Pu’er to Dadugang
49 miles – 10.29.2010
Pu’er and Dadugang are at similar elevations, but feel very different, and the terrain between them is by no means flat. While Pu’er is a city on a large plateau, Dadugang is a small town on a ridge in the mountains. Today’s cycle was a good length for us, but cooler temperatures and gentler ascents made the riding much easier. The roads were also in excellent condition, and traffic was light. It seems that we have temporarily passed into a flatter area of large valleys separated by clumps of low hills.
Today we crossed a county line (each Chinese province is further subdivided into separate regions) and entered Xishuangbanna. This province is a popular tourist destination. It was incorporated into China in the last century, and is mostly made up of the Dai ethnic minority, whose culture is closely tied to that of Northern Thailand. We noticed the change almost immediately; many signs are now written in both Chinese and Thai. Road signs are positively clogged, with Chinese characters, pinyin (romanized chinese), and Thai. Many of the buildings have been heavily influenced by Thai architectural styles, though likely recently in an attempt to take advantage of tourism.
Dadugang was unexceptional, but had some very pleasant views over the surrounding countryside of densely forested hills.
Leave a Reply