Josh and I have spent the last few days doing just about nothing and thoroughly enjoying cooking our own meals and not having to arrive anywhere to catch anything. It is a nice vacation from our vacation and I am trying to relish the break before heading back to work sometime in the next week or so. It is a bit of a mixed blessing, to work for a school so mysterious that I have no idea when I teach, what I teach or who I teach and will probably not be privy to such information until the time comes when they see fit to inform the teacher of her teaching duties. It leaves me without anything to prepare for so instead I spend my time learning how to relax a bit and retyping my journal entries to share on my blog. Enjoy!
We begin in Guangxi Province in the town of Yangshuo – Josh, Megan (another teacher here at HIT) and I. Our travels begin January 2nd 2008.
Yangshuo (Jan 4th) – *Picture – On Li River boat – Megan, Josh and I
Josh and Megan nap in the neatly clipped grass of the park nearby the very old Banyan tree, a tourist attraction close to Yangshuo that did not necessarily deserve our 18 kuai (Chinese money) and I sat down to write this:
Chewing on sugar cane, sitting in the arm grass, Josh and Megan by my side, the mountain hills of Guanxi province surrounding us like gentle guardians. We are staying in Yangshuo at the West Lily Hotel in a triple bed room with heat that doesn’t work and two comforters to make up the difference. A good hotel find after almost staying in a nearby Youth Hostel with a slightly overbearing guide. We could not have had better weather, although the cold is rather cold due to the humid air that sinks into your bones when the sun departs for the evening. Yesterday we delighted in a boat trip down the Li River through a more uninhabited bit of these otherworldly hills – slipping between lamas, camels, sleeping giants…the river liquid-air beneath a softly purring boat, the driver whistling a tune to match his carefree smile.
Today we took bikes and coasted through the countryside on our way to visit the Banyan Tree and YueLiang Shan (Moon Mountain), becoming overly sentimental by the fresh air and rosy cheeked children living in the yet serene valleys here. I put a quick check on our lofty ideals by driving my bike over the sharp edge into the small canal on the side of the rode, scraping skin and bruising legs, allowing everyone time to realize how much their bums hurt due to the hard and seemingly unyielding bike seats. Thankfully, we arrived at the 1000 year old Banyan tree to refresh ourselves upon boiled corn, noodles and a freshly cut stick of sweet fibrous sugar cane.
Travel to Li Jiang (Jan 6th)
The next entry comes two days later after we had hopped an early morning bus from Yangshuo to the town of Nanning, taxied across a neat looking metropolis to a large and people filled train station to happily emerge from a long wait in line with 3 tickets for a train in an hour, to Kunming of Yunnan Province. We all had a splendid time on the well oiled comfy train, eating dinner in the car full of cheery travelers and cigarette smoke, then sleeping only when forced into our bunks, after the 10pm lights-out curfew. Awakened earlier than we expected, we clambered out to find a bus station with hopes of catching early morning bus to Li Jiang (maybe 8 -10 hours away). We found such bus, unloaded heavy backpacks into its undercarriage, found Chinese breakfast in outdoor canteen and then I wrote this:
White and blue flowers embroider designs directly in front of my face, adorning the small basic chairs in the Li Jiang bus. Meagan and Josh struggle with legs too long in a world manufactured for shorties (such as myself who sits happily comfy). An easy crossword is the entertainment of the moment through Megan zips thru with mind boggling ease leaving Josh and I to puzzle out the odd one or two. The bus fills up with people; babies, grandmothers with ancient faces, young men and women – colorful, bedraggled, simple and honest. Its cold, my fingers stiffen and I consider buying a steaming hot corn cob from the vendor yelling at the front of the bus – his wares displayed in bucket held aloft by strong brown hand. Instead, I sip cold bottle of jasmine tea, feeling chilly though bemused because my curiosity keeps momentary tiredness at bay. We could be at a circus with all the commotion. A yelling man with a cigarette dangling courageously from his lip skuttles in and out, around people with various packages, loud music plays from the small player the young man sitting beside Josh is proud to have produced – cheap classical tunes. We all hope the bus will depart soon, anxious to get to the destination. It is 9am, we have been traveling since yesterday morning – the bus is trying to leave but there is a traffic jam in the bus yard – we are all beginning to feel the effects of traveling, loud music and pressing voices. It is 9:30am – we are still stuck in the bus yard…
Li Jiang (Jan 7th)- *Picture – Looking at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
So our bus did actually depart to move our intimately packed selves up and away – to mountains and old town of Li Jiang;
I crouch here on a little stool in the small tower pagoda of the rustic hostel – home for the next few days. Yujong Xueshan (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) rests not far away but directly in my view and the sun shines clear and bold, displaying a sky so blue you could dip your fingers into it. The roofs, jumbling the sky line around me, produce an ancient aura; cow lipped corners upturned in “the old fashion” with an occasional glossy animal figurine resting at the end or middle of the peak – house guardians and good luck ensurers.
The soft breeze is cold, I grasp a covered tea cup to warm my fingers but do not mind so much being away from my two comforter laden bed; cozy indeed but still too hard for my wide hips and softer bed Western upbringing. I am rather crudely hoping this green tea starts things moving in my stuck bowels – constipation is the price one pays for travel and strange food I suppose – and Megan swears by green tea so here I sit and sip.
Last night we arrived off our long bus, happy to be still for a moment. A lady promised us a hostel so we followed her through the maze of narrow streets with cobbled stones smoothed by years of a past peoples treading. The buildings and streets are old but yet, the atmosphere screams modern tourist and the glitz of disneylandia sparkles ominously in every trinket filled shop or restaurant with keepers dressed in traditional Naxi gowns of bright colors – dancing to a music that seems to have been stolen from the dignity of the hills. The Naxi people – 300,000 live here, a minority holding on to its roots in the fragile almost fruitless way by allowing it to become an attraction. Yet, I am a stranger and I do not know – maybe this is the only way? I feel the sorrow that I cannot understand well inside – for the proud glory of a people who mostly remain only in a few stones and that have lost something of their independence – me, a westerner at heart, I cringe to think of lost independence, lost ways. Yet, there is hope for me – a hope that is extended to us – for the mountains and the hills they remember and hold their shape. Yesterday I saw this hope brilliant in an old grandmother with face like bunched up leather, smiling at her full cheeked grandson. Love and memories creased into her face like the wrinkles in the solemn hills we passed. At night I watched them and felt her, wisely tucking the city into bed with full- bodied blue shadows stealing across the valley and over the small dog guarding the roof nearby. Change comes and the new can be garish or serene but still she comes allowing perhaps only the land to remember with all the memories of love and sorrow pressed deep upon it, wearing it down until its Savior comes to renew and bring mighty justice to a fallen world making it whole. That is how I and perhaps she, this old mother, can be at peace and still smile into the red cheeked future, grinning at us like morning from the seat in front.
(Historical Note of Interest gleaned from Lonely Planet China 2005 – Li Jiang old town is the working remains of an ancient city built by the Naxi people (Tibeto-Burman). In 1996 a massive earthquake leveled Li Jiang killing more than 300 and injuring 16,000 but, while most of the new parts of Li Jiang were totaled, the traditional architecture of the Naxi people survived quite well. The Chinese government then spent lots of money rebuilding Li Jiang with the more traditional cobblestone and wood. Also the United Nations, highly impressed by the Naxi architecture, placed Li Jiang County on the World Heritage Site list in 1999 and put a large plaque up in the central square.)
Last Day in Li Jiang (Jan 9th)- Picture * Black Dragon Pond
Our last day in Li Jiang – tonight we take the night sleeper express “busser” (I quote the spelling on the sign) back to Kunming. This morning I woke with the sun – about 8am here – and took off for a walk in the chilly morning. I walked back to Black Dragon Pond – nihaoing to the early rising others also out to catch a bit of exercise in the clean crisp morning. I walked through the park and across/around Elephant Mountain, guarding Black Dragon Pond below, with my face always towards Jade Dragon Snow Mountain – my breathless noble hero. The park ended. I went on past young people waiting for a bus or inspiration or love – just waiting. I found the mountain, standing in glory beside the vegetable patches between tall bushy trees.
We packed – Josh and I wandered around – found temples – bought souvenirs – talked about life. We stopped at Wang Chan Palace and visited a temple – lit incense to watch the young monk, touring us around in a lazy simple fashion, gong the deep bell three times. We left money and gained an odd sense of suspicion or guilt – who knows.
A weathered old man sold us a copy of the Forgotten Kingdom by Peter Guollart and we are currently enjoying milk/yogurt shakes in a little hillside/good view spot that is under roof rehabilitation as we speak. Chunks of concrete rain down a few feet from us but oddly the sense of simple afternoon calm is maintained. Must be the blue sky and lightly warm mountain air that seem to undulate calmness all around.
Yesterday, we rented a shock-less little minivan and froze our way up through the mountains to Tiger Leaping Gorge – 2 ½ hours away. The sun was just coming up – our breath stood still in a cloud before our faces in the morning chill as the Gorge was still in deep shadow. We paid our 65Kuai and headed off – stepping quickly to bring warm blood to frozen toes. It was a well constructed path with long lit tunnels bypassing places with danger of mammoth rocks sliding down to crush innocent sight-seers. Guarding soldiers loitered around in thick green overcoats for our safety or to keep us minding the signs printed with badly translated amusing commands such as, “Notice the rocks slide, please is run about by cliff” and “Forbid throwing the rubbish to the bridge arbitrarily.”
Tiger Leaping Gorge. Inspiring. It is surprisingly deep – 40m average depth of blue clean water which leaps down, becoming a white tiger to surge around a huge boulder. It is the Yangsti river’s chance to come alive. The power overwhelms me and I stand a long moment, mesmerized by the chaos.
We spent the rest of the day driving back home and stopping often to hike about or buy coca-kele from small disorderly stores. The sky remains azure, breaking your heart with its honesty, and the sun drips life blood into the veins. I do not want to leave these mountains.
Kunming – Jan 10th
We arrived in Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, early this morning after a fitful tight sleep aboard the overnight bus from Li Jiang. Megan, Josh and I were bunched into a three-across bed with me in the narrow middle. Overnight buses support 3 rows of narrow bunk beds, 2 levels high, blankets included with bathroom in the middle. We each took one of Megan’s miracle Thai bought motion-sickness pills and rather passed out, dozing in and out of uncomfortable positions. Thankfully this made the drive pass quickly but we were none too happy to be dumped at the Kunming bus station before the sun had even awaken, leaving us to catch a taxi to the Camilia Hotel – a place recommended to us. Sadly, we arrived at said hotel only to find a disgruntled traveling woman screaming at the desk attendants and when we, hesitantly, inquired for a triple room we were given a very high price – too high for our short budgets. We trudged around, grumpy and laden, to find a nearby place – the price was a bit better but the staff less-than-welcoming and the added bed to the small double room, very uncomfortable.
I was feeling very overwhelmed, out of sorts, so I took a hot shower whilst Megan and Josh napped and then set out in the thickening dawn to a small café I had spied earlier. Now I sit here in cozy ‘City Café’, drinking milky Yunnan coffee, happily surprised by a wonderful breakfast of fried spicy tomatoes, eggs and a thick slice of brown toast. I relax into my book Hearing Birds Fly and am now able to greet the morning appropriately.
Kunming – Jan 13th Picture * Xi Shan
Today we leave Kunming – Josh and I heading to Shenzhen and then Hong Kong to hop our morning flight to Jakarta, Indonesia. Megan leaves for Thailand.
Josh and I have both come down with head colds so we are sniffling about drinking mass quantities of hot water with a comical zeal. We have checked out of our little hotel with the staff that seems always stressed out – staring into their little screens and speaking rapidly to hand held radios. Now we early await apple pie and coffee to celebrate our last day together.
Yesterday Josh took a break and stayed home to sleep and recover leaving Megan and I free to have a rather needed ‘girls day’ – (it has been a bit stressful lately in our 3’s-a-crowd group.) Megan and I left around 11am, caught at No. 5 bus and stepped right off to find a bus to XiShan (Western Mountains) immediately to our left. Pleased, we hopped on to find an amusing couple in charge – smiling swerving man as driver and ponytailed, sunhat topped, rosy cheeked woman yelling out the door with golden voice – searching for potential passengers. San Kuai to XiShan!!! Indeed. We climbed up and around the mountain, winding around hairpin turns and walking people. XiShan contains 12 Taoists palaces to different deities – some carved right out of the rock by a highly devoted monk hanging by fingertips to chisel intricate designs into the mountains. The view is breathtaking – though the breath-less-ness might be attributed to the steep stairs and continuous climbing up to see each palace.
The day before we had paid too much for a car to take us to the puzzling land of the Stone Forest to visit the less known Black Hills, which turned out to be a disaster as we were not allowed into the park. We took a few steps in to a peaceful stone forest looking park and keepers came to shoo us out, then, as we were sullenly debating what to do our driver decided we had finished touring and prepared to take us straight back to Kunming – probably thinking this was a grand deal for him, refusing to take us to the very popular tourist sight we had been trying to avoid due to a 140kuai entrance fee. Tempers certainly flared and grumpies set in but, after losing a good deal of Chinese face (a cultural disaster) he agreed to take us to the other park for no extra.
We arrived, got in for a little less due to non-expiring Student Cards from universities, and sat down to a little picnic – unwinding from our tense encounter to enjoy the amazing sights towering around us like craggy buccaneers. Stone Forest is a puzzling collection of boulders, tall and sharp, that seem to have been belched up by the deep sea and flung around upon a rolling meadow to stand at attention like fingers poking up at the sky. It is surreal and one can get lost within the maze of paths and steps constructed on and around the stones. We trekked as long as possible, frustrated that our taxi driver had insisted we return at an early hour, but then returning on time to find him leisurely washing his car leaving us to sit and wait. Oh how traveling can test the patience!
All in all, as we sit here to drink coffee and munch on flaky apple pie with rich homemade icecream, we agreed our travel together through Southern China was good. Please check out our pictures on my flickr site at www.flickr.com/photos/myawheeler/ Soon, I will post more about the next part of our travels to Indonesia and beyond…so stay tuned dear readers.
