Cycling Legends: The Hutong’s Bike Trek in Yunnan

Posted: October 28th, 2012 | Author: LumDimSum | Filed under: A Day In My Life, Health & Fitness, Travel | Tags: Bike Challenge, Bike Trek, Biking, Bulangshan, cycling legends, Ganlanba, Jinghong, Joe Wood, Josh Kernan, Manbo, Manzhao, Menglun, Morgan O'hara, Mountain Biking, Nannuoshan, Pu-er Tea, Ride of a Lifetime, sing song, The Hutong, Travel, village home stay, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, Yunnan Cuisine | 12 Comments »

Biking Through the Rolling Hills of Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

I have a bad habit of falling into a rut and getting stuck in Beijing over the October holiday week break, but this year I signed myself up for an active travel adventure with The Hutong on their 8-Day Bike Challenge through Xishuangbanna in the Yunnan province of China.

“The ride of a lifetime” was what was promised and it still managed to exceed my expectations.

The landscape was stunning with lush green mountains surrounding you and rolling hills to take in the view. The biking itself was quite a challenge, but it pushed everyone in the group to motivate each other and push our physical limits. More than just biking through breath-taking scenery, The Hutong also arranged for us to visit tea farms and tea factories, walking us through the intricate, complex process of producing pure Pu’er tea that Yunnan is so well known for.  The food was phenomenally fresh and I most enjoyed our over-night visits in minority villages.  Almost a month since we completed this bike journey adventure, now it seems like just a dream.

Before it fades too far in the depths of my worthless memory, let me illustrate through snapshots my favorite aspects of The Hutong’s Yunnan Bike Journey:

1. The Challenge of Biking

I’ve been known to be a biking maniac, but I’ve never before left the city streets. To me, biking has been my most trusted mode of transportation around Beijing, but I’ve never biked on anything with gears or anything but a flat surface. This was an entirely new biking experience for me and although some parts were absolutely brutal, I’ve now been inspired to invest in a proper road bike with gears to start making regular bike trips outside the city.

The Hutong’s Bike Trek traveled a total of about 350km across 7 Days

Day 1, Jinghong to Menglun, 50 + km

Day 2, Menglun to Ganlanba, 40 + km

Day 3, Ganlanba to Manbo, 80 + km

Day 4, Manbo to Bulangshan, 30 + km

Day 5, Bulangshan to Manzhao, 70 + km

Day 6, Manzhao to Nannuoshan, 40 + km

Day 7, Nannuoshan to Jinghong, 25 + km

2. The Stunning Scenery

The Lush, Green Landscape of Xishuangbanna

No matter where I looked, I was surrounded by green. The air was fresh, the breeze was cool and the sun was always shining (though there were bursts of tropical thunder rain). I didn’t feel like I was in China at all.  It felt more like Thailand or somewhere in Southeast Asia. We were surrounded by fields of banana trees and pineapple farms. The only downside of the landscape is that a lot of the natural rainforest is now being torn down to make room for rubber tree plantations, which is not sustainable and threatening the region’s plant diversity.

3. Cheerleading Squads Encountered Along the Journey

In every village we biked through, we were greeted by a herd of smiling, laughing, playful children eager to check us out and happy to smile for our cameras. They were a massive source of pleasure and a delight to engage with, motivating us to keep on biking even when the going got tough.

4. Pineapple Plantations

Fields Full of Fresh Pineapple to Re-Energize 

Can you imagine anything more refreshing and thirst quenching than a big hunk of fresh pineapple after biking 50+ km??  The answer is no. This was the perfect snack and there’s just something magical about being surrounded by pineapple farms.

5. Phenomenal Yunnan Feasts 

Fresh and Tasty Yunnan Feasts Served for Every Lunch & Dinner Meal

This is just one of the many spreads we were spoiled with for every lunch and dinner meal. For breakfast every morning, we had hot bowls of freshly pulled noodles, but our other meals looked something like this every day.  This particular meal was prepared for us at one of our village home stays, which we enjoyed dining al fresco on their rooftop after a particularly long bike ride (about 90km). All the ingredients tasted so fresh and healthy, the quality of food on this trip really impressed me and is, without a doubt, one of the things I’m missing most.

6. Luxury Resort Surprise

An Unreal Luxury Hotel with a Giant Swimming Pool

This was a real treat (and totally unexpected!).  A fancy resort hotel with this giant swimming pool was just what our aching muscles were begging for after a straight uphill climb, one of the toughest legs of our bike journey. We had the entire afternoon here to bask in the sun, swim around and get massages, which was something I was not at all expecting on this bike trek!

The Hutong should advertise this bit of the trip a little more…

7. Village Home Stays

Village Home-Stay Accommodations Made for Great Slumber Parties

As lovely as it was to stay in a luxury resort one night of the week, I most enjoyed the village home stay accommodations that were arranged for us. About half our nights were spent in village home stays with the most hospitable, charming hosts you can imagine. We were fed like kings and queens and everything was very tidy and comfortable.

I can’t remember the last time I had a giant slumber party and it was such déjà vu, bringing me back to so many childhood memories sleeping with everyone together in a big room like this. Some serious snoring and loud farm animals aside, it was great fun and an efficient method of speeding up the bonding process within the group (which was essentially a collective group of strangers before the trip began).

*Note to future participants: Remember to bring a set of ear plugs because the stupid farm animals start up a riot of noise well before the crack of dawn.

8. The Art of Pu’er Tea

Getting Taught the Art of Tea Picking in Yunnan’s Famous Tea Farms

I drink tea all the time, but before this trip I really didn’t know anything about the tea making process.  From the very specific type of stems you are only allowed to pick from the tea farms to the roasting, rolling and massaging of tea leaves, and finally the packing of dried tea leaves into a Pu’er tea brick, this is a very intricate and complex process with a whole lot of specific steps they follow to the T.

This educational aspect of the trip was very interesting because it got everyone engaged with hands-on participation so we all got to experience first-hand how much skill, diligence, patience and hard-work is involved in the art of making tea.

Hands-On Practice on the Complex Tea Prepping Process

9. Post-Biking Campfires

Campfire Bonding After a Long Day’s Journey

Believe it or not, most homestays would build fires inside the room, which was perfect for us to sit around and sip on tea until dinner time. This was one of the most relaxing and soothing aspects of the trip – it was like our reward after a hard-days biking.

*Note to future participants: Remember to bring a bag of marshmellows, chocolate and crackers for home-made s’mores. That would have seriously hit the spot.

10. Incredible Individuals

Amazing Local Villagers We Met Along the Journey

From the almost-90-year-old man who hand-weaves tea baskets to the young Ai Ni minority girl who showed us how to properly pick tea leaves in the tea farms, these were all amazing individuals who blew us away with their generous hospitality, sincerity and quirky personalities. Together we ate, sang and drank which added so much extra value to our journey.

11. Partying it Up with a Sing Song with our Local Hosts

A Sing Song in Full Local Minority Dress

Not only did we participate in a battle of sing songs, we taught them how to dance the Macarena.  We started with “Bohemian Rhapsody” and a few different national anthems before we somehow ended with “Baby Got Back”. One of my favorite memories is when one of our fellow bikers got dressed in head to toe in Ai Ni minority dress and started dancing with the our homestay hostess and playing an instrument he found upstairs. Awesome.

12. Becoming Cycling Legends

Become Cycling Legends of The Hutong!

An experience that will forever link us all together, this was an unbelievably kick-ass adventure and it will not be forgotten.  It will go down in history (or at least The Hutong’s company records) as an epic journey that we completed together. We were 14 riders to start off with and left with a group of new friends, inspired to continue biking and sign up for all future bike trips The Hutong plans to organize. *hint hint*

Big thanks to Morgan O’hara aka Morgy Morgs, Josh Kernan aka Joshy-pants and Joe Wood aka GM Joe for being fantastic, motivating, engaging, trip leaders and brilliant characters. Having each of you there added so much value and fun to the trip.  Thank you Hutong guys for organizing the ride of a lifetime!

LDS Snapshots of The Hutong’s Bike Journey:

Cycling Legends

Over the Rainbow…

Heel Click FAILMy Favorite ViewHipster Bike PosersAll Smiles
Having a Sing Song With Village Hosts

Creative Resting

Hiking Through the Mountains (Not Only Biking)
  

New FriendsVillage PigCheerleading Squad: The Hutong’s Bike Trek Through Yunnan

Paper Making Village: The Hutong’s Bike Trek Through Yunnan

Parts of the Tea Prep Process: From Tea Picking to Roasting and Paper Pressing

Mounds of Loose Leaf Pu’er Tea

Tea Brick Processing Factory

Pressing Pu’er Tea Bricks

Learning to Cook Yunnan’s Spicy Sauces

Learning to Cook Yunnan Cuisine

Grill Masters at WorkTaste TestingPartying with our Local HostsStunning Sunsets

Road Traffic in Xishuangbanna, YunnanSights You Don’t See Every DayGetting Our Favorite Tour Guide To Take ShotsThree Hutong MenTaking Home Bags of Pure Pu’er TeaThe Ultimate Bike Travel Experience in China

About The Hutong:

The Hutong is Beijing’s premiere culture exchange center, and aside from our core business in the capital we strive to put together unforgettable travel experiences around China. As a sustainable business, The Hutong actively engages with other ethical businesses and organizations that contribute to long-term sustainable development in the regions where we travel.

• Address: #1 Jiu Dao Wan Zhong Xiang Hutong 东城区九道弯中巷1号

• For Inquiries: Contact morgan@thehutong.com

• Website: www.thehutong.com

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