Getting over a river


Honestly – I don’t remember that much from this day. I took only 7 pictures and was mostly focused on getting an early start, and doing some good walking. It was pretty cold, and the wind was fairly strong.

Toward the end of the day, I got to a river I had seen on the map. Many rivers in all the previous provinces have been tiny and easy to get over although they have looked big on the map. In Liaoning however, they are bigger. I spent a little less then an hour walking northwards up the river trying to find a spot to cross it but was supposed to be heading east. Then the river branched off, and I took off my shoes and waded over a spot that was shallow with a strong current. Walking sticks are great to use when crossing rivers. A little further upstream there was a make-shift bridge to get me over the main branch of the river.

I found a small town and got talking to an elderly lady who didn’t seem surprised to see a foreigner there. That was a pleasant change as over the last days, people have been staring and shouting to each other that I was there. She told me there was an hotel (!) in the town. It turned out the hotel was a Spa-like deal with a swimming pool and massages etc. I liked noticing how the Chinese in the hotel all walked around in their pyjamas, and all the men smoked just as much as they do otherwise. So much for health.

The high pyjamas factor kind of reminded me of a James Bond film with Sean Connery. Can’t remember which one it was. I double checked my door was locked that evening before going to sleep to be on the safe side.

31 kilometres today