Day 10 | Arrival in Changsha

September 14th

660km to 751km

We woke up early ready for the final day(!) of the Cycling for Butterflies tour. Quite a bit of cycling to do so we grab a quick breakfast of baozi and Chinese energy rice drink and head onto the road.

The morning cycling is similar to yesterday’s - so hot and hilly. We cycle confident of our well chosen route in our now impeccable navigation skills. It’s only when we stop off for water that we discover we have in fact been heading in the wrong direction for the last 30 minutes and am on a completely different road we thought we were. Not to worry however as we discover that this road also leads straight to Changsha. See man with a basket on his head walking a pig.

While cycling through the next city we spot two sporty chaps also on MERIDA bikes. Two students from Changsha on a cycling tour around the Dongting Lake. We team up and cycle together for a couple of hours, which is nice. Even stop to take the ultimate MERIDA promotional picture. Yet again it is extremely hot and we decide to pull over for a rest in a town 21.3 km away from Changsha. Being hardy Chinese the boys carry on through the blazing sun. Thus ending a brief - but great - chapter in the history of MERIDA bikes.

We take the advantage to get something to eat and pop across to the hotel where we enjoy the palest dishes available of rice, potato and cabbage. After Lana has a 5-minute power nap, we move out into the shade to adjust from the kong-tiao climate from which we move out into the roasting sun. We hop back on our bikes and start the final leg of our 10 day journey.

It takes us around 2 hours to get to the outskirts of Changsha. Like all cities in China the first recognisable landmark is a vast network of cranes on the horizon. We cycle into the city on wide empty roads towards our final destination.
As we enter the city centre the empty roads are replaced by chaotic traffic as we hit into rush hour. Of all the cities we’ve been in the motor population of Changsha are the ones who have most embraced the ‘do-what-ever-you-want’ principle of driving, making cycling both exciting and terrifying in equal measure.

We meet Alan, Co-founder of the Butterfly Home, who will join us on his bike for the final few kilometres. Alan already accustomed to the Changsha chaos whizzes us across the last junctions and narrow streets. We arrive at the Home of Lyn and Alan and the End of our Tour.
We will visit the Butterfly Home tomorrow but for now we unload our bikes one last time and put our feet up, celebrating a job well done. :D

10 days, 3 provinces, 1 bruised knee, and 751km (by the way we did not make this value up!) later, and the Cycling for Butterflies tour is over. Thanks to everyone who has supported us along the way and especially those who have also supported Butterfly Home by donating online – You are all excellent!