China

Zhouzhuang “Venice of the East”

“Venice of the East”

Not far from the pulsing steel and concrete jungle of Shanghai lies an entirely different China. Away from the hectic nonstop traffic and revving engines of darting metallic Lamborghini and Ferrari sports cars is a land that harkens back across the ages to a simpler time, a time of dynasties, tea culture, and silk. Adventure cycling destination: Zhouzhuang.

Beyond the shadows of the shiny steel and glass ultramodern skyscrapers only a short jaunt across the Yangtze River delta through an intriguing jumbled mishmash of farms and factories and just about everything in between exists an ancient village of arching black tile roofs, aging whitewashed plaster walls, and centuries-old stone bridges spanning a labyrinthine network of narrow canals and waterways that is this ancient water town.

An Old Soldier Remembers: Life and the Making of Modern China

by Johnny Isaak ·

Twice Wounded in Battle

Searing hot shrapnel from a Chinese Nationalist bomb lodged itself deep in my back next to my spine. The blast killed our battalion commander, who was standing next to me. I was 17 years old.

I was the commander’s personal radioman and communicator in a battalion of about 500 men as part the 4th New Army of the People’s Liberization Army (PLA). We were engaged in ground combat with Guomindang (Kuomintang) ground forces fighting for the high ground on a ridge line to our front when Nationalist airplanes bombed our position killing and wounding soldiers around me.

Fortunately for me the commander was killed in the blast, otherwise the evacuating soldiers would have taken him instead and left me for dead as we were getting overrun by the advancing enemy forces.

Co-Motion Divide Rohloff: A Long-Term Review

by Johnny Isaak ·

Quest for a ‘Heavenly Horse’

Is the Co-Motion Divide Rohloff the right expedition touring bike for you? Read here and find out.

Over 2000 years ago in 130 BCE, Emperor Wudi of the Chinese Han Dynasty sent an army numbering 60,000 men deep into the heart of central Asia to the fertile Ferghana Valley, an important conduit along the old Silk Road located in modern day western Uzbekistan to acquire the fabled, almost mythical and much desired blood-sweating ‘Heavenly Horses’ of Dayuan to help fight the Xiongnu who threatened China.

Just as Emperor Wudi was in search of legendary Ferghana Horses, I was in search of a hardier breed of bike, a stalwart steed, a ‘Heavenly Horse’ of sorts that would confidently carry me to and from distant lands and the fringes of my imagination. At the end of my search, I settled on a Co-Motion Divide Rohloff, which I’ve owned and ridden for fourteen months and ridden over 10,000 kilometers.

Coffee Outside: If You Brew It, They Will Come

by Johnny Isaak ·

I’ve spent a lifetime traveling the world and perhaps more than taking in the beautiful exotic landscapes, I love to meet the people. Experiences and interaction with genuine locals are one of the greatest rewards travel has to offer and I relish the most.

Want to meet people? Just start brewing a cup of handcrafted espresso or Turkish coffee on a park bench or along the edge of a flower bed in a village square, and soon a steady stream of people will gravitate to you for about as long as you care to hang around and talk to them. Most locals are naturally curious of foreigners and have an intrinsic desire to see what you are up to, especially in China. And what better way to break the ice with your new acquaintances than over a cup of Joe?

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