Day 4: Flat from Binhai to Qikou

Distance: 84 km Travel time: 04:32

We spend a day off in Binhai. There is no beach nearby, just a concrete promenade that stretches for many kilometers along the shore. Swimming is prohibited, which is ensured by security personnel wearing uniforms and life jackets (and this in over 30 degree heat). A bathing bay - which costs 50 RMB to enter and is open until 6 p.m. - is about 4 km away.

The next day we pack our things, have Jiaozi for breakfast nearby and take almost the same route to the center of Binhai that we came from. Unfortunately, it must be said, because we find ourselves at the industrial port and are surrounded by heavy trucks that roar past us noisily and clattering on several lanes.

After 35 km - Zhaoyang guides us with her Gaode app - we arrive at a river bank and wonder what to do next. From a distance we see a small ferry sailing across the river. A little later it stops nearby at a few concrete slabs that slope slightly into the water. Four cars just fit on the wobbly loading area. For 4 RMB (the equivalent of 0.52 EUR) the mini ferry takes us to the other bank.

At lunchtime we pass a place we know. We had lunch here on the way there. We make a short stop in the same restaurant and are greeted warmly by the landlord, who immediately remembers us.

The rest of the way south is on country roads, the condition of which gets worse the closer we get to our destination. Quiko is a small village where we found a simple hotel. The reception is friendly and they quickly prepare a (last!) room, as they did not receive our booking via the online platform. Next door we eat dinner in a family restaurant, and are served friendly by the owner and his wife, who later insist on a farewell photo...