Thursday, January 05, 2006

Day 125. Cycling to Menghan, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

Start: Menglun, China
End: Menghan, China
Distance: 50 km
Time: 3'34"
Avg: 14 k/h
Max: 39.5 k/h
Total: 7631 km
Total riding days: 83
Riding hours: 1200 - 1645

Rubber plantations all along the route, where there used to be tropical forests. Apparently most of the rubber plantations are unprofitable because of the low world price of rubber and the high input costs (fertilisers etc).

Banana plantations too, boxing bananas for export at the roadside.

This route has all the raw materials a cyclist could ask for, almost. Rubber for tyres, bananas for face-stuffing. That's about it.

Menghan is also called Ganlanba. I find a place to stay in a Dai house, a funny rickety wooden thing on stilts. The family have sensibly moved out to a proper new concrete block next door, and rent out the 'traditional' place to passing foreigners etc.

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