Sprint to the exit

My weeks in Shanghai had made me forget the omnipresent noise of China… Pedals en masse that we are done!

As soon as I leave town, the sound of horns and traffic picks up. Even after three weeks of rest, my impatience with the noise comes back at a gallop. Most importantly, I fell behind on my planned schedule. A friend comes to join me in Japan to ride with me, and I have about 2000 kilometers to cover in a few weeks to get there on time.

The exit of the city is done as well as the entry. What amazes me once again considering the population of almost 25 million of this agglomeration. I arrive at the end of the day at the mouth of the river Yangtze shortly after Shanghai. Winding over 6300 km, it is the third longest river in the world, after the Amazon and the Nile. The crossing is nevertheless done on a normal ferry this time, contenting me to take a nostalgic glance at the large freighters which brush against my small boat and which remind me of my recent crossing in the China Sea.

730 km, from Shanghai to Qingdao in one week.

The sun is setting during my short crossing of the river.

A magnificent light, sadly muffled by factory smoke.

Distance records

I expected the east coast to be more developed. Of course it is, but I had the impression that it would just be a huge urban area where cities are touching each other. I rather frequently pass through large tracts of agriculture or forest. From time to time, I even manage to escape on quieter roads. But more often than not, the quietest road remains the highway.

Because of the horns, always. Motorists and truckers are quieter on the highway. While every traffic light or village crossing is deafening. So I get used to the idea that I will follow the highway shoulder for a few hundred kilometers. And since it is far from being my most pleasant route or with the most things to see, I pedal non-stop from morning to night. I even eclipse my previous distance record by doing 147 km in one day. With an average barely exceeding 15 km / h, that's a lot of hours in the saddle!

I pass a few hundred wind turbines along this long highway to the north.

I go off the highway towards quieter paths when I can.

Without a doubt the most incredible sun I have seen in my life!

China is almost as big as Canada. Even when putting on days of 100 kilometers and more, I don't feel like I'm moving on the map. Luckily, I'm only limited to a small section of the country!

All this pedaling gives me a lot of time to think. My weeks of sedentary lifestyle in Shanghai made me want to settle somewhere. Adventure life looks fantastic in photos and a few paragraphs, but it takes a lot, a lot of energy. There are some perks that I love about this life of discovery. I am constantly learning, I see incredible landscapes, I meet fascinating people all the time.

But it's also difficult to forge more lasting bonds by changing places every day. And then I find myself getting bored of familiar objects that I didn't necessarily pay attention to before. A library full of books for example. It's been a long time since I read a real book. Even mine! I just read on my phone to save weight.

So I have these thoughts of settling down that work for me. But what would I do? Another office job? I can hardly imagine it. As I rub shoulders with human misery all over the world, everyday life seems to me more and more tinged with futility. So much so, I might as well keep exploring, learning, and filling my body with endorphin as I pedal.

I'm not sure… what country am I still in ?!

China 2.0?

WeChat Pay is everywhere, from the biggest stores to fruit stalls.

China is a rather paradoxical country. On the one hand more developed than anyone, and on the other dangerously late. I have to refuse the plastic bags that I am offered several times. The sellers insist and insist. " It's free ! ". "I don't want any, I answer, I already have plenty!" ". Ditto for the cigarettes that continue to be offered to me as if they were gum.

But on the other hand, no one has cash in this country anymore. WeChat is a ubiquitous messaging app here. It replaces Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger which are blocked by the government. In addition to messaging, it can also be used to transfer money instantly by scanning QR codes. Either from a friend, to pay a restaurant or a merchant… until his fruit at the market. The country is really approaching to become completely paperless. No one even seems to have a wallet with them anymore. No kidding, even some homeless people have their QR code to transfer change!

Crossing to Korea

After this difficult week for my legs and my butt, I finally arrive in Qingdao, a port city and the final destination of my Chinese journey. This is where I plan to take the ferry to South Korea.

The boat is however a day late due to the waves. But more sadly, I don't even have a guarantee that I will be able to take it the next day. It is the beginning of Chinese holidays, and the end of Korean holidays. Everyone seems to want to take this boat! All tickets have already been sold, and the next ship would only be three days later ...

I still return the next day to the port, and put myself in the already crowded waiting line. Every time I arrive at the counter, I ask the only employee who speaks English if there have been any cancellations. The answers follow one another in the negative, and I get back on line. Four times. Until I made the last passenger in the terminal. The employee finally signals me to approach, and tells me that a person has not shown up. I get his ticket!

South Korea, I'm coming.