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Cycling in China

Email from the Road

Part 19

Back in Yangshuo

'Are you still here or again?' asked a guy I met on the street in Yangshuo. It seemed people assume I live here. It's not too strange some think that way because I have spent a lot of time in this town this year. But I want to spend my Christmas days in a place with friends and since I have some here in Yangshuo it's an obvious choice. It became even better when I found out my friend William will get married on the first of January! So it seemed I am at the right place at the right time!

Another reason to come to Yangshuo is that it is getting colder now. The last few days I cycled with wearing all possible clothes. I had left Rongshui, a town 160 km west of Guilin with the idea I might not find a hotel to stay in between there and Guilin. So I was prepared to camp that night. I don't know why or how but I didn't cycle comfortable. It went tough. Not that the road was bad or that there were difficult mountains. Sure I have some troubles with the bike but they are not of the size I should cycle with such difficulties.

Cycling anyway is for a large part a mental thing. If you think it's difficult, it IS difficult. I have checked my heartbeat but even after heavy climbs it wasn't higher then about 100 which shows my physical condition is quite good. But my legs were not willing, at least that is what my mind said.

So I cycled for some 90 kilometers and entered a little town. The town was very small on my maps but there were, I could have known that because it is always like that in China, two fandian or guesthouses. One of them had a clean room though no hot water but what can you expect in a town where there is no electricity.

To my surprise it seemed everything was available here, even internet. That is to say, if there had been electricity. So I didn't have to stay in my tent that night. At daytime it was nice and it tempting to camp anyway but when the sun went down the temperature dropped to around 6 degrees which means the night is much colder so I was happy with my hotel room.

On my ride to Guilin I had the same problems in cycling as the day earlier. Besides that I got four flat tires which didn't make me happier. Two flats I got in just three kilometers! I have spare tires with me but of the six, five of them had more then 5 punctures in the past so they where not that good anymore.

I cycled up and down little hills until I got a plat one in a little village about 25 kilometers from Guilin. As I usually do, I don't fix the tire, I simply change it with a good one. It's faster and easier. The flat one I repair at night. As it goes in China, I got a whole crowd watching in amazement to see the laowai with his bike and his flat tire. I had a great theatre performance. The only thing they didn't give me was an applause.

And then I cycled through a pine forest area. I had no idea there was such a large forest area in this part of Guangxi and in summer time I definitely would have stayed here and camp for the night. There were little lakes and dark pine forest on the hills. It looked gorgeous. The road swindled through the area, no villages or people could be seen. It was peaceful and silent. The sun and the bright sky did the rest.

And Guilin, Guilin was as always: a city made for tourist. Who wants to see Guilin as it was 20 or 30 years ago should visit Rongshui, but even there plastic palm trees are being introduced! This is what some call development. Give me the real thing!

I had been on the Guilin-Yangshuo road before and here I could check how bad I was cycling. It wasn't that bad. I went slower then this summer even though at that time I had no rest and came straight out of the bus from Chengdu. This time I should have had a good night rest but my hotel bed had been t5he problem, something stuck in my back and I couldn't find out what or how so I had not have much sleep.

As in the previous times when I arrived in Yangshuo, at my arrival it started to rain. When I write this, Sunday morning, it's still raining! So I am here at the right time, at the right moment!

A country girl in the Big City

I thought people in Yangshuo would have been at least in Guilin. How wrong could I be. Yangshuo sees lots of tourists and my assumption was that most of the people here would do shopping in Guilin since it's just 67 km's away and busses go almost every 15 minutes.

Joanne was working in the Drifters cafe. She's 18 years old and comes from the little town of Gaotian. Gaotian is on the main road from Chengdu to Guyang and Guilin to Guangzhou. She works now for some time in the cafe, speaks reasonable English but has never been in Guilin until Friday.

She made an appointment with two friends to see the Big City she had seen many times on television. But being there would be another almost historical event for her.

On arrival they started walking and it didn't end for another 5 hours. There was nothing in particular she wanted to do except escalators and elevators. The escalator was done up and down over and over again. It was hard to believe a thing like that could even exist.

The elevator had a liftboy. It was to her astonishment that the liftboy was paid for this job. To Joanne it seemed wonderful job to let the lift go up and down. She couldn't believe the boy was paid for it instead of paying for this wonderful thing.

She explained to tourist around why the bridge in the centre of Guilin was called Lovers Bridge (a story she set up by herself!). And the parks where free! That was another thing, which knocked her out. Beautiful parks with different colored lights were free of entrance! Amazing!

It took her companions 5 hours to make her enormous energy stop and sit for some noodles. She talked and talked about what she saw, how great it was on and on.

In many villages where I have been I know most of the villagers have never been to big cities but this is Yangshuo. I made the mistake that people here would be so used to foreigners and therefore they would see Guilin. Joanne opened my eyes. She was the child I used to be when I was exploring the outside world. Through Joanne's story I learned a lot about being a child again, if that is possible!

The three walked the whole night through Guilin until they caught the 6 o'clock morning bus back to Yangshuo but this was only because her two companions forced her to go back. If it was up to Joanne, they would have been until the next night in Guilin. Her energy seemed endless.

Joanne is already planning here next trip to Guilin when she has her next day off.

The wedding (3-1)

The first of January was the day of the wedding. Originally it was planned for the 11th but the fortuneteller didn't agree so it was moved to the first day of the new year. For some of both foreign friends it was a difficult day to come. The first of January is usually a day of trying to get rid of the headache of the New Years Eve alcohol party. Besides, it was short day.

New Years Eve I spend mostly in the 7th Heaven café of which William was the owner and he was also the one that would marry the next day. He took me to his apartment to pick up the video recorder, which I should use to film his most important day of his life.

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7th Heaven Cafe and Hostel

The apartment was filled with his family watching VCDs. It was around twelve but no one seems to bother with the upcoming New Year. A quarter past twelve I went back to the 7th Heaven. I found that many cafes were already closed. The Chinese, they came from Guilin, who had made the Christmas Eve to such a party were all absent now. Only the tourist had some fireworks in front of a few still open cafes.

I walked back with Linda, Williams' bride. She told me she had to take a shower at 2 am with some special leaves so she would sleep well. It part of the tradition but if she really did I can not tell. She seemed to be a bit nervous for the next day.

In the morning we were expected at Williams' apartment. He looked relaxed but needed help with his tie which was hanging around his neck. We would drive to Linda's home and bring her to the Paradise Hotel. A red car, meaning luck and prosperity, was hired and it was decorated with flowers. The numberplate was hidden, probably because of the number four on it. Instead a couple of characters meaning luck and happiness were seen. On the back window the character for double happiness was seen. It was a good start for the day.

A couple of big rolls of fireworks were dropped in one of the cars. They would be used all through the day. A wedding without fireworks would be a bad wedding.

William had to bring his bride out of the house. On arrival fireworks were setoff. Then William entered the house. Linda was inside one of the rooms and William had to bring her out. Banging the door didn't really matter. Linda didn't want to come out. But after William threatened to leave and cancel the whole day, nothing serious of course as it was set up, Linda came out. Even William was for a moment out of breath. Linda looked beautiful in her white wedding dress and flowers, roses in her hair.

But William found himself back in the same second and escorted her to the door. Photo's were made but everyone was avoid to stand on the doorstep. That would be a bad sign and bring bad luck. Linda's family was presenting red envelopes to the guests

Linda's family had red envelopes for all the guests. We left the house after some tea and went to the Paradise Hotel were there would be a lunch for the family.

Before the guests came we went into the bride suite to check if everything there was ok. Here Williams' mother presented the guest red envelopes. The room would be used by the bride to change clothes.

Linda was asked what she thought of the day so far, her answer was short: "interesting!"

Most of both families came from the countryside near Puyi, a little town 20 kilometers from Yangshuo. They arrived by bus. It was clear that many of the older people had seldom or even never been in Yangshuo. For many of these people it was a long journey from their home to Yangshuo. Although Puyi has bus connections to Yangshuo for many it was still a long walk from their home to Puyi or the town opposite of the river from where William was born.

The people came for shaking hands and giving the red envelopes. Those red envelopes contained money and a little letter, which had to be written according to the status of the giver.

The men were presented cigarettes and went inside. Inside the dinning hall the both families had their own place. On one side Linda's family was seated, the other half was for Williams' family. The dishes were special for weddings with duck, chicken, fatty pork, deep fried fish and soup.

I walked around to film a little bit. Many of the family members looked puzzled when I was filming. Maybe it was their surprise to see a laowai, maybe it was because they were not sure how to behave or maybe it was just that they didn't want to be filmed but they also knew it was for William and Linda. Many of those people had beautiful faces. In the faces I read a whole life of hardship but the eyes were friendly and beautiful. These people lived on the countryside, had little education but good hearts. That was clear to me.

After the lunch we were dismissed. Ian, who did the photography and me went back to the 7th Heaven but my rest would not take long. Almost at arrival there I got a call from William to come to the apartment. There was already Linda's family. They had presents for the couple. There was tea and sweets served while the television was on. The presents were brought up to the first floor (in China they call it the second) and dropped on the bed. More fireworks were set off as if the air wasn't already smelling enough!

Later that day I went back to the Paradise Hotel were the new couple had to welcome the guests for the dinner. Many local and foreign friends (fortunately many were able to come) showed up bringing the traditional red envelopes or presents as the family had presented earlier the day. After the guest had arrived more fireworks were set off and after Linda had changed her white dress for more comfortable clothes the new couple entered the dinning room.

It was time to eat. But not for long. The new couple went from table to table to toast with the friends. Some wanted them to drink big glasses of wine. Others took a peace of fish of a long piece of vegetable and let them eat together while the food was hanging down from their chopsticks. It caused great hilarity and laughter.

William's face became slightly redder of the alcohol. I left the Paradise and went to the 7th Heaven were the party supposed to continue. William and Linda had a short appearance there before they moved to the apartment.

More family and friends were gathering here. Then I heard some chicken. They were in the bathroom. As part of the tradition the new couple were offered two chickens. These animals had to live in the bathroom for three days before they could be slaughtered and eaten. When I was reviewing the day I saw a very happy William and Linda. The wedding itself was very much like in the west. The differences lie in the details like the red envelopes, the chicken, the double happiness character on the red car and many other small signs in and around the house.

Next: Part 20

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