Thursday, July 28, 2011

Where in the World is Captain America: Li River, China

Captain America, blurry and out of focus (oops), chilling after a cruise down the Li River.

Li River

*Written 22 July*

Yesterday can be summed in several key highlights:
  • River rafting down the Li River. The karsts, jutting abruptly out of the ground, gave a backdrop that rival Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. It's much easier to describe this in photos. See below.
  • Miz(ael), the Lebanese Mexican studying in San Diego, was a good conversationalist, light-hearted, and easily likeable. The bromance between him and Michael quickly blossomed.
  • Overendulging at the skewer place from the night before.
  • Tomos and Elwyn, the Dutch. Friendly, funny, and obsessed with South Park.
  • Looking up how to make a Cuba Libre, and then teaching the owner of Ming Palace hostel how to make it, hoping it would come out right. It was sooooooo good.






PS -  This should be interesting.

Guilin

*Written 20 July 2011*

We took a flight from Chengdu to Guilin because all the trains were booked for days, and our only other option was to take a 32 hour hard seat train to Nanning, and a five hour bus to Guilin. With less than a week left, we decided not to waste time and to spend the extra money.

Guilin has been really good to us. Our hostel upgraded us for free to a four bed room, which is like a hotel room. It's cozy, except for the doorless bathroom.

Karen and I made a visit to the Solitary Beauty Peak. We sat outside for awhile, chatting and eating lychee by a pond, before climbing it. It's literally a small mountain that juts out of a completely flat area.

From there, our feet carried us to a "scenic spot" of another three random peaks. We split up, and I went to a mostly empty part near the Li River. While climbing, I was completely alone (despite that weird feeling of not being alone that gives you the chills) for the longest period of time since entering China. I sat around and found a spot to wait for the sunset. Before the sun went into hiding, I had plenty of time to think about things, stuff, and what not.

I met up with Karen again, who had an almost unfortunate run in with a monkey. We took tons of night shots before grabbing dinner at a delicious skewer stall. We spent $6 each on broccoli, pork, chicken, mushrooms, cabbage, scallions, potato, and squid. The broccoli was the best thing I've ever had. Before returning to the hostel, we grabbed a drink and people watched on a chic pedestrian street.

Once back at the hostel, we reconnecting with Misha, who made friends with some Dutch guys - Tomos, Thomas, and Elwyn.





PS - Putting so much effort into this, I hope it works out.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Pandas Make Me a Happy Panda

Red Pandas rival Giant Pandas in cuteness. 

Pro-Tibet Pandas? 

Tired Panda. 

Tryin'-to-climb Panda 

Playful Panda

Stop Motion Panda
PS - What's holding you back?

I Chengdu, Do You?

Water droplets flying off as they pitter patter against a rock in a Buddhist temple complex.

A random giant circle coming out of a pond, and its reflection. 

Two of China's greatest pasttimes: playing cards, and watching other people play cards. 

Old friends. 

Chinese guys are into fashion. And man purses. 

 An instructional guide on how to worship and revere Mao Zedong.

Soon to be eaten? 

I'm just as confused as you are.

PS - Excited and nervous.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Chengdu Highlights

Our visit to Chengdu was kinda unexpected (we only came here because we couldn't get a train ticket to our desired destination of Guilin, so we came to Chengdu to get out of Xian). Chengdu is a really great city - the people are so nice (especially at Mix Hostel), the food is all spicy, and it has a comfortable big city/small town feel.

SO, here are the highlights:
  • Not being able to book tickets to Guilin or Nanning, and subsequently having no idea what to do next.
  • Trying to get a cab... The first cab we hailed opened the trunk, and before we put our bags in zoomed off for no reason, trunk still wide open. The second one was looking at our hostel's address, until a security guard walked over and pointed at the cab driver like the evil Family Guy monkey, causing the driver to shove the address back into Michael's hand and floor it. Our third cab took us, but couldn't find it.
  • Reading several dire warnings on the stall of a tiolet about Chengdu's famous hot pot, and the effect they have on one's gastro-intestinal system.
  • "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail you'll have one hell of an adventure!"
  • Accidently booking a thirty-two hour hard seat train to Nanning, thinking it was eight hours. Returning them, and booking plane tickets to Guilin instead. A two hour flight beats two days of traveling, considering we only have five days left in China.
  • Wenshu Monastery
  • Walking for hours.
  • Jinli Street - "Tibetan Street" - the delicious food and dried peppers and peanut mix.
  • HOT POT. Om nom nom.
  • The Panda Research Base Camp. Pandas (and red pandas) are so much cuter in person.
  • Watching a video about panda mating and child rearing habits which included panda-on-panda rape and mother pandas bitchslapping their newborn babies.
PS - Still none...? =/

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Xian, continued

*Written 17 July 2011*

Two days ago, Michael and I had an uneventful day - staying inside to blog and organize photographs. Karen went to the Temple of the Eight Immortals. The only time I left during the day was to get delicious beef, lamb, and squid skewers. Which was followed by a drink and shot in the hotel bar (Michael abstained) to celebrate the fact that we somehow made it through two months without killing each other. The shot that we had was sambuca with a squirted glob of cream in it... it was disgusting. I will neither share the name nor describe exactly what it looked like here. For details, please inquire. After the drinks, we hit the streets with a beer in hand, a douche bag American named Eric (from Jersey), and a very friendly German named David. If you would like to know what makes Eric such a douche bag, you may inquire along with the shot details... but it had to do with being openly degrading to women. After a crude gang bang joke about a group of Asians walking by, Karen and I finished our beers and stormed away from Eric on the street. We stopped in the bathroom before hitting the sack. Karen stood in the mirror, hands over her mouth and nose, repeating frantically, "I'm going to punch him in the face."

Yesterday, I went to the bird market in Xian by myself, thinking Karen had went there (since I couldn't find her in the hostel and she said she wanted to go). After a pleasant one hour long stroll, I arrived at the bird market. Walking past the vendors, I contemplated what went into the naming of the market, considering an absence of birds, and an abundance of vegetables. My reasoning was that this is China, and nothing ever makes sense.



I then wandered into a park and sat around, taking in my surroundings. One guy pulled out some type of Chinese violin and started playing beautiful traditional music - not for money, just for fun. I sat there, a smile on my face as I remembered why I don't listen to my iPod whilst exploring abroad. I'd hate to miss a pleasant surprise such as that.



After the park, I walked to East Street in an attempt to find a cinema playing Harry Potter. The woman at the hostel told me there were theatres all up and down that street. Thirty minutes of searching both sides of the street brought me into a run down theatre, which was being turned into the only thing China really needs more of: a shopping mall. I gave up, acknowledging that if I found a theatre, it probably wouldn't be showing Harry Potter - considering when I googled 'Xian Harry Potter,' I got over a dozen stories about book burnings in the city. Even if I was lucky enough to find it, it'd probably be in Chinese. I guess I'll have to wait.

Back at the hostel, I went through the forty videos I've taken on this trip, and marvelled in the thought that St. Petersburg and the Trans-Siberian Railway were still part of this same trip. A nap and a listen to the album 'UN' by Dan Black took up the time until Michael and Karen returned from separate adventures in the Muslim Quarter (for Michael) and a trek along the city wall (for Karen).

We spent the rest of the night inside, planning the end of our tour of China and chatting with Ben the Belgian bartender, baker, and chef, who aspires to be a tour guide.

PS - It's funny to think of all the little decisions and occurrences that lead to such major and influential moments. What if I hadn't sent that text message? Spent an extra five minutes there? What if you didn't go that night?

Where in the World is Captain America: Terracotta Soldier Site, Xian, China

Captain America, emulating the Terracotta Warriors. He at least has something in common with them... they were all 'Made in China'.


Xian: Big Goose Pagoda and Big Clay Armies

*Written 14 July 2011*

Yesterday's highlights took the form of a tuk-tuk ride, a visit to the Big Goose Pagoda, and a photo and culinary expedition in the Muslim Quarter.

Big Goose Pagoda




If he were a rich man... yubadeebadeebayubadeebadeebadeebadum

The Muslim Quarter




The Drum Tower 

Quail egg skewers. Om nom nom. 



The Bell Tower

Today's highlight was unequivocally the Terracotta Warriors. When we got to the site, we hired a tour guide for the same price as an audio guide... although she originally quoted us 30 Yuan/person (which she thought would equal 120 Yuan), we ended up paying 40 each (yeah, apparently not all Asians are good at math). Either way, Mimi's services were much appreciated. The warriors were epic, and it was easy to visualize the grandeur of it's former glory, even when most soldiers were not yet pieced back together, or even uncovered. When 2,000 life-sized clay soldiers are staring you in the face, it's pretty damn intimidating. We even got to see the farmer who discovered the soldiers by digging a well ten feet from the front line of the statues.

The Terracotta Warriors




When we returned, we moved to a new hostel, because the old one was booked. Shuyuan is pretty awesome - with all of the same things that Han Tang had, but with a serious bar and even snazzier decor.

At night, we had a few drinks in the hopping bar with a friendly Belgian named Ben.

PS - How does one find happiness when they're happy in making others happy, but often sacrifice their own happiness in doing so?

Where in the World is Captain America: Hua Shan, China

Captain America hiding from the Commis in red prayer ribbons at Hua Shan's 2154.9 meter summit, known as the South Peak.

Hua Shan, Xian, and Immense Exhaustion

*Written 11 and 12 July 2011*

Our train from Zhengzhou to Hua Shan was the start of one of the worst segments of our trip, thus far. The beds to which we were assigned had used sheets - mine had egg shells, Michael's had a dead fly, and Karen's had a fat and sweaty half naked man. The floor and table were lined with Buddha-knows-what, and our fan was broken. The disgustingness of the train wasn't enough to shake us, as we're used to stuff like that, but it added to the misery of Hua Shan village.
 
Upon our early arrival in Hua Shan, we were heckled by a cab-pimp, who tried to get us in one of his taxi-stitues for 20 kuai, despite all having a meter. We tried to get in other cabs, but they all feared the wrath of the cab-pimp, who yelled at one guy for originally agreeing to take us... which then resulted in the rescinding of his offer. With no other option, we paid 20 kuai to go to an overpriced hotel. We then walked quite sometime to find a hotel, since the next cab we got into tried to charge us 20 kuai. We told him to piss off and got out. The rundown piece of crap hotel room that we decided on was the same cost for all three of us as a cab ride, which is better than the 400+ Yuan rooms we kept finding. Since this town sucks so damn much, we decided to scrap our three day plan and climb the mountain today, so we could leave that evening.

At 11:30 AM we began our ascent up Hua Shan. We took a closed off stairwell that was literally vertical. The mountain was intense - visually and physically. We made it to the North Peak after a difficult two hour climb, and were greeted by a sea of cable car riding tourists. At around 2:15 PM, I lost track of Michael and Karen, and headed to the South Peak via the Central Peak. The South Peak, rising 2100+ meters into the heavens, is the summit of this sacred Taoist mountain. I took no breaks, in an effort to find Michael and Karen, until around 4:15 PM, when I found a group of obnoxious American high school pals who said they saw them not too long ago. I popped a squat in a nice shady area... at this point, my body shaking and drenched in sweat, and my shirt caked in salts (Gandhi didn't have to march 240 miles to make his own salt, he could have just climbed this mountain). They speculated that  my travel companions would be there in 30-40 minutes. I sat around until about 5:15, relocated, and waited until 6:00. By this time, I assumed they had somehow passed me, and I made my way for the cable car line (or should I say cluster f*ck). While in line, I looked back and found them arriving into the hoard at 6:25... lucky for them, as I was the only one with enough cash for the cable car tickets. By 7:30, we pushed our way through the "line" and got on a cable car.


 I can't help but think of Led Zepplin's 'Stairway to Heaven'

 The top of the world, as seen from Hua Shan.
From the South Peak, the summit of Hua Shan.


When we returned to our piece of shit hotel room, we ate, packed, and headed to the train station. They luckily had three tickets for Xian two hours after our arrival at the station. We had standing tickets to an overcrowded train, which was thankfully only 1.5 hours. Once in Xian, we took a cab to a hostel recommended by Lonely Planet. The hostel was already booked, so they told us to try a place to the left, left, and on the left. That place was full too, and suggested taking a right, right, and going to the same hostel we had just been to. Not knowing what to do, we sat in their lobby, played with kittens, and tried to find another place online. Everything was booked. While waiting, a group of Brits came in with the same dilemma. They asked to sleep on the sofas in the lobby, and the hostel opened them up for 10 Yuan a person .

We woke up at 6:30 AM to go to Han Tang Hostel, which we booked for the next night. The original location in Lonely Planet was boarded up, so we found some help in a nearby hotel. On the phone, we were told that they had moved near the Bell Tower.

We walked to the Bell Tower, completely exhausted from the previous day, and found a giant structure with at least five streets stemming from it. "Near the Bell Tower," my ass! That's like telling someone their place is "near Dupont Circle," or "near the National Mall"... you could spend hours searching for a place "near" those locations! We finally stumbled upon the hostel in an alley a few blocks from the landmark.

The hostel, rated #1 in Asia and #10 worldwide by Hostelbookers, is really quite a find. Good location (once you know where it is), friendly staff, tons of cool patrons, activities galore (tonight is free dupling night, game night, and they're offering free ping pong lessons), they have a rooftop garden and sauna, a bar, DVDs, and comfy rooms with a private (CLEAN) bathroom. Best $9 a night ever. Normally we wouldn't be so keen on staying inside the hostel, but after a week of constant travel, sleep deprivation, no internet, and physical exhaustion - a day inside this place feels like Heaven. Our only trip outside was for street food - this city offering unique, Musilim-influenced fare.

We haven't been in Xian long, but the city feels like a scaled back Beijing, with an interesting, Muslim twist.

Oh, and the red Xian Expo 2011 character that lines the streets and shops is both adorable, yet oddly unnerving.


PS - I'm ready. I think.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Where in the World is Captain America: The Shaolin Temple, China

Captain America practicing his kung fu at the Shaolin Temple.
Captain America thinking of becoming a Zen monk at the Shaolin Temple near Dengfeng.