Zhang Ren stays cheerful despite another puncture.
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China Caves Project
Road And River To Jiang Kou
Road And Ferry
We travelled by road from Chongqing to Hong Chi Ba and then by road and ferry across the Yangtze, to Jiang Kou.
The distance travelled may not look far on the map, but the route is never straight, because of high mountains and deep valleys. Many roads and bridges were still in the process of being built or widened for vehicle traffic.
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| The journey to Hong Chi Ba lasted three days. During that time we lost half our exhaust system twice, the back bumper once, punctured the sump on boulders, had six punctures, suffered overheating of brakes and engine, and worked our way round numerous roadworks, potholes and rocks. Our overloaded minibus was never really designed for roads like it!
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We made friends with the local traffic cops.
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At one point we (and many others) drove over shot holes loaded with explosives, as this was the only way round an obstruction. Later we ran out of petrol, because of the detours. Our driver was punched by a motor cyclist suffering from road rage. When we halted in one town to buy a new tyre the driver was taken away by the police and fined for parking!
With the aid of a special internal passport we avoided more serious problems with local authorities. However, we did feel slightly embarrassed when our official paperwork secured rooms for the night at one unscheduled stop, as the previous occupants were evicted without warning to allow us to have their still warm beds!
Despite the difficulties of travel and inevitable frustrations, it was fascinating to be able to visit places in China that few foreigners, if any, had been to.
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