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Published: April 26th 2007
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El Group
With one missing A group of students invited some of us very important teachers away for the weekend. They had heard we liked hiking, and so had planned a 'happy tour' around Tang Yu, a village about an hour south of here, in the mountains. Yummy, says me, and packed my backpack full of all-weather clothes, extra socks, sleeping bag, tent, cotton wool to start a camp fire in case there was no dry twigs around, water purifying tablets, and a bag of food for Artemis, as she isn't very good at foraging. How exciting, my first proper camping trip in China. The last time we went hiking was the Hua Shan (see previous entry as I cannot relive the horror).
8am Saturday morning, we arrived bright and early outside the designated meeting place. Well, I got there about 8.45am, due to a late night, and the fact my bag became mysteriously unpacked during the night. David decided that he was far too busy. And also couldn't be arsed to get up that early. So, me, Artemis, Joe and 6 of our students set off. On the bus on the way down, I was handed an itinerary. Hmm. Who needs an itinerary
The Hill
If you won't let me hike, I'll just pretend, but I am NOT doing any more steps for a weekend in the wilderness, far from the madding (maddening) crowd. OK.
Saturday
8:00 - gather
DONE, says me.
9:00 - setting off by bus from the bus station
Two in a row.
11:00 - arriving Tanh'yu and finding a flat
You what now?
And we did. I had noticed that the only fools who had enormous packs on their backs were the silly laowai, the others had plastic bags of milk cartons, or, in one case, a rolling suitcase. However, this is typical of the hikers here, I was just grateful they were all wearing flat shoes. But when we got the Tang'yu, we got rooms in a hotel. At least I could dump my stuff, and take off some of the 16 layers I was wearing, as it was about 30 degrees, despite the forecast for freezing fog. I still unrolled my sleeping bag, and was nearly tempted to put up the tent, but there wasn't room. I would have felt silly watching TV through the door flap. So, not so much of the camping then. But the room only cost $1.50, so not the end of the world. Maybe cheaper than the wear and tear would
have been on the tent. Definitely cheaper than using one of the water purification tablets.
We had lunch in a little place on the side of the road. Huge, steaming bowls of thick noodles and bok choi, with a spicy sesame dipping sauce. It was really good, but I made the mistake of not being able to expand my stomach large enough to eat 2 kilos worth of noodles, so it was assumed I hated them.
After such an exerting morning (and such a carb overload), we all had to have a rest. From 12 to 3. Because it was on the piece of paper telling us what to do. But we were given a vocab list to peruse if we were wakeful. At 15:00, we all reconvened in the hallway to climb a low hill, then fish, then play cards. Which we did. It was a very low hill, but...chocka with steps. Yay. And we fished, I didn't catch anything, despite the fact it was around a 20 foot pond. I would have been better off poking them with a stick than trying to balance the rod while Artemis squirmed and tried to jump in. Luckily, one
of the others caught two, as this was our dinner. The people who owned the fish farm barbecued it for us, it takes an hour per fish, as there's some unpleasant runoff straight from the loo area of the local park into the pond where all the fishies live. Again, I was shouted at because I couldn't eat 2 kilos of fish. I did drink my weight in tea though, which redeemed me somewhat. And when I told the girls I was in a film with Hu Jun, they nearly fell off ther stools. I just smiled meekly and shrugged.
On returning to the hotel, it was decided that it was time to visit the hot springs. However, there were 4 boys and 4 girls. I was told I could share with one of the other girls, which I declined as politely as I could, as I shook with terror inside, waiting to be told off again. It's really not a good idea to be naked with your students, I heard they tell you off for that. So, Artemis and I stayed and watched the China National Hip Hop competition on TV, whilst the others trotted off for three
hours for a half hour bath. Apparently, Joe also got into a predicament with the sharing thing, but explained he would be be fired and thus be thrown out the country. Luckily, as it wasn't so much the big jacuzzi type thing, but little plastic baths you sit in, really only room for one, but the other three boys shared one between them. When they got back, the organiser of the tour popped his head into my room and said that he would like to celebrate a small party now, welcome to his room.
'What is your party piece?' Umm. No. The others sang some songs, one recited something or other in a very funny voice (I assume, it was all in rough Chinese and very fast, I didn't have a clue). For all they say they are shy people and don't like to speak, they do like showing off in front of each other. We tried to persuade Michael - the organiser - to sing. He said he couldn't possibly, that he had a terrible singing voice. We barely got the first syllable of 'go on' out, when he leapt up, rifled manically through his bag, and produced
a sheet of paper. 'This is something I started to prepare two weeks ago', and launched into a good rendition of the longest Chinese song that has ever been written. Sorry, make that two of them. So, everyone had done their party pieces, I began to yawn as loudly as I could, but body noises don't raise an eyebrow here. You should hear them slurp noodles! It was asked what we were going to do next, and Michael said that he actually had prepared an English song, he had it on his iPod and had printed out the lyrics. Maybe we could read through and the wise and venerable teachers could explain. Someone else produced a pack of cards, as the others drowned out Michael's words with yelling and extra noisy shelling of sunflower seeds. A few rounds later, and Artemis got very tired, so I had to take her to the room, and check to make sure she didn't have nightmares.
Sunday - another 8am start (is this not the weekend??). Breakfast was a huge bowl of millet soup (yum). I got told off again. We visited a park, played in paddle boats for two and a half
And we're paddle boating
I think Artemis felt seasick hours - having lots of races, which was great fun as the Chinese neither know how to steer a rowboat (they were good at going in circles), or how to steer a paddle boat (again with the circles), then got on the bus home. It was written that we would all have lunch in Xi'an together, but Artemis was getting cranky and wanted to have a shower and some proper food other than millet. So, I made excuses for her (she really is so ungrateful and rude, plus not actually allowed in restaurants in town - no dog meat jokes please), and we went home, watched Prison Break, and started to plan a proper camping trip for next weekend.
Luckily I don't start work til 10 on a Monday, so got to lay in until 9.27!
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Lesley OB
non-member comment
Nice to see you again
Lovely to see your adventures again Erin - Artemis looks cute - I think you might be spoiling him though!