95 Kilometres to Beijing

Billboards show proud folk
China's power and might will rise
To reach toxic skies


In 24 hours we will be cycling into Tiananmen Square after a journey which started in Istanbul on 26th July and has taken us over about 9000km. This is infact shorter than anticipated, as , although we have been through 7 countries , we were expecting 8, but Georgia was denied to us because of war.
It has been an astounding adventure and I feel humbled but invigorated by all the new experiences. We have been through deserts in searing heat. We have huffed and puffed over mountains in pinching cold. We have battled myriads of people, but also been through areas where a single vehicle has caused a stir. The overwhelming impression however of travel across Central Asia and the huge land mass of China on the Silk Route is that it is FLAT!
This last leg from Xian to Beijing - about 1200 we have covered at a rate of 120 - 140 km a day, riding 5 to 6 days on end. It has been flat, but has demanded a very different kind of mental strength and endurance. It is almost urban and semi-urban the entire distance and the fields and the green lies out of site behind dirty strip developments and huge cities. Some cities have been larger than Cape Town -and I have never heard their names. Cyclists have zero status on the roads - along with any other moving object with less than 3 wheels. So we have had to contend with busses, cars , trucks, going the wrong way down streets, wrong way around roundabouts, stopping with no warning, and blatant cutting off while maintaining eye contact. All this while dodging pedestrians who often choose to stop and chat mid street. There is no point in claiming rights or getting angry. It is a waste of good emotional energy. Everyone seems to remain impassive and cool.
There is no road rage - if there was the roads would be littered with dead bodies...
However- I had to devise some tricks to retain sanity. I tried to find something new to look at every day - and I must admit the "sameness" of these conditions verged on being boring. The roads are often lined with masses of trees- rather dirty and battered - but still green and these encourage the ever present mossie ( house sparrow to non Saffers)
As these little birds tittered and fed on stray bits of corn, they gave me great pleasure. There are also plantings of roses, and other flowers, along with strange statues - all rather grey due to the all pervasive pollution which prevents the sun from lifting the gloom. But I appreciated the attempt at beauty. The air quality has proved a challenge - many of us are coughing, and sniffing- and wondering how this can continue...
My cycling companions as always saved the day. We became masters of "bullshitting"- and covered every conceivable topic while keeping eyes on the road.
So I think at last I have got my head around the fact that China has 1,3 billion people. The impact is mind blowing. Every resource is stretched. Every shop is full. No one has personal space - or respects it. Even weddings seem to be going on continuously -and dont last too long, because someone else is waiting in line. It seems hard even to show compassion when life is so hard for some individuals. Animals take their chances and learn survival tricks.
As I read this it sounds a little negative. Not so. What a country this is and as I ride through I have a feeling that it is very definitely a 'Work in Progress" and the rest of the world must keep watch.

I will cycle very carefully tomorrow. I will write again in Beijing.
Thank you again for coming along with me on this journey


Tree planting en masse
Gives beauty and a green lung
Which sadly still coughs.