Day 227 (China): middle of nowhere - middle of nowhere (up into the mountains)

daily distance: 79km
total distance: 13,324km
riding time: 7-8h

What do you mean, Markus? Surely that can’t be right. Under 100km??? What’s wrong with you?

Where to begin? Here …

I had a terrible night, the wind yet again changed direction and came at me under the bridge … sans the sand this time around. But still, there wasn’t as much sleep as I would have liked to have. Plus, the soup I had last night caused my stomach to go haywire. It was not pretty and the feeling I had all morning was something else. In the morning I didn’t feel like moving and only slowly peeled myself out of the sleeping bag to get going. Once on the road things didn’t get any better either. For the first 2 or 3 hours I kept stopping fighting off a cramped up stomach to the point where you sitting down, lying on the asphalt, hanging over the railings of bridges and the like. Good thing there was no one else to see it. This is what things looked like most of the morning …

Then, if that wasn’t enough a spoke broke on the inside of the rear wheel meaning taking the rear wheel apart in one of those desolate streteches of desert that I am in right now. No fun at all. And then I realized what must have happened in Sary Tash … or at least part of it. Chainsuck. Three or four more spokes are bent quite a bit and I hope those stay where they are. But basically the idiot that rode it somehow caused the chain to get between the spokes and the cogs thereby bending the spokes. Not good.

After fixing things up and hurting my hand in the process, I moved on into higher altitude. The desert gave way to a rocky and narrow valley.

And the song entitled Amber Calling and which goes like “there’s no place that I’d rather be than right here right now” didn’t really reflect my mood at that point. I would have loved to be somewhere else to be honest. But that wasn’t happening, so I moved on. The cramps subsiding things moved along or rather crept and crawled along. I felt spent yet didn’t want to stop where I was. So I moved further and further. It became cold. I was hoping that the something on my map would turn out to be something. It didn’t seem that way for a long time until I finally, after turning a corner, saw a house. Great! Until I was sent away and chased off by two dogs.

More uphill battle with legs that just felt like cement. Then another light when I was almost going to pitch in the dark. And the cement factory thingy was a blessing. There were only three people there but they greeted me so warmly it was moving me immensely. And as if getting me inside wasn’t enough Feng, Lee and Luo just did this as I warmed up a bit … it was some of the best food that I have had on the trip.

And it came at the right time and in the right place and with the right people. 

We passed the time in great company. Feng is a policeman with a great heart, Lee and Luo guarding the place for the company. And they are great cooks let me tell you. I imagine what you’re thinking. How can you eat when you have cramps like this? First, I was hungry, second I had to wager between not having enough energy and having at least some and I opted for the second. 

When I turned in, Feng brought in hot water and a blanket (he had 7 or so) and made sure that I wouldn’t be cold. Thanks so much - this was so needed.