Arriving home last night I discovered that one of the school interns is
that most unusual of Chinese people ... the sort who understand biking
for FUN.
Last year he and the former foreign teacher ended up spending a day
biking around the countryside. Enough biking that (in the student's
words) "it hurt to pee the next day."
And he wants to go on a bike trip with me.
He speaks English and he thinks biking around the countryside is a
_good_ thing. Thinks going into the countryside is a good thing.
Thinks the roads that aren't on the map have better scenery.
(I wouldn't want to go into the countryside on a bad bike. I also
wouldn't want to go unaccompanied riding a bike that cost what a
peasant earns in a year. I was figuring I'd have to find another
foreigner who likes bikes.)
Also, the salesman from the bike store has invited me to meet the local
riding club. There is apparently a daily ride from the city center to
the beach.
-M