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China,
Vietnam cycle tour
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Southern
China and Northern Vietnam - close up
and off the beaten track
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Shunned by the West because of its communism
and abused by the insanity of Mao, China's
one billion inhabitants, especially its
peasants, progressed little in the 20th
century. Recent progress has been stellar
in the towns and cities, but for the Chinese
peasant, the emperor may have changed
his clothes, but life goes on much as
it has for the last 4,000 years.
Peasants in the picture taken near Dali
in Hunan province transplant rice with
teamwork honed by eons of practice - and
suffer the sore backs of their forebears.
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To really soak up the colour
and vitality of the vege markets, without
the hassles of the touters, you need to
be well off the beaten track. There is no
point in following the Lonely Planet trails,
you're just another opportunity. It's the
same all over the world. And there is no
better way to really soak up the culture
than on the saddle of a bike. You're up
close and and soon you're almost bound to
enjoy the hospitality of the ages - a true
Chinese welcome. Failing that, you can always
buy some really fresh organic veges. |
The workhorse of the Chinese village
is this little truck powered by a reliable
low tech one cylinder diesel engine.
You'll note the two admiring aliens
in raincoats.
The picture was taken in the mountain
town of Dali. Our ride around the nearby
Lake Erhou in the western highlands
of Hunan province was a highlight of
our travels in southern China.
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The picture of the two adventurers
in the picture was taken somewhere south
of Kunming. We're on the byways heading
south for Vietnam, through some very
picturesque countyside. Soon we'll drop
of the Hunan highlands as we enjoy the
world's greatest downhill ride to the
topical lowland valley of the Red River.
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As we head lower, the scenery is exhilerating.
The steep hillsides have been terraced
into paddyfields. There is no place
for modern technology here.
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Over the border in Vietnam, the scenery
is just as breathtaking but the culture
is different.
Up in the northern highlands you're
in cyclists heaven. As you can see in
the photo - those long and windy roads
hint at the meaning of life.
We did several days of really hard
biking in Vietnam and several days of
equally hard bus trips as we travelled
from the Chinese border in the North
to Hanoi where caught a return flight
home - and read up on a little Vietnamese
history.
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The Vietnamese beat the
Chinese, they beat the French, they beat
the Americans, then they beat the Chinese
again. All these victories seem to have
given them all the confidence in the world.
Even the kids are confident. Sometimes
their parents can be just a bit too in
your face...
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In places the Northern Highlands are
exquisitely beautiful. As we pedalled
slowly up those mountain passes, we
had plenty of time to take in scenes
like this.
Accommodation in the montaignard villages
is scarce and it can be a long way between
the bigger towns. One day we travelled
well over 100km. That may not sound
much, but on these roads in these mountains
it's a challenge. In fact, it would
be true to say that the odd day was
character building.
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Here we pause on the road to check out
a traditional peddler with a box of
trinkets to sell to the villagers from
the back of his little Suzuki.
We weren't tempted by his wares but
we savoured the glimpse of back country
life - and wondered how on earth he
made a living out of it.
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It's a different scene in Hanoi. The
first thing that strikes you is the hum
of 10,000 Hondas. Every Hanoian rides
a motorbike. It's truly amazing.
Riding or walking, we enjoyed the streets
of old Hanoi - the picture is typical.
We bought a bit of stuff too. The quality
isn't always great but it's bright and
cheerful. And cheerful was how we felt
after our five week adventure in this
fascinating part of our crowded planet.
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