Incredibly windy day by the Yellow River 3


Although I have not walked that far today it has been pretty hard work. The first part was along a road.  I spent half of the time making sure I wasn’t blown in to the middle of the road as trucks drove past. Lots of sand and other debris in the air. The deep valley gorged out by the Yellow River created strong gusts of wind, particularly by the bridges I passed.

I got to an abandoned Temple and took refuge there. My Ridgerest sleeping mattress had loosened from its old straps. I sat down in the sun, but protected from the wind, and repaired the straps.

I could see the Great Wall of China from the Temple, and it looked fantastic riding along the edge of a ridge along the Yellow River.

Then I continued along the Great Wall leaving the road behind. I know absolutely nothing about this area but hoped for two things. That I could follow the Great Wall of China all the way to the next town, and that I could find refuge inside somewhere. They expect minus 25 degrees tonight. Beyond my limit. I met a man outside getting wood for his fire. I asked him if it was possible to walk all the way to the next town 10-15 kilometres to the North. He confirmed there should be no problem.

Then I offered him some money for staying the night in his home. My Chinese knowledge isn’t very refined, so I hope I didn’t offend him. He understood my dilemma because of the cold weather and strong winds. He let me in, but would not accept any money.

Later his wife and children came home. At first, his wife seemed very sceptical for letting a foreigner stay the night. Many thanks to Cherry in Datong for acting as a translator and mediator in this situation. I was afraid I might be thrown out after it got dark, but Cherry managed to convince them that I am not a mass murderer. This evening I have been showing their children a couple of magic tricks while the wind has been howling outside.

I just discovered that after almost nine months walking the Great Wall, the battery of my very light weight headlamp has gone flat. I have an even smaller backup, and will test it tomorrow. I’m happy to have discovered this now, and not when I really needed it…

15 Kilometres today


3 thoughts on “Incredibly windy day by the Yellow River

  • Tone sister

    One of the magical tricks wouldn’t by any chance be the one were you cut of your finger and then put it on again:-) ?

  • Great wall

    One world ,one dream.When we wondered along the Yellow river ,we felt its strong in some time and the horrible that the water bring to us.We need more green in the world.Cos weh have the only one home.

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