It's Hot, and I'm Tired

If we had based our decision solely on the weather forecast, we should have set off earlier today, as temperatures of 36 to 37°C were expected. But after several nights of too little sleep, I simply couldn't afford another short night.

So, after a hearty breakfast, we didn't leave until 9:30 a.m. Even so, I hadn't really caught up on sleep and didn't feel properly rested. I also had a slight headache. By focusing on my breathing and making sure I drank enough, I gradually relaxed, and before long the headache disappeared.

It was extremely hot, though, and today the heat affected me much more than it had yesterday. Wenxin thought it felt about the same as the day before, which surprised me. I suppose I simply wasn't having my best day.

After 47 kilometers, we stopped for lunch—once again choosing Re Gan Mian (hot dry noodles), because we both like them very much. At the equivalent of only about CHF 1.20 for a large portion, they're also incredibly affordable.

After lunch, I had to push myself a little to get back on the bike because I was simply so tired. I've certainly had more difficult days than this one, but that made it all the nicer not to be riding alone.

At first, there had been quite a lot of traffic, especially trucks. Later, our route followed a small river and became much quieter. It still wasn't quite as beautiful as yesterday, but it was definitely nicer than before lunch, and the kilometers passed by fairly easily. My tiredness also noticeably improved after I bought some water and diluted my electrolyte sports drink. Why I hadn't done that earlier, as I usually do, I honestly can't say.

Everything seemed fine again, and my mood improved considerably. But shortly after crossing a bridge over a beautiful little river, where we had stopped to take some photos, it all came crashing down again: a flat tire. And this happened with only a little over ten kilometers left to the day's destination. Really frustrating. I had been hoping to arrive early so that I could go to bed early and get a long night's sleep. Instead, we didn't reach our hotel until shortly before 6:00 p.m. At least it wasn't quite as hot during the final kilometers as it had been in the afternoon.

Then came a pleasant surprise for a change. The very modern and clean hotel that Wenxin had booked for the equivalent of only CHF 7.20 per person included both dinner and breakfast. That meant I could head straight to dinner after my shower and save quite a bit of time. So perhaps I'll actually manage to get to bed early after all.

By the way, this is the first evening since last Wednesday that it's just Wenxin and me again. And I'm now truly on the home stretch: a little over 700 kilometers remain until I hope to arrive in Shanghai on July 31, nine days from now. That seems entirely achievable. And so that I can really enjoy these final days again, I'm taking the most direct route possible—to bed.