Day 9 | From Yueyang to Miluo

September 14th

We wave goodbye to the lovely city of Yueyang, which we definitely recommend for a quick visit if you ever find yourself in China. We name it the Hangzhou of Hunan.

We head south away from the river and the temperate hills of northern Hunan and into the more arid centre of the province. The lush bamboo hillsides of the previous days are replaced by rows of grapevines and flat farm fields. There is also a drastic change in temperature compared to the last few days and during the midday sun our bike computers record a record temperature of 46 degrees.

We cycle through an increasingly arid and deserted landscape consisting of long stretches of tarmac and isolated pockets of buildings. The intense heat makes progress slow and tough, and after a morning of cycling we seek refuge under the cover of a shuttered shop in a village near the middle of nowhere. The shop opens shortly afterwards, drawing a variety of local characters, including one eccentric balding man who is very happy to chat away to us. He tells us tales while we recover our strength, and as we get ready leave he invites to look at his home. Being reassured it is only shortly down the road, we agree and head off.

25 minutes of steep country roads not in the direction of Changsha follow before we arrive at half-built house. The man informs us this will be his new home and shows us round; he proudly shows off the vents for the top-of-the-line heating system it will contain. Unfortunately Lana’s Chinese course failed to cover the intricacies of underfloor heating and much of his explanation is lost to us. He then shows us to his current house, where he swiftly introduces us to his mum and dad and shows us his various id cards before disappearing to another room. We spend an awkward half an hour alone drinking beer and eating peeled pear waiting for him to return, before we give up and decide to get back on the road. We find him, dad, and the rest of the village, outside examining our bikes – turning wheels, changing gears, ringing bells, patting panniers, and generally having a great time. We join them, say our goodbyes, and conclude our most bizarre detour of the tour so far.

Back on the main road and eager to make up for lost time we head off with gusto, but are swiftly halted after only a few metres by a flat rear tyre. We replace the inner tube with a new one rather than try to repair the puncture, meaning we are back on the road fairly swiftly, but we still lose time. Light is already beginning to fade, and we realise we will only manage to make it the 20km to the nearest city.

We arrive in the city safe and sound and find a nice hotel with somewhere secure to store our bikes. We had hoped to do more today, and are around 90km and a full-days cycle from Changsha. We have a bite to eat and head early to bed.

Both of us find it hard to believe that tonight will be our last on the road, and that we only have one day of the tour left to go.