China # 21 – The Pacific Ocean! – September 2014

September 23, 2018

We had seen the Great Wall of China twice now, and our China “bucket list” was getting short. We headed east toward the fog-draped Pacific Ocean and its polluted Bay of Bo Hai, where Tanggu, the nearest port to Beijing is located. Green, our trusted guide and constant companion, had no idea of how to get to the water’s edge, and our two Garmin GPS, one in English and Green’s in Chinese, were not a big help. All we knew was that we had to find a way around the mega metropolis of Beijing. Weaving through various ring roads and turning east at every opportunity, we eventually started to see salt flats, ships and loading docks. By luck, we ended up in the Binhai Amusement Park area where we found a run-down jetty sticking out into grey water. It seemed like a tourist spot where Chinese who had maybe never seen the ocean came.

Our Goal to drive from the Atlantic to the Pacific,

wheels on the ground, was finally completed!

Our goal to drive from the Atlantic to the Pacific along the legendary Silk Road was finally completed!

We had made it!! After driving continuously for 12 months across all of Eurasia (Europe and Asia) through 13 countries, Ocean to Ocean, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Portugal to China, wheels on the ground, following the legendary Silk Road, with stops, however brief, in some of the most exciting and intriguing cities in the world, we had finally accomplished our goal. Along the way, by sheer chance, we met a young girl in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan that changed her life, and ours, forever. There will be more about her soon.

Now back to business. Our Chinese visa would expire in just a few days and we dared not be late. A few quick photos and we headed back into the chaotic traffic of one of the largest city in the world, Beijing. Green actually had an address of a hostel where she could stay and we miraculously found a muddy parking lot that reluctantly made a space for us. It was raining; a godsend in this very polluted Chinese Capital. It cleared much of the smoke and smog that can be choking at times.

We celebrated with a glass of “Great Wall” wine and hit the street for dinner, easy to find in a city this big.

: There were some signs that gave Green an idea of where we were going. The sign to Tianjin in 9 km was where we were hoping to reach the ocean but we had to drive much further than that.

: Always the signs to keep us safe and amused.

: Traffic was normal.

: More high-rise apartments. Made us wonder again if anyone lived there.

: Finally, we could see the Bay of Bo Hai beyond Tianjin, one of the ports near Beijing on the Pacific.

: A run-down jetty stuck out into the grey water. It seemed like a tourist spot where Chinese who had maybe never seen the ocean came.

: Yes, The Turtle V and we have made it across Eurasia (Europe & Asia), from the Atlantic to the Pacific, wheels on the ground. But we are still far from home.

: The daily high tide brought in the treasures of the Yellow Sea.

: Yes, of course we had to touch the water, but no swimming. Yuck!

: We made a quick getaway through the line of tourist souvenir and fruit stands.

: Maybe fresh eggs or maybe hard boiled?

: Pretty stuff but nothing we wanted to bring home. Green may have purchased a shell or two.

: Sunflower seeds, hazelnuts and walnuts were popular items.

: We did pick up some apples, plums and grapes for the road.

: This vendor asked to have her photo taken with the foreigners.

: Stacks of a new crop of walnuts were ready for the messy job of shucking.

: These women had plenty to do shucking walnuts.

: Monika could not resist getting a bag. Now she will have to crack and clean them.

: After safely negotiating Beijing traffic at night, in the rain, and parking The Turtle V in a guarded parking lot, we paused to celebrate with a glass of “Great Wall” unnamed red wine. Beijing waited for us in the morning.