Month: June 2006

Yesterday we went past the Fortress of Jiuyuguan.  It was built in the 14th century, during the Ming dynasty, as reinforcement to the Great Wall against the Mongol invasions.  It is the western most point of the Great Wall of China, of which there are now only occasional remains.  After Jiuquan, there is a succession of villages separated by small cultivated parcels of land which get water from the mountains.  Trees have been planted as wind breaks and to stop the desert from advancing.  We are at the heart of the passage, called “the Hexi Corridor.”  This passage is 1,200 kilometers long and it’s width varies between 200 and 15 kilometers, between the Qilian Mountains in the South and the Mazong chain in the North.

Serge is running well this morning.  He is taking advantage of the relative coolness provided by the trees.  At the 25th kilometer, he is back in the desert..and with the bees.  Yes, this calamity which seems to be never ending, is beginning to drive our runner crazy.  Serge is sick of it.  He thought he would be able to spend less time on the road and now he is forced to walk, dressed up like a mummy (the only solution if doesn’t want to be attacked by these charming creatures).  The day is shot…..

The profile of the terrain has changed: one day it goes up and the next it goes down.  We are in an “up” day and in spite of the heat, the altitude and the profile, the cardio monitor indicates an average of 87 heartbeats per minute.  Serge’s heart seems to have become accustomed to the effort as time goes by because his average has decreased imperceptibly.  As far as pain is concerned, Serge is better.  The sore on his toe disappeared like it came and only a painless callus remains, after 7 weeks of suffering.  The rib pain now only troubles him when he coughs and his knees is sensitive to touch at night when he goes to bed.

Everything goes well in the best of worlds, which is that of a small caravan lost in the midst of the desert at the foot of snowcapped mountains.  To us, our camp looks like a jewel in its case!