11-Feb-2002 -- This story continues from
23°N 116°E.
SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2002. I caught a bus from Kuitan to Huilai, arrived in Huilai at 11 a.m., got an 11:30 a.m. bus to Shantou, then in Shantou got straight off that bus and onto another one leaving at 1:30 p.m. for Zhao'an in Fujian province. I arrived in Zhao'an at 3:30 p.m. This was my first visit to Fujian province. I checked into the very nice Ruihang Hotel, right opposite the bus station.
I inquired about getting a taxi to the confluence, which was located some 30 kilometres away, but was told that the road was very bad, so there would be no chance to get there in the remaining daylight. (This later proved to be incorrect information, but I didn't mind--the hotel was very inviting!) I made a quick foray into town before dinner and picked up an excellent atlas of Fujian province.
MONDAY 11 FEBRUARY 2002. A magnificent, sunny day.
I caught the 7:20 a.m. bus to Xiage, which eventually left Zhao'an at 8 a.m., after doing the usual trawling for passengers. I disembarked two kilometres from the confluence, then took a motorbike the rest of the way. This is a very easy confluence to reach, situated in a vegetable patch in a small village just off the main road (picture #1).
The foreigner with his GPS, compass and digital camera, wandering amongst the lettuces in the village vegetable garden, soon drew a huge crowd of inquisitive children. All attempts to photograph these children failed however, as they fled in all directions the moment the camera was pointed their way
(picture #7).
At 10 a.m. I was on a bus back to Zhao'an to pick up my backpack from the hotel, and set off for
25°N 117°E.