northlandboy

Long time coming, but I have made it to Xi’an, the start/end of the Silk Roads – depending on which particular story you read. But it was quite something to get through the city walls, and make my way to the Bell Tower, where my hostel is superbly located. Random thoughts/views from the road from [...]

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Right? Because after all, we just can’t guarantee getting all the minerals, chemicals and various substances we need from our diet. And we can’t just add these things to water, like fluoride, when you are in a town where most people drink bottled or boiled water. No, no, the provincial government in Gansu is far [...]

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I wasn’t going to do it, I really wasn’t. I had read Jan’s account of doing 262km between Anxi and Jiayuguan in one day, and was very impressed, but thought it was just a bit beyond me. I started out from Anxi with headwinds, and it was looking like it could be a long day [...]

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I now have no shoes. I have only worn them a couple of times in the last few months, so I decided to get rid of them. I have noticed that when I walk around town with jandals, I get the usual number of stares, but everyone is looking at my feet now – maybe [...]

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I only carry two pairs of underwear. Given that with bike shorts, I don’t actually wear any most days, I had been vaguely wondering if that was one pair too many. But now the decision has been made for me! I had done some washing yesterday, and hung my clothes on the communal line at [...]

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