Phil’s blog

About a month ago I took a day trip to a meadow on the outskirts of Beijing province and rode a horse and a dirtbike, both for the first time. The place was in the middle of nowhere; a couple of hours’ train ride from the city of Beijing, plus a fun van ride on a very bumpy dirt road. We hired 2 guides and 5 horses - for me, Clement, XinXin, Andrew, and Vivian. I started with a guide riding next to me and holding the reigns of my horse, but after a little while I was riding on my own without much trouble. The horse was well trained to follow the other horses, perhaps too well because it would often get so close to another horse that my leg would be brushing against it or the other rider. I was able to break away by making him go faster, but I don’t think we ever reached a full gallop (which was probably for the best). After 2 hours of riding we feasted on shrimp, vegetables, and a whole barbecued rabbit that looked gross but tasted great. Then we rented 2 off-road go-karts and a small dirt bike. The go-karts were entertaining but the dirt bike was amazing. It wasn’t a full-sized model - maybe about 3/4 size but still ridable. It had a single gear so no clutch, but the throttle and brakes functioned as they do on a normal motorcycle. Safety wasn’t much of a consideration there; one of the guides spent a few seconds showing me how to work the controls and then sent me on my way. The one helmet they had was old and didn’t even have a chin strap, so I left it behind and was careful. It was actually very easy to ride because it was so small and light, and could reach decent speeds despite the single gear. On straightaways I pulled the throttle all the way back but it was scary fast so I never kept it there long. I’d guess I maxed at 30 mph but it felt faster with the wind on my face. It was so thrilling and frightening and fun I was laughing uncontrollably while riding. I definitely need to try that again, maybe next time with a proper dirt bike More photos here.