tandem4family – Mit der Familienkutsche von Shanghai nach Beijing
Yesterday’s straight empty road on the Canal embankment stretches ahead of us on the next day as well, once we had left the petrochemical factories at the outskirts of Gaoyou behind. To our left is the Canal with the barges, to our right – ponds, villages, patches of blooming rapeseed, gardens and grave mounds, half-screened by trees.
Smaller channels branch out to bring water into the fields and to regulate flooding, and steep side-roads lead down into the villages. Although the road offers the perfect biking conditions (except the steady head-wind), we won’t find here any shops or noodle places for our break. So, we turn into a bigger village, and stop at the first supermarket. I go inside with the kids, while Volker decides to stay outside. Shortly after he bursts in: “Let’s go! Quickly!”. I left all goodies at the cashier and rush outside to find a crowd pushing forward round our unstable bike, almost toppling it down. Few of the men reek of alcohol, and uncontrollably laugh. We fled to another supermarket further away. Another crowd gathers.
