Read here about my recent 2300 kilometer motorcycle journey which took me to such places as Wudang Shan, where ancient Taoism matured into a strong belief, Xian, home of the Terracotta Warriors, and the Shaolin Temple at Songshan, the birthplace of Kung Fu. Click on the map to enlarge it

When I left Shashi (the city where I am staying) at 6:30 AM on Friday, April 27th, I had neither good or bad premonitions about the journey upon which I was embarking. What I was about to do was considered by most of my friends to be adventurous but by others to be downright crazy. There were three places in China that I really wanted to visit during our school's May holiday and I only had seven days to travel. Each of these places lay in three separate provinces and the thought of having to deal with late trains, overcrowded bus rides, and extreme early morning departures was not appealing to me.  Whether it was bus hopping from Southern Mexico to Southern Panama, or making my way by train from the Taj Mahal in the East of India to the ancient desert town of Jaislamer in the West, I had already experienced my share of transportation hardships and I was ready to try something different. For the first time in my many travels, I decided to provide my own transportation. In October of last year, I had purchased a small motorcycle and after spending nine months riding around on it in Shashi, I was convinced that it could carry me anywhere. Now I was going to put my confidence to a great test.

I knew that my first day on the road would be my most important day. Not only would I learn if the small engine on my motorcycle could withstand a long journey but I would also find out if my Chinese road map and cheap GPS receiver could keep me headed in the right direction. I had other worries on my mind as well such as the frequency of gas stations a long the way and the possibility of encountering  human road blocks made up of bands of thieves.

Despite the long hours of driving and the confusion at times over directions, the trip on the first day was remarkably a smooth one. I did encounter some roadblocks along the way in the form of trees lying in the middle of the road but on a motorcycle it was fairly easy to find my way around them. Later, as I approached the town of Xiangfan, I was stopped by a policeman in front of a large brick factory. I pulled out my passport, handed him my motorcycle registration and proudly displayed for him my American driver's license. While he looked pleased to see these items, he wanted to know where my Chinese driver's license was. Of course, I didn't have one, and neither did most of the other motorcycle drivers on the road. I simply shook my head and kept silent. He repeated himself a few times in Chinese and then waved for me to continue on. I think he was tired of trying to explain something to someone who clearly wasn't going to respond. 

Although I was confident that my motorcycle could run for hours on end, I tried throughout the day to take a ten minute break every hour or so. Taking a break was often a good opportunity for me to capture some of the beautiful Hubei countryside. In one area, I stopped to take pictures of a group of women hard at work in a series of rice paddies. Hubei is one of two main provinces that produce grain for the rest of the country. All of the women wore traditional straw cooli hats which protected their heads from the hot sun that  beat mercilessly down upon them. As I stood there enjoying the picturesque scene, a little girl walked by and looked up at me curiously. She was wearing a backpack so I guessed that she was probably returning home from school. I spoke to her greeting her in standard Chinese. "Ni hao." Hello. To my great surprise, the girl responded. Usually, in the countryside, children were afraid of me. Seeing a "foreign ghost" for most countryside children was shocking enough but talking to one was unimaginable. This girl seemed to have no qualms about talking to me though as she told me her name, her age, and where she lived. She understood me perfectly when I told her in Chinese that I was an American and that I was a teacher in Jingzhou. A few minutes later, her mother appeared on a bicycle from behind us and tried to talk to me as well but I couldn't understand the dialect. After saying goodbye, I continued on my journey but I was grateful for this heartwarming incident

After driving twelve hours and 375 kilometers, I reached Wudang Mountain at about 5:30 in the afternoon.  This mountain, which has 2000 or more years of history, is the most famous tourist sight in Hubei and also a well known place throughout China. I quickly located a hotel called the Wudang Shan Hotel just a stone's throw from the entrance of the mountain. It only cost me 100 RMB (12 US) and there was hot water available any time that I wanted it.

The next morning, the breathtaking scenery and the fascinating Taoist structures on top of Wudang Mountain made the 1 hour and 45 minute climb well worth the effort. On the top I observed that many people worshipped in the temples showing me that this ancient site still held great religious significance in China. There was a lot to see and many people assisted me with taking pictures.  On the way down, I passed through a Kung Fu school where some foreigners were receiving martial arts lessons. It took me three hours to walk down the mountain but it was an interesting journey and there were plenty of quiet places along the way to sit and rest for a few minutes.

I also enjoyed exploring the little village of Wudang Shan. I was able to locate some great places to eat traditional Chinese food and there was some interesting historical sites in the area as well. It was a peaceful  place that helped me to relax and enjoy the surrounding beauty.

 www.nathanryan.com on the world wide web