Knowing that our six month long trip was about to end, that after Beijing one would return home, that there would be no more map meetings in the morning and long distances to cover every day, our bodies entered a process of relaxation. We suddenly began to feel tired and our lack of energy was more than evident when we walked around Beijing instead of taking our bikes.  We only managed to have half a day of sightseeing, partly due to the dreary weather and the humidity, our tight interviewing schedule and the mere fact that we had done lots of sightseeing the last couple of months in China.  The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was heavily crowded, and its spirituality was lost amidst the commotion created by the visitors. 

The road after Luoyang is smoothly going uphill and passed through fields, occasional treelines and villages covered with coal.  After a small mountain pass and lots of sweat from the humidity we arrive at the infamous Shaolin Temple Complex.  We watched a brief Kung fu show, walked around the pagoda forest amidst lots of tourists, who of course didn’t fail to notice our presence.  Furthermore, the once serene monastery – where apprentices learned to transcend their physical existence and control their emotions and senses – has now become a tourist attraction with lots of noise and commotion (day 160).

A glorious morning was ahead of us.  Marcin and Mariusz join us and we begin our hike at 7:30 am.  There is no rain, and the clowds occasionally offer us spectacular views of the peaks – it seems that the peaks play hide-and-seek with the clowds.  We went off the beaten tracks and tried some exceptionally steep trails, at times holding onto permanently fixed chains in order to go further ahead.  The Chinese have carved steps onto an entire mountain making it thus accessible to everybody – of course this means that crowds of people will disrupt the natural tranquillity that one expects to have in such rugged terrain. We hiked for endless hours, visited all of the main peaks on the mountain and descended late in the evening just before dusk.  Our legs would suffer for days since we are not using the same muscles while cycling. This was one of the best experiences we have so far had. (day 155)

Danae goes on a tour with Mark, Monica, Carlotta, Nijole, Daumantas, and two Chinese university students, Rhett and Ernest (English names of course).  They visited the Grand Mosque, which blends traditional Chinese and Islamic architecture.  It’s situated in a magnificent old garden which is full of bird sounds and intense fragrances of antique wood.  They also went to the Wild Goose Pagoda and played around under Asia ’s largest water fountains, which created splendid figures following the melodies playing in the background. Chinese tourists and locals bring their children half-naked to be refreshed by the splashing water and spend a day away from the heat.  Lunch at KFC is yet another attraction for many Chinese, who are beginning to have Western habits (day 151).

We now have about two weeks and 1400 km left until Beijing .

The stark contrast between busy city life and the temporary escape to a massive municipal park lying on the slopes of the bordering mountains is remarkable.  We walked up for hours visiting Buddhist and Daoist temples and pavilions while enjoying the skyling views from above.  We made an extended stop at a calligraphy workshop where we met various people and the master himself, who offered us a parchment as a gift.  It wrote “ Greece and China are one word.”

We visit a Buddhist monastery complex in Zhangye during our rest day.  We are amazed at how such big cities can grow in the middle of nowhere land. Water can change the most arid environment into a hospitable habitat.  We have seen that all throughout the deserts of Central Asia and Northwest China .  Treelined wide bicycle and pedestrian ways, square city architecture with tremendously large avenues, cleanliness due to what seems to be “almost zero” unemployment – people are occupied with all kinds of menial tasks such as dusting the leaves of indoor plants or cutting grass beside the road in the middle of nowhere – characterizes modern China. Their cities are so big, but they are so tiny... When once we ordered another round of food at a restaurant they automatically brought it in a doggy bag assuming it was take-away.  Of course, they couldn’t imagine how one can eat so much at once!

We left early next morning to avoid the usual strong afternoon winds.  We chose to cover the large gap of nothingness in the desert alone and reach Hami, the next city, as quickly as we could. Very difficult route due to the strong winds, the hilly terrain which constantly went higher up and the lack of amenities... 140 km further we camp under a bridge – which is both rain and waterproof.

The wind has done us a favor and pushed us ahead for a change.  We quickly arrive in Kizil after riding through gorgeous treelines forgetting that a few kilometers further lies the dreadful desert. We visit the Thousand Buddha Caves, situated in a spectacular location between sandy hills and tall rocky peaks by the river bed.

Not much remains in the caves aside from some samples of half-destroyed frescoes depicting various buddhist themes.  Muslims have defaced much of the site through the centuries and Europeans stolen most of what survived (day 108). 

...Various ups and downs mark our route until the border. We have to wait until the following morning since the borders are only open on weekdays.  Our final goodbye to Adam and our van, who will return to Osh and leave the van there until Martin picks it up sometime in August.  We pack all our belongings onto our bicycles, which now resemble much more closely the passing Chinese trucks. After numerous controls we clear the Chinese border and meet our Chinese driver and guide, who speaks English.... 

Crossing the Fergana Valley has been quite invigorating. 

Plenty of trees and vineyards both in the fields and along the houses create shade.  Estates have more land, and houses have large interior gardens. Water fountains can be seen every 200 meters . Bicycles are the most popular medium of  transportation in these parts.  People go around listening to music through their mobile walking or cycling. School kids dressed in uniforms, women wash their carpets on the streets, working in the fields and at home, while their husbands relax sitting under some shade or riding a donkey.  It’s also easier for us to find shade to take our lunch break away from the early afternoon sun.....