Day 0 - Travel to China

Day 0: Travel to China

My trip began in LA, when my bike helmet fell from the overhead compartment onto the gentleman’s head in front of me. The woman next to me commented on the irony of having a helmet hit someone in the head, and soon we were engaged in bike chat. When I told her I was going to western China for a 5-day charity biking event, she shared that her husband, a bike shop owner, was riding from LA to San Jose to Las Vegas and back – by himself. I found some reassurance here – I’d never biked a long distance over more than 1 day before, and while I wasn’t sure how I’d fare, I certainly knew I wasn’t going to be alone.

Meeting the Team

I first met Erik from DC at the Beijing airport, and it was immediately clear that he was a bike guru, so I made sure to make fast friends J. Erik, myself, and Raymond – who I’d recruited when we worked together in San Jose – made up Team North America (ok, I guess Team USA is more accurate, but we’re aspirational). We quickly spotted Cameron, the expat Senior Executive Event Sponsor, and he introduced us to Peter, who I would later learn was a master of impromptu roadside yoga poses. But I digress…a short (relatively) flight later, we landed in Dun Huang, a major stop on the ancient Silk Road in Gansu province, where we met the rest of the first group to arrive. In total, we were about 30, representing a broad spectrum of Accenture workforces and geographies. We loaded up the bus, and headed out with our guide, David, who quickly impressed us with a sense of wit – when asked to tell us about himself, he replied, “Well…I’m Chinese.”

You know you’re back in Asia when…

We wouldn’t start the ride until the next day, so we headed out for lunch and a little sight-seeing. Cameron demanded that David take us to a local place with flies and no AC. He was also making a few jokes about donkeys, but I was too jet lagged to take it seriously. But sure enough, there I was, savoring a plate of donkey meat – and loving it. In the lead-up time to the trip, I had been so focused on the fundraising aspect (and to some degree, the training), that somehow I hadn’t even really considered all the other aspects – the food, the culture, the history. And as I had that first meal in China, I was struck by the realization that it had been 5 years since I had been in Asia (living in Korea for 2 years) – and it was an incredible feeling to be back.

Sight Seeing at the Sand Dunes

Next, we went to see a natural crescent lake amidst stunning sand dunes. As with many tourist sites, it had its share of uncommon beauty alongside somewhat ridiculous scenes – such as the camels we rode, with their questionable treatment and wretched stank. But my favorite was the fluorescent orange booties that extended up to the knee. As you take in the magnificent expanse of the desert slopes, your breath stops a little short with the sight of the little bright orange dots scurrying about like radioactive ants. But you just have to laugh.

The time at the dunes was a good chance to get to know Catherine and Candy. Catherine was on the core team supporting the event, and it was great to finally meet face-to-face after months of conference calls. Catherine would later win the prize of ‘most persistent rider’ – she was frequently the back of the pack, but always had the dogged perseverance to stick with it. One of the big lessons learned for me about biking on the trip, was how much of a mind game it can be. It takes some guts to shake off the mental aspects of feeling behind. Candy was another inspirational person to meet. Not only is she a new mother, but also new to the firm, and yet still managed to receive a large number of donations.

Zzzzzz

The rest of the day got a little foggier as my jetlag wore on me worse. The full group assembled for dinner, and I met my roommate Beya, who would very patiently put up with my western body clock over the next 5 days. Wanting to spend more time with the group, I went out to the night market, but once there, quickly realized I was way too exhausted to be mulling over trinkets. Luckily, I found an equally jetlagged Erik, got in a cab, and passed out.