Sunday, September 11th: Jinshan-Fengxian-Pudong (3 districts of Shanghai)

Another 61 mile ride in the books. So, within 32 hours, we cycled about 123 miles.

But whereas Day 1 took about 5 hours 45 minutes including breaks, Day 2 took a total of 7 hours 25 minutes😩

Stiff headwind, some posterior fatigue and heavy packs full of foodstuffs thrust upon us (gladly) by Serena’s Mom.

The nian gao rice flour squares (with red bean inside) alone must’ve accounted for fully half of my backpack’s weight.

Also, I definitely did not remember us traversing so many bridges the day before. Each one with its own special steep ascent.

But it was a great adventure nonetheless and we ate some great mango and dragonfruit along a desolate roadside.

Man, like a marathon run, those last few miles went on forever.

And then there was Oatly vegan ice cream at Family Mart!

Now Monday the 12th, I miss as always being at Serena’s parent’s home in Jinshan. Supremely comfortable and clean, it is far nicer than our apartment—which though relatively large, needs some TLC.

Her parents are also very amiable and generous and take excellent care of us when we arrive. Check out this dinner awaiting our arrival from Day 1’s bike ride.

Actually, wait. This is yesterday’s lunch, pre-Day 2 ride. Nevertheless, yet another great meal from her parents.