Qinghai is 3,000 meters above sea level. Because the air was thin, it was hard to breathe, and they cycled cautiously. The sky was clear. The blue color and brightness of the Qinghai Lake welcomed them. At the hotel on the lake they could see the sun rising from the sea. There was a fair wind with made for comfortable
cycling.
When cycling downhill, they were gasping for air due to the lack of
oxygen. They cycled downhill at full
speed. On the first day there was
little traffic. They cycled at 22kms
per hour on average. There was a favorable
wind. In spite of the highland they
didn’t run out of breath. Soon the road
ran uphill all the way. All the members
cycled gasping for breath. They could
hear the engine sound from the car that followed them. We were silent and focused on the task at hand. They couldn’t say a word. Now all the downhill cheerfulness and joking
was nowhere to be found. But the earth
is round. After the ups then come the
downs. The highlight of the cycling was
going downhill. How great! They cycled down without stopping. There were no guard rails beside the
roads. They felt fatigued but felt
comfortable, too. At the hotel they had
a dinner party as usual. There, many
toasts were offered up. A toast to the
day’s efforts. A toast to tomorrow’s
safety. A toast to China, cycling and
Ishikoro. The next day was the day that they traveled by bus. They were glad to take a rest for a while. They could enjoy the
great scenery looking out of the bus windows. The mountain tops were covered with snow. There was a herd of cows. Those who suffered form altitude sickness
couldn’t enjoy the great nature, though.
Now I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Now is the time to tell you about the highlight of this trip; the Silk Road. They went from Jiuguan to Dunhung. Indeed it was too hot and windy. All day the scenery didn’t change. The next day when moving by bus they felt the sunrise was somewhat different. They started with gymnastic exercises. Then they pedaled our bicycles in good spirits. Gradually, we talked less and less. Some cyclists fell behind. Suddenly they saw the ruins of a castle wall. It was the west end of the Great Wall. How impressive! At lunch time they walked around to look for shade. As far as they could see, there was nothing but sand. In the middle of the desert, there was a road. Without this road,
they couldn’t have cycled. When cycling, they felt as if they were not
moving, for the scene didn’t change. As
the day progressed their shadows became visible. They could also see a green place. This was the entrance of the town. There were unique rows of houses. There were refreshing shadows from the hot sun under the
trees. At last they reached the
hotel. They wondered if they could take
a bath, or if they could use hot water.
They wondered if there was a flushing lavatory. Anyway, they washed off the sand and then
toasted “cheers”. The night life was
exciting. There came beers, boiled
squid, strange yoghurt and shishikabab, (which is like yakitori and is very delicious with pepper). The female cyclists passed by with many
shopping bags. They were really in good
spirits. The last day 
was indeed The Silk Road. There was always a head
wind, so we could cycle only 15kms or 17kms per hour. Some members were especially slow, cycling into the wind. They didn’t sweat much, because of the dry
air. Sweat would dry quickly if it came
out at all. The first cyclists in line
were pace makers. The pace makers were
made up of a veteran and a young rider.
The pair changed every 1km. They
raised our voices and cycled ahead for the goal, Dunhuan. On the way they experienced a true
oasis. Suddenly a green place
appeared. Cold water from a well
refreshed them. Welcomed by a drum, we
reached the destination with excitement.
We praised one another’s efforts.
Then they tossed their captain in the air. He fell into a fountain! They
were able to experience the vast beauty of the mountains and the deserts. They enjoyed cycling, sightseeing and
cross-cultural communication.