CSC Blog

That’s what they told us we would be in China, and that’s what we learned we are.

The Guangdong RX3 owners group rode to our hotel yesterday, and basically, it was a day long party, complete with tea sampling, checking out the guys’ fully-farkled RX3s, swimming, enjoying ice-cold watermelon, ending the day with an incredible dinner, and lots (and lots) of toasts.   Hey, I could go on with the descriptions, but I don’t want to convince you don’t need to buy Riding China.   Here’s a sample of just a bit of what you’ll see in the book about this, our first full day in the PRC.

You may remember Mr. Tso, one of the guys who rode with us on the 5000-mile Western America Adventure Ride.  Tso is naturally photogenic, and this shot I took of him in Zion National Park is my hands-down favorite of the thousands I shot on that great adventure…

Like I said, Tso is a naturally photogenic guy, so much so that he appeared in the photo gracing the cover of 5000 Miles At 8000 RPM…that’s Tso on the left when we were in Joshua Tree National Park.

Tso owns a motorcycle clothing manufacturing company here in China, and he bought gifts for Joe Gresh and me yesterday.   Wow!

Yep, it’s Tso, Joe, and Joe.   I can’t make up stuff this good!

Another grand surprise…my good buddy Lester (who also rode with us on the Western America Adventure Ride) joined the party yesterday.   That’s Lester on the right…the good-looking tall guy who’s a dead ringer for Yul Brynner!

I mentioned the guys’ farkled RX3s up above.   Here’s just a sample of what I saw in China yesterday…you’ll get to see a lot more when you read Riding China!

One of the guys had an Anniversary Edition RX3…

At this grand gathering of the Cult of the Zong, the club had brought along a poster.  So, back to this business of Gresh and me being rock stars:  The Guangdong RX3 guys asked me to be the first to sign their poster…

I was asked to pose for more than a few photos, too.  Here’s a shot on the new RZ3, the latest incarnation of the RX3 engine (this time powering a naked bike)…

Meet Jasmine, an international trade representative who was with the group yesterday…

I know, I know…it’s tough duty.   It’s what they pay us the big bucks for, though.  Somebody’s got to do it, folks.

Zongshen reserved a party room yesterday in our hotel, and we had a great time.  The room opened up out to a pool, and it didn’t take long for us to jump in.   The heat and humidity are high out here, and the pool was a welcome relief.   After cooling off in the pool, the guys were all showing each other (and Joe G and me) their photos of past adventures.    We couldn’t speak Chinese and some of the RX3 club members didn’t speak English, but we didn’t need to…

Steve and Maureen, the guys absolutely loved their CSC T-shirts, and they all send their thanks!

The day ended with a massive Chinese feast.   The table alone was incredible…the lazy-Susan kind of deal you sometimes see in a Chinese restaurant in the US, but much, much larger.   Joe G put his video on the rotating table top and it captured stunning video of all the guests as the table completed a 360.   Cool stuff.  There were lots of toasts (and I mean lots and lots of toasts), so much so that I worried about the guys riding home on their bikes.  These fellows were way ahead of me, though…they were all spending the night here in the hotel.

You know, we’re having a grand adventure over here, and the riding hasn’t even started yet.  It will soon, my friends.   In a couple of hours we’re headed to the airport to catch a 600-mile flight to Chongqing, the Zongshen Holy Land, and then we are in the wind.   I can’t wait.

You have to know that I can only put so much into the blog.   There’s going to be much, much more in Riding China.   Don’t forget about Steve’s preorder “Don’t Miss The Book” special for all three books (5000 Miles At 8000 RPM, Moto Colombia!, and Riding China) for only $39.95.

As they say, operators are standing by to take your order (it’s 909 445 0900)!

Until tomorrow, my friends…Bye-bye!

Joe G and I are killing time until our meetings with the Guangdong RX3 start this afternoon, so we wandered around the Green Lake hotel and its surrounding areas in Foshan.   It’s at least a 5-star hotel, and when we wondered out into the oppressive heat and humidity this morning, we saw this Bentley parked in front of the grand lobby…

Bentleys seem to be following me around.

We wandered down the road into a secluded area until Joe was chased by a goose (a real goose, not a Moto Guzzi).   We were out in the jungle, with bugs making the kind of noises and stuff you hear in movies about, well, the jungle…

Joe in China…

Joe 2 in China.   I am getting old.  I can see it in this photo….

The weather is like being in the Everglades in the summer.  It’s brutal.  But this is a cool place to be.

Here’s a shot of the very pretty young lady who helped us in the lobby this morning.  Her name is Tracy…

Here’s another beautiful young lady we had a nice conversation with down by the lake…

The Master at work…

Here’s a photo of another young lady on a scooter…

And finally, it wouldn’t be an overseas CSC moto adventure tour without my obligatory ornithological photo…

Josh, I know you’re reading this.  That rooster sends his regards to Cal.

That’s it for a brief bit, folks.  Joe and I are back in the hotel soaking up the air conditioning.

As Arnold likes to say, I’ll be back, so as I like to say, stay tuned.

Two guys headed to a hair-styling convention in Guangzhou…

After doing exactly that (i.e., chasing the sun, headed west out of LAX) for exactly 14 hours and 3 minutes, Joe Gresh and yours truly landed in Guangzhou yesterday just as the sun was setting.   It was a good flight…for whatever reason, we were bumped up to premium economy (which is about the same as flying first class on a US airline), and that made all that time hurtling west in a tiny tin tube a touch more tolerable.

So it’s 2:00 a.m. over here, and I’m wide awake.  That always happens on these secret missions to the other side of the world.   It takes a day or two for my bioclock to adjust.

There’s no riding in Guangzhou for us (or anyone else, for that matter…motorcycles and scooters are outlawed in this little town of 13.8 million people).   I’ve been to this city several times on prior projects, but we really didn’t see any of GZ yesterday.   The two Zongshen dudes who picked us up at the airport told us we’re meeting with the Guangdong RX3 Owners Club tomorrow (Guangdong is the province, or state, of which Guangzhou is the capital).   That should be fun.  An added benefit:  We’re going to see Lester, Kong, and Zuo, who rode with us on the Western America Adventure Ride.

We’ll fly to Chongqing (where our ride originates) the day after tomorrow (which is already tomorrow for us, if you can follow that).

Later, my friends…or as they say in China, bye-bye (no kidding, that’s Mandarin for goodbye)!