May 26,  Location:  Samenxia  34° 46’N 111° 12’ E elevation 204 metres, riding day #10. 133km today, 1357 total to date.

Another very dirty ride, a very industrial area - we all look like coal miners coming home from work. I knew I looked really dirty when all the TdA staff at the hotel were taking pictures of me.  It took two serious washings to clean myself.  I know some of you won’t believe it, but I am seriously hand washing all my clothes everyday.   Some climbing today, about 1,500m, in fact almost exactly like the Vancouver/Whistler GranFondo – a bit longer, about the same climbing, but this had all sorts of heavy trucks and dust and dirt with the trucks coming and going on/off the highway without signals.  The road was quite bumpy in places so the trucks would drive where ever there were fewer bumps – e.g. the wrong side shoulder and usually passing another truck at the same time.  I had a “conversation” with a couple guys in a heavy truck going up a long (7km?) hill, we were going about the same pace – it spite of the diesel fumes, dust and rough road, it was quite fun. No idea what they were talking about.  And tomorrow will be the same and so will the day into Xi'an, although hopefully less dusty and fewer heavy trucks.

To add to the fun on cycling the roads, the ditches are definitely not to be ridden into, they are about 3’ deep with essentially vertical sides – it would not be a pleasant landing.

We just had an interesting exchange with the local police at the hotel.  The tour company has been very careful to only use “approved for foreign visitors” hotels, confirming before they book when they book etc.,  Turns out many are not approved for foreign visitors, so we have stayed in some very nice hotels.  Tonight, the police came around when a bunch of us were sitting in the lobby, asked various questions, with a serious looking guy in the background carefully taking pictures of all of us.  After checking all the paperwork, they then insisted on taking a picture of us in front of the TdA vehicle with the lead guy in the middle, so I took a picture of the guy taking the pictures.  We eventually concluded this was just a publicity shot for them, showing they were doing their work, either that or I am going to end up on some sort of China’s most wanted list…

 

I hadn’t realized it, but Dengfeng where we stay two nights ago, is the home of the famous shaolin monestry and HOME of KUNG FU, one of the riders whilst cycling through the town stopped tosee the hundreds of cool wee Kung fu kids on their break time playing and fighting in the school yard,

The food has been wonderful, yes occasionally not sure what we are having, and ordering in a restaurant is always a challenge, but the eating is great.  We are getting better at the "...get the bowl close to your mouth and just shovel and slurp..."

Yes, this is an older woman street sweeping on an 8 lane major road and yes that truck is coming at her.

A couple other interesting shots: