May 11, 2004

Nanjing to Beijing was a ride through the past for us. The area is part of the bread and rice basket of the country and employs methods that were surpassed in the USA over 100 years ago. Millions of acres are still plowed with oxen, mules, donkeys, cows and small tractors that one walks behind. We saw some of the cultivators being pulled by one and two people and that includes an equal number of women. In the past 120 years the USA has gone from an agrarian society where 90% of the people lived outside of big cities and were involved in raising food. Today that number is about 2% of our population feeding the other 98%. China is still 80% agrarian and that means over 800,000 people do nothing but farm to feed their 1 billion 200 million population. And it means that their job is sunrise to sunset hard dirt farming with few of the tools that give one some leisure time. Consider what it would be like to have eight of your circle of ten friends doing nothing but collective farming.
       There is road construction everywhere and the closer we came to Beijing the better things looked. The roadsides are lined with newly planted trees and flower beds. They are beautifying things for the 2008 Olympics and what a difference from the last time I was here in 1993. Central Beijing has really undergone a transformation, some of the old brick and adobe homes are gone and there are cranes everywhere on the skyline doing new construction. There are still plenty of old alleys to explore and a chance to mingle with the locals when the language allows. It is really a transformed city. There are no trucks allowed into the downtown area during the day and there are now five ring roads easing the traffic situation. Imagine Washington, DC with 5 beltways instead of the one miserable one we now have.
       We stayed three days and enjoyed a trip out to the Great Wall at Badaling and a trip through one of the massive Ming tombs. Another day we visited the Summer Palace, the summer residence for Empress Dowager Ci Xi. Remember her in The Last Emperor movie. She rose from being the emperors concubine and after his death she ruled China. It just proves that if you excel at your job you can get promoted. We also spent a half day in the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square and were approached by the locals who love to practice their English. Where ever we stopped on the bikes a crowd quickly gathered and in a few places you could feel really hemmed in by the curious. It is a joy though to try to exchange thoughts when much of the time neither participant has a single word of the others language.
       A trip of 272 miles on fairly good roads put us in the seaside town of Huludao City. Situated on the Yellow Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, it draws many Chinese, Korean and Russian tourists for the beaches.
       On to Shenyang and a good hotel, the Gelin Hotel. Our usual evening meal was with a huge round table and a lazy susan that is constantly replenished with great food. One of the favorite dinner pastimes is to try to determine what you are eating. Our group seems especially adventurous and almost everyone tries everything. Helge Pedersen, our tour leader is especially fond of fish and you had better get your portion before the table turns to him. Mike Paull, our co-leader is a cook and manages to identify most of the ingredients in the dishes.
       As usual, when we pull into a new location we are overwhelmed with the curiosity of the locals. Most of the time neither party has the language skills to carry on a real conversation but with the help of maps and smiles and a lot of pointing we have a great time. Once in a while a stop blossoms into a happening. It was an unscheduled lunch in a village where within five minutes we were mobbed. A young lady of 18 or so stepped forward and told us that we were the first foreigners that had ever stopped in their village and that they were very honored. She was currently going to a school elsewhere where she had a British English instructor and she was back home for a week holiday. With the digital cameras we took pictures of many and they were fascinated with their picture on the view screen.
       On to Changchun, (5/11) and another motorcycle welcoming committee. We behaved ourselves and did not party late as the next day was the ride into Harbin, (5/11) and a threatened major reception from the local club. Two years ago they did the same thing so Helge, Mike and the group were ready. One of the club members owns a cafe with a Harley and a Honda on display plus walls covered with photos of his exploits. He carries license plate A000000 for the province so we know he has major connections. They were all at the hotel the next morning and a member who is a calligrapher painted Chinese names of our choice on gas tanks or fenders. My "Tractor" now has his name in gold on the big tank. We in turn signed shirts and jackets until their equipment looked like a Globe Riders set of billboards. Neat club!!
       The countryside is beginning to change with more greenery, larger flocks of ducks, goats, sheep and cows but still no fences and still tended by a shepherd. The weather has been cool but great for riding.   

Regards,  Norm

Back to the Beginning of Norm's Adventure

1st Journal Entry - Beijing China
2nd Journal Entry - Shenyang China
3rd Journal Entry - Towards Russia
4th Journal Entry - In Siberia Russia
5th Journal Entry - Continues through Russia
6th Journal Entry - Marches on through Russia
7th Journal Entry - The Great Potato Field of Russia
8th Journal Entry - Russia Final (next Poland)
9th Journal Entry - Motorcycle Accident in Russia
10th Journal Entry - The Crimea - Ukraine
11th Journal Entry - We have Crossed the Finish Line
12th Journal Entry - Update on injuries
13th Journal Entry - Poland, Czech Rep.
14th Journal Entry - Returning Home