Day 132 - Cycling more hills in southern Yunnan, to Shang Yun

Start: Zhu Tang, China
End: Shang Yun, China - approx 23 deg N, 100 deg E
Distance: 63 km
Time: 7'15"
Avg: 8.7 k/h
Max: 35 k/h
Total: 7936 km
Total riding days: 88
Riding hours: 1945 - 1800

Nice scenery tody, but hard and slow climbing and descending on cobbles.

My 10-yuan hotel room is just big enough for a bed, the bike, and me. But for some reason they have also stuffed in two tables and a big leather armchair. These amenities usually cost extra. The armchair is in the later stages of decay, but I do not feel in a position to complain. I can't even get out of the room to complain, for that matter.

For fellow-cyclists, the route (all on the G214, heading north to south): 2 km of asphalt to start the day, and 3 km at the end. The rest was a 20 km cobbled descent, over a river, a 16 km climb, and a descent to Shang Yun. Steep valleys with incredible terracing on the Shang Yun side of the pass. Little traffic - the road passes the Mark and Ju McLean test.

The sun is hot but the air is crisp. Starting to think about the high mountains ahead, and the thought of never being warm for 3 months.