My world walk blog/ China Part 2/ blog #52
27,000 kilometres have now been walked. And fittingly that day I walked 27 kilometres 
🇮🇪
Between my world run and my world walk combined distances, I'm now at 77,000 kilometres. From memory, I think I am 555 kilometres behind the record for the most lifetime verified expedition kilometres on foot. I had been thinking of Christmas Day to claim the record from my fellow world walker friend, a Japanese man called Masahito Yoshida who is taking a bit of a hiatus from the road. At my current pace, it would be a bit of an ask. Possible but why bother and besides I may need a day or two to sort myself before setting around Taiwan so why push it like that. How about New Years Day
Between my world run and my world walk combined distances, I'm now at 77,000 kilometres. From memory, I think I am 555 kilometres behind the record for the most lifetime verified expedition kilometres on foot. I had been thinking of Christmas Day to claim the record from my fellow world walker friend, a Japanese man called Masahito Yoshida who is taking a bit of a hiatus from the road. At my current pace, it would be a bit of an ask. Possible but why bother and besides I may need a day or two to sort myself before setting around Taiwan so why push it like that. How about New Years Day
Today I had a bit of hassle trying to find a way across the
non-pedestrian bridge to get from whatever island I was on and onto
Pingtan island as the bridge is part of a motorway, the S15. In the end,
after wasting a couple of hours and making a seven-kilometre round trip
from the motorway entrance down to the seafront via route 305. That
meant a backtrack (as there was no ferry from where it should have been
as indicated on the map) I decided to take my chances and make a run for
it on the six-kilometre-long bridge. Those seven kilometres were not
claimed in my total for the day. First I had to sneak my way past a toll
booth and I did that by waiting until it was dark. Then I took my high
viz vest off, turned off my lights and hid about a hundred metres from
the booth. When a truck came I ran alongside it and sheltered myself out
of view of the toll booth attendant. I wasn't worried about the truck
driver giving the game away as I suspect he didn't know I was there as
they don't seem to look in their mirrors lol,
As soon as he was done and took off I ran like the clappers alongside the truck until I was out of view of the booth. Then I put on my vest and flashing red light.
The wind was fierce on the bridge, almost gale force and as the edge was only about hip high I had to be careful that I wasn't blown into the East China Sea. I leaned down as far as possible and if necessary I was ready to dive onto the ground on that four-metre hard shoulder. It was a six-lane divided highway, three lanes each way. With less than two kilometres to go a cop car with four officers pulled up. One of them spoke a little English and asked me what I was doing. So I just said I was nearly across and they probably just decided it was easier to escort me the rest of the way than to call out a truck to transport Karma and then do all the paperwork. When I took my phone out and before I could turn on my camera to request a picture he told me to get going. So I did with no photo. Perhaps they were going off duty or rushing off to see a big table tennis match. Either way, I was delighted to complete my crossing without even a passport check. I wouldn't fancy pulling that out on a windy bridge. I ran pretty hard. When I got across the officer suggested that next time I cross that bridge that I take a bus or a car. I noted he did not mention a ferry but I did not want to get into a discussion, I just agreed.
Later I noticed that my Spot tracker hadn't tracked me. I did take a few screenshots of my locations, see photos. Note they are in car mode and not pedestrian mode. That's because pedestrians are not allowed across and the Google man refused to go there, obedient fecker that he is.
I was discussing this bridge with my friend Benjamin in Berlin last week and he joked that the 'Google Man' doesn't want to cross as he is either a coward or is lazy. Then he tried to trick him into the crossing. I wasn't sure how he did that. Did he leave a few German beers there for him on the map, lol,
Personally, I would love to give the Google man a good kick in the arse!
Anyway, I got across and didn't have much to eat all day so I stopped at a burger joint and celebrated 27 thousand with two Pepsis, a burger, fries, a wrap and a small chicken. That meal special was a little over five Euro.
By that time it was almost ten pm and I had no idea where I was staying. I'm near Beicuo Town on Pingtan island. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day I can catch a ferry to Taiwan.
A little later when I ventured out from the burger place I discovered there was a shopping centre adjoining it. So there was little point in tramping further and when I told the burger manager my plan to sleep in a sheltered corner he brought me into a warm indoor area! Thanks, mate. You too are playing your part in helping my world walk for cancer awareness, After all. Life is precious and early cancer screening saves lives www.myworldwalk.com
As soon as he was done and took off I ran like the clappers alongside the truck until I was out of view of the booth. Then I put on my vest and flashing red light.
The wind was fierce on the bridge, almost gale force and as the edge was only about hip high I had to be careful that I wasn't blown into the East China Sea. I leaned down as far as possible and if necessary I was ready to dive onto the ground on that four-metre hard shoulder. It was a six-lane divided highway, three lanes each way. With less than two kilometres to go a cop car with four officers pulled up. One of them spoke a little English and asked me what I was doing. So I just said I was nearly across and they probably just decided it was easier to escort me the rest of the way than to call out a truck to transport Karma and then do all the paperwork. When I took my phone out and before I could turn on my camera to request a picture he told me to get going. So I did with no photo. Perhaps they were going off duty or rushing off to see a big table tennis match. Either way, I was delighted to complete my crossing without even a passport check. I wouldn't fancy pulling that out on a windy bridge. I ran pretty hard. When I got across the officer suggested that next time I cross that bridge that I take a bus or a car. I noted he did not mention a ferry but I did not want to get into a discussion, I just agreed.
Later I noticed that my Spot tracker hadn't tracked me. I did take a few screenshots of my locations, see photos. Note they are in car mode and not pedestrian mode. That's because pedestrians are not allowed across and the Google man refused to go there, obedient fecker that he is.
I was discussing this bridge with my friend Benjamin in Berlin last week and he joked that the 'Google Man' doesn't want to cross as he is either a coward or is lazy. Then he tried to trick him into the crossing. I wasn't sure how he did that. Did he leave a few German beers there for him on the map, lol,
Personally, I would love to give the Google man a good kick in the arse!
Anyway, I got across and didn't have much to eat all day so I stopped at a burger joint and celebrated 27 thousand with two Pepsis, a burger, fries, a wrap and a small chicken. That meal special was a little over five Euro.
By that time it was almost ten pm and I had no idea where I was staying. I'm near Beicuo Town on Pingtan island. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day I can catch a ferry to Taiwan.
A little later when I ventured out from the burger place I discovered there was a shopping centre adjoining it. So there was little point in tramping further and when I told the burger manager my plan to sleep in a sheltered corner he brought me into a warm indoor area! Thanks, mate. You too are playing your part in helping my world walk for cancer awareness, After all. Life is precious and early cancer screening saves lives www.myworldwalk.com
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