Mountain Climb #2

Last weekend, I went out with the Beijing Peloton again. The weather was absolutely beautiful for riding and once again the scenery amazing. Much to my surprise, all of the roads I have been cycling on have been either new or in really good condition.

looks flat, right?

yup, definitely not flat

At the summit of the climb (which was definitely more than 10 km)

More stunning views!!

Not much to report in the way of pollution this week. The weather has been surprisingly clear and I have been able to see the mountains from my room almost every day!

As many people may have heard, there have been a lot of anti-Japanese protests in China over the ownership of the Diao Islands (Senkaku Islands in Japanese), which also coincided with the Japanese invasion of China 81 years ago. There have been major protests in almost every major Chinese city, complete with riot police. In addition to protests, there has been a major backlash against Japanese goods and restaurants in China. The two Japanese restaurants in my neighborhood closed and took down or covered up their signs. One of the Japanese restaurants had Chinese flags posted outside the restaurant, either put up by the owners to ward off protests, or put up by the locals to make a point.

-Steph