Five Peaks Mountian 五峰山

Well this last Saturday, we decided to join the Merida Bicycle Group for riding Five Peaks Mountain (Wu Feng Shan). We would spend the morning riding out to the mountain and then climbing some steep hills. After the riding, we would have a BBQ. Well, not your typical BBQ it would be a Chinese BBQ.

We started the morning by riding out to the Merida Bike Shop. The shop is 29 km (18 miles) from our house. As usual, it would be an early start without any breakfast. We would stop by and eat some local Chinese breakfast foods. This type of food is what the Chinese eat in the early morning on their way out to either daily activities or work. Last time we ate buns filled with meat. This time I would try something different. This time I would eat 油条 (you tiao) . It was like a warm sweet breakfast bread. It was crunchy on the outside from being fried and had a nice sweet taste. I had one and wish I had bought more than one. The cost of this meal was 0.50 RMB ($0.08 US). The street vendor noticed that I was a foreigner and commented to my Singaporean friend that foreigners are rich and he would like to charge me 1 RMB for the you tiao.

We would arrive at the shop and meet up with about thirty riders for today's ride. Everyone who wanted to have the BBQ lunch would chip in. The BBQ would cost us 30 RMB ($4.38 US) each.

From the shop we road out to Five Peaks Mountain. This area has been used for training by Chinese armored divisions (tanks). The first two climbs were very very steep. I don't think anyone in the group was able to climb up. We climb to the highest point possible and then push the bike up the remaining slope. Even pushing the bike up these steep slopes is tiring.

One of the Chinese girls who joined us is very strong. She picked her bike up and carried it up the second slope. I figure her bike weighs about 30 lbs easily. She can ride long distances, climb and also carry her bike when she has too. I was very amazed by her strength for such a small woman. I really admire her and wish more women would get to the outdoors and enjoy mother nature. After all, mother nature is a woman.

After climbing we continue down a nice single track. It was actually very enjoyable ride. It was up and down. Sometimes, it seemed a little dangerous because one side of the single track would be close to the edge of the cliff. One wrong move and maybe more than a few broken bones!

Well, we reached the area for the BBQ. This experience would be a little different than the typical BBQ. There was no way to start the charcoal. We would make a camp fire from materials located around the area. We would then place all the charcoal in the campfire. After the charcoal would light, we would remove them one by one to start cooking. This process actually took sometime. There was a time I thought we would never get to eat.

We were then divided into teams of about eight persons for a small two grill system. Each team would start his own charcoal and cook. Each team was given the same amount of meat to cook. It kind of reminded me of some team building activities. We would cook chicken wings, lamb skewers, chicken skewers, egg plant, and a few other things.

I was thinking about public and private property. In the states, or at least back home, it would be hard to find so many good places to ride. Most property is private and trespassing is not allowed. It seems like here in Suzhou the land belongs to the people. In the different areas we have biked at, we have also seen locals hiking around these hills. Even areas which have been locked, we still climb in and ride. There have been cases when the person with the keys opens up the gate and lets us all in. It gives me the feeling open to the public. I am sure that alot of people are riding the Olympic mountain bike course in Beijing because it is open to the public.

After the BBQ we would return home. It would be a long ride home. We would ride 83 km (52 miles) this day. On our return trip, we would ride down real local streets. I would be the only foreigner seen. On these streets you see a different side of China. Here in Suzhou, you hear some Mandarin, but the main spoken language is the local dialect, which many Chinese in Suzhou can not speak. There is a wet market for fish, local fruit stands, stores which sell local clothing brands, barber shops which cut hair for 5 RMB ($0.73 US), local food stands and meat markets.

I wanted to try some more local food, so I decided to try more street sold food. I would eat a nice rice dumpling. It was a dumpling filled with sticky rice. It would also cost 0.50 RMB ($0.80 US).

One of the most beautiful things I like about China is city design. The city is designed for walking, for biking, and then for cars. This city design makes sense for a green world. In the US, we all talk about a green world, but keep designing the cities for cars first. We all use the car for short trips. You do not see people walking. I think this is a serious issue the country must deal with as obesity increases. The lack of obesity in China is due to the fact that the people walk and people ride. I hope as China becomes more modern, the people keep these activities close to their heart and stay healthy and beautiful.