Hey Hey and a Bi g G'Day toya,

The 2009 Summer Beers N Noodles Adventure has finally begun.

I spent a week at home catching up on some rest and doing heaps of riding in the hills around town. My wizbang computer died on me again believe me, I really called it more than a Muthaboard tnis time. It was supposed to take only several days and I found out that on the thrid day the store was told it would take two weeks for a new HP Muthaboard to reach Shangzhou. Being China no one from the store thought to tell me or the school and time flew by and soon ten days had passed and I had had enough of sleeping all day and watching dvd's all night and I packed and took off.

But only after making sure my computer will be safely tucked away in someones house.

I arrived in Xian several hours ago and am now found sitting in the hostel across from my hotel with a huge club sandwich and several cold Jim Beam and Colas. This summer’s adventures have been so up and down yet they haven't really even started. First plan like last summer was to head way west to Xinjian Province and take in Urumqi and Kashgar and then return via the Southern Silk Road and then meet Luo Wei and maybe head south through Hunan and Guizhou Provinces.

So why didn’t this take place and why change?

Like last summer there are Minority Peoples uprisings and protests in Xinjiang Province. There have been many deaths and I’ve decided that I didn’t want be one of them. As for Guizhou and Guangxi provinces there have been maybe a thousand deaths or more there due to flash flooding so I’ve decided to also not to be one of those. Also having lived in the south for three years I know how much it actually rains and how long it rains for.

Next on the list of choices was Anhui and Shandong Provinces.

Luo Wei headed back to her home city of Kaifeng several days ago with her mother. We were meant to meet up in Hefei city which is the capital of Anhui Province (I was there several years ago on the 2006 Summer Beers N Noodles Adventure) but her mother has become ill and Luo Wei now needs to say behind to look after her for an unknown amount of time so of course this makes it hard to plan anything.

So now what to do and where to go?

I love climbing huge mountains especially the awesome sacred mountains here in China but coming from Australia we are taught not to go alone to these places just incase we end up missing like an English tourist has this week in the Australian bush. So after a couple of coldies I am thinking maybe a month or so in Shandong Province. The east coast and probably China’s most visited province and home of not only the Qingdao brewery but also the birthplace of Confucius.

But honestly I have no idea at all.
It simply sounds like a plan and a good starting point.

The photos for this entry are of Shangzhou’s new river side park and the small lonely temple on the hill I ride below on my Over The Mountain bike ride. The riverside park too nearly an entire year to complete but it was worth the wait. It runs the entire length of the city from east to west and as Shangzhou is a long and thin city that runs along one main road so it can be described as being not only long but very long. When I arrived in the city last September most of the river side was just weeds and grass. There were some nice parts to it but they were all near the small main river side park near the bus station, Now? Well the pictures will show you.

Where is the lonely temple on the hill?

Several months ago when I found my was up and over the hill to combine two of my bike rides I found that just before I hit the top of the hill I was riding beneath a small temple at the top. Over the next month or so I simply couldn’t find a way to reach the temple. I could have simply made my way up and through the hill side fields but of course me being me I wanted to ride there.  

Over the past month they have been paving the road on the 'other side’ of the hill and two weeks ago I noticed a van that went through the road block. I stopped them and told them that they couldn’t continue as there was still concreting machines all over the road and they simply pointed up a dirt track. I had noticed this track many times as I roer de by but I always thought it led to a farm. After waving good bye I continued my way up the hill and suddenly realised that I could still hear the vans engine so I quickly turned around and up the track I went. After a time I found a small track leading to my right and I then knew I had found my way to the small lonely temple on the hill.

NEW UPDATE...11th July....I wrote the above last night but due to slow internet I didn't get to post it. I can now tell you that the hardest part is over. I always find the hardest part of any adventure is the first destination. Once that has been taken care of everything simply flows from there. Today I headed to the ticket window around the corner....it was closed. I then headed to the ticket window two blocks over.....it was closed. I then headed to another window I know ten minutes walk away.....it was closed.

I then decided to simply walk around and hopefully find an open ticket window.

I found one and now have a sleeper train ticket to Yanzhou city at midday tomorrow. It will then be a short journey to Qufu city which is the birthplace of Confucius...yes, Confucius Says! More news, Confucius Says that Luo Wei will arrive in Qufu city maybe Monday and Confucius Says a big Yeah Yeah Yeah as the 2009 Summer Beers N Noodles has now begun!

Beers N Noodles toya…..shane

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The soundtrack to this entry was by Melbourne’s ‘Underground Lovers’
The album was ‘Dream It Down’
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