Lanshan on the S216

February 19, 2016

north up the S324 & west on the X051

Firecrackers and rockets are shooting off and exploding. I starts around six and for a minute I think it's World War 3.

There's no rush to leave the hotel. It's a combination of lethargy and dizziness caused by an inner ear problem - my sense of balance is temporarily off and it's 10 by the time I’d got my balance, and my panniers down to the hotel’s marbled lobby, where the staff want selfies taken with Yours Truly. It's the same the night before in the restaurant. Clearly very few foreigners make it to Linwu.

It's 10 already, so I guess I'll be on my way

Red-eared sliders for sale on the street in Linwu

Getting on the highway north is not an issue. It's straight along from the hotel's front door.

The wide 324 has a fair amount of traffic on it and the turnoff onto an X road heading west isn’t until after about 25km, so I keep looking at my computer and pedaling away. Not great touring, but there's no alternative.

Actually there are a few little detours. The villages along the route are just set back from the new-ish highway and I veer through one at around noon, basically for a change of scenery and also to find a bite to eat. Breakfast had been just two tiny steamed buns from a vendor 50m down the street from the hotel. They’ve long been burnt off.

A middle-aged husband and wife team are frying foot-long kebab sticks with a selection of meats to choose from and I end up having eight chicken ones. They video me.

The village proves to be a nice fillip. The monotony of the 324 gives me an understanding of how many cycle tourists find riding in China tedious: the main roads take you away from everyday life. They're invariably soulless. Some are busy. If you want to get from A to B, they serve a purpose. However, my aim is to get off the beaten track. And to trace The Long March.

Life imitating art in a village off the S324

Xinxuzhen is the gateway to what might be described as the real China, and the village duly arrives after 25km.

The X051 is well paved and takes me through a string of small places. There's still some traffic, but the compensation is it feels like I'm experiencing a bygone era, not just a boring highways. The few drivers are quite courteous.

inexplicably, this X road morphs into an eight-lane highway about 5km before my day’s goal - the town of Lanshan. However, it's eerily empty and feels quite bizarre. It appears the local government has mega plans for the area. I've seen smaller runways.

Once I reach a T junction it's decision time. Lanshan is kind of south, whereas to keep to my Long March means riding north. I ponder what to do: the S216 has a lot of traffic and isn’t appealing, so it seems prudent to head into Lanshan and see about getting on a bus – there are modern coaches whizzing up an down the road, so hopefully they’ll lead me to the local station

Not sure what this highway is, but it takes me to the S216, just north of Lanshan

Lanshan is a few kilometers down the 216 and the first large building that gets my attention had the words INTERNATIONAL HOTEL perched on top. It's grandiose and looks pricey.

Inside the tennis-court-size lobby, the receptionist points to a price list for rooms. A single is a reasonable 220rmb. After she’d fills out the passport details and I’vehanded over the cash, it appears my bike will have to stay outside. That does’t go down well and I ask for my money back. Bye-bye.

My impetuousness turns out to be a blessing, as after cycling around the block, a coach pulls up beside me at a red light (Yes, vehicles do actually stop). After following it for a hundred metres and making a turn, I find myself riding into the rear entrance of the bus station. Result!

My destination is Daoxian, about 100km to the northwest; there's a departure at eight in the morning; a nice hotel is right across the street; it's 25 percent cheaper than the first one.

Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 1,032 km (641 miles)

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