Rest day in Nanjing

The third day was again 140 kilometer or so, but now the sun was shining! Again an early start, with a few hills we made it to Nanjing in due time (and a little sun burn of course).

Up till now, I was surprised to see so few Chinese, that I was wondering where everyone went? Did people stayed at home on a Saturday and Sunday? Or was everyone working somewhere. We did see a lot of construction work along the way. You’d expect that one would start building one flat, once that one is sold you would start on the firth and so on? Nope, here in China they build whole new cities at once, for thousands of people made available at the same time.

But even around these building blocks, I didn’t see that many people. The streets empty and the bicycle lanes deserted.

Nanjing is my first experience with the ‘crowded’ China. Although we entered the city outside rush hour, there were many more cars, motor cycles (and all electric!), more noise and definitely more people on the streets. I guess I missed that when I arrived in Shanghai due to late arrival. Still, we’re able to find our route through the city easily thanks to the red tape Paul has used to mark the turns and road crossings. So all of a sudden I arrived at the hotel (looking for the next turn while there wasn’t one).

The hotel is close to the ancient city. Nowadays filled with shops, it has still the ancient atmosphere preserved. On top of modern shops, you still see ancient roofs. Throughout the city you’ll find statues of important people from the past.

There are also many steles around the old city, like the one where Confucius is asking Laozi of the Ethical Codes. This stele was made in 484 A.D. during Southern Dynasty which recorded the personal experience of Confucius on his visit to Luoyang the capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty in 518 B.C. where Confucius made investigations on the system of institutions of the Zhou and went in quest of the ways of how to prosper and stabilize the country.

I spent most of my time, in the evening and on our rest day, walking around the old city. It’s great for watching people, their habits and to see a part of history that is important for the Chinese. There is this ‘tree of fortune’ where people can through in a coin with a whish attached. One of the interesting Confucius temples. The touristic boat rides along the Qinhuai River. Tuesday is our first rest day, meaning my body has to restore from the heat and rain and first four hundred bicycle kilometers. Besides all the great food, I thought a milkshake (actually three during the day) would help 🙂

Tomorrow, we’ll be cycling to Mingguang, another 130 kilometer to the west. And after that, another 5 days. A lilly hilly, more countryside, less people, and more pedaling to do!