Shuifu – Yibin - 22 km
Upon leaving Shuifu city, a brand-new highway took us toward Yibin. A signboard
indicated 30 kilometres - significantly closer than anticipated. Unfortunately, our joy
was short-lived as soon a tollgate appeared, which prohibited cyclists from
proceeding. I much preferred rural China. Our presence was clearly a problem for the
authorities. They couldn't send us back along the highway, and there was no nearby
exit to an alternative route. Eventually, a vehicle was requested to come from Yibin,
load us up, and drop us at the entrance to the city - a round trip of roughly 40
kilometres!
We had difficulty locating a room in Yibin, a large modern city with predominantly
brand-new buildings. Moreover, the budget hotels didn't cater to foreigners.
Nonetheless, the hotel staff were helpful and walked us a few blocks to a hotel
excepting foreigners. Yiban was where the Min and Jinsha rivers merged to form the
Yangzi, and an easy saunter led to this major confluence. Sadly, the visibility was too
poor to see anything. Nonetheless, the abundance of tasty food kept us occupied.
Yibin
During the night, the weather changed, and we emerged to a cold and rainy morning
and stayed tucked in until breakfast, as a scrumptious buffet was included in the
room price. It's always a pleasure not to pack in such weather; instead, we spent a
lazy day lounging about. The rain had cleared the air, and the visibility improved from
the previous day, allowing us to take pictures of this major confluence.
At first, I thought Yibin a soulless city, but the more I walked through the backstreets,
the more interesting the area became. The narrow lanes were lined with dumpling
and noodle vendors, and portable barbeques sold skewers of veggies, tofu and, of
course, the ever-present tea eggs (boiled eggs soaked in tea and soy sauce).