China Day 26 – The Mobile Café and Enjoying Yunyang

Today was one of the shortest distances to ride in China. Only 90 km from Jianshui to Yunyang scenic spot which was actually just across the border of Vietnam to see the rice fields terrace plantation in the mountains.

I was not that much excited to see the rice fields to be honest. I have seen many of them before in Laos and also in Vietnam so there was nothing awe awesome to look forward to. The short distance to travel today however was a welcome delight so when we departed at 10am in the morning, I really took my time riding slowly through national road G245 to Yunyang.

From Jianshui to Yunyang

From Jianshui to Yunyang

The roads felt like I was already in Laos to be frank with bad wavy and slippery roads but minus the potholes. It was rugged and raw very similar to either Vietnam of Laos so the transition feeling that we were going to leave China in three days was starting to set in.

Just shy 2km from the hotel, I stopped to take some pictures of the rice fields and then I saw a traveling coffee Van. I had been looking for this type of pit stop all over China and this was the first time I saw it in time to stop and take a break. 

I now understand that most of the traveling Coffee Van is loitering along the Tibet and Xinjiang route and not much can be found in busy cities in China.

Yunyang Rice Terrace - Off season

Traveling Coffee Van

I ended up just sitting and chatting with the locals while sipping coffee for nearly three hours enjoying the good weather and beautiful landscape view. Tsevtan eventually needed a Coffee and came over to join and then John turned up and a whole bunch of conversation was happening at the same times with the locals in so many kinds of topics.

It’s been a while since any immersion with the locals occurred, so this was really a welcomed experience. We bid them farewell in the evening to go check into our hotel and then it was simple dinner at the restaurant before we all head back to our own private rooms. 

Yep, this time it was cheap enough that I had a private room not needing to share with Tsevtan or John. CNY 70 per night.

Travelled on: Nov 2024

China Day 23 to 25 – From Zhaotong to Xundian and a Free Day in Jianshui

It was the end of short rides day and today we had to go the distance of nearly 260km from Zhaotong to Xundian. I decided to utilize the highways in Yunnan and made my own research to do a lunch stop detour.

Huize Ancient city was the pick, and it was one of the very rare kind of Ancient city that I have seen in China where it has yet to white wash for mass tourism so the buildings were dirty, the shops were a mix matched of new and old trades still working side by side. The authenticity was the real thing, and it was really refreshing to find.

Huize Ancient City

Huize Ancient City

Huize Ancient City

The best part of the day I would say was when we found some locals just doing local practice of their traditional folk songs at park. We could sit there and listen to the songs they were singing and they were not bothered at all with Tsevtan filming everything so I decided to get in a few shots as well.

Huize Ancient City

Locals Practicing Folksongs at Huize Ancient City

From the lunch stop it was another detour through national road G248 to go up higher until nearly 3300m based on Tsevtan altitude meter where we thought we could go through the Dahai Grass Mountain Scenic Area which was around 4000m elevation. 

At the turn off the weather was bad and cloudy so we just continue on with G248 but the roads became bad downhill. Twisty roads up were perfect tarmac but twisty road down was construction roads filled with gravel and potholes. 

The view however was amazing, and I made my way down very slowly not risking anything. The small detour through G248 took so much time that once I was out of the twisty road, I found the nearest entry to the highway and blasted the throttle to reach Xundian.

G248 from Huize to Xundian

G248 from Huize to Xundian

G248 from Huize to Xundian

Xundian became another China city that we just arrived, checked in the hotel and walk out for dinner before crashing into bed and leaving immediately the next day without really exploring the place.

The next day would be the day that I won’t remember in China. It was bound to happen eventually, so I was quite happy that after 24 days in China, this was the first day with bad weather.

We woke up in Xundian with light rain and decided to grab some heavy breakfast hoping that the rain would break but it looked like a full day rain type of day.

Highway was the easy choice with bad weather as national road would just be too slow and worst roads, so it was that kind of day where I don’t really remember much. 

Wet weather day - Highway Stop

Rain and more rain throughout the day making me do so many stops at almost every rest stop the highway provide. All the initial plans of detours out of the highway to find food and lunch was washed down the drain.

I reached Jianshui at around late afternoon and then it was off to dinner with the campers celebrating one of the kids 10th birthdays. It was the first time visiting a China campsite and I was really surprised at the amount of local Chinese campers. I had no idea it was a thing.

City of Jianshui

Campervan Park in China

Our last free day in China. Initially the original plan was to have the free day in Kunming but after meeting up with drivechina.com and gathering feedback from most of the participants, they all decided to tweak the plan a little and changed the free day to be in Jianshui.

The principle was that the free days in large cities can be sometimes overwhelming as there is not enough time to really do the sightseeing proper since it was only a day. Also, the expectation of full exploration and having sufficient time to recuperate was not really there with big cities.

Jianshui

Local Tribe Singing Practice at Jianshui

Playing Cards in Jianshui 

Hence for our last free day it was shifted to Jianshui a semi large Ancient City which was great for a half day relax compact walkabout yet also scenic enough that we could just chill sipping coffee watching the local crowd and time goes by.

In the morning after breakfast, it was a walk to find coffee with Tsevtan and then it was a random walk around the Ancient city and by chance met Yassine as well. The stroll was random but at one point we started hunting for a massage place. 

More walks around and after giving up hope of finding a massage place by chance, I used the maps to search for the concentrated spot for massages.

Blind Massage in Jianshui

A little far walk slightly outside the Ancient City and we found multiple massage parlours that were actually blind massage. The massage was good and one of the best cheap values for money I had ever found in the whole of China.

Lunch was simple and then it was more random walking around. The second largest Confucius Temple was also in Jianshui but upon entering, it felt more like a Zen Temple instead with gardens and pond being the theme.

Confucius Temple in Jianshui 

It was a slow day for once in China and in the evening after a short break back in the Hotel, I headed out with John to get dinner. We found the insect delicacy and John was braved enough to try a centipede and spider. 

A quick post on the group message board immediately pull all the youtubers away from their comfort to join us. Youtuber would do anything for a reel that could hit a few thousand views. Little excitement and just another day in China.

Travelled on: Nov 2024

China Day 20 to 22 – Multiple Short Ride Days from Leshan to Muchuan to Leibo to Zhaotong

From Leshan to Muchuan was another 100km journey which was becoming our favorite type of day or at least for the slow bikers that like to go national road and linger about seeing things along the way. Me & John packed up in the morning and made a dash for the Giant Leshan Buddha.

We opted for the cruise sightseeing instead of the hike as we were lazy and also the tickets for the boat were somehow cheaper than the hike. 

Cruise Boat to See Giant Leshan Buddha

Morning crowd for the hike was also a crazy hoard that makes no sense. It still took us a good two hours to see just the Giant Leshan Buddha via cruise and by then it was already 1pm and the ride for the day had yet to start.

Leshan Giant Buddha was quite a sight. I knew about this popular tourist attraction but had never thought I would visit it one day. 

Carved out of a cliff rock by the edge of two river merging thousands of years ago makes it something unimaginable to be done just to put a monument. People must have lots of free time during those days.

Giant Leshan Buddha

Me & Giant Leshan Buddha 

I spilt up with John after visiting the Buddha with me making a quick stop to find lunch while John pushed on. There was not much to remember of the ride from Leshan to Muchuan and also because of the short distance we covered it fairly quickly and for once still arriving during the day despite setting off after noon.

That night in Muchuan we finally found a frog hot pot which Tsevtan & John was very eager to try. Taste like chicken but feels like fish was how I had to describe it to them to ease their worry but once they tried there was no going back. Belly stuffed and happily full, we all call it a day.

Muchuan 

Frog Hotpot in Muchuan

The next day’s ride to Leibo was a short one through national road of China. 150km. The scenery though through the countryside was amazing. After a while a lot of the days meld together and all the country roads feels like the same in some ways.

Twisty and winding through mountains by the side of rivers overlooking fields and buildings scattered along the hillside always awe me no matter how many times I see it and forget it the next day. It was a long day and we us reached Leibo late evening.

Muchuan to Leibo

Muchuan to Leibo

Muchuan to Leibo

Muchuan to Leibo

John was first with his African Twin going crazy speeds while I somehow reach about the same time as Tsevtan. I think he waited for me and slow down and it was always a nice gesture which I appreciate silently that there was someone looking out for me once a while.

Our hotel in Leibo was also a good joke since our new guide and drivechina.com initially said that there was no cheap triple room hotel in this small town. We started looking on our own and found single rooms for CNY 50 which we said we could all get a single room which total up to CNY 150 which was still cheaper than the CNY 230 triple room that they were proposing.

In the end Merry managed to find us a triple room for CNY 132 which was perfect and Leibo was a simple town with no frills for the night. Leibo turned out to be an interesting city in the morning as we push off to find breakfast. It was a tiered city hugging a mountain which required many sharp hairpins turns to go around.

Leibo at Night

Leibo in the Morning

It was also high in altitude which we did not expect making the weather cold at 2000m elevation. The landscape was again amazing and no matter how many times I see beautiful landscape in China, it never gets dull.

We went through small country national road S101 which pass through a small unknown town in China called Xiloduzhen. It’s amazing how this unknown Xiloduzhen in the middle of nowhere flanked by crazy mountain landscape is just another normal town in China.

Amazing Views along National Road S101

Amazing Views along National Road S101

S101 for nearly 3 hours but then we were already inside Yunnan province and the restriction of motorcycle going on highway was no longer applicable as we had left the Sichuan Province. It was time to enjoy some highway need for speed after a long time.

The moment we hit the highway I was bombarded by tunnels after tunnels continuously for nearly 50km. Half the journey in tunnels and then I reached Zhaotong nice and early during the day around 4pm in the evening.

Zhaotong Ancient City however turn out to be a disappointment. I guess it was just another stop to break the journey on the way south.

Travelled on: Oct 2024

China Day 19 – Chengdu to Leshan

The short reunion with Bing passed very fast last evening and then it was early morning again and we had to push off to Leshan. 

The distance was more manageable this time round with only 100km to Leshan but maybe this was planned since Sichuan province had strict rules for motorbike not allowing any of us to take the highway and have to go through the scenic but very brutal slow national roads.

Countryside Roads from Chengdu to Leshan

Countryside Roads from Chengdu to Leshan

Initially it was the idea to go straight to Leshan and see the famous Leshan Giant Buddha carved out of a cliff rock but with national roads involved things changed as I could not make it in time in the evening.

With more time since the journey was only 100km, we also slacked off a lot sleeping in and only truly pushing off around 11am. My helmet communicator decided to go haywire and only the right-side speaker was working and it was annoying. 

I stopped by the side of the road trying to find that sweet spot wriggling the connector to get both speakers done but somehow managed to rip it apart instead.

A bike shop in Leshan

New Communicator V9 

The Bluetooth communicator was a goner and that was bad for me since I relied heavily on the communicator for navigation. A quick message to www.drivechina.com to find me a shop somewhere along the way where I could possibly buy a new one and they did a solid research in one hour while I had lunch along the way somewhere.

There was a shop in Leshan and I reached there nice and early at 4pm and haggled for the communicator, but without much choice and desperation had to fork out a good chunk of CNY 860 for the new communicator. The latest V9 VMotor communicator which was reputable in China at least.

Leshan City

Leshan City

By the time everything was set up and good to go, it was nearly 6pm which was way too late to visit the Giant Buddha of Leshan. I checked into the hotel for the day, grabbed dinner with my roommates. Leshan Giant Buddha visit would have to be tomorrow morning.

Travelled on: Oct 2024

China Day 18 – Chengdu Free Day

While most of the other tour participants went to see the Panda Sanctuary in Chengdu, I decided to give that attraction a skip and just walk around downtown Chengdu instead. A late sleep in since it was a free day and more needed journal updating in the morning making this free day quite a productive one.

By the time I left it was nearly lunch time, and I took a walk to the nearby Jinli Ancient Street tourist attraction. Lots of food and decked out for photos and tourist trinkets, I did not feel it was the right spot to take a lunch break so after a walk around just observing more tourist from different part of China doing touristy things, I took a bus a few blocks away to the people’s park.

Jinli Ancient Street - Chengdu

Jinli Ancient Street - Chengdu

Jinli Ancient Street - Chengdu

My instinct usually works when finding unique food in a new place and I somehow found the local lunch place which was packed with people and runs very old school ushering customers and pushing out orders as fast as they could so they could sell more meals within the limited lunch break.

I got a nice local Pork Trotter which was herbal instead of spicy. I never did expect that since I was in Chengdu and in Sichuan province where everything was perceived to be spicy but then here, I am enjoying a local intangible cuisine that is not spicy.

Lunch in Chengdu

Local Pork Trotter Lunch

Local Chengdu Restaurant where I ate

After lunch it was a walk in the park, and I kept an eye out for the marriage section of the park where there was hundreds of bulletins post for eligible male and female looking for a life partner. 

The people’s park turns out to be a nice escape from the bustling and modern city of Chengdu. A lovely place to take a stroll just watching the locals past time drinking tea in expensive tea house enjoying music and opera or even a nice little ear cleaning routine.

Chengdu Central Park

Locals Enjoying Tea at Chengdu Park

The famous Marriage Market in Chengdu 

From the park, I took a walk to the center of Chengdu not knowing what I would find but was surprised to see a wide-open space surrounded by futuristic museums and a statue of Chairman Mao. The contrast in every other block in Chengdu downtown is striking, and I had barely left the first inner ring.

Continuing the stroll, I ended up in the touristic shopping pedestrian street and while I just walk around observing the people, somehow out of all the modern and big international brands, I spotted the small little shop selling pancakes Chengdu Style. Intangible Cultural Heritage Pancakes. Join the queue and more food was always good.

Downtown Chengdu

Downtown Chengdu

Downtown Chengdu

Intangible Cultural Heritage - Chengdu Pork Bun

The last stop was Anshun Bridge which supposedly a scenic bridge to take picture, but I guess we had seen quite a few of those going through China making the Bridge just another one in China. After that I ran out of time and headed to the meeting spot for dinner with the whole crew.

Anshun Bridge 

I have not met Bing for more than a year, and he had not changed a bit. It was my first time meeting Merry who supported us always via email and group chats and for once it was a rare gathering of almost all the tour participant for a meal. Only Ugo opted not to join as he was not feeling too well.

I kept joking around mostly but had some good catch up with Bing. I wanted a job so bad with his crew. Hire me please, no money involve is necessary, only petrol food and lodgings is all I asked but it has to be legal, a work permit so none of us get into trouble. 

Bing reply was I needed to find a nice China girl to marry first so he can hire me. Work permits in China for foreigners are tough to get apparently.

Travelled on: Oct 2024