Beijing...We've made it!

One hundred and seven day later, after cycling 10,600km and consuming countless kilos of Nutella, we've arrived in Beijing. The total time before Beijing was slightly shorter for me, as I came up several days early to prepare the festivities for Sunday's afternoon arrival.

To do list for Rach and I:
Scout a way in for the Cyclists
Scout a way into Beijing for the Trucks
Organize reception for Riders
Organize Banquet dinner
Find 50 bike boxes
Schedule the day's events

We were able to take care of most of these tasks, until we tried scouting a truck route to our hotel. We know that Beijing has truck restrictions but learned their method of enforcement is building bridges 4.0 meters high. Our Plan B was put into action, organizing a truck parking lot outside of the 5th ring road.

Although the stress wasn't too high, I don't think I've ever worked harder during such a short period of time. I was burning the candle at both ends, accomplishing tasks through the day and enjoying social engagements at night. This culminated with a terrible stomachache the night before the event. I had to drive 80km outside of Beijing, meet the trucks and bring them to the parking lot in the middle of the night (police would be less likely to stop our trucks at this time). With Pepto Bismol and a prayer, I fell asleep at the truck stop thinking how difficult it would be to lead 44 cyclist into Beijing while vomiting from my bike.

The next morning I was still sick, but after loading moving trucks with rider gear, my health miraculously improved. The convoy went very smoothly, all the way to Tiananmen Square (Now that I wrote that, the censors are going to be crawling all over this blog). We stopped between Tiananmen and the Forbidden City for a quick celebration and pictures. Once there, I was expecting to be shuffled along by police, but were not bothered until after 20minutes.The welcoming ceremony at the hotel was brimming with Champagne, wine, cheeses, and other delicacies we've been without. All of the wine, even the wine for dinner, was quaffed by thirsty riders and staff. The restaurant owner eventually had to force us to leave sending the party 5 floors upstairs into a hotel room. I left to pick up 30 remaining bike boxes from the Giant headquarters while the hotel room party carried on. I was happy to take a drinking break during that stretch as the day was far from over.

DongBeiRen, one of my favorite restaurants in Beijing, held our banquet dinner. We showed Darrel's videos, Rachel's slide show and enjoyed several speeches from riders and staff. The atmosphere of the dinner was hushed with most recovering from the welcoming ceremony.

The arrival was successful and I'm ready to relax for the next month and a half. There is still much reflection needed on my part. It is difficult to understand a trip like this. The sideshow began to put the trip in perspective, capturing the cultures, people, and places we've experienced.

To travel by bicycle, across Asia is quite a feat. Unlike sitting in a car, riding a bicycle connects the rider with the surrounding environment. Whether it be people, obstacles, weather or scenery, one is inextricably linked and responsive to their volatility. Comparing this to a discovery of cultures by boat (Semester at Sea), the bicycle never leaves the culture-scape. We can't leave port once we've had enough, we must pedal onwards to our next country.

Semester at Sea gave us rapid, intense encounters as we circled the globe. Afterwards, we loaded onto our western ship and cooked in our academic incubator, discussing our experiences with professors, peers, and ourselves. We dined on Western food and could be in constant contact with our friends and family via Internet. Everything and everyone was only a click away.

The Silk Route gave us constant, intense experience with no familiar environment to reflect. As one can see with the blog entries, in most places, the Internet was a luxury. We'd fuel with local foods and drink local water. We sleep in their dwellings and listen to their language. Our only time to reflect is while pedaling onwards to our next encounter.

We covered 120km a day, while Silk Road merchants, covered a mere 25km each day. It's half desert. Roads have made the journey less perilous, but if anything goes wrong, you're nowhere. It's humbling, but some would say dangerous (thanks to the media in creating a fear culture). I never felt danger, even if it was there. Inevitable diarrhea, food poisoning and heat exhaustion were mere inconveniences, paling in comparison to the hazards of 2000 years ago.

More to come..