We're now in Kunming , the capital of Yunnan province. It's so great to be back in China!
We cycled for 5 days from Lao Cai, Vietnam to Mengzi, Yunnan. It was a pretty tough ride i must admit, but as gorgeous as it can get! All the way we cycled next to the redred Red river, cooled ourselves in it, had a clay fight on the shore, met a chinese dude who gave us some boiled water- no charge! And then we cycled straight up to the clouds. I don't really have a suitable gear on my bike for cycling up the mountains so most of the way i had to just push my bike and now i have big muscles on my hands. No match in wrestling for me anymore!
It was quite a lonely road, there was few motorbikes and cars passing by, some horses and waterbuffalos, some really old and short ladies in tribal costumes carrying big baskets on their heads and machete in their hands, going.. somewhere..
One time after hours of pushing we got really hungry and started knocking on the doors in a small village to ask where we could eat and luckily one household was just about to start eating and they very kindly let us join in. Yunnan people sure know how to cook! Wow, the food here is so delicious that it's a bliss to get hungry. I guess that was the only time we got hungry because other times after each hour someone invited us into their house to eat. Very hospitable people indeed.
Below - johney feasting on the delicacy of chickens head and his new girlfriend!
In the mountains it was also the first time for me after like 4 months to feel chilly. Kunming is also higher up and it feels like the season has changed, well Kunming is actually called the city of eternal spring. It sure is nice not to be sweating all the time.
After 4 days cycled we pulled into Mengzi (about 170km from the Vietnam boarder) and met some guys who owned a bicycle/tattoo shop. They took us to eat, fixed our bikes, offered us a place to sleep, made a tattoo on Johnnie's shoulder（which looks like this: 二百五 , literally it means 250, but it means "stupid" in Chinese). Also local Mengzi Tv came and took an interview with us and filmed us playing music and Jimmy's tall bike ofcourse. I managed to answere all the questions in chinese! After two days of taking care of us in every way, we closed our ears to our new and cool chinese friends entreaties to stay in Mengzi for ever and we caught a bus to Kunming!
I'm really happy being here and improving my chinese and being able to speak with locals even just a little bit.
你好妈妈！
再见！
Triin
Below left
On the roof of a local who invited to dinner and to see his newly cemented roof!
Below right
Pushing up the steep rough roads over the mountains in Kunming!
