China's test

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China has a way of testing you. She gave me challenges so great that i felt like giving up, but the rewards were far more lucrative than i could imagine. My experience in China has been this: Beauty in the midst of uglyness, diamond in a rough and, hateful blended with loveliness. A simple example would be my Hua Shan climb. At midnight climbing up a 2100 meter high mountain with heavy rain was no easy feat! But the rain cleared the haze away and the view was stunning to say the least. So thats how she tests me, with incredible pressure, then with warmth and compassion. China is a country filled with a dreadful history, culture that has been torn and reconstructed over and over again throughout the ages. Just like its buildings. But i get the feeling that she tests me in a way to make me understand not only about her moods, but more about myself and what could be in store for me if i just saw who i was. And that realization is beginning to be visible. By seeing china's great contrast, i am beginning to understand my own hue's. My own possibillities.


ANOTHER TEST

4:00am, Lanzhou Train Station
Its unpleasant to reach a completely alien place at 4 in the morning. As soon as i got out, i completely ignored all the taxi drivers, hotel people and motor-taxis. I walked straight opposite the station and walked into a hotel listed in the lonely planet. They were full. I walked out, took a motor-taxi to another hotel listed in the lonely planet. No luck. I went back and forth throughout town looking for a damn room thats from the lonely planet but all was fully booked. DAMN CHINESE TOURIST! (I thought to myself). Finally, i went back to the station and walked towards this really ram-shack place. The woman came rushing out and charged me 88 quai for one night. It was 5:00am. I wasn't going to go around town looking for a place. I needed sleep. I asked to look at the room and i did. It was hideous. But i took it anyway.

9:00am, The horrid hotel
There was something i needed to sort out before i set of to Xiahe. I needed to extend my visa. So i thought to myself that the best thing for me to do is to head there tomorrow. And so, i left my hotel and went on a wild goose chase. I couldn't find the damn visa office. After two hours of walking (and eating at some muslim place) i finally found it. It was a very small building next to the police station. I did not know how i missed it before. My visa was done in an hour and so after that i wanted to do some sightseeing.

12:30pm, Somewhere in the middle of Lanzhou city
Lanzhou is the most polluted city in all of china. Its dusty and incredibly hazy. But for a province known for being the poorest in China, i did not see any beggars. After solat zuhur in the state mosque, I decided to go out to pagoda hill park and just spend some time there by myself. I took a cable car and saw Lanzhou from above.

2:00pm, Pagoda Hill Park
I met a 39 year old spaniard by the name of Stephan. He was an interesting fellow that had probably been everywhere in the world. We had some tea and watched a praying ceremony in one of the taoist temples in the area. It was VERY interesting. I know they have these things in Malaysia but it won't be as much fun! Or maybe i wouldn't find it as interesting. Stephan later left for the airport and i went back to the hotel.


SHIT HAPPENS IN CHINA
4:00pm, The horrid hotel
I got back to my room, took a bath and started planning. 5 minutes after i got in, there was a knock on my door. I opened it and there was this young chinese girl trying to explain something to me. I thought she was housekeeping and wanted to ask if i needed my room cleaned. I said "puyau" a couple of times and closed the door. 10 minutes later another knock came, this time with an elderly woman. Again, i could not make out what she was trying to say so i assumed it was about the same thing again. So i politely said no and closed the door. I started planning again. I needed to know the exact time the bus will arive back in Lanzhou from Xiahe so i could take a train to Zhangye as soon as i came back from Xiahe. I wanted to leave to Xiahe tomorrow. So, after careful meticulous planning, i decided to go to the train station and book a 4 days advance ticket to Zhangye. I walked out of my room and into the lobby. The elderly woman earlier suddenly shoved me into another bedroom. She told me to be quiet. I didn't know what the hell was going on. I thought she was gonna bring a couple of guys and rob me or something like that. I did what she said for whenever i said something she would just reply "shhhhh!". I heard some men talking from behind the door (it sounded like cops to me) I kept quiet and ten minutes later she let me out. She asked for my room key, shoved me into my room and shouted at me in mandarin. The only word i could make out was "qu!" which means 'go'. So i packed my bags as quickly as i could and left the damn building.

6:00pm, Lanzhou City
I was in a bad mood. Whenever someone stared at me, i just stared back. The hotels are fully booked (at least the ok ones are), i had no where to go. I decided to get out of Lanzhou as soon as possible. This town clearly did not like me being here. I wanted to try and get bus tickets to Xiahe (although i know they only depart in the morning). I took a bus and got dropped off somewhere near the South Bus Station. I took a cab and told him "Wo yao qu Xiahe. Wo men qu banche jahn qu xiahe" which i think means 'i want go xiahe. we go bus station to xiahe'. He understood me and took me to the south bus station. I was proud with my mandarin. About ten meters before arrival, a guy shouted and asked the cab driver where i was going. And the idiot cab driver told him "Xiahe". At this time, my side of the door opened and a guy grabbed my backpack. I was SHOCKED. I pulled back then another guy opens the other door and jumps in. He was pulling my other bag, and another guy jumps in the front passenger seat and tries to grab my jacket. They were trying to get me to get on their bus. I was pissed as hell. I pulled back and held on tight. By this time, the cab was making a u-turn and the guy on my left almost fell off the car. I held on to him to make sure he didn't fall. But despite that effort he did not stop groping my bag. When the cab driver stopped the car, i got out and slapped all their hands and shouted aloud "DON'T TOUCH ME YOU SONOFABITCH!!" By this time a crowd was gathering. This other guy pulls my backpack and i almost fell on my ass. The other guys stop groping, pushing and shoving except this guy. He kept on pulling my backpack. I screamed really loud and said "WOI PUKIMAK.. bla bla bla..". I started swearing in malay. Which means im about to burst. I clenched my fist and almost gave that guy a blow on his face. But when he saw that, he stopped. I asked the guy that touched me the least where his bus was going and he said Xiahe. I went with him. I got on the bus and cooled off. I was really really angry. I don't think i have ever been that angry. 30 minutes after the bus started moving, i greeted the salam to this muslim guy that was on the bus with me. He greeted me back. After a long and exausting conversation, i figured out that the bus was heading the right way, but the wrong stop. The bus was stopping at Linxia, which is before Xiahe. I got pissed again but kept my cool. By this time we were already heading out to the countryside and i did not want to be let off there. I flipped through the lonely planet and thank goodness, Linxia was listed.

10:00pm Linxia bus station.
The two muslim guys knew the predicament i was in. They were headed for Xining in the morning. They did not speak a word of english but they were kind. So i trusted them. As soon as we arrived, they asked me to join them for dinner. I had some GREAT noodles. After that we walked for about a kilometer to our hotel. On the way there, i realized that cab drivers, beggars and salesman did not disturb me the least bit. I think it was because i was walking with two locals. Which was amazing. When we got to the hotel, we got a big room together that costed us 20 yuan each. I talked to these people for an hour explaining to them where i have been, what i have seen and so on and so forth. They were poor people and lived in Xining. They enjoyed my company immensely and wanted me to stay with them in Xining for a night or two before i head out to Zhangye. I might just do that. We exchanged numbers and after solat Isyak, we went to bed.

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