Rainy Zhenyuan

We are at our penultimate night stop in China. After nearly a month of incredible sights and sounds, tastes and sensations, faces and places, we are nearly through. Time does not allow a full essay, which I will contemplate over the next couple of days. Suffice it to say we have all been impressed by the sheer scale of the ambition, the organisational skill behind the massive civil engineering projects, and the delightful people themselves. Enough for now.

Today started with the prospect of rain, but it held off until the last hour or so — and then, blimey, it let go. We came through a tunnel, leaving behind cultivation akin to Europe, and on the other side it suddenly became tropical: warm air, lush vegetation, and an ethnic type we had not yet seen — very like the Thais (which, to be fair, is not so far now).

Eric organised for us a place to change the oil in all four cars, which was done with great charm and efficiency by the lovely Christopher Evans (well, for Ham and me), while Nigel, being competent in these matters and fastidious in his approach to Louisa’s care, did his own.

The rest of the team went perambulating and came across some interesting sights.