Date: 7 January 2017 at 02:39:32 GMT+8
To: Tony Mangan <theworldjog@gmail.com>
Subject: China world walk blog re done 5c

Self-belief and  confidence bordering even on arrogance. A total rejection of logic can also be important ingredients in the make up for the extreme athlete, for we thrive on confidence garnered by defying the odds. They are all akin to ingredients added to a stew; for perhaps with hard work, dedication and especially persistence, one day all of these experiences will mature into a dream.

I wrote this blog entry four weeks ago and despite several searches for keywords through my messages and emails I couldn't find it. Then by chance I discovered it hidden in an email unsent box!

I continued walking along routes G206 and G208 in Shanxi province. These two roads run parallel and are rarely less than a hundred metres apart. Surely as they were so busy it would have made sense to have divided dual-carriageways. They were pretty beat up with potholes and as every journey runner or walker can testify it's a daunting experience footing it along a potholed roads. Vehicles can appear to come at you from all angles as the motorist selects the least damages part of the tarmac.
That  day I only walked 23 kilometres before I got to a restaurant which was closed. Through the window I could see a man doing some paperwork, so I rapped on the window. His name was Shi Li Jun and immediately he offered me tea. As the restaurant was closed for business I took out a bowl of left over noodles. My new friend kindly heated them up and also added some spicy vegetables and also cooked me the tastiest omelet I have had in a long time. When he was locking up I asked to camp at the side of the building.
However, as camping is not common in these parts. a surprised local man  lifted up the end of my tent out of curiosity and gave me an early morning call.
People continued to offer me kindness, some even told me that the heard of my walk on social media, mainly from a website called We Chat which seems to be the Chinese Facebook.
Lately, I have been feeling lazy, perhaps the winter blues. That day I only walked 14 kilometres and stopped at what looked like a decent hotel from the front. I called it The Metropole. For it had an air of grandeur with its revolving doors, fine decor and tall velvet seats in a large dining room.  I just bought coffee sachets from their shop and cheekily asked a curious security man to mix it up for me. Though the hotel was out of my league I asked the cost of a bed and was surprised that it was only 30 Yuan, about 4 euro.  I couldn't believe it for I thought they meant 300 Yuan's. However, the joke was on me when I was escorted around the back to a hostel which only had a cold water shower! I always wonder about hotels that don't sign me in or ask for my passport. In many ways, I didn't care, no police visit, I was glad of the quiet night. The swanky part of the hotel was in operation, so I didn't understand why I was escorted to the hostel part

Believe it or not I find it difficult to get tea in china Well at least tea bags! I guess it's a bit like going to Bordeaux and asking for a home brew wine kit. Chinese serve tea leaf tea out of large thermos's as a complimentary, even when not asked for in restaurants. I prefer the convenience of tea bags, I even wished I had brought my own tea supply to China. I can't believe I said that!
After a 38 kilometre day I stopped at a traffic police station which was closed. I knocked on the window and asked the confused cops if I could sleep there. As they were opening the gate I turned suddenly and stumbled over a rock as I pushed Karma towards the entrance. One of the officers whispered to the other and instead of opening the gate their attitude changed. The officer with the key shooed me away like I was a dog. I figured they were thinking I was drunk.
Needless to say I was angry at the police officers misdiagnosis of my condition. I was certain that they thought I was drunk and I was even more surprised  that they told me to go back onto the highway at that late hour.
I decided to pitch my tent on some stony ground near their station. Just as I was pushing my air mattress inside my tent an officer came over to told me to move on. Annoyed, I told him to get lost. Sometimes it's an advantage not speaking the language! Another officer with the aid of a translate app message suggested that I should go to a hotel which was one kilometre away. No way was I doing that for it would take me over half an hour just to wrap up.
In the morning when they came over I was so annoyed that I refused their offer to fill my thermos; so it was my turn to shoo them away. Not sure if I was over the top. Were they justified to assume I was drunk by my stumble folks?