Day 1 | Anqing to Somewhere We Don't Know The Name Of

September 5th 2011

From 0 to 88km

Wake up 6am, load our bikes and have breakfast. The lovely security man watches our bikes while we eat and then sees us off.

We make a false start by heading straight to the yangtze banks, which leads into a dead end. Second attempt we drive along the main road out of the city with which our "Cycling for Butterfly" tour begins. :)

We cycle on a country lane until we find the road onto the flood wall. Nice smooth concrete path next to the Yangtze allows us to speed ahead. The weather is sunny with a cooling breeze. We have noticed our training has accustomed our bodies to this heat and we sweat much less.

We cycle through little villages which consist primarily of people beating leafs to the ground. When we reach a T-junction we decide to take the more quiet route, which however turns from a lovely road into a dirt track and then into a field of grass. Lana lost her balance and tumbled off her bike. We hobble to the next village, where a shop/house supplies us with a cold can to cool Lana's swelling knee. In 40 degree heat, we rest a while, chat with the shop owner and pluck some cotton out of its shell.

We head back onto the road to find a big enough village or town that will dish up some late lunch, which we do find close by. We eat some yummy dishes while the town decides for us how long it is going to take to the next town where we would like to stay in. On our way out of town, a young girl is so excited to see some laowai she falls off her own bike.

The scenery reminds us of the countrside in southern europe. Once we realize that the next town is too far before darkness creeps over us, we make a spontaneous turn into some town. A good decision indeed as we meet the most welcoming family in Anhui. We dine with the Laoban (owner) and his family in the hotel foyer and eat delicious goose and spicy fish. With full stomachs we fall to bed. Lana has to ice that swollen knee so we can carry on cycling tomorrow.