I was excited to to see China outside of the main cities and was a pleasant enough ride. It was 94kms but for the first 50kms, Vietnam was just over the other side of the river. There were many restricted areas along this border as you’d expect and not too many villages along the way.
I rolled through a nice looking village after 20kms but decided that it was too early to eat. I should have picked up some Bao buns to go.
It wasn’t until Xinjie that there were any eating places, and the one I chose was very happy and friendly. A couple of dollars for a big bowl of pork and noodle soup was just what I needed to keep me going for the rest of the day.
The day dragged on though. I’m not sure if it was the distance, the unexciting scenery, or my inflated expectations but I thought the whole day was a little ho hum.
The hotel was nice. Miles had warned me that the lady was a bit gruff. As I arrived, a guy who later turned out to be her husband, said something and went to get her so I could check in. He knocked on the door and they had a loud conversation. It seemed like he really had to work hard to get her moving. So, I was expecting the worst, but she was quite pleasant.
Dinner was at the attached restaurant where there was a pet rabbit hopping about the place. Pretty brave.
I also met four Japanese students who were doing a ride in Thailand, Laos, China and Vietnam. They are great guys who gave me recommendations for Yuanyang which is my next stop.
Day one in China is over and I’m still really looking forward to the next month here.
