Still in Chengdu. We sleep the morning then have lunch at a place called Sultan with Dhane. It turns out we have a lot in common and we happily share our stories. He is currently working here as an English and after school teacher in preparation of his epic India bikeride from november 2011 onward. That ride will take him from Kathmandu via Calcutta all the way south to Chennai and into Kerala, then back up again to Mumbai and back to Katmandu, where he will settle down for a while. The journey is smartly scheduled: only riding in this configuration the cyclist won’t meet a typhoon. Dhane plans to recruit some more cyclists, and is open to everyone. So go ahead! He will distribute the donations he collects prior to and during the ride to orphanages along the way, and also invite children living on the street to join the ride until they have found a suitable orphan home for them. It all sounds beautiful to us and we recommend it to every cyclist, also to novices since you can opt for joining the journey only part of the way, as we might do ourselves when we revisit Ephphata in Tiruvannamalai.
After lunch we follow Dhane to Lichiqongs place. Lichiqong is a friendly Chinese who is keen on his children’s education and has an English program running constantly. Also, his son plays violin and I am happy to teach him some techniques and tricks in exchange for our dinner. The Sichuan cuisine is good and at Lichiqongs place, surrounded by friendly smiles and loud children, everything tastes even better.