Planet China, Part I


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Asia » China
May 16th 2011
Published: May 16th 2011
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I, Andrew, can be such a putz. Camera number two broken. Riding a bike through the rain in some absolutely amazing countryside, I wanted just one more picture, even if my hands were dripping rain while pressing the power button. Fzzz.

That aside, China, what an amazing country. Let's start at the beginning...

We left Laos with no issue, exit stamp in the passport and a bus ride through no-man's land to China. Waiting behind Alyssa in the immigration line on the Chinese side, I suddenly remembered my first foray into China a few years back (just a flight connection) at which time the immigration officer was convinced the man in my passport picture was not me (I begged and pleaded and was allowed to make my connection). Suddenly, Alyssa was being asked for alternate forms of indentification.. uh oh. She made it through, although the officer seemed to look twice when she officially walked into China. Gulp, my turn. I smiled my best smile, tried my best with hello ('ni-hao'😉, and handed over my papers. Holding up my passport at my eye level, eyeing both the photo and me cautiously, he sighed and asked for more identification. Thoughts of being stuck inbetween China and Laos until I was an old man raced through my head while I fumbled for my drivers licence (expired) and a bank card (photo from when I was 21). The longest 60 seconds of my life passed, each look from my bank card to my face by the officer sending extra pulses through my heart while I covered my beard with my hands and attempted to explain I just hadn't shaved in a while... stamp, welcome to China.

For two days we traveled north by bus, sleeping where and when we could, trying to take in as much of the country-side as possible while it zoomed by on the other side of the glass. Through immaculate valleys we drove, white-water rushing below, green peaks rising above, all kinds of foreign life right along side the road, our bus coughing black exhaust and disturbing the serenity with loud honks. We stopped only for bathroom breaks (if you want to call a trough shared with 15 other men and various livestock a bathroom - pigs generally) and for food. Finally, Lijiang.

Quintessential China, Lijiang might as well have been straight from anyone's imagination of the far east. From the top down: snow-capped peaks in the distance, embraced by white snakes licking the summits under a fierce sun; ancient tiled roofs cramped together from a thousand generations of development, all ending with carved tiles curved upwards in defiance of gravity; immaculately carved wooden panels holding the tiles in place, swinging open to serve as store fronts during waking hours; uneven stone roads only sunk in high traffic areas, all leading to or from stone archways spanning green canals alive with water, fish, and locals washing anything that might need a bath. Lijiang was amazing. We stayed for a couple days, soaking up the rural charm, eating who knows what (we mostly just pointed and prayed), and people watching. We were not alone as tourists here, but very few Western faces could be seen. Instead hordes of Chinese tourists swarmed the ancient alleys, all posing for ridiculous pictures or asking us to stand beside them in a photo while they stood on their toes to appear taller. We laughed and obliged. What a first stop, if this was any sign of things to come we were really going to enjoy China.

Stop two, up the road (another bus) another two hours, Qiaotou. This wasn't really our destination, but it was the starting point for one of the most amazing treks we've ever done. Tiger Leaping Gorge, possibly the highest gorge in the world (depends on who you ask, or rather if that person is Chinese or not), was to be our home for the next two nights. A literal wall of stone faced us on the other side of the river for the duration of our trek, starting from snow-capped peaks that required neck strain to see, all the way down to the churning Yangtze 3900 meters below. Thats a big wall of rock, and an awesome sight. The trail (a.ka. 'the high road' or 'ancient path'😉 twisted, dipped, and climbed along a ridge not quite the equal of the opposite but still awe-inspiring. Having just overcome some sort of stomach bacteria, yours truly wasn't exactly in tip-top hiking shape. Stopping Alyssa every ten minutes ('I want to take a picture'😉, the walk took a little longer than expected. No complaints though, not when walked through that kind of scenery. Even trekking at a snails pace we finished too soon and before we knew it were on our way back to the hustle of over a billion Chinese.

From Qiaotou we headed back to Lijiang where we boarded a train headed deeper into the heart of the country. The train was one of nicest I've ever been on, clean, classical music piped through the speakers, lights out at 10pm and very well behaved locals going to sleep instead of drinking and smoking through the night. A far cry from India, Indonesia, Thailand, the list goes on and on. We spent a day in Kunming to break up the train rides, enjoying the quiet park amongst the giant metropolis. Then back to the rail, Guilin and Yangshou in the crosshairs.

Guilin and Yangshou (two towns one hour by bus from each other) is Chinese tourist central. It also happens to rain in both towns. It rains a lot. For the past 5 days we've set out in the morning to experience amazing this and spectacular that, coming back to the guest house at night soaked thoroughly but with wide grins. Our first stop of the two was Yangshou.

Day one, first task: escape the chinese tourist busses. Rental bike? Check. Supports my girth? Check (although that seat is awfully low). Directions? Who needs them. Off to the country side, maybe to a 600 year old bridge if we can find it. As soon as we left Yangshou proper the rain began to fall, as if it allowed us to cycle just far enough to not want to turn around. We turned off pavement as soon as we could, opting instead for dirt back roads that promised more character. These roads quickly dimished into mud, then ceased being roads at all, becoming nothing but a footpath from one village to another with rice fields on either side. With our single-speed city bikes we kicked up mud and laughed in the rain. Enchanting. Villagers came to windows to see what the fuss was only to smile back at two crazy Westerners giggling in the downpour. Each village provided another fork in the path - we guessed and turned back if it wasn't fruitful. For over two hours we cycled, enjoying every second of the rain and mud. And if that wasn't enough, the beautiful Yulong River kept us company, calmly carving a path through karst peaks that hid behind thick curtains of cloud, only showing when their proximity neared collision. We managed to find the bridge but really couldn't care much about it, we just wanted to get back on the bikes. After a quick corn on the cob with local women who smilled with no teeth, we mounted our steeds and tried the other side of the river. This time trails squeezed both sides of our narrow tires, vegetable gardens and rice fields more precious than walking trails. We passed through more villages, kindly asked giant water buffalo to move aside, found a river crossing, stared at the lush peaks rising above the valley (a break in the rain), and eventually ended up back in Yangshou. What a day, even if it cost a camera.

Day two, first task: escape the Chinese tourist buses. Local bus to nearby village? Check. A plan of attack to get back to Yangshou? Who needs plans? We stepped of the bus and began a long and beautiful walk back. This time along the Li River, we walked for approximately five hours through one of the most beautiful river valleys I have ever seen. You'll have to take my word for the beauty, we had no camera to capture it. I'll do my best here. Standing on a muddy trail after having just crossed the Li by bamboo raft, I'm looking at water buffalo munch away at weeds in deserted rice fields below me. A few of them look back, but mostly they seem content to take a break from work and enjoy a snack. Behind them the muddy Li river is swollen past its banks from the recent rains, rapidly moving large pieces of brush downstream. Eddys form and disappear in the waters, but the river is not as tranquil today as it's described to be. Above the river a village appears on the opposite bank, yellow stone bricks stacked to make small houses, small houses pushed together to make a village, villagers huddled beneath overhangs selling fruit to make it a home. Above the village the jutting karst peaks that rim the valley, each with its own rock face poking through thick brush. The peaks all take on shapes when they are stared at long enough, like clouds when we were kids. Above it all the slate grey sky, formless and, at the moment, holding back from torrent. Four hours later and we had hiked the 25 kilometers or so back to a bus station and ultimately back to Yangshou.

Day three, first task: we need a break. Relax, some walks in the rain around the beautiful parks of Guilin, some good food (if you can believe it, Chinese food in China is even greasier than Chinese food back home - but the dumplings are bomb), and an early night.

Day four, first task: Join the Chinese tour bus. That's right, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Plus, you can't tell me you've never been courious to take a Chinese tour bus after watching them off load at the Golden Gate Bridge or walk Lombard street all behind a tour guide with a loud speaker and flag in case any little sheepling should lose his way. This was our rational anyway after learning the cheapest way to go to Dragons Backbone Rice terraces was by tour bus. First thing in the morning we boarded the bus with thirty or so Chinese tourists, listening intently to Mandarin for the two hours up to the terraces. Apparently, what we were about to see was amazing, but we wouldn't know having not an ounce of command over Mandarin. We arrived to, you'll never guess.. rain. Rain and, at 2000 meters, fog. So below us rice terraces fell away on cliffs, the most impressive farming engineering in china - but we couldn't see it! Some rice terraces reaching as high as 1000 meters from top to bottom, every inch of moutain sides carved to accomodate the planting of rice - but we couldn't see it! We could hardly see our noses let alone 1000 meters. Oh well, we went for a little hike anyway, then just enjoyed the craziness of the day - being a Chinese tourist, one of the sheep following that stupid flag, and standing here looking at fog. What can you do but laugh. Back to the bus, back to town. I guess we can cross 'be a Chinese tourist for a day' off the bucket list.

That leads me to today, give our take a few days of travel. Tonight we head north, where we end up I don't really know. We'll be in Shanghai in a few days, leaving rural China for a bit.

Updates about us:

Me: I'm tired of writing but otherwise great.

Alyssa: She can tell you herself.

Andrew

Alyssa is great and is trying to be more Chinese. I have tried in vain to learn a few phrases in Mandarin and I have started to eat steamed corn on the cob or steamed buns for breakfast instead of typical Western fare. The scenery is amazing, the people great and the food delicious. The Chinese people I have encountered have a very strong cultural pride and also have no shame. There are no bodily functions or hygenic routines that are reserved for privacy. I can finally pick my nose in public and be proud! On that note I do not recommend traveling by public bus in rural areas to anyone who has a problem with sharing a ditch with multiple people for bathroom purposes.

Okay well, Andrew wrote the blog because I don't really feel like writing...

Alyssa




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17th May 2011

Andrew it sounds like you are having an amazing time, that is great to hear. We miss you sooo much!! Lexi and I enjoy reading your blogs :) Lexi listens and then asks questions its cute. You would be so proud she is so amazing reading, writing, & spelling like crazy. She amazes me shes very smart!! Kylie is doing great smart as heck too!! Almost too smart lol potty trained counting saying her ABC Miss you like Crazy Love Issa, Lexi, Kylie
17th May 2011

More 'Wow' from me. I love reading this blog. Your descriptions are fantastic. Especially about public ditches :).
17th May 2011

Great adventures and writing
It is really fantastic that you are having all these experiences and writing so well about them. These will be a treasure for the rest of your lives.. I like the humor too. Great stuff!!

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