China bllg #75

China bllg #75 

It was not a war zone.. But it sure sounded and looked like one. I was just west of Ganyu City. Fireworks exploded outside my hotel window after a bride and groom arrived for their wedding. Yes the Chinese love their fireworks. 

I continued walking north through Chinas Jiangsu province. It had been a hot week about 30 C and I even changed into shorts and a tee-shirt and splashed on my sunblock. Many Chinese people still wore their overcoats and even when the wind was motionless they donned blankets that are designed for covering themselves up on their scooters (see last photo).

One day I came to roadworks where the traffic was diverted. I continued on as I could see the area I had to get around was only a couple of kilometres and led to a village. But before long it turned into a sandy trail with a couple of pools of stagnant water that I walked through. I smacked the front wheel against a rock and a little later the aluminium L-shaped bracket that holds Karmas front wheel to the forks snapped. I managed to keep the wheel on by using cable ties and duct tape to hold the axle up onto the fork. These items should be every cart pushers friend. That did the trick for it rolled on well that day.

 Next day I stopped at a roadside metal fabrication shop and for the equivalent of a few euro, I had one of the workers make me two new brackets. This time with sturdy steel and it only took him a few minutes to lash them out.

I camped for a couple of nights; once at a roadside rest area called Xie Hu Great Cherry Garden rest area and another night in a small town park. 

I read an article on the BBC website about a driver who was stopped by the police on suspicion of drink-driving in the province I am currently in (Jiangsu). Apparently, he overdosed on durian fruit. He failed his breathalyser test, but was filmed by police protesting: "I've just eaten durian fruit!"

In a follow-up police testing experiment an officer was breathalysed after eating some of the stinky fruit and it was confirmed that his alcohol level directly after eating durian was 36mg per 100ml. The legal limit for blood alcohol concentration in China is 0.02% - roughly 20mg per 100ml. 

Durians are infamous for being the worlds smelliest fruit. Much loved in parts of China and especially South-East Asia. They stink so much that occasionally bus companies warn their passengers against consuming them, or receive a hefty fine.

  On the road, just as I crossed into Shandong province I met a couple of Chinese touring cyclists. They stopped for photos. Photos can take a long time as everyone wants their own photo and then there are the selfies. That's four rounds for each person!, One of me alone, one with that person and me, and as I said the selfie and the one with everyone in it! Then the person that takes that last photo wants to get in another so the camera is handed over again!

I laughed heartily when after the selfies these lads wanted the full photo so they stopped a couple of pedestrians to take a picture of the three of us. Then the pedestrians all wanted their photos, selfies, full photos et al! 

Women still want to give me their babies but I resist it strongly and hand them back after a photo 

I made it to a small town called Changling and found cheap basic accom above a grocery store. No television, so it's a middle of the night it was a radio job for Liverpool's match v Newcastle United. Come on the Reds, you can win the Premiership 

 Down the road, I went for some street food and enjoyed the Google Translate chat with some locals and the owners of the open air restaurant. As always I showed my cancer awareness message and minutes later I refused cigarettes, Ah! The irony of it!