Cycling along the border highway in Guangxi (Part 1) I touched the tail of the G219 at the end of the year of Gengzi

Author: Lin Weijunhao

Taoist priest and I plan to go to Xiangxi together and shoot some material to make a short film to practice our skills. Later, due to the Taoist priest's holiday, I gave up the trip. In addition, due to the epidemic, I gave up the route in western Hunan and instead went to complete the China-Vietnam border highway. I don’t know when the G219 and the border highway merged together. I just saw someone posting a video of the new National Highway 219 at a certain time. As for taking the China-Vietnam border highway, it was not because of this, but because I dug a hole for myself during the National Day last year... I had actually been preparing for this trip for more than two months, but in the end nothing was prepared. I gritted my teeth and hurried on the road. I said to the Taoist priest: "I can't wait any longer. The longer I wait, the more annoying I am. If I don't leave, I won't be able to come home on New Year's Eve."

The first day in Daejeon - People's Livelihood Village

The plan is to leave after repairing the kitchen roof of my hometown in the Great Cold. At most, I will leave on the 23rd. But in the end it was postponed to the 29th. Because I had been thinking about getting some equipment ready before setting off, I won’t say what equipment it is. After procrastinating until I felt irritated, I decided to leave. Don't want to wait any longer. We packed up overnight on the 28th and set off at 8 a.m. on the 29th. The village was quiet on a non-festival day. Not many people. I just left quietly. I followed a familiar road from Fangcheng to Zhushan and ran all the way for 120 kilometers. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon when I arrived at the starting point of the old coastal road. I hurriedly took a photo and continued to set off. At the intersection entering Fangcheng, we fell down twice because we were not paying attention. Large trucks were passing one after another without interruption on the broken road. The road was paved with a thick layer of gravel. The bicycle carrying the luggage was also quite heavy. It eventually skidded and rolled over. I helped me up and continued walking without even looking. I fell again before I got on the bicycle five meters away. He propped himself up on the gravel road with his palms, which were also swollen. It hurt for two or three days. The attack was unsuccessful, but luckily he was still alive.

Starting from my hometown village, the footrests are not suitable and parking is particularly troublesome.

The road on the first day was not difficult except for the formal entry into the coastal road after exiting Dongxing. After walking thirty kilometers, it was already past five o’clock and I didn’t want to go any further. I had visited Ma'an'ao before as a friend, so I knew this section of the road quite well. After all, it had only been a few days. Set up camp at the bus shelter in Minsheng Village.

I didn’t notice that there was a dog meat shop next to it. It didn’t mean anything. Behind the bus shelter was the place where the dog meat shop kept its dogs. The dogs would bark inexplicably at night. I had no idea what those stupid things were barking about. . Although they couldn't come out and bit me, it was very disturbing and affected my sleep. The people next door also had dogs, and they also barked along with the crazy dogs in the yard at night. There were dogs somewhere farther away that also barked. Twelve o'clock at night, two o'clock in the morning, endless calling.

Apart from these, the first day and the first camp went smoothly. I cooked a bowl of rice and ate it. It was very simple. You are not as rich as others to enjoy outdoor food. Peel a potato and cook it with rice. Tasteless. As long as it can fill your stomach. I don’t care about energy or nutrition at all. It's best not to starve to death. After all, no one knows how long I can last with the two hundred yuan. You can't just go all the way to beg for help.

I got up early in the morning and used my flashlight to light a fire to cook. The dog next to me barked at me again and almost ran over. I ignored it and just cooked my own meal. The fog was thick and the drizzle was continuous. Such weather makes people less motivated to set out. An old man came to the bus shelter on a motorcycle and asked me if I had seen the shuttle bus to Dongxing. I said there was a class just now, not long ago. He muttered that he would have to wait for more than half an hour. When someone asked me about this or that, I started talking to him in Hakka. This generally makes me feel more intimate.

The next day Minsheng - Nali Village

Coming out of Dongxing, the road to Tansan is quite difficult to walk. The road is under construction, there are many big cars, and the wind and dust are heavy. From Minsheng Village there is a long walk like this. The fog is very thick, especially in the mountains. The visibility was very low on the way up Ma'an Col, and my clothes were wet inside and out. The rear tire was punctured at some point. Extremely helpless, I stopped to patch up the inner tube before continuing on the road.

Car repair

The day to go to Xinjiang was so long that I don’t know how long it took

In Ma’an’ao, only a huge stone stood on the roadside, so blurry There are only four words "prospering the border and enriching the people", but the name "Ma'an'ao" has been submerged by the obsolete years. The clearest thing is actually the words "I miss you". Who are you? Who are you thinking of? What does that have to do with me. I came back again, only half a month later. I still remember that at dusk, I turned around and headed back alone. Now it seems like a continuous journey. After taking a bite of cold rice, we descended a long and cold slope. When we were almost in the cave, we saw the shadow of the sun. It was only at this moment that there was such a trace of warmth.

Talk about asking me where I was, and I said I had just left the cave. I was determined to head to Aidian, and I was too lazy to cook noodles. I bought some very unpalatable bananas in town to prepare for the long slope behind the cave.

Let’s talk about it, there are more than ten kilometers of slope ahead. I was probably numb and didn't feel much. Go all the way. The road along the road is to take the patrol road in the direction of the port to reach a boundary marker. There is a lovely winding slope that needs to be climbed. However, I don’t want to climb at all now. Besides, Tan Tan has already gone there before. In the past, visitors to the boundary monument have been refused due to the epidemic, so it’s okay not to go.

Poe is still too fierce for my physique. Completely overestimated myself. When I saw a bus shelter in Nali, I thought about going to that house to get some water and set up camp here.

It is said to be a village, but the small market hidden on the slope of the village is really a surprise. Hotel, hardware, vegetable market. Pushing a cart up there can attract all kinds of strange looks. I also forgot what I wanted to buy.

I got some water from a cart and started cooking noodles and rice. I went to the market and bought an aluminum "rice bucket". My idea is to prepare a bucket of rice first in the morning, so that I can save a lot of time on the road. Although I eat cold rice, it’s good if it can fill my stomach. I don’t have high requirements for these. After all, I am not a person with money to enjoy, and I still need to travel a little. Slowly Tengteng probably won't be able to get home on the first day of the new year.

There were also cyclists staying at Nali’s hotel. I saw two bicycles parked in front of the hotel, traveling lightly. It was not until the next day that I met the owner of the car. By then I had already packed up the tent. A young man came up and said that he was riding along the road and was going to Yunnan. He asked me if I was coming from Dongzhong. They rested there for a day without any companions.

On the third day, Nali-Pingxiang

There are many ups and downs on the way out of Nali, and then there are long slopes, winding all the way in the mountains, and moving forward along the river. . It was already past two o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived at Aidian. We made some adjustments at the gas station before heading off to Pingxiang for the long journey. This is a road destined to be ridden at night. I also forgot why I had to reach Pingxiang on the night road. I just wanted to "rest up" in Pingxiang, stay in a hotel, do some laundry, etc. Charge. Teacher Yang lent me a power bank with two 26650 batteries. He also has a power bank with one 26650 battery. But the power consumption of this phone really makes me a little dissatisfied. The checkpoints along this route became extremely dense, and I was even chased and teased by a yellow dog at a certain checkpoint in the middle of the night. The security officer told the dog to ignore me, but it was still a dog after all. It refused to listen to him and chased me all the way out of the checkpoint before it stopped and started barking after me.

I have no idea how many hills I have climbed. It seems that cycling at night is more efficient. Like a robot, mechanical pedaling, and occasional heavy pedaling can make people realize that they are on an uphill road.

When did I start traveling like this? I guess it was the 400 kilometers in a single day in 2018, and the all-night ride back home in Guilin. Many people would dislike such trouble, including people who are also cyclists, not to mention people who don't ride. They dislike it so much that they can't understand this kind of thinking at all. What is it for? I didn't understand it either. Probably to prove that he still has the ability to use his soul to support his weak body to climb mountains and ridges, or that he is not lonely in the long night with the stars and the bright moon.

Arrive at Pingxiang city at 11pm. I had already planned to find a 24-hour convenience store to stay overnight, and then go to a hotel to stay the next day. This saves money.

But such a cold night is a bit difficult. My trousers were soaked with sweat, and they were cold all night. It was uncomfortable to sit no matter how hard I sat. Occasionally I would take a nap when I was too sleepy, but it didn't last long, and I would wake up after a while. The young people in the milk tea shop next to me were still talking and laughing, and they didn't leave until very late.

The rice in the pot was finished in the mountains, and there were still two packs of pickled mustard left. I bought a few packs of biscuits and drank water from a convenience store to last me until dawn. We should be thankful that it didn’t rain, as it would have been even more difficult when it rained. Especially at three or four in the morning, I feel extremely tired, sleepy, and cold. There are two chairs and no table behind the convenience store entrance, which is not what I imagined. There wasn't even a place to lie down and rest for a while.

I haven’t washed my hair for three days and it’s finalized.

I searched for hotels on the map and checked out the ones with early check-in times. I finally found a hotel that would check in at ten o'clock and made a reservation immediately.

Teacher Yang is already at his father-in-law’s house in Detian, together with Teacher Ning. He asked me where I was, and I said I was in Pingxiang. Don't come looking for me. I won't go back. Previously, because of the epidemic, Teacher Yang advised me to go back as soon as I arrived in Pingxiang. It is said that Daxin is a bit risky. Because several cases have appeared in Vietnam across from Anning Township, everything is under control. On a day when the national highway is not blocked, I will walk all the way down. How could I possibly turn back? I also want to curse if this is a curse of death, why everyone I know ends their journey along the highway after riding to Pingxiang. I don’t accept it, and there are hundreds of millions of dissatisfactions in my heart.

Day 4 Rest

How could I be so stupid about washing and hanging clothes in a hotel. There is obviously a washing machine in the hotel. I have to ask the boss for the air conditioner remote control, right? Fans work too.

But it’s not always possible to dry clothes.

When Teacher Ning called me via WeChat in the afternoon, I didn’t really want to answer it, and I didn’t want to listen to their words to persuade me to go back. But I still answered the call. On the other end of the WeChat message, Teacher Yang said that he would not take me back, but would just come over and treat me to a meal. I walked dozens of kilometers from Shuolong to Pingxiang to come and treat me to a meal. It was really touching.

Teacher Yang said that a section of the road up to Shuikou is closed, and we need to go around to Jinlong Town. I can’t go without looking at the map, and pass by Mingshi Pastoral.

Teacher Ning asked me why I came to live in the city center. I felt that this was not "city center" at all. After settling the bill, they went back to Qinzhou. I walked back to the hotel by myself. Amidst the dynamic music of square dancing, there are also unknown elder sisters and brothers selling ointments in the square. A circle of old and young people gathered around. The children watched it so vividly, and the middle-aged and elderly friends were not willing to show weakness and came to support it. I can't stand it anymore, I have to leave.

I passed by a candy stall and wanted to buy some candies, but the high prices were completely unacceptable to me. I picked up the basket and put it down without hesitation, and left with a sigh.

Day 5 Pingxiang-Shuikou

I woke up early in the morning and went to the supermarket to buy noodles and make dinner. I originally wanted to go to an Internet cafe to download the track for the computer to use as navigation, which would save me the tedious operation of frequently using my mobile phone. It is very annoying to see an advertisement every time you open Baidu Maps. Furthermore, it consumes a lot of power. I finally found an Internet cafe but it was not open during business hours. It was the first time I saw an Internet cafe that was not open 20 hours a day. I probably didn’t understand Internet cafes anymore. Just like the last time I went there, I couldn't even turn on my phone.

Daqing Mountain is not difficult to climb. There is a tourist station on the top of the mountain. I didn’t go in. I rested a little further ahead and cooked a bowl of noodles before going back down the mountain. The water was collected on the way up the mountain. The roadside was reclaimed and green vegetables were planted. They were growing well and green. After passing Daqingshan, there are large tracts of sugar cane fields. The harvesting has been completed and the harvesting is in progress. More than a dozen people gathered together to cut sugar cane. I haven't seen such a scene for a long time. More than 20 years ago, when people in the village were still cutting sugar cane, my mother was still planting sugar cane in the fields.

The big brothers and sisters who cut sugar cane all cast strange looks at me, and they were still peeling leaves skillfully in their hands. Bundles of sugar cane are loaded onto the truck, truckloads of sugarcane are transported away, and truckloads of sugarcane are unloaded at the transfer point. The theme of winter cycling in the sugar cane province is related to these sugarcane.

I found a foothold at a gas station on the outskirts of Shuikou. It should be an abandoned car repair station. It's best to be close to a gas station. Bathrooms and water are all available. Aunt Xiaomiao asked me to go to Sister Xia's place to have a meal, but I didn't want to go because I really didn't want to talk. I cooked a large bucket of rice and ate it all. The amount of one meal was equal to the amount of the previous day. Aunt Xiaomiao used to nickname me "Baby Who Can't Hungry", and she was absolutely right.

I originally wanted to ask Sister Xia where her shop is and go buy some steamed buns from her the next morning, but suddenly I want to eat steamed buns. Two steamed buns can travel dozens of kilometers, which is very affordable. After a while of chatting in the group, I packed up my things and headed towards Sister Xia’s house in search of hot water and charging.

It was already past nine or ten when we arrived at the location sent by Sister Xia. After some twists and turns, the two finally met. There is no hot water. Sister Xia’s family has already rested. She still has to get up at two o’clock in the morning to get busy. She took me to find the campsite. In a row of unused houses next to the road, there is water and electricity, which is better than the gas station just now. At least it can be charged. It was time to set up the tent again and get out of the tent after getting some water to wipe ourselves down. There was no hot water for bathing.

This place should be used as a shop. The huge glass door was locked with a screw box patch. Sister Xia and I said it was not a big problem. You can open the door by loosening the screws with a screwdriver. Put the car in, close the door, tighten the screws, and it will be fine tomorrow. These are all minor issues.

The day ended like this, and I turned off the lights and fell asleep.

When I woke up again, it was bright outside the tent. I looked at my phone and it was still only five in the morning. When I opened the tent, I saw the familiar moonlight and stars. Like another kind of day, the day of another world. The moon hangs over the mountains in the distance outside the huge glass door. Touching is so simple. How many people can understand you? However, the mobile phone cannot remember this scene. After all, it can only be engraved in memory and left in words.

(To be continued...)