CHINA (PART ONE)
Nateuy, Laos – Mengla, China – 72 Kilometres
A short 20-kilometre ride led up a moderate hill to the Laos-China border
followed by a smooth crossing into China. Once across the border, the ATM
required more guesswork than anything else, as the machine never gave English
options. In the end, it spat out a few Chinese yuan, and I was bursting with
excitement to discover China.
A brand-new highway, sporting bridges and tunnels, ran to Mengla through an
exceptionally picturesque countryside. Bike problems made biking increasingly
tricky, and stomach problems placed a damper on my newfound excitement.
Thank goodness, the path descended to the first town in China.
At first glance, China was nothing like I envisaged and Mengla was a modern and
fast-growing border town and not very "Chinese". I'm not sure what I had
envisaged as "very Chinese". Sadly, my first day in China wasn't a good one and
I was extremely relieved to locate accommodation to lie down. The evening was
spent shivering under a blanket, suffering from a high fever and stomach cramps.