Day 3: Xiamen Skyway

Today's totals: 42.39km, 148m, 17.1km/h

The weather service said rain clearing by 10:00. It didn't, but as precipitation was light, I headed out anyway sans rain gear. I suppose I could have used it, but in the end it made no difference. I arrived back at the hotel as dry as I could possibly be after 2.5 hours cycling.

The skyway is represented on the map by the straw in the coconut, the vertical line extending from the circle. I rode the entire line, up and down, altogether 15km round trip. Apart from a cleaner who maintains the track and one or two people on rented bicycles, I was up there by myself, which was just fine after battling the traffic to get there.

Most especially annoying were the buses, with which cyclists have to share the right lane.  For long stretches, I would play leap frog with buses that would cut in front of me pulling up to a kerbside bus stop.  After one cut me off with little time to brake sufficiently, I yelled at the driver as I passed on his left, and a while later he returned the compliment on passing me.

The skyway is fantastic.  You ride above the cars in a protected lane.  There are no pedestrians, no scooters, and no buses. The only inconvenience is having to pass over speed bumps and through wickets every time you pass a train station.  The bike road parallels the train and rides below it, which shelters riders from sun and rain.

I finished off the ride with lunch at 大方素食 (Dafang Sushi), a vegetarian restaurant just a block from one of the island's large Buddhist temples (which I visited on my last visit here four years ago).  I had a plate of Swiss chard that was fresh as you could possibly ask for, pulled from one of the planters in front of the restaurant (which you can see in the photo just behind my bicycle). Recommended if you're ever in Xiamen.

I adjusted the tilt of the bicycle seat last night but it seems the rear was too far down and causing strain on my left thigh. When I got back to the hotel, I adjusted again.

There was a bit of back and forth with the shipper (again SF) trying to get my bike box to my final destination in Guangzhou.  Much of the negotiation occurred in Chinese between the concierge and the courier.  Both visited my room afterward to confirm that SF will hold the package and deliver it to me in person 04 January.  Let's see.

Real work begins tomorrow.  Five km to the ferry, 15-20 minutes on the boat, then an 80km  ride to the next hotel.  Weather report says high of 22 and no rain.

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