Sitting on the plane back to China I am
not sure how I feel. This marks
the first time I have not had a job or really anything to do. Most of my travels in the past were
short trips, even if it was a couple of weeks; I always had work to return to. This time I have no work to return to,
no job lined up, and have not even completed my application to Melbourne
yet.
After
a few weeks in the US it was a strange feeling. Almost like everything was too nice. My mother’s house is incredibly
comfortable, and yet it feels unnatural.
After 7 years of college houses and 5 years living in China, cramped,
somewhat rundown, and a little grimy is far more my style than anything luxurious. For all the good food and nice abodes
that I enjoyed in the states, after a few weeks I felt out of place and ready
to return to China.
Now
I am on the plane back to China and looking forward to my upcoming cycle
trip. I have a distinct feeling
that it is going to be far harder and challenging (both physically and
mentally) than I am anticipating.
I have more gear now than I think I could need from battery chargers and
tire pumps to clip-in pedals and couple changes of quick-drying clothes. The only thing left to pick up is a new
bicycle rack. I have one already,
but its Chinese made and therefore a piece of crap.
The
rack on my bike has only been used a few times and claims a 25kg weight limit,
yet the only thing it has carried is my bike lock. After a few weeks of carry a bike lock, the mount screw one
side has already started to bend and warp. Not an encouraging sign before setting off to cover several
thousand kilometers. So now the
one real remaining challenge is to find a quality bike rack in China before
shipping my bike out to Kunming next week.
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