Escaped through the eye of the needle
N 37°35'49.3'' E 108°47'34.1''
Date:
18.11.2015
Day: 143
Country:
China
Province:
Shaanxi
Location:
Jingbian
Latitude N:
37°35’49.3”
Longitude E:
108°47’34.1”
Daily kilometers:
84 km
Total kilometers:
10,842 km
As the crow flies:
59.61 km
Average speed:
22.5 km
Maximum speed:
49.8 km
Travel time:
3:43 hrs.
Soil condition:
Poor asphalt
Maximum height:
1.350 m
Total altitude meters:
9.051 m
Altitude meters for the day:
670 m
Sunrise:
07:26 am
Sunset:
5:33 pm
Temperature day max:
8 °C
Temperature day min:
3 °C
Departure:
09:30 a.m.
Arrival time:
3:00 p.m.
(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).
As soon as we sit back down on our trestles, we are greeted once again by the wrinkled, venerable rock faces with their mythical creatures. Our lonely path leads us over stone bridges that bend in several arches over the river. Suddenly, the tarred road leaves the valley and rises in serpentines to a plateau. We feel as if we are balancing on its back between the abysses that open up to our left and right. The path along the narrow fold of earth allows us to look down into the depths. At this point in the valley, the river is dammed to form a lake. The entrances to some cliff dwellings are threatened by water. And suddenly the peace and quiet is over. The idyllic village street is clogged with mopeds, electric scooters, cars and, above all, trucks. Nothing works anymore. Stalls are set up on both sides of the asphalt. Some of the goods are lying directly on the floor. As we don’t make an inch of progress either, we are constantly approached and, as usual, marveled at like Alines. People haggle, shout and laugh at the market. Honking horns and the loud hissing of truck brakes combine with the shrill sound symbiosis. Exhaust fumes blow in our faces. A few moped riders squeeze past us. They want to overcome the traffic jam at all costs. Some of the drivers heave their vehicles over the curb and then continue on their way through the stalls. They curse and swear when they drive over the laid-out goods with their dirt-smeared tires. Then nothing progresses for them either. Meanwhile, I’m right behind a truck and hope that it doesn’t back up. The tangle of vehicles has become even more entangled. No one knows how it can ever be untangled again. Some of the trucks push on at walking pace in the opposite lane until they too have compressed the situation to the maximum. The vibrating mass of sheet metal is now humming viciously. Suddenly a narrow gap opens up in front of us. I tap the old man next to me and point to the eye of the needle. He immediately recognizes the chance to escape through the hole and speeds through the gap on his moped. We follow him immediately, and who would have thought that more gaps will open up on the other side to help us escape. The road in front of us is empty because of the long traffic jam behind us. Which is why we can enjoy the rest of the journey to Jingbian again…
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