I found myself firmly entrenched in the land of chopsticks and tea,
both sold in abundance at markets. I hoped my proficiency with
chopsticks would improve.
Being a port city, the fish market was equally interesting and a place
where virtually every sea creature imaginable was on sale. A
favourite appeared sandworm jelly. Sandworms were boiled into a
jelly mould said to be rich in collagen. But wrinkly as I was, I gave
the jelly a miss.
Xiamen – Zhangzhou, Fujian - 90 km
What a frustrating day it turned out to be in this new country. My late
departure was due to the assumption that the ride would be a short
and easy cycle to Zhangzhou. Regrettably, most routes prohibited
bicycles, and finding alternative roads took the best part of the day.
Riding into big and bustling Zhangzhou was in the dark, but luckily, it
sported budget lodging right in the centre. However, the frustration of
finding cycling routes made me vow to buy a GPS. By the time the
panniers were offloaded, a lack of food made me scurry to the
nearest food vendors, and on my return, I curled up in front of the
TV.