Day 5 to 7: From Qikou to Kenli via the Yellow River

Distance: 166 km Travel time: 08:50

We need three days for the entire route from Qikou to Kenli because we have to base our journey on available accommodation.

Day 5: On the way to Xincun (next stop) we pass oil fields where horsehead pumps sway stoically. We pass many kilometers of solar fields mounted on stilts flat above the marshland. The sea has receded and the tide has left fishing boats temporarily stranded.

Day 6: We continue on the country road from Xincun to Zhanhua, which stretches straight along and on which large trucks roar and clatter past us for the next 80 km. Incidentally, out of respect and friendship, people often and persistently honk in traffic here. If a few vehicles drive past you without honking, something seems to be wrong (or at least that's how it seems). The avalanche of trucks doesn't stop (and neither does the honking) until we turn into the center of Zhanhua and finally it's quiet. The temperature reaches 37 degrees and we are grateful for the air conditioning in the room.

Day 7: From Zhanhua we come to the famous Yellow River, which we cross on a pontoon bridge just before Kenli. A truck rattles loudly across the bridge, so it seems to be holding, and we also cross the 400 m wide river. It is only a few km to Kenli, which we travel on quiet roads surrounded by greenery.

So far, hotel prices have ranged between 15 and 30 EUR per night. There are significantly more expensive accommodations in the larger cities, but we don't need them. The range of food on offer is so varied! Small restaurants offer specialties for little money and so we rarely pay more than 10 to 15 EUR for sumptuous meals including drinks for both of us. For breakfast, my favorite is a simple millet soup with pickled vegetables and a xianbing (flat bread filled with vegetables or minced meat), which costs 1.30 EUR for two people.