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7/13/2006 3:53 AM
It is exactly four days
from out departure and it’s like nothing is
ready. We still have decisions to make about
what we are taking and how to pack. The bikes
are almost ready with only a few details left to
finish. Part of the reason for the delay is the
press.
As most of you know, Janet
and I started an after school English school in
January 2002 and for the last four plus years,
Perfect English has grown from ten students to
more than 550 students who attend classes with
us plus several thousand students at a small
local kindergarten and primary school.
Over the years, Janet and I
have gained a bit of celebrity as the “old and
kindly foreigners” who came to China to teach.
It seems like we are in the newspapers or on TV
several times each year so when we announced our
planned RTW tour the media responded.
The first paper to cover
the Dragin’ Run was the East Asia Economic and
Trade News. That article is posted on the
website. But then it seems that all of the TV
news and magazine programs wanted to talk to us
as well. Not to be outdone by the TV, The EAETN
decided to organize a 20 motorcycle convoy to
help us get out of town and on to a different
road to Siping (the current National road is
under heavy construction) about 100 km from
Changchun.
To facilitate our departure
on Monday morning, the reported asked that the
bikers who wanted to be a part of the convoy
meet at their parking lot to get to know one
another, discuss plans for the ride, etc.
When Janet and I arrived
there were 2 Gold Wings, several café style
Suzuki’s and Yamahas and several small Chinese
(about 150cc) bikes. As usual, everyone
gathered round to see Mad Max, ooh and ahh over
the mods we have made, shake hands with the old
foreigners and ask how much everything cost.
Then we heard the rumble
and roar of about ten Chang Jiangs, with
straight pipes, as they careened into the
parking lot. These bikes were followed by
several more big bikes until there were a total
of about 50 motorcycles, engines revving, shouts
of greeting and general pandemonium. As soon as
the cameras came out every one quieted down long
enough for group picture with riders and hanger-oners
literally hanging on to our and Tamara’s bike.
Then the idiocy started.
The reporter announced that we would go for a
short practice run: GL’s first, then Jack and
Tamara, then the Changs and finally the
remaining small Chinese bikes. All lined up in
perfect order at the entrance to the parking lot
and at the reporter’s signal to move out it was
like a motocross start with all bikes except
ours, and Tamara’s, breaking for a hole shot.
We moved out onto Jie Feng
Da Lu and caught a red light, which was probably
a good thing because it gave everyone a chance
to catch up. At the green, the bikes again
broke loose and raced through the traffic
causing even the usually terrible and fearless
taxi drivers to take pause as the invading horde
sped past. Then it was a right turn onto Ya Tai
Da Jie, a wide boulevard where several of the
Chang drivers immediately threw the sidecars up
in the air and proceeded to ride on two wheels
as opposing traffic was forced to side lane to
avoid an accident.
Each traffic light became a
new challenge for each kind of bike. Could one
café bike beat the others off the line? Who
could be the first to fly the chair? Which of
the smaller Chinese bike could pass any of the
other ‘big guys’? It was nuts!
Another right turn onto Zi
You Da Lu past the sports complex and the zoo.
This was not what I had in mind. At one light,
I shouted at the fastest of the café bikes,
“Tong Zhi Jie, sha wei!” (Turn right at Tong Zhi
street) and he waved in recognition. Over the
next several kilometers I managed to work my way
towards the front of the group and managed to
lead the group towards Perfect English running
up onto the sidewalk in front of the school,
where most cars park, and ran to the curb waving
and shouting Xie Xie (thank you) as the bikes
roared past with returned waves, shouts and the
rumble of straight pipes. We had survived the
convoy.
The time of our departure
has been set for 5:30 am on July 17. Now there
will be a reported 150 bikes that will not only
lead us out of town but ride with us all the way
to Siping! Most of our close friends have said
that they would come to the school about 5:00 am
to see us off. Of course the TV people will be
there; and at least two newspaper reporters.
All in all it has the makings of a real circus.
But this coverage has had a
price — time. Hours and hours of final
preparation time has been lost and so we are a
bit behind the curve. Add to this the fact that
we am transferring the reins of management of
the our school to a team that we have been
training for about a year and trying to finish
last minute details, farewell dinners (so much a
custom in the Chinese business world) and so on
and it is easy to see how the time has slipped
by.
I never learn or maybe it
is that I am unwilling to admit that I love the
attention but I am working on our departure from
Beijing now.
Two years ago I had dinner
with the reigning Miss China and her family.
She was getting ready to move to Beijing where
she was going to go to work for CCTV5 (one of
China’s largest TV networks) and I told her
about Janet’s and my plans to ride a Chang back
to the US. “If you ever do, let me know and
I’ll cover the story.” Her dad, a famous
restaurant manager here, has moved and it wasn’t
until last night that we located him. Now we
are working on trying to contact her directly to
see if she is still interested in the story. If
so, with national coverage in China, perhaps we
can parley this media attention and garner
additional coverage as we go.
I promised that we would
put your products in the spotlight. The
objective of this media coverage is to promote
The Dragin’ Run and you, our sponsors. The more
recognition we can get internationally, the
better chance we have of national coverage in
the US next summer and early fall which is where
your (US sponsors) major markets are.
If we survive our Monday
departure convoy, you should hear from us
sometime in mid to late August when we clear
Mongolia.
Jack |
