Can't think of a cool title at the moment

The next day, it had rained so the shoulder situation was much much worse. I peddled, thinking zen, peddle peddle, think zen. Then the road widened and life was good. I made it to Dangguang and I must say it was a lovely town. I wanted to stop but it was only 12:30 and I know I kinda have a deadline now. I did find a map however. And I only got lost a little bit, and that led me to the book shop with the map. It is a beautiful little city, clean, lots of parks, and a good atmosphere. Like I said, there really isn't much difference between cities, just that each one has its own personality. I liked this cities personality a lot. But I kept going.

I stopped at a little roadside stand a few miles away, and got dive bombed by bird poop. They got me twice. I swear it was like they had smart bomb bird poo. It didn't get my bag (bright yellow target that would have been) it got me. I decided it was a sign to move on.

I found a cheap little hotel, and the people were quite nice, but the bed was not comfortable and they had mosquitoes. So I didn't sleep very well. But at 7:00 am I was happy.
I was just outside of Guangzhou, and I thought I could get onto the next road by noon. Ha. I didn't even get lost!! It was just that Guangzhou is a huge city. Spread out huge. The road I was on led almost to the road I wanted to go to, but .... I kept going and going. I thought the city was pretty cool, and I did get a picture of a bike with baskets of chickens and ducks (I wanted one because it is so very China) and I did get a nice lunch of roast duck, but... The road kept going, through exurbs and suburbs and this nightmare of a train station. I kept peddling and thinking zen peddling and thinking zen. By 3:00 I wanted to cry. I turned off where the police said I should, and there was a sign before a very long bridge. No bikes, No pedestrians. Everyone was passing me on foot and on bike, ignoring the sign. I saw another police booth and asked the police man (thinking he was going to wave me away)- and he pointed over the bridge. I guess the sign wasn't valid anymore.

I crossed the bridge, next to the train tracks ( I even got to see two trains pass very close by) and got into a small town. (not quite on the road yet) I kept thinking- will this city never end?
It is a nice enough city, but....
This morning I woke up early, and decided that if the city didn't end by the end of the day, and I didn't get on the right road, I would quit and take a bus. But the road did show up finally and the city did kinda end. I felt pretty good. I got into Sanshui by noon. Sanshui was another really nice little city. Busy and clean and friendly. So many people smiled at me. I went into a little shop to buy something and the three boys running the shop insisted on giving me tea. They were watching a basketball game between the Boston and Huston. They were fans of Boston. (I think).
I didn't make it all the way to Zhouqing, but I'm in a very nice little town, with very nice people and some very good food. Tomorrow is another day. Peddle peddle, think zen, peddle peddle, think zen.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun.

Hey now

Apparently you must take a bus to get out of Hong Kong. And. I got lost getting out of Shenzhen (I don't think it is very funny, but go ahead and laugh if you must).
So.... I was hoping to get to Guangzhou today, but then when I got on the right road (finally) I realized that was going to be a joke. I average about 50 km a day. Some days I push it to 70 and a couple of days I made it to 80, but most of the time it is around 50-60. Guangzhou is 13o km from Shenzhen. And. I didn't get on the right road until 11:30. Once on the road I had a nice lunch. It was like the little bouzi you get in Suzhou, but with vegetables, and there was a lovely peanut sauce. Plus the roadside stand had my favorite ice tea. So I was cruising, despite some seriously messed up traffic. Apparently there are a lot of "local" buses that go between towns. They don't have one stop- they stop and pick people up all along the way. (this causes some "interesting" traffic situations) Then the shoulder disappeared. They are, I think, adding some lanes to the highway. So the shoulder is either not there or seriously not paved. I'm trying to be zen about the whole thing, and just put it as part of the adventure and another margarita story when I get home. If I don't make it to the border by March 3rd I'll take a bus. My visa is only for 2 weeks and it starts March 5th. The woman at the embassy in Hong Kong said that I couldn't go earlier, or enter later. Apparently they are a bit strict.
I still don't have a map.
But that is part of the adventure too.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Update

I got the visa to Vietnam. I will get the map to Hanoi. I will keep going.
Till I post again be good, be happy, and have fun

War

I'm at war with myself today. I go to the Vietnamese embassy to get my visa, but there is a part of me that really really wants to quit. To ask Uncle David to buy my ticket home. I did good didn't I? I went across China and that is cool. I am tired and I don't want to go back on my bike. Plus Hong Kong is VERY expensive. It has almost broken the bank. However, I also said that I would go all the way to Singapore, and that is what I should do, plus these are the set backs - the feeling like you want to quit, that you need to push through. And I know Vietnam and Laos and Malaysia are going to be beautiful. And plus if I were to fly out soon it would be better to go on to Guangzhou. If I go to Guangzhou I might as well keep going. I guess I will keep going.
By the way -- Hong Kong is worth it, it is a great city. I Love the engergy here, and the fact that I can get almost anything I want (I've re-supplied myself a bit, one of the reasons H.K. has been so expensive)
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun.

Hong Kong is wonderful

In Hong Kong now. Yes it is dreadfully expensive and because of the new year holiday it was a major ordeal getting a hotel. But I'm safe have room for the next few days and a really cool guide. He didn't believe me when I told him I was one of the luckiest people in the world, and yes I do get lost in every major city, but all in all, I must have a ton of angels looking out for me. I meet at least one in every city.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Almost there

HongKong tomorrow. I hope the banks are open because I don't have any HK dollars. I kinda cheated a bit and took a bus for 50km and that is why I'll be in HK tomorrow instead of the day after tomorrow. I am at a hotel office (again) so I can't spend much time, but wanted to say that the small town was actually quiet. At about 10:30 the fireworks ended and then the young boys jumped on their motorcycles and scooters, in twos and threes, and roared off. The girls giggled and shouted after them and went home. There were a few odd firecrackers then it was quiet and I slept very well. I really like the small towns in China, they all have their own personalities. All the cities have the same things, a market, a grocery store, clothing stores, shops and all, but each one is special, each one is different. I guess it is all in the details.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

If It weren't for bad luck.....

As I was going to leave the dusty town (after sleeping in a bit and starting way late) I noticed I had a flat tire. #$%! - but then I realize that I am indeed fairly lucky. There was a bike repair shop not one block a way. The guy fixed my intertube, patched it up, and refused to charge me. That was the end of the nice guys -- as I entered the new province and went into Shantau, I had a semi nice trip. I was even able to find a rest stop that had kau ya, (roast duck)- In Shantau I found a good hotel, but they didn't have a very good breakfast, only rice porridge and some pickled vegetables. Leaving Shantau I got lost. Way lost. Apparently you need to take the ferry if you want to go to the G324 and since that was indeed the road to my destination, I wanted to take it. The ferry was kinda fun, until I realized that many of them sink. But of course we didn't. Actually I'm thinking of taking the ferry to Hong Kong. It would give me an extra day of rest and let's face it, ferries are fun.

After such a late start out of Shantou I went into Puning. And had the worst hotel experience ever. (0k not ever, it does get worse after this, but still) Ok the first hotel I stopped in, didn't have keys so you had to get the maid to open your door. There was a guy while I was checking in who kept asking my name (apparently the only English he had) As I was getting my passport and money out he kept hovering -- I had to ask him "duibuchi" or excuse me, several times. He wasn't too happy. The door didn't lock properly and I just didn't think it was worth the money.
The next hotel I went to They tried to move my bike before I even had a chance to ask how much the room was. I wasn't too pleased. So I went on down the road. Found a fairly nice room. I didn't see the sign for the KTV. They played until 3:00 am and some of their singing was truly painful. Then the people in the KTV went to their rooms, shouting and slamming the doors. There were mosquitoes too. I overslept somewhat understandably and went on my way. I was not feeling so good, mostly because the air was hazy and there was garbage everywhere. I've been in China for quite a while and this area is just plain dirty - and I despaired of finding some open road. I rolled into a fairly nice big town around 11:30 and was tempted to stop. I should have. I did take the time to go to bai bai (temple)_ and say hello to the gods and thank them for everything, because although it hasn't been easy and although I had one sleepless night, China has been very cool.

After the very nice biggish city there was open road again. I saw flowers overtaking some of the garbage dumps and even though I know they were weeds, it still made me feel kinda hopeful. The next town big enough for a hotel (two in fact) was small and dusty- I went to the first hotel, and they didn't have any towels. No towels!! They charged 100 yuan and they didn't have any towels ( mind some of the nicest hotels are around 80 yuan). So I asked for a towel. They got angry. I didn't ask meanly I just said please give me one. They said something then got a guy who did speak some English. He said he'd give me back my money and help me find another hotel. Well, I got in the little taxi tricycle scooter truck thing, and he takes me to the bus stop. It is getting to be 4:30 so I'm feeling a bit well, tired and worried. The hotel the guy recommended was 40 km in another direction!! from the one I want to go!
So I go back to the hotel, tell them that that hotel would be not good because I want to go in a different direction, please give me my room back. He said no, and then put me in another little tricycle scooter thing to a hotel in town. The woman at the hotel in town said she didn't have a room. (I know damn well she did, it was a small town and really) I said please, it is getting late and I can't make it to the next town. She said no. I said it is bad luck to turn away a stranger on new year's day. ( although I don't think she understood me.) I want to cry about now. I go to the bus stop and see about getting a bus to the next biggish town. They are finished in that direction. So ... what can I do? I go towards the next biggish town on my bike. (the taxi tricycle scooter truck things can't go that far) I wander into another very small town and ask - is there a hotel? Well, there is. A very nice hotel. Clean sheets. Towels. And the daughter (it is a family hotel) even led me here to the Internet cafe. And it cost only 60 yuan - So I watched some fireworks, and I am about to get ready for another sleepless night (it is new year's and you know the fireworks and firecrackers are going to go on all night). I am seriously thinking of taking a detour to a port town on my map that I think has a ferry to Hong Kong.

However, as I was leaving Puning I did see something. An old woman, she was carrying a bag that was almost as big as she was. It was heavy too, she was almost bent double carrying it. I only passed her, but she did make me see something important.

Despite the flat tires, the bad hotels, the interesting toilets, the mosquitoes, my knees hurting, being tired, the mountain that would not end, the miles with nothing but cows for company, the heat, the sweat, the rain, the mud, the cold, the frustration of not being able to ask for what you want, the noise, the bad traffic, the semi-paved roads, the @##$ jerk who cut me off, the trucks that spew out black smoke, the taxi drivers that take perverse delight in giving you the wrong directions, the wanting to give up because it seems too hard, despite all that, I have it very very good.