Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,

Dude, wait for us!
Hey Foreign Dude please stop!

About a month after moving to Dexing, whilst slogging my way to the top of Pagoda Hill I met Johnny (Zhaung Min) and his riding buddy Tom. The next day they introduced me to the Dexing Merida Bike Club, well some of them anyhow. All up there are around eighty members many of which reside in small towns in the surrounding area. I’m not actually sure if they have ever gathered 'as a whole’ for a ride as normally someone comes up with a destination, sends an email/text and those willing and able gather at Point A, ride to Point B and then return.

Ages range from mid twenties to late fifties.
Those I’ve met are strong and very healthy, not matter what the age.

On a good weekend some ride between one hundred to two hundred kilometers but I’m unsure of how often that really happens. One of their favourite destinations is Shangrao City (the city I lived in for one year prior to here) and they ride there several times a year (two hundred kilometer return journey). The pattern that I actually do see is those who live in Dexing town ride the twenty to thirty kilometers to another group’s town and they all ride back to Dexing and after a big dinner the ‘Far Flung Group’ then ride back to their home town.  

A fair deal if there ever was one!

Over the past month I’ve joined The Merida’s on several rides but they all have extremely clean and expensive bikes, therefore no off road riding and even though I have enjoyed the company I doubt I'll join them often. Long distance road riding with a million buses, trucks and cars (all with loud horns) along with dust and exhaust fumes really isn’t my saddle bag baby.

Strangely though, none of the above seem to bother any of them.

One family owns the local Merida bike store, another owns the XDS bike store and several others own stores that sell a variety of brands. I believe three to four thousand Yuan would be a fair price to quote for the average bike they ride, others will have paid well over five thousand Yuan and my little gem is worth a huge nine hundred Yuan and hasn't been washed since I purchased it two months ago.

Unlike their gleaming machines!

After our first meal together they asked me why I rarely clean my bike and they didn't understand it when I answered that it will be as dirty after tomorrows six hour ride in the fields BUT sometimes I actually do throw it in the river and swish it around for awhile.

Then I got to say it!
For those wondering what IT is;
I got t use the line, ‘That’s how I roll baby!’

The Pagoda Hill & Temple Lake Ride

This was my first ride found here in Dexing town and it wasn’t a hard ride to find as the pagoda sitting upon Jinshan Mountain was the first thing I spotted upon arrival at the beginning of September. Jinshan Pagoda is found in the northern outskirts of town and is only a five minute ride from my school. The ride up is a long one as the road snakes its way around the mountain but upon arrival the top floor of the pagoda offers splendid three hundred and sixty degree views of Temple Lake, Dexing Town and the surrounding mountains.

The temple on the other hand I found by surprise.

I was exploring the small mountain back roads and villages and I came upon what I thought was a small village temple and being the temple kind of guy I am I stopped to check it out. The front temple (not in the photos) was obviously a very small old village temple but it wasn’t until the ancient lady showed me to the rear of the first temple that I discovered there was actually a temple complex to be found at its rear.

An absolute perfect example of why I choose to live and ride in such small places!

At the rear of Temple Lake there is now much construction happening and as to what its outcome maybe I am unsure and nor can anyone tell me. To me it looks like they are building an entire new temple complex but it could also be a temple like retreat, a temple like lake side shopping complex or even a temple like hotel etc as very near they are also constructing what looks like what will be a very expensive apartment complex or what my gut tells me is happening;

Another new ‘ancient town’ for tourism purposes!
Beers N Noodles toya…..shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by Enigma
The album was ‘Mystic Mixes’
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