a day in the life

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sleep

08:00 – Wake up from alarm clock. Open eyes, extend arm from sleeping bag, touch radiator. Feel the cold, close eyes again.

09:06 – Get up. Turn on computer and write up yesterday’s post. Check map. Look at total kilometers.

10:04 – Write “25,7” on back of left hand: that would mark kilometer no. 1000.

10:10 – Upload post. Put on clothes, brush teeth.

10:24 – Check successful upload and comments on post. Shut down computer. Put on gaiters and rest of gear.

10:41 – Leave room, go to reception desk.

10:48 – Step out of hotel and into the snow. Set up GPS, get ready to leave the “most polluted city in all China”: Linfen.

walk

10:53 – Notice wrong filter on wide angle lens. Curse.

walk

11:17 – Take break to pee, change filter.

walk

12:11 – Get stopped by a dude in a car. Accept invitation for lunch nearby.

walk

12:15 – Meet up with dude in restaurant. Have a merry lunch with a bunch of new friends.

14:02 – Take group photographs, shake hands. Leave restaurant, get back on the highway.

walk

14:25 – Get sprayed by coal truck. Briefly examine water damage. Wave arms and fists, scream and curse and rage.

walk

15:11 – Get stopped by friends again. Receive best wishes and printed group pictures. Smile.

walk

15:47 – Buy ice tea in small shop next to the road. Sit down and chat with Hao Ting 昊婷 and her mother.

16:50 – Check the time. Hurriedly say good-bye and rush out the door.

walk

16:53 – Look at dudes trying to get their car out from a roadside ditch.

walk

18:12 – Get to destination by nightfall: Xiangfen.

walk

18:17 – Ask kid for directions to a hotel.

walk

18:20 – Ask lady for directions to a hotel.

walk

18:28 – Go to best hotel in town.

18:31 – Frown at their rates: 130rmb.

walk

18:35 – Go to second best hotel in town.

18:39 – 126rmb. Frown again.

18:43 – Negotiate the price down to 120rmb. Fake smile.

18:46 – Realize that this is the end of all negotiations. Frown.

walk

18:57 – Go to a random small hotel next to the street. Smile at price: 30rmb. Frown at cold radiator.

19:03 – Decide to settle down in the cold hotel because the owner seems like a nice guy.

19:08 – Move into room, drop backpack and stick, sit down on bed. Lean back and look at ceiling.

19:20 – Get up. Ask owner for restaurant. Cross street with high hopes for good food.

19:27 – Order shaoguo 烧锅, some kind of boiling pot with all kinds of things in it.

19:30 – Purchase some fruit juice next door.

19:34 – Go back to restaurant. Wash hands. Sit down, peel garlic.

19:43 – Have a good shaoguo with huajuan 花卷, a sort of Chinese bread.

20:12 – Leave restaurant, go to supermarket for cookies and yogurt drinks.

20:20 – Arrive in room. Take off gaiters, recharge batteries, turn on computer. Check e-mails.

20:41 – Start going through today’s pictures. Delete some, keep some. Match up with GPS data.

21:17 – Feel unrest in bowels. Prepare tissue and flashlight.

21:20 – Follow hotel owner through the backyard to a loo that can only be described as evil.

21:29 – Great success! Evacuate freezing body from evil loo and navigate back to room.

21:35 – Update map on homepage, write up today’s post.

22:50 – Have cookies and soak feet in hot water bowl. Look at breath evaporating into little white puffs in the cold air.

23:02 – Look at left hand: the “25,7” is still readable. 1,7km missing to the full 1000km today.

23:05 – Take off a few clothes. Decide to leave on sweater and beanie (because of the cold). Climb into sleeping bag.

23:10 – Chat with some friends, every now and then going back to the post and fixing some stuff here and there.

waste time

00:29 – Turn off computer. Touch radiator again. Feel the cold.

00:30 – Turn off light.

sleep