a big concrete bridge. It felt a little sketchy. There was no one else around. Yet another small climb. At the top a group of workers were chilling. They gave us water and a peach each. Then took photos with us.
It was another fast descent. The vast built up area rapidly came closer. The last 7km was painfully slow going. Gentle climbs zapped our legs. The Sun was blistering hot. Qiaojia was like every other Chinese city we’d arrived in. Extremely clean. Hundreds of electric scooters. Clearly demarcated cycle lanes. Our hotel was on the main road. We persuaded the woman to let us bring the bikes in. They could go in the back office. Our room was on the 8th floor. A king size bed, separate shower, huge television.
Frankie had found a vegetarian restaurant about 5km away. We asked the receptionist to confirm the opening times and she also organised a taxi for us. The driver got lost. Even though the restaurant had provided the location on WeChat. He kept trying to go the wrong way. Jonathan had to insist he follow his directions. It seemed absurd he couldn’t read the map when there was a perfect blue dot showing our position.
We sat inside an empty restaurant. A smiling woman in smart silk clothes put the air conditioning on. It looked like a buffet. There weren’t any dishes though. We fumbled around on the WeChat miniapp, perhaps we had to order. After bringing us tea, the lady informed us it was buffet downstairs and we could order food upstairs. We obviously stayed downstairs. The food was brought out slowly. It wasn’t as grand as Kunming. Lots more people arrived. Everyone did a double take at our presence. We always smiled and said 你好 (nǐ hăo). Especially to the children, who couldn’t believe their eyes.
When we came to pay, the woman tried to let us eat for free. We refused. As always it just doesn’t feel right to have things for free just because we aren’t Chinese. All these rich people who accept things for free must have very different brains to us. We tried to take a bus home. There was no bus stop and the bus didn’t come to where we thought it was. We booked a taxi using DiDi, uber for China. It was incredulously cheap, 76p. We got dropped off at the market. It was mostly closed but we bought some lychees and blueberries.
It was a long walk up a steep hill back to the hotel. We were plenty satiated and didn’t eat much more. We watched Suspicions. Then some more Amandaland. Jonathan was in the end stretches of The Shield. It was getting glum. We pressed the ‘sleep’ button next to the bed. The curtains closed and all the lights went out. The rest of Europe was in the Stone Age comparably.
Surly They Won't Make It 