Without an inch of flat land, an additional day was spent peddling uphill. The road
led past vast tea plantations, as the area was home to the famous Pu'er tea. I
thus found myself firmly along the ancient Tea Horse Road. The Tea Horse Road
dates back roughly a thousand years and was used as a trade route between
Yunnan, China, and India via Myanmar. Horses and people transported tea, and
tea porters carried anything from 60 – 90 kg, far more than their body weight.
Upon reading this, I stopped complaining about the hills.
Eventually, I reached a reasonably large town. After locating a hotel and rinsing
my cycling clothes, the next challenge was finding a supermarket and food.
Again, I was gawked at to no end, all the way to the shop and back. While
shopping, my every move was watched, and each item placed in the basket was
discussed. At the hotel, my bag was eyed with great curiosity.
The hotel staff was accommodating and understood I was searching for a road
map. A few minutes later, the lady arrived with a map of Yunnan province, all in
Chinese; as a result, the name of the town still eludes me to this day. Even in
Chinese, it was better than nothing and at least indicated cities and villages.
Unknown town - Unknown village - 80 km
Map in hand, I set off, up and over mountains. The kilometres on the map and
the distances cycled didn't add up. Comparing the squiggles on the map to those
on signboards wasn't successful either.
Atop one of the mountains, a small settlement featuring accommodation lured
me in. The time was barely three o'clock, but according to my estimates, a
further 45 kilometres led to the next town and over yet one more set of
mountains. The fact a faded signboard indicated 71 kilometres to an unknown
location made me stay put. The accommodation was basic, but what can one
expect at $1? Used condoms and cigarette butts covered the floor, which I kicked
aside and settled in.