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Katherine and her husband Asa John are cycling across North China on a year-long tour, usually choosing quiet villages over nightlife. In Jilin, they explore Helong and Songjiang, small towns near the North Korean border, and find Songjiang's night market has inexpensive food, mobile karaoke, bouncy castles and other activities for children. They repeatedly meet a cyclist dressed as a monkey from Journey to the West who is riding toward Tibet. Along the way, they pass mountain villages, a deer farm and signs warning that tigers live in the area. At Changbai Mountain, Katherine sees sulfur-smelling hot springs and visitors tossing coins for luck before they leave Jilin by train for Dalian.
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Helong and the road toward Changbai Mountain
Katherine and her husband Asa John are on a year-long bicycle tour across North China. They usually prefer quiet villages to city nightlife, but on this stretch they find that small places have their own evening activity. The journey begins in Helong, a small city near the North Korean and Russian borders. Katherine says local people sometimes mistake her for Russian because she is not Asian. In town, they meet a cyclist traveling toward Tibet in a monkey costume inspired by Journey to the West.
The next morning, they travel toward Changbai Mountain. The route passes through sparsely inhabited mountain areas and small villages they notice on a map. Signs warn that tigers still live in the region. They stop at a deer farm and try venison dumplings, a dish Katherine describes as unusual in China. They also meet a vendor offering free fruit, which Katherine compares with how offers may be received in the United States.
Songjiang's night market and the mountain
Songjiang is their last town before Changbai Mountain. Their hotel has a homestay feel, with alcohol in the lobby, two fish tanks and a washing machine. In the evening they visit a night market with inexpensive food, mobile karaoke booths, bouncy castles, a clay piggy-bank painting area and a sand pit. Karaoke costs 5 RMB. Katherine notes that the town has more activities for children than her hometown.
The market visit includes gummies and a mysterious sugary drink. They see a drunk local who tries to take a photo but forgets how to use his phone. They also enter brightly decorated shops, including one with fake orchids and another packed with toys. Unusual items include a syringe-shaped bubble toy and a lottery ticket inside a plastic pig that must be smashed with a hammer.
The following day they head to Changbai Mountain and meet the monkey-costumed cyclist again, for the third time. Katherine observes hot springs with a strong sulfur smell and visitors tossing coins for good luck. She reflects on the area's tiger territory before saying goodbye to Jilin. They then board a train to Dalian, where they plan to begin cycling from the coast toward the grasslands of Inner Mongolia.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: How many times did they meet the cyclist in the monkey costume?
- A: They met him three times while traveling in the same direction. He was cycling toward Tibet in a costume inspired by Journey to the West.
- Q: What unusual items did they see at the night market?
- A: They saw a syringe-shaped bubble toy and a lottery ticket inside a plastic pig that had to be smashed with a hammer. The market also had mobile karaoke, bouncy castles, a sand pit and clay piggy-bank painting.
- Q: What activities were available for children in Songjiang?
- A: Katherine saw bouncy castles, a sand pit, clay piggy-bank painting and mobile karaoke booths. She felt the town offered more activities for children than her hometown.
