Feb 26:Sandu

I will type a little about today. But I faced some serious mountain roads. The roads themselves were in fine condition, not trafficked. But the ascents and descents were massive. And on slippery roads. I was crawling up and inching down. At the pace I was going it was almost intervention that I blew a flat, and that my air pump broke and that I could not just fix it and continue. My flat occurred on the up hill of a extremely steep road. I just decided then and there that I was going to flag down a passenger bus or a someone to give me a lift to Danzhai, the town that I assumed was only 2 mioles away. A small-town police man drove by and he stopped I explained and we were on our way. As it turns out just over the mountatin that I stopped on were the most scary twisty turny up and down roads ever. And they were like this for 30 minutes in the car before we reached the city. But he asked if I wanted to go to the town further, Sandu because their he has a friend that speaks English. Sandu was my destination for 2 days from now. But I saw from the car that I probably wouldn't have made it. I was falling asleep in the passenger seat as we bobbed and weaved through these beautiful canyons filled with terraced-yellow flowers and green vegetable fields. It was Miao and Shui minority country. So often we would pass women in strange beaded headdress walking behind a donkey cart. When we arrived his 2 english teacher friends greeted us and they immediately handed my tire to a local, who insisted on replacing the tube, instead of me doing it myself. The teachers took care of me and walked to a nearby hotel and made my arrangements for the night and for tomorrow when I will depart on a bus. Its clear that this region is impermissible on bike. It would be absurd to continue. I am only creeping along by 10 miles a day. So tomorrow I head to Rongjiang, where the BikeAsia itinerary I am following officially begins. Now I see why they bused it from Guiyang to Rongjiang. I am glad I tried these roads, its been a whole-hearted attempt.