The Great Ride of China The 34,000km ride around China
Here’s the second half of the interview we did with the Bruce in Beijing radio show. The first half was just Amy, which you can check out here, where she discusses the trip from Beijing all the way to the far west city of Kashgar in Xinjiang province.
For the second half, I join in in discussing the rest of our trip, through Tibet, weaving around the South West, and much more up until our final day into Beijing from Tianjin.
If you’d like to download the mp3 of an episode, right click the links underneath each and choose Save As.
Part 1- Through the Tibetan Plateau
We talk about some of the challenges on the road as we enter some of the harshest conditions of the trip including high altitude and snow storms as well as the unique culture of Tibet.
Part 2- “The Most Beautiful Lake in China” and on to Sichuan
Dramatic changes in climate as we move north into Qinghai before dropping down towards the sub-tropics of Sichuan. We talk about visiting giant Buddhas and famous Buddha grottoes plus some difficulties with weather.
Part 3- Yunnanese Culture and Fundraising on the Beach
In this section Bruce talks with us about Yunnan, one of his favorite places in China, and with good reason too! Yunnan is the most ethnically and ecologically diverse areas of China. We talk about our visit to the Linden Centre in a Bai minority village before moving to the tropical paradise of Hainan
Part 4- Fundraising, Sun, Rain, and Earth Buildings
We talk about the beginning of the end of The Great Ride, enjoying the sun in the southern most province of Hainan (where we did some fundraising at a local resort hotel) and then into the south-central (and wet) provinces of Guangxi, Hunan, and Hubei. Amy also talks a bit about the Tulou buildings in southern Fujian.
Part 5- Time to Head Back Home
Some reflection on what it’s like to approach the end of this kind of an adventure and how it compared to being in Shanghai in the middle of a coastal trip we did in 2012 from Beijing to Shanghai. No welcome banners for us on our arrival to Beijing after nearly 5 months, just dealing with the mundane task of signing a rental agreement.
It’s very enjoyable to hear your tour story!