Random world, random characters that happend to be at the same time in Xining

Asia » China » Qinghai » Xining
June 2nd 2012

Published: June 2nd 2012

Today I got up with a little bit of a cold, so I was taking it mellow. Traveling could be exhausted and without the language a tough job. So today was my day off.I used it to do download footage, write, and meet people in the hostel.

Hostels are amazing interesting places. Marc Auge will define them as non-places, but I disagree. They have their own identity. They are island of non-nationality in the middle of anywhere. Places that have some universal rules but invites diversity, gives you a sense of safe, security and support. I believe is the only way you can make a trip around here without being completely lost. Hostels and Lonely planet are the common share language for many travelers around the world, spaces of possibilities, leanings, and opportunities to discover realities that go beyond your narrow view of things (while you deal with the practical issue of existence, eating, cleaning, sleeping, etc)

I spent hours today listening the stories of an Australian guy that is traveling with no money, only hitchhiking around the world for the last year and he is expecting to travel for one year more finishing in Barcelona. He was stopped in Indonesia because he was tacking pictures in a riot in Papua Guinea, and regarding his nationality he had to spend 2 days in jail. It seems that Australia is supporting the independence of this part people. He went to interesting Tibetan towns, in the frontier between Tibet and Sichuan and he share his experience with the hotels that do not have bathrooms there.

We were a crew of 3 listeners. Another fellow that join us was from Iceland, he brought his papers with the prints of happycow.com and he was complaining about the difficulties of eating Vegan in China. The last member was my Japanese friend Hiro. He is works as a trader, so he can travel all around the world, he has not really to be in Kyoto his home town. He comes from a Samurai family and his grandparents still leave in a traditional Japanese paper home. Their parents died of cancer so he does not smoke, not drink and got emotional when I ask about their parents. I wish I had not asked him.

I met a couple from US that leaves in Masachusset. She is studying Tibetan Medicine, and came here with her husband and her kid to finish her 4 year program in an immersion of 3 month in Xining. Lives could be so unique, so diverse, so much possibilities, so rich and fulfilling existences…so many stories to be told...

Then I talked with the crew of the workers of the bar here, 3 ladies, none of them of the same ethic Chinese group. Each one has another language. Even all of them speak Chinese. They were amused see me shooting in the terrace and blowing balloons…( I do not think I use that scenes, they look ugly but it was fun doing and a kid of the US couple ,who ended up staying with more than 10 balloons was delight of my experiment)

I was brave enough to go to a hairdresser and cut my bangs. It was bothering me. So for 5Y now I have a real Chinese straight bang.

I went with Hiro to have dinner in a Nepali restaurant, which had an amazing vegetable curry. It is just one block from Lete Hostel. Then we went to celebrate my birthday to the best coffee house in town, Green House, the coffee was good, but being able to finally blow my candles and make my wishes in front of a cheesecake, was an amazing experience.

Random world, random characters that happend to be at the same time in Xining

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