Huangshan MTB Festival Race Day

Well, it was a beautiful day to race. Just like the day before, it stayed warm and I could still wear a short sleeve jersey. I would wear the Astana Stars and Stripes jersey worn last year by Levi Leipheimer. I love to wear this jersey because it is the US National Champion Jersey. I feel that even in China, I can represent the US when I race. It gives me extra motivation to do my best.

In the 20 km open men's category, there were over 200 participants. We would all line up at the start and ride for maybe 2km before we got into the single track. I was lined up close to the back of the group, so I was unlucky on the first climbs. I can climb, but people ahead of me could not climb and it forces the group to have to walk or run with there bikes to pass the people who can not climb. This problem makes it harder to pass people and get to the front of the race. I was able to pass many people and start to move up to the front.

It was an exciting feeling riding, climbing, and passing people, but it did not compare to the adrenalin rush on the downhill sections. Since it was single track, there was only one thing to do, just do it. I successfully road the downhills sections, even the twisty technical section. This section went straight down and at the end had a sharp right turn followed by a sharp left turn and then downhill again. This section was the section the day before I could not ride. Race day on the single track, I would not think, I would just react. After that section, I could feel myself trembling. It was an amazing feeling. Then, I maneuvered through the rock garden with no problem. I was feeling very good. Race day means race face. I like the look of concentration on my face as I fly through the course.

For Suzhou, the team was overall very successful. We took first place in the Men's 40 km race, 4th place in the Women's 40 km race, and 3rd place in the Women's 20 km race. All in all a special day for everyone. If you are in China during March, this event is a must do for anyone who likes mountain biking.

Huangshan MTB Festival 2009 Recon

Well, it has been quite a while since I have posted my adventures. I have been told that I will return to my home country by the end of June. The economic crisis has now effected my life. There are always two ways to look at things and I am finally coming around to see the glass as half full and not half empty.

I was really not sure if I wanted to go to Huangshan and participate in the event, but I decided to take a chance and get on the bus and go to the biggest mountain biking event in China. It was a decision I was really glad I made. I enjoyed the whole weekend of riding and I will never forget the event. The only regret I have is doing the 20 km race. I should have done the 40 km race. Next time!

Friday we would meet in the morning and load up the bus with a group of about fifteen people eager to participate in the event and all of our bikes. We would take a four to five our trip to Hongcun where the race would start. Friday was considered a reconnaissance day to get to know the race track. The race was to be Saturday morning on broad casted on China national television CCTV 5.

We arrived and had lunch then checked into what is known as a family hotel. This hotel is a small hotel with maybe 15 rooms owned by a local family and very inexpensive. I do not actually know the price because the whole weekend including hotel, registration, and one meal was 700 RMB ($102.19 US). Depending on how many beds were in the room, was the number of people who would stay in the room. My room had two beds, so I would share it with Jiri, the only other foreigner with our group. He is from Poland and has been biking since before mountain biking was considered a sport!

I loved the local hospitality provided by the family at the hotel. It would have to say it was a little different than other hotels, but it made the weekend all the more enjoyable. It felt like a real adventure with new experiences. Below are a few pictures of the hotel.

The one thing that I think westerners would not be able to get use to in this hotel is the bathroom. It is quite different than the bathroom seen in many western hotels. The shower is part of the sink and the bathroom is the typical public bathroom you find in China. Showering was a much different experience with this type of device. Also, the whole bathroom gets wet when one showers. For large westerners it would be a real challenge to have to squat and do their business in the bathroom. Maybe this type of bathroom would cause many to loose weight just so they can go use the toilet, haha.

Well, after check-in, we would go ride the course. It was a very interesting course. There was some nice climbing, very nice single track, dangerous rocky uphills, fast and furious downhills, rock gardens, and twisting technical downhills. This day I would feel a little weary of the competition to follow. I come from a completely pancake flat town with no climbs and no descents. I have learned all my little downhilling ability here in Suzhou. I can climb all day and would prefer a hilltop finish over technical descents. Below you can see some of the sections of the course.

Dragon Pond Scenic Park

Dragon Pond Scenic Park is an excellent one day get away and it is located right here in Suzhou in the SND Area. It has fun and games for all ages. It is considered a AAAA ecological park. The entrance fee for the park is 60 RMB ($8.76 US). Lunch can be a nice picnic lunch somewhere in the park or a variety of local food can be purchased at very reasonable prices. We really did not know about this park until our Chinese teacher invited us for a field trip in some very nice spring weather.


One of the activities my son enjoyed was the bungee jumping. Everyone had a turn at the bungee jump, but my son had the most fun. It was his first time and he really enjoyed flying in the clouds. He did this activity twice!




Also, in the park was a very nice playground with many physical activities. I think the kids could just run around for hours in this playground and never get tired. I had fun challenging myself to a few physical activities.

In the middle of the area there are two ponds. The two ponds are divided by a waterfall. One side of the water fall has water hamster balls. This activity is quite difficult and my son had a very hard time standing up, let alone getting the ball to roll in the water. He spent many minutes falling down inside the ball! The other side of the pond has paddle boats that can be used for a leisure stroll around the pond.

One of the best activities to do in this park is climb. There are areas around the park that one can climb to get a magnificent view of the city and the park. It is a truly fun experience to climb up the hills and relax while enjoying all mother nature has to offer.

We all enjoyed this activity and when we reached the top of the hill, we took a group picture. I recommend anyone looking for a nice day out in the sun visit this park. Bus 333 goes directly to the park!

两百五-Liang Bai Wu (250)

Liang Bai Wu! These three little words mean 250 in English, but in Chinese it simply means stupid. These words come from an ancient tale of a king whose friend was murdered. Well, the king did not know who to solve the murder and after many hours of thinking found a solution to his problem. To try to solve the murder he would offer a reward for the person who murdered the enemy of the state. So, he offered 1000 gold coins to the killer of his "enemy". Well, not one person arrived to claim the prize, but four people arrived. The king asked them how he should split the money. They of course said 250 each! The king replied off with the heads of these 250s. From then on, 250 became universally known as stupid.

So if you hear liang bai wu (两百五) and your name in the same sentence, beware.

A Day in Nanjing

Almost two weeks ago, a friend of mine had to make a trip to Nanjing. He would be going on business while I would take a day to be alone and wander around Nanjing. I figured wandering around the city would be a fun way to for my day visit. The round trip train would cost 134 RMB ($19.56 US). Once we both arrived in Nanjing, we would go our separate ways.

I brought my tourist map and my man purse to carry all the travel essentials from toilet paper, batteries, camera, snacks, and many other items. It is very typical to see men with these type of bags all around China. I have to admit, they do come in handy when you make trips and they are much smaller than a backpack. Also, I feel my belongings are safer when they are in front of me.

I would get onto the taxi and ask to be taken to the Purple Mountain Scenic Area. I have been to this area before and thought it would be nice to walk around and enjoy the maybe fresh air. Well, the taxi driver would tell me that the area was not available for viewing and I ended being dropped off at the Monk Peak Scenic Area. I would continue walking until I came to a sign that displayed cable cars. I would decide to take a ride on the Zijinshan Ropeway 紫金山索道门. The cable car ride would cost 60 RMB ($8.76 US) for a round trip and 35 RMB ($5.38 US)for a single way.

It was actually a pretty fun trip. It was very slow and quite long. I would pass the Astronomical Observatory Station and stop at the top of the mountain at Monk Peak Station. It was about 448 meters high. As I got closer to the top it would get much colder. I could look out over the city. I would enjoy a sausage on a stick and a tea egg for lunch.

Then, it was a long walk down. Actually, many people would walk up and down the mountain. The cable cars were mostly empty.

There were many people tired from the long walk. Many people would rest after going down alot of the stairs. Above you can see a tired female making her way down the mountain.

I would walk to the observatory station and take a taxi to the shopping mall to look around. It turned out that it was the International Day for Women and the shopping mall was very crowded with many women. Shopping definitely was not the thing to do today. I walked around the shopping center and then it was time to start heading home.

I would eat a nice beef noodle dinner inside the train station and enjoy a return trip on the D train. It was a nice day trip for under 220 RMB ($32.12 US).

A Late Dinner

Last night was an interesting night. What made the night interesting was our late night stop for food. We would have "dinner" or "breakfast", which ever one you prefer, at 1:30 am at a local Chinese restaurant. This adventure would be a continuation of my localization process.

Our trip to dinner began with breaking one of the unwritten rules a foreigner should never do. We would take a "illegal" taxi to our dinner destination. This taxi does not have a meter and the fair should usually be negotiated before you get into the taxi. When I visited our assembly plant in Beijing, I have had to take many of these "illegal" taxis. The town where the facility is located is very small and it costs 10 RMB ($1.46 US) to get to any destination in town. Our local friends negotiated and payed or taxi fair.

We arrived at a local hot pot restaurant 新招鲜. Hot pot is kind of like create your own meal. You choose from many things on the menu and dump them in the pot wait until they are cooked and eat up. The menu was completely in Chinese and our friends ordered all the food we would eat for our late dinner.

We had chicken. When people in the states think about chicken we usually think about the chicken wings, chicken breasts, thighs and legs. Well, at this restaurant, the chicken was chopped up and included the feet, the head, the liver, and the heart. Well, it included the whole chicken. Not a single piece of this animal would go to waste. We also had three different types of green vegetables, potatoes, lotus root, and probably pork intestines. The most interesting part of this dinner was.......

Yes, it is the brain. I have no idea of what animal this brain comes from, but it definitely was too big to be a chicken. Well, all this food went into the pot and cooked to perfection to be eaten. Everything would become a nice mixture of flavor. Many of you are probably asking yourselves if I was able to eat the brain. I have to say everything was very tasty except for one green vegetable which tasted very bad. I have to say the little bit of brain I did eat was much better than the green vegetable.

Tasting the brain was a must do activity. First of all, one never knows if they would actually like the food unless they taste it. Secondly, as part of my localization process, I have to not only experience everyday activities, but also try more local food.

The brain looks much better cooked, but probably too hard for some to eat. As far as my thoughts on localization and getting into the cultural experience, I had to try it.

Many companies talk about localization, but fall way short in their aggressiveness to localize. Their concept of localization is using international companies to supply parts to them which they can buy locally in China or dealing with international companies to buy their products. This concept is like eating KFC in China and saying you have eaten local food. The real cost savings and money to made will come from buying parts from Chinese suppliers or selling parts to Chinese companies. It is extremely risky, but if you don't try it you will never know the true concept of localization.

The Driver

Transportation for expats residing in China comes in many forms. Some companies give their employees a car allowance and let them decide exactly how to handle transportation. The employee can decide to get a rental contract with a driver, take the driving exam in China and buy a car, ride a bike or electrical two wheeler, or simply take a taxi all the time. Other companies have contracts with car and driver rental companies and provide the employee with the driver and the vehicle.

If the expat decides on a driver, this person indirectly becomes part of the family. The driver will know almost every detail about the family. The driver will take the family to every destination that is required. As one can guess, the driver will know where the family likes to eat, where the family likes to shop, what the family buys, where the family goes for entertainment, how much the family spends, and many other things. After a while, if the family keeps a routine, the driver would know everyday activities.

Most drivers speak none to very little English. In the beginning the relationship for the new expat is built on showing the driver taxi cards. The taxi cards are designed to help foreigners get the the locations they want to visit. The address is in Chinese and any can be given to the driver or taxi. They can then read the card and find the location without any required speaking. Learning to communicate with the driver in Chinese becomes an "opportunity" to practice Chinese. The expat and family members can practice the simple conversations learned in Chinese class. This small talk with the driver can help the family learn Chinese quicker. Communication can also cut the silence in the car and help the expat get to know the driver. After all, the driver is a "new" family member.

A typical day for a driver could begin with taking the expat to work, then maybe dropping of the son or daughter at school. The driver could then return home and take the spouse for grocery shopping or other activities that the spouse needs to complete. These activities can include the gym, grocery shopping, or any other activities. In the afternoon, the driver could pick up the son or daughter from school and then later bring home the working expat. Any other trips required could also be included.

Just like people, there are good drivers, good employers, bad drivers, and bad employers. Some expats will have the same driver for a few years, while other expats will go through a few drivers in a year.