June 13th, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,China
Today’s distance / ???????: about 30km
Average speed / ????: n/a
Time on skateboard / ????: n/a
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: n/a
Ascent / ??: n/a
Descent / ??: n/a
End-of-day GPS coordinates: n/a
I did not sleep well in the shack last night. Mice were scurrying. Windows were rattling in the wind. I woke in the middle of the night and thought I saw the dark outline of a small child standing in the doorway, watching me. I lay still and silent, holding my breath for what seemed a lifetime, before I finally quietly reached for my torch and shone it in the apparition’s direction. It was just shadows in the moon’s light playing tricks…
Shortly after getting on the road at 6am, I passed an elephant. Yay.
And before I knew it, I was in Hami. National Highway 312 passes about 2km north of Hami central, and the road is relatively un-trafficked. I veered south off 312 and skated with a strong tailwind down into the city center.
I had no idea where I was going. All I knew was that I wanted a cheap place to sleep and take the weekend off. I kept heading south. South. After 4km, I turned east along Tianshan Road and stopped in at the first hotel I could find. A nice enough shared room for 30RMB (3 Euro). Eateries close by, and three internet places to choose from within 5 minutes walk. Perfect. What more could I want.
Do you know how long those concrete animals have been there? It seems to me someone with a great sense of humour put them there.
