Monthly Archives: July 2008
a natural fool
We broke camp and started our last walking day together: …another day through the extensive Long ้, the province of Gansu Gansu): We rested in the shade of a gas station along the way, and both of us fell asleep while the dude who was working there kept a watching eye over us: Then we […]
ah, grandeur!
I’ve had some problems with my Internet connection during the past few days, so I’ve only been able to update the Google Earth file with the track log. So here’s the blog version, four days later. Today’s summary: some of the most stunning landscapes I’ve ever laid eyes on. I think it had to do […]
overlooked & unexpected
The desert was so beautiful when we woke up and started walking: I’ve never pretended to be a big camper. Sleeping outside in a wobbly tent with the wind going and the rain making its drip-dropping sounds on top of everything isn’t the best way to get a good night’s rest for me. But still, […]
if weโre going into the same direction at the same time, why donโt we just go together?
Today I crossed paths with my old self. …I had walked a day’s worth of the Great Wall west of the city back in the summer of 2006, and now there I was again: Only this time I was going in a different direction – heading west into the grand spaces of Central Asia: People […]
when known becomes unknown
I had been to this place before, in the summer of 2006, although that time, I had comfortably taken the train: There’s a direct train from Beijing, and it takes only about 30 hours. I had stayed in a small, run-down guesthouse near the train-station: I remember thinking: why are there no people in this […]
torches
I had to get up at six and run outside if I wanted to see the Olympic Torch Relay pass through. My friend Teacher Xie (Teacher Xie) was there too: …and so was a multitude of volunteers in green T-shirts: We roamed about the place for a little bit, but there was no way anyone […]
Jiayuguan
I had just found out the Olympic Torch Relay was scheduled to pass through Jiayuguan on July 6th. That was…tomorrow!! So I had to be quick! …I rushed past the wonders of suburban construction: I swept past the gorgeous mountain scenery: There was a piece of the Great Wall somewhere in the eastern part of […]
phobia
I am 26 years old, and I’m scared of bees. Anything with yellow stripes: bees, wasps, hornets. – “There are killer bees that hunt down people in Africa/South America!” – “Seven hornets can kill a horse!” People also used to tell us kids that being stung in the tongue would very likely result in the […]
the NYHC special move
I took a little detour and walked through the fields, because there were so many pretty sunflowers: Some were just waiting to blossom: I thought it was very beautiful. But then my poor Caboose tipped over and I had to do some repair work: Me, the man with two left hands, repairing my Caboose, ha! […]
little miss sandstorm
I woke up and I noticed there was this banner facing my hotel: “Wishing good luck and success to the 2008 Olympic Paris-Beijing cycle tour!” – in Chinese. Okay, this was China after all, so Mandarin was obviously the language of choice. But just how many of the European cyclists would be able to understand […]
please stop me when I get into a frenzy
Since I was recently feeling somewhat invincible with my newly acquired Caboose, I chose to take my time in the morning and got up for a late and comfortable start. …that’s when I ran into Carlotta from Italy and her Dutch friends Marc and Jan: The three belonged to yesterday’s group of cyclists who were […]