Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Houqi - Beijing
Late Autumn 2000
———
Tim
'Let's go!' shouted the policeman. He had a slight build but stood square
shouldered. His face was striking, with skin tightly moulded over strong
cheekbones. Initially, I chose to believe that he was just interested in us. I wasn't
convinced that riding a bike was a crime that warranted arrest.
With a joyous smile we waved goodbye to the onlookers, who were now stand-
ing at a safe distance, and followed the police car. We didn't know it until later,
but we had entered a town that was closed to foreigners. In light of this, I found
it ironic that the police made us follow them right into the commercial centre; our
cycling route would have bypassed the town altogether.
We rode abreast down the main street, attracting more attention than usual.
The pavement was cluttered with stalls selling everything under the sun. Rickshaw
riders pedalled alongside us, yelling out a greeting, and bystanders called out for
us to stop. I stuck my thumb up and smiled.
'This feels fantastic, hey Chris? Like we are part of a procession or something.
Closest we will get to a ticket-tek parade!' I yelled, excited. But I could tell that he
was a little more concerned about the whole event.
The parade ended as we turned under a great archway and came to a halt before
a fleet of police cars and motorbikes. The rush of interested pedestrians came flock-
ing in behind us like a thundering mob. Thirty or forty pushed into the carpark just
to see the foreigners and their bicycles. The arresting officer yelled something that
sent them fleeing in panic. He seemed embarrassed that we were such a point of
fascination.
Although we were at the centre of the commotion, I felt utterly removed from
it. The police, the locals, the hieroglyphics plastered over the shopfronts, and
