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Published: April 26th 2007
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The overnight ferry from Yiching to Chongqing (ChonChing), along the Yangtze River was a bit overrated. The Three Gorges are now not as spectacular as they once were, due mostly to a large damn project near Yiching. Because we went on a local ferry and not a commerial tourist boat (much slower) we missed some sites. What we didn't miss was sharing our cabin with some 'peasants needing re-education' according to Ms. Xiang Yi.
The first couple to share the cabin with us were quite pleasant. They were from Western China, along the old the Silk Road. The couple were unsually tall for Chinese people-- often stared at by the locals for their height. The husband shared his traveling experience with us, which included tidbits about Tibet. He'd lived there for over a year and warned us of the cold. His wife was charming in her own way, clearing the room of jumbo-flies that seemed to come out of nowhere. Of course, I wasn't really part of the conversation, I just got some translated bits here and there. The following morning they wished us well and deboarded at an earlier port.
And that's when we met up with
'Grandma' and her bunch. That's what I called them. Xiang Yi referred to them as 'rabble'. Putting it politely, there was a great class and cultural disconnect. We wondered how they managed to afford the ticket, as this region of China is one of the poorest. We figured they must have paid someone to get ahold of the beds.
It was an uncomfortable situation. Imagine a whole troup of people (meant for 4) entering a tiny cabin, in and out, in and out--with baskets not bags. They probably thought we'd be more accomodating but we weren't. We did not give up an inch of bedspace and once lights were out, we locked the doors. Once or twice, in the middle of the night, I heard someone knocking on the door but no one got up to open it. Grandma was passed out on her bunk and her husband? or the uncle? was passed out on the other.
Those days were the least comfortable and the least fruitful of our travels.
We arrived in Chongqing at 6 a.m. and boarded a bus to Chengdu---another 6 hours on the bus, bring the total traveling time to about 36 hours.
The bus ride was long but the stunning scenery of the Sichruan Province ( Sit Tran) was well worth it. Imagine green hills with rice patties-typical images of China. I have some video of this but I haven't managed to figure out how to send it out to you guys--yet.
It's been a busy week for us in Chengdu (Chen Doo). The following day after checking in and cleaning up, we visited the Giant Panda Breeding Center. I can't believe I actually held a baby panda in my arms! Video coming, but plenty of pictures...
The day after that, we went up to Emeishan Mountains, two and a half hours outside of Chengdu, for an overnight stay near the summit peaks. We took the cable cars up, and agreed to hike down the mountian instead. After the Huangshan adventure, we decided to be nice to our knees and take the easy way up the mountain! Unfortunately, I didn't take many picture here because I forgot to recharge my batteries. The summit was cloudy and a bit mysterious but not especially spectacular. The way down along a different route provided some spectacular sites. We walked along wooded planks, between
jungle-green forest but without the heat and humidity. Honestly, it was an enchanting place and I was so sorry that I didn't have my batteries charged.
We met some a group of Muslim Chinese men on the way there and we ended up seeing the place together. The three of them added a lot of fun to our visit on Emeishan, as they bought bamboo sticks for the hike and would spontaneously engage in kungu/chinese tv drama. I was a great ambassador for the States, teaching them how and when to use 'Nah' . Always a teacher... The first night we went went out to explore a trail that was close to the hotel/tourist area. Accorinding to the site cleaners, money could be spotted nearby although none were sited that afternoon. He warned us that the monkeys could be very aggressive and that we were to keep our valuables out of sight, otherwise some mischievious monkey might snatch it.
One of the guys was especially alarmed and bought each of us a bamboo stick for protection. His bargaining skills, according to Xiang Yi, were very gruff but effective. We continue walking, a comfortable, leisurely walk, but it started
getting dark and we had already walked some distance. When bringing this up, the guys suggested we pick a leader and do whatever the leader wanted to do--either continue or go back. This of course makes no sense to me and I offered a more democratic approach-why don't we just vote for what we want and the majority rules. They kept insisting on following the leader (no wonder Mao was able to do whatever) but after a few minutes of discussion, we neither selected a leader or voted. Consensus to return to the hotel!
The following day we got up super early and headed for the summit (although not really the highest place on Emei). It was still dark and freezing cold. At the top, pilgrims cirlced the pagoda and chanted away. We entered the pagoda and decided to head back down. Xiang Yi noticed another tram that could take us to a remote peak, out away from the crowds. We paid the fees and indeed reach said peak/monastery/ temple. Eventually we reached our hotel and rejoined the guys, agreeing to to the Monkey Sanctuary. The walk was not too challenging and very picturesque--Lush, lush green everywhere! Unfortunnately, my
camera battery ran out, so I have very few pictures of that part of our walk. Once at the Santuary, I shelled out $3 dollars to have my picture taken with a Tibetan Macaques. The picture itself is VERY funny because it looks like the monkey is telling me my fortune! The monkey was surprisingly heavy, which explains the look on my face as he pawed my hand for some seeds given to me by the trainer.
Returning to Chengdu, we headed out for a 4-day excursion to Jiuzhaigo (Juh Zai Go) Valley. Take a look at the pictures--there are no words to describe such beauty. Some of you might recognize the lakes from the movie "Heroe." This place was worth the time spent on the 14 hour bus ride and the communal toilets along the way.
Before hiking anywhere, this time I was very clear about what we could do at the park. Thankfully or not, depending on how you look at it, the park has shuttles that run between the east and west fork of the park itself--so not as much walking as Huangshan. We decided to see the entire park via shuttle and then board
again, comfortably stopping a scenic places. This was the plan, however when we reached the end of the East fork, the shuttle driver made everyone get off the bus. No one said a word as they stared at the snow covered trees outside. Straight out of a postcard--it was truly magical.
We tried to bundle up as much as we could, while taking pictures of the surrounding snow-capped mountains. Xiang Yi and I noticed many Chinese people were not dressed appropriately to hike inside a national park, much less to trudge in snow. More than a few women wore prom-like outfits--truly hilarious! As we walked along the designated path, we warmed up. A few more meter down and the snow was gone. Before us were several lakes--jewel like in color.
Sorry for such a long email and not many details but I'm a bit tired. Our train for Tibet leaves in a few hours. The 45 hours train ride should be relaxing! No, really--no climbing, no haggling. Let's just hope we get nice bunk mates!
I will write again on Sunday........jessica
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