- 1 year ago
Two seasoned YouTube vloggers bike 5000km through southern China's weirdest and wildest back roads. --- 0006-2007_0006-2020
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Short filmTranscript
00:00My name is Winston Sturzl, also known as SerpentZA on YouTube.
00:04I'm Matthew Tai, otherwise known as C-Milk, and on YouTube, I'm known as LaWai86.
00:09I've been vlogging about China for the past seven years or so.
00:12In fact, as far as I can tell, I'm the original China vlogger.
00:16I vlog out of China in order to show people what China's really like.
00:19Because of vlogging on YouTube, we were able to come together and share our passion for motorcycles,
00:24which led to us opening up Churchill Customs, our motorcycle shop.
00:27We're about to embark on our biggest adventure to date.
00:30We're going to be going through five different provinces in southern China.
00:33Guangdong, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan.
00:37We'll be traveling over 5,000 kilometers on our hand-built 125cc motorcycles.
00:42Most people don't think such a small bike is up to the task.
00:45We're out to prove them wrong.
00:46We're going to be riding on some of the toughest roads China has to offer,
00:50eating some of the strangest and most exotic foods.
00:53And we'll have the chance to meet some incredibly interesting people,
00:56including China's ethnic minorities.
00:58No guides, no translators.
01:00We'll show you the real China.
01:03China
01:22So basically, we just put out a little message to some of the riders in the area,
01:26and people came from a bunch of different places and were kind of overwhelmed right now.
01:29Yeah, a whole lot of guys turned up here to sign our flag and wish us well on our journey,
01:33and we're really, like he said, we're really taking it back.
01:45Hopefully nobody gets sick or anything bad happens,
01:47but if they do, I hope both of them have good life insurance and they're all paid up.
01:53I think it's pretty unique that they've taken the effort,
01:56and made the opportunity to go and see more of China,
01:59especially the minorities and the sort of lesser-beaten paths.
02:13Similk and Winston are lucky guys, and God bless them.
02:26Guangdong
02:31The first leg of our adventure takes us through Guangdong province.
02:34First stop is Shaoguan, where we assemble cat, snake and chicken hotpot.
02:39I'm basically eating myself here.
02:41We make a pilgrimage to a mysterious phallic mountain, with fertility giving powers.
02:46What do you think it looks like?
02:50Trying some of Guangdong's spiciest chilies along the way.
02:53Before riding out with some old friends to the beautiful South Water Lake.
03:23Shaoguan
03:33We are currently on our way to Shaoguan, it's our halfway mark.
03:37I have a pink backpack.
03:40See you soon.
03:47We're just going to get a few things sorted on the bikes,
03:50small minor adjustments and whatnot.
03:52The biggest issue is, in a rush, Similk put his exhaust on incorrectly,
03:56so it's vibrating his foot a lot, so we have to fix that.
04:00Otherwise he's going to have pins and needles in his feet the whole time.
04:03Because of this pink backpack.
04:04To be fair, Similk's the sales guy, he's not really the mechanic,
04:07but I wasn't there, so he did an okay job, but just not good enough.
04:14Look at this backpack I've got to deal with.
04:16And it's all because I'm apparently the most unreliable phone answer in the world.
04:20I was in the store, in a rush, and it was crowded.
04:24There were kids everywhere, and I sent him a message
04:26with all the different colors he could choose from.
04:28I'm like, which one do you want? No reply.
04:31And I waited, and I waited, no reply.
04:33Tried to phone him again, no reply.
04:35So, pink one it is.
04:36But guess what, I was the one that was in the shop cleaning
04:39so that we'd have some good shots of our shop.
04:41So, this is my punishment for being a good little cleaning boy.
04:44I really appreciate it.
04:46No worries. Anytime.
04:51Oh, man.
05:02Oh, man, look at this.
05:04Oh, fucking hell, I think we've got to stop for this, dude.
05:07So, me and Winston were riding around the corner,
05:09we were kind of chasing each other, but we're concerned about all these trucks.
05:12Yeah, what you see here is the result of really horrible driving
05:19and bad engineering and bad, like, maintenance.
05:22Look at what's happening here.
05:23You've got three trucks, basically, that have collided,
05:26and unfortunately, there's no way anyone got out of this one alive.
05:30That's the cab, what you see there.
05:33It's absolutely terrible.
05:35Every time I go on a trip, I see this kind of thing.
05:37It's not something that's rare.
05:39Have a little look at that indicator.
05:41Oh, it's still blinking.
05:43Oh, my God.
05:44This obviously just happened, like, a couple of hours ago,
05:47and if we were coming around the corner at that time,
05:49when this massive collision happened, we could have got mixed up in all that.
05:57So, Winston, how much further until we hit Shaobuan?
06:00Probably about another 32km.
06:02Should take us around about a half an hour, I reckon.
06:08We're actually in Shaobuan, but three kilometers till we reach our hotel.
06:13So, I think we will make it.
06:16Really need a beer at this point. It's been a long day.
06:26So, guys, we're here in Shaobuan,
06:28which is right in the north of Guangdong province.
06:30Now, Guangdong is known as a place where people eat a lot of strange things.
06:34In fact, there are a couple of sayings.
06:36One of them is that if its back faces the sun, we'll eat it.
06:39There's another one which goes,
06:41delete anything with legs except the kitchen table.
06:43Now, that leads us to a restaurant
06:45where we're actually going to try a really, really unique dish.
06:47We're going to be trying this strange dish because it is a specialty
06:50and it's actually very hard to come by here in Guangdong.
06:53So, we've had to pull some strings in order to come up here and try it.
06:58It's called Longhufang, which in Chinese means dragon, tiger, phoenix.
07:02The name comes from the three animals used to make the dish.
07:05Dragon is represented by a snake,
07:07tiger by a cat,
07:08and chicken for a phoenix.
07:11The guys who'd be joining us to try out this weird traditional dish
07:14were a couple of locals we'd met on previous adventures in Guangdong,
07:17He Kai and King Audio.
07:24Actually, I came across this really weird concoction.
07:26I have absolutely no idea what's going on here.
07:28It looks like an upside-down bird, feathers and all,
07:32and maybe a good 20, 30 snake heads cut off.
07:36I'm assuming this is alcohol.
08:07I've heard this a lot throughout China,
08:08but this is the first time I've seen a whole bird with feathers on it.
08:37Thank you, sir.
08:38You're welcome.
09:06This is a bird from South Africa where I was born.
09:09So, yes, I'm basically eating myself here.
09:12So, let's go.
09:17I honestly think that if you could choose between eating a snake or something else,
09:22I think eating that something else would be a better choice.
09:25Here we go.
09:26This is cat.
09:32A lot of bones in here.
09:33I know this is going to be the most disappointing thing you've ever heard in your life,
09:36but it actually just tastes like chicken.
09:38I actually wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
09:43So, first snake, then cat, now bile.
09:46What we have here is we have the alcohol made out of snake gallbladders,
09:51and it's full of bile.
09:52And we've thought of a little bit of a competition here.
09:55So, basically, He Kai and King Audio are going to look at our face,
09:58and basically, yeah, the person who has the biggest reaction is going to lose,
10:02and unfortunately have to wear a Hello Kitty helmet that is pink.
10:07According to the boss, there's more than 100 snakes in this alcohol that he's made.
10:18So good.
10:24This is pretty terrible.
10:27It tastes like permanent markers got squeezed into a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
10:32That's actually pretty good.
10:42What he said is like, you drink about three of those,
10:45you're going to find a beautiful girl, and you're going to last at least half an hour.
10:49Yeah.
10:55And we're sharing a room at the hotel.
10:57We have separate beds.
10:59I'm going to sleep in the bed.
11:00I'll sleep in the hallway.
11:02Okay.
11:03Just to get no sword fights tonight.
11:06Okay.
11:13Sorry, mate. Hello Kitty helmet.
11:16Sorry.
11:18Sorry.
11:30We're in downtown Shaoguan right now.
11:32And last night at dinner, our hosts told us about a really interesting place
11:36we just have to check out nearby.
11:38So we're about to hit the road.
11:39C-Milk, you ready to get cracking?
11:45Let's go.
12:10Hey Winston, are we turning left or right here?
12:12I don't know.
12:13Let's just see where this one goes.
12:23So we heard about this special mountain park last night.
12:25We're looking for a specific mountain with some special characteristics within this park,
12:29and it's a pretty big area.
12:30But we accidentally took a wrong turn, and it actually turned out to be a really beautiful place.
12:44Can we eat it like this?
12:58How about we see who can handle the red one the best,
13:01and then the person that can't handle it the best has to eat one of the hot ones.
13:04Okay.
13:05Cheers.
13:14It...
13:20That's so spicy.
13:24I can't do that.
13:27That's really hot.
13:31Do you have any water?
13:34I can't do it.
13:35It's too hot.
13:40Oh my god.
13:43Holy...
13:45Where's the water, dude?
13:49It's getting worse.
13:53Fuck.
13:54No, seriously.
13:56Give me that.
13:59I know you want to swallow it.
14:00I can't talk.
14:02Stop.
14:03Stop.
14:05Dude.
14:06Stop.
14:07For real.
14:08That's unbearable.
14:11Is that like legal?
14:12Can you eat spicy food?
14:13No, I can't.
14:16Where's Danxia Mountain?
14:18Danxia Mountain is in the southeast.
14:20It's about six kilometers away.
14:26Danxia Mountain is the fourth most famous mountain in Guangdong Province.
14:30Go check it out.
14:33How about we ask those guys over there?
14:36Where's Danxia Mountain?
14:43Is it big?
14:44Yes, it's big.
14:45It looks very similar to the scenic spots.
14:48Just keep going straight ahead.
14:50They said it's a bit strange.
14:52There's a stone called Yangyuan Stone, and there's another called Yingyuan Stone.
14:56Oh, I see.
15:02Winston, what the hell is this?
15:04I think that's what we're going to go and see.
15:08My god.
15:13Does it look like this?
15:15No, it doesn't.
15:17The stone is different.
15:21You'll know when you see it.
15:24We've heard of it, but we don't believe it.
15:31There it is.
15:32Holy dick.
15:38So, we made it to the mountain.
15:40What do you think it looks like?
15:42Let's go over there.
15:48I'd like to know why people come here to see this.
15:53It's called Yangyuan Stone.
15:55It looks like a boy's genitalia.
15:57Does it look like it?
15:58Yes, it does.
16:01It looks like a thumb, too.
16:04What's so special about it?
16:08It's quite agile.
16:09Some people, like North Koreans and Hakkas in China,
16:14say that those who don't have children will get pregnant if they go and pray.
16:18If you want to have a son, you can go and pray.
16:21Because you already have a child.
16:23We came here last year and prayed.
16:27That's great.
16:29This is real.
16:30That's great.
16:31Congratulations.
16:34Is that right?
16:35Yes.
16:36If you're incredibly soft and you've been swimming in a swimming pool for the whole day,
16:40in the cold ocean.
16:41If you have to squint, I guess that's probably not good.
16:44What?
16:45Your size.
16:48We still have to meet up with those guys later, right?
16:50Yes.
16:51What time did you say we were meeting them?
16:52Eight o'clock.
16:53It's getting dark now, so we head out now.
16:55We'll probably make it back in one hour.
17:07Day 2
17:23So guys, we've arrived in a very interesting little motorbike club here.
17:27We basically met these guys a year ago on the side of the road,
17:30in Ruyan, which is near Xiaoguang.
17:32We ate watermelon together.
17:34It's kind of like faith.
17:35We're back here a year later to see how they're doing.
17:51This is my friend He Kai's bike.
17:53This is a bike that he bought recently and he asked if I wanted to try it out.
17:57So I said, yeah, let's do it.
18:04How's that bike compared to the ones you guys are riding?
18:07It's completely different in every way.
18:09First of all, that's a 750cc superbike.
18:12It's incredibly fast.
18:18That kind of bike in China is a death trap.
18:23If you're going like 200 plus kilometers an hour, you can't stop.
18:31It's a really powerful bike.
18:34It's been ages since he's ridden anything like that.
18:36Number one, I'm concerned that he's wrecked.
18:38Number two, he's been gone way too long and he gets lost easily.
18:41I'm going to go and try and find him.
18:45Fingers crossed that everything's okay, but I am genuinely worried.
18:48I'll see you guys in a minute.
19:04That was really, really, really fun.
19:06Awesome, awesome bike.
19:07Super easy to drive, actually.
19:10You have a little faith.
19:12Why were you gone for so long?
19:14I don't know the area very well, so I had to put in a few bits.
19:17So you got lost?
19:18Yeah, a little bit.
19:19Fuck, dude.
19:20Don't make me worry like that.
19:22Why would you worry?
19:23Because you're in an unfamiliar place on an unfamiliar bike.
19:26You're not going to get lost.
19:28You're not going to get lost.
19:30You're not going to get lost.
19:32You're in an unfamiliar bike and you just fuck off for half an hour.
19:35It's fine. I got a little lost.
19:36Yeah, but you've got to understand.
19:38Like, if you're going to try it out up and down the street, maybe.
19:41But half an hour, you know?
19:43What am I thinking?
19:44You're gone half an hour.
19:45Why would you be gone half an hour?
19:49Fucking going around the whole place looking for a wreck
19:51and asking hikies if they've seen a big bike.
19:53I appreciate that.
19:54Okay, thank you.
19:55All's well that ends well.
19:57So, let's go get a beer.
20:00Sure.
20:03Cheers.
20:08Cheers.
20:20I can barely breathe in this thing.
20:22Puffing out your chest there, Winston.
20:24I'm not. That's natural.
20:25You look like you're going to give someone one of those old-fashioned punches.
20:29Yeah, that. That's what I am.
20:31This is the most body-hugging thing I've ever worn in my life.
20:35It looks like it's the way to go around here, right?
20:40Yeah.
20:51We've kind of kept in touch on WeChat and everything.
20:53And, you know, bikers are friends.
20:54There's always a big family together.
21:02Cheers.
21:18Hey guys, Lowry6 here.
21:19Sorry for the lack of videos.
21:20I am here on an epic trip with...
21:23SerpentZA.
21:24Anyway, we're here at South Water Lake.
21:27We're doing all sorts of crazy things.
21:29Eating some very strange foods.
21:31Meeting very interesting people.
21:32Trying very interesting things.
21:34And, of course, seeing what China's really like.
21:53Riding a motorbike is, without a doubt, the best way to see China.
21:56Because if you take a bus, it goes on the highway.
21:58If you take a train, it's just straight.
22:00You know, if you take a plane, you miss everything.
22:02But because motorcycles are banned on the highways,
22:05although they're trying to change the laws,
22:07especially smaller bikes are completely banned,
22:09you're forced to take small roads,
22:11go through small little villages and towns and mountains,
22:13and you get to see the real China.
22:15The things that nobody else gets to see.
22:17So, it's really the best way to travel.
22:20I've always used motorcycles as a way to get somewhere
22:22and enjoy the way getting there.
22:24And that's pretty much the only reason I ride bikes.
22:26It's just pretty much the most freeing thing I can do.
22:55Guangdong, China
22:59So, we're about to leave Guangdong and...
23:02Check this out.
23:04So, what can we say about Guangdong?
23:06Up here in the north of Guangdong,
23:08it's certainly a lot prettier than down south,
23:10at least as far as natural scenery is concerned.
23:13To be honest, living in the Pearl River Delta
23:15really gets me down sometimes.
23:17It's like cars everywhere.
23:19It's polluted sometimes.
23:21There's factories all over the place.
23:23So, to be up here, it's just absolutely gorgeous.
23:26The weather is a little bit more unpredictable up here,
23:29but the roads are unbelievable.
23:32Scenery, I mean, like...
23:34You're just second to none up here, really.
23:37This is the prettiest part of Guangdong.
23:39It's a great place, and I actually wish
23:41that I lived a little bit closer to something like this.
23:44So, I'm kind of excited that we're going to be
23:46heading into Hunan soon.
23:48What are you looking forward to over there?
23:50Definitely the food, and also some absolutely incredible riding
23:53on those suspension bridges.
23:55The food is definitely going to be a highlight there.
23:57But overall, I've had a great time in this province,
23:59and I can't wait to keep going.
24:01Let's hit the road.
24:15Next time on Conquering Southern China,
24:18we head into Hunan and discover stilt houses
24:20on the brink of destruction.
24:24We try out some local snacks with a bit of a buzz.
24:29We enter Guangxi, famous for its karst mountains.
24:32We meet the minority with the longest hair in the world.
24:35And I trial a batch of their secret shampoo.
24:39Sorry, I mean, I know it's your culture and everything,
24:41but it's rubbish.
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