China 5 - Sichuan and Shaanxi

 

We reported, we escaped the freezing cold region by train... and arrived in drizzle, fog and smog... Around lunchtime the sun starts shining through the clouds and now we are sure our decision was good. Our next destination is close: The Maijishan Grottoes. Impressive and in dizzying heights lots of small and large Buddha statues have been carved into the rock. A path leads along the smooth, vertical face of the rock, challenging as we both suffer from fear of heights

 

 

After we wiped off the cold sweat we follow small roads off the beaten track – uphill and downhill. We enjoy the rural atmosphere and the surprise waiting for us. We are about to cycle up a pass in the rain. The mountains are surrounded by clouds, which gives them a mystical impression. Then we spot a cave entrance, with a little waterfall! Unfortunately our headlight are not bright enough, so we turn after some meters, feeling sad we did not get to see most of the stunning dripstones and sinter formations. At the entrance we meet a group of Chinese people with lots of torches. We smile, turn and join them for a second tour. Together we spend more than an hour in the cave, climbing and full of admiration. We love such surprises and because we love the so much, the next surprise is already waiting: Snow on top of the mountain! One snowball fight later we say goodbye to the winter and continue our way downhill towards south.

 

 

With every meter the temperature seems to rise. We are getting close to the highway and we even anticipate riding on it again. We often had to fight hard for the kilometers on the small roads. We reach the highway access, where two workers block our way. It seems bicycles are not allowed here again. We act as “non understanding aliens” for a while, but the staff stays persistent. Time to turn back. No bicycles on express highways in Shaanxi! A exceptionally bad surprise, our visa duration is getting less and we cannot pedal the shorter, more flat road. Instead we need to take a big detour, which crosses lots of mountains where the highway disappears into tunnels. And which leads down into deep valleys where the highway stays even on brigdes. There is not even a direct connection, so we have to cycle two long ways round. After the first exhausting detour we decide to try again at the next access. No luck!

 

 

We beg and plead to allow us on the highway. Finally we show the policeman our phone with the calculated detour. He takes a look, shakes his head, pulls out his phone and shows us another route: Short and directly next to the river. Surprised and grateful we continue. It turns out as the perfect way: Almost no traffic, one river bend after another. Pure luxury. Even the weather plays along and we enjoy sunshine all day long.

 

 

The better weather is gone all too soon, again drizzle and rain. We cycle long hours, take only short rest stops and try to reach hotels as often as possible to dry our sleeping bags.

 

 

After a couple of days we arrive at Guangyuan. Time for a rest day! Well, maybe restless day is a better description?! Our plan is „Panda Watching“ in the city Chengdu, 330 km away. We take the high speed train early in the morning. It takes only 90 minutes, exactly the duration to watch “Kung Fu Panda” as a preparation. Our destination is the Panda Research and Breading center, where we explore the jungle like outdoor areas and learn a lot about Giant an Red Pandas. After a great day we head back to Guangyuan in the afternoon.

 

 

From here the Yangtze river is not far away and we plan to go on a multi day cruise through the Three Gorges. We can’t wait for those rest days. The cruises depart from the megacity Chongqing, which ranks among the largest cities in the world wit about 32 million inhabitants. The 3 Gorges Dam Project created a reservoir more than 600 km long. Million of people had to resettle, among them the old Chongqing and remaining city had to expand… We arrive on the outskirts when sun sets, 45 kilometers left to the center! We chose an international Hostel before, but we did not book it as we were not sure if we arrive the same day. The way there is tiring but finally we made it. Or not It is 10 pm and we stand in front of a ruin, the hostel is getting renovated at the moment. This should not be a problem as we are in a city with lots of hotels. Two hours later we know: None of them is going to accommodate us. Reason: All fully booked! We guess nobody is keen on two foreigners and all the paperwork that comes with this in the middle of the night. Thus we find ourselves homeless in the middle of the metropole and have no clue what to do… Read more!

 

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