February 6, 2016
Peitian and Tongfang
The X661 and X660
Last night wasn’t quite camping indoors, but my sleeping bag and fleece liner supplemented the hotel’s duvet in my attempt to keep warm. The wall-mounted heater wasn’t much better than a hairdryer. It would have helped if I’d paid attention and closed the large window: I never knew it was open until I got up and saw the chilly north wind blowing the curtains in the direction of the bed. It's a frosty morning.
Giving out no heat at all, the winter sun is hovering low over the hills at eight as I pedal a handful of kilometres along the flat concrete X661 to the ancient village of Peitian. The entrance fee is 50rmb – five quid, or around US$8 - and the ticket has a street map printed on the back, but really there are just paths to stroll along. Cars are not allowed, so that makes it a nice place to wander around for a couple of hours.
Although it’s obviously managed, it doesn’t feel fake, like a museum or theme park. Villagers go about their daily lives: a few women are doing the washing in a gully outside their homes; an elderly lady sits on a low stool and takes charge of a chicken, tying a thread around one leg; a couple of men chat. People are friendly and engaging. They probably haven’t seen a foreigner on a bike before.
The architecture is a pure delight, full of detail and craftsmanship, and interesting buildings appear around each corner, and with the sun being low and bright, the situation is good for photography. My camera is clicking away and it makes me think back to the days before digital, when each shot was carefully selected to preserve the precious rolls of slide film stored in my panniers. Now I just snap away like a nutcase, taking several pics of each location.
There are information plaques on some of the more important structures, but they are basic details of what they were, such as 'Government Building'. You’d really need a guide to explain the history; I'm content to just take it in visually.
Being a tourist destination, the noodle guy predictably seems to overcharge me. At 15rmb, it is around double what I’d previously paid. By the time I’ve finished my late breakfast it's gone 10.30 and time to hit the road.
There were some climbs ahead and my destination isn’t clear, with Chanting probably too far to reach in a day, but as the sun shines brightly in a clear sky for the very first time, optimism reigns supreme.
It isn’t steep for a couple of kilometres, but then the incline does kick up. After 15 kilometres of slog, I stop for a break, eat a banana in the warmth of the sun while in the shade the mercury is in the chilly single digits. Behind me, the road can be seen rising acutely up the opposite side of the valley head, disappearing around yet another bend, but not long after I find out it marks the pass. My fleece is back on for the descent.
Water has washed sand and grit across a lot of the road, so my speed isn’t too high. Apart from that, the surface is pretty good. The X661 is another section I had imagined to be rough. It leads me down into a flat valley which looks a couple of kilometres wide, with farms and hamlets dotted here and there. The surrounding fields lay empty and the wind blows in my face. There's noting very exciting about it all.
The X661 eventually meets the wide S204 near a place called Beituan. It actually bypasses the small town, but on its northern periphery I spot a middle-aged women sat purposefully at a sewing machine in the utilitarian confines of a garage-like unit. One seam across the back edge of my saddlebag has come undone and after a bit of pantomime, she has it under the jumping needle and it's as good as new in next to no time. She refused money and simply puts her fingers to her lips as a sign of kindness. It's a touching moment which restores my optimism and sense of wellbeing.
The S204 only lasts a few kilometres before my front wheel turns left off it and on to another X road – the 660. This is surprisingly flat, which really perks me up. Then the climb starts.
Initially it isn’t too hard going, but it turns out to be relentless. Jeez, what a test. Thank goodness I bought that small front chain-ring. Even with that, after 15 kilometres of slog my energy gives out. And it's so bitterly old up here that my fingers are numb. Knackered, I walk the last couple, feeling low with each bend teasing me into thinking it's the crest.
My watch reads 5.30 before I get back on the bike at the road’s 17km marker. The sun is about to vanish and the temperature is now heading towards zero. In a vain attempt to keep my hands responsive, I ride with one at a time so as to put the other in a jacket pocket for a bit of respite.
Chanting is out of the question and I need to find a place to sleep pronto. One man I ask says there's a guesthouse 5km ahead, so it seems things will work out. It's in the village of Tongfangzhen, whichis written down on my route notes as the biggest place along the X660, albeit just a one-street place.
I double check the hotel info' when I spot a group of teenagers outside a large home. Two high school sisters can speak basic English and confirm it, but they insist I have something to eat first. They escort me into their neighbor’s home, where around 20 people, a mixture of the very young and the elderly, soon gather around to see the strange foreign man digging in to a selection of cold dishes which are obviously left over from their New Year feast. It's a bizarre 20 minutes, but fun and very much appreciated.
The girls and their uncle kindly show me the hotel, with me following his car in the dark. It’s doubtful anyone would find the place - it's unlit and hidden up a flight of stairs in what looks like an industrial unit. The entrance is dingy and there's an air of abandonment, with nobody around. Uncle phones the number on the name card and eventually the manageress arrives.
Thankfully the room is OK, quite spacious and clean, and proves to be the warmest yet. She even throws an extra duvet on the bed, just to make sure it's cosy. Result!
The relief of having somewhere warm for the night calls for a celebration. The small supermarket just across the road has cans of Tsindao beer and potato crisps. That does the trick
Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles)
Total: 285 km (177 miles)
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