Well it’s still hot but I can’t stay home all day in the aircon so I decide to head back to Dongshan for another wee adventure.  The bus takes about an hour or so and as soon as you arrive you run the gauntlet of drivers trying to get your business,  but I politely refuse.
First of all I buy some fuel which comprises of 3 large Baozi or meat filled large dumplings and 2 bottles of water. After last week’s fiasco I thought I would be a bit more prepared.

I get onto one of the green Eco Friendly Boris bikes that they have around Suzhou and head towards Taihu Lake. It’s still hot and humid although today, but it would only be about 35c compared to last week which would have been well over 40c. I wore a white shirt because white does not show the sweat as much and I also took my UV jacket that is very light and great to keep the sun off you,  however it does not take long before I’m soaked and my thin UV white jacket is see through.

I’ve got about 20kms or so to the next bike station and the run will take me along the edge of the lake.  I cycle towards the traffic as I find it a lot safer so I can see what’s coming towards and anyway the road is wide enough to do this. If you cycle with the traffic it becomes way too scary. As I head off there are two cyclists on proper bikes going my way but they are on the other side of the road. The give me a glance when they go passed and give me a second look as they see the crazy old man on a Boris bike out this far.

The road runs the length of the lake and of course it’s relatively flat but when you are on a Boris bike which has no gears then sometimes the slightest of gradients feels like a major challenge. At one point I’m going through clouds and clouds of Dragonfly’s which are everywhere at this time of year. I’m hoping I don’t accidentally swallow one.

It’s getting hotter and the heat off the road is not helping. I’m soaked in sweat but I’m still so so hot. I decide to take off my T shirt and just wear the UV jacket so I pull over to a piece of shade and strip. My shirt feels like it weighs around a couple of kg, it’s as wet as it would be if I had just pulled it out the lake. I wring it out and I am amazed at the amount of water ( sweat) that comes out of it. There’s a good glass and a half at least I think. I don’t think I have sweated this much in years. My shorts are soaked and have changed colour, my riding gloves are disgusting and I’m in need of a shower. I do however have two bottles of water which I may add is not enough, I think 3 or 4 would have been better but at least I am only going 20kms.

I put my T shirt over the front of the bike to dry so I can wear it later.

I pull over after about a half hour for a drink and a wee rest and who do I see but the two guys on the good bikes that passed me earlier. They are very surprised to see me and give me a wave from the other side of the park. It’s bit like the Hare and the Tortoise.

I only stop for about 5 mins and then get back on the bike. I check the GPS and I can’t get a fix on the bike station but I see that the road I need to take is only about 4kms up the road so that’s good. When I reach the road I check the GPS again to confirm the location of the bike station which should be near the bus stop but alas I get no fix. In the distance I hear the thunder and the skies are beginning to darken, which is good because the temperature is beginning to drop. The GPS tells me that the next port of call is a place called Mudu which is about another 5 kms or so up the road so I decide to head for there as I have been there a few times and I know I can easily get the metro from there back home.

10 mins later the rain hits and I’m soaked once more, my T shirt had been drying on the front of my bike as I cycled along and it was just about dry when the rain started so I did manage to get it into my bag before the rain got too heavy. When I get to Mudu I find the first bike station and get rid of the bike. It feels strange to be walking again but I’m glad I can finally leave the bike alone. I change back into my damp T shirt which thankfully is not too smelly and head for the dinner and then the metro.

The metro is so cold because I am still wet. I get strange looks as I’m riding the train, maybe they think I have pissed myself or something, or maybe I’m beginning to smell……..either way I don’t care……..I’m just thinking of that lovely cold shower when I get back home.

It’s not only the English that are mad when it comes to walking in the mid day sun, some Scottish folk are just as stupid.  Yesterday I went to Dongshan by bus with the intention of walking one of the treks I’d been on before but as usual this can be easier said than done.  I couldn’t remember where we started the walk the last time so I went to the entrance of the park.

The road started to climb almost immediately and it was so steep in places I was walking on my toes. It wasn’t long before the sweat was running down the schuch o’me erse and everywhere else for that matter.

It was only early and I really thought that it would be a bit cooler out here.

I eventually got to the top of the ridge and came across a great look out where you could see right across to the other side of Tai Lake and really everywhere because I was on top of the mountain. There was no shade and I’m glad I brought my UV brolly to shade me.  I made the mistake of only buying one bottle of water but I did have 3 large peaches which I had to consume not only for some liquid but also for energy.

I made it to the top……….

I did not expect to be walking for this length of time because I was going to repeat the walk I had done before but then I’ve missed the track along the way and so I have no choice but to stick to the main road until the end.

I thank fully found the road back to civilisation and passed some nutter on a push bike going up the way.  Now these hills are steeper than Mount Coot-tha just to give you some idea.

I got to the bottom and saw some buildings and so I’m hoping for a restaurant or a shop at least,  only a shop but I buy 3 bottles of water and drink two of them there and then and feel almost human again. Don’t forget to carry enough water with you,  it could mean the difference between life and death.  No restaurants so I have to travel a further 4km to get back to the centre of town and the bus. Everything still seems closed and I can’t find food anywhere.  When I get back to the bus station I see a small place selling dumplings so I buy a couple of the big ones as I no longer have an appetite

My body is running on empty but I just get on the bus for the hour long journey home. To add insult to injury, there are a couple of old folk that sit behind me and talk as if they are at either ends of the bus. I don’t know how to say “Shut the Fuck up!” in Chinese yet. I can say it in a polite way but I don’t want to be polite.

Once home the shower and the aircon make me feel almost human but I am knackered. An early night for me me thinks

Fancy a cuppa. Below the local UBER

Now I don’t think the KM’s are correct cause ma steps are no that big, but still a good effort I thought

A quick reality check😆

Well there are many great things in life that are 57 apart from myself of course. You can also have a 57 Chevrolet, Heinz 57 or even a 5.7 Litre V8. Fifty-seven is the sixteenth discrete semi prime and the sixth in the (3.q) family also just in case you didn’t know and of course in Binary it is 111001₂

I even think that 57 sounds a lot better than 56, I think 56 sounded so awkward but now I feel a whole lot more comfortable being 57, but of course I don’t look a day over 35. What’s the secret to my good looks well I think it must be all the oil that the Chinese use in their cooking, I’m slowly becoming preserved as I eat my dumplings and other foods. It’s not such a bad thing I guess if you look this good.

I went out with friends on Saturday night to the French Paradox Restaurant in Suzhou, I haven’t been to a French Restaurant for many years and to be honest I haven’t missed it one bit. I actually went for my 40th with my then girlfriend. But on Saturday Nicky and Karl invited me out with friends and it turned out to be a surprise Birthday bash which was just bloody marvelous.

it was a lovely we place although the prices were enough to give you palpitations. I was encouraged to have Beef Tartare which for the uninitiated is raw beef, but hey I just had some raw Salmon too.

It was an interesting dish but not one I’ll be running back to that’s for sure, I like my meat cooked just a little and to be honest it was more about the texture which was just not enjoyable. The platter on the other hand had real cheese and ham which was marvelous but the Foie gras you can keep. Those crazy French have some weird tastes. Give me Black Pudding any day.

WE had cake to finish and the owner was kind enough to give us all a glass of bubbly to wash it down. It was a night I’ll remember for a long time.

You will notice that there are no candles because they could not find a cake big enough to fit them all on.

As the temperature increases the streets become quieter and more folk stay inside their homes or go to the shopping centre for some relief from the heat. I can’t stay inside for too long as I feel I will go stir crazy, so I often leave the house and do this too.

I will often ride on the metro because it’s closer to my apartment and I’ve noticed that as the temperature is rising there are more and more people heading down into the stations. There are long corridors and the stations are quite large and so many of the old or those with young families come down here for a few hours to escape the blistering heat. There are labourers sleeping here trying to miss the mid day sun. It looks like a war zone at times with bodies everywhere but the good thing is that the authorities don’t seem too concerned and so they are left alone. 

Not liking summer when I don’t have a car, fuck it’s hot.  The humidity is also a killer, but as Clarkson says “you don’t have to pee much! 

Well it would have been my Mothers birthday today if she was still with us, so Happy Birthday Ma and it gives me a great excuse to have a single Malt

Slainte

Looks like I’ll be dead and buried if I take the minimum payment option, ……….but I’m also thinking of the money I might save………..

On my return to Suzhou I’ve noticed that the cicadas are out in force. There are many streets here that are lined with trees and when you are walking along the sound of the cicadas is deafening just as it is when you hear them in Australia. This was some what unexpected to say the least. But on the plus side it does drown out the traffic noise