Pages From My Passport

Thursday, July 14, 2011

36.5 Hours of Travel and the Shaolin Temple

*Written 10 July 2011*

We left Little Likeng a little before noon on the Seventh. After a minibus to Wuyuan, a bus to Huang Shan, a taxi to the train station, a rickshaw ride and a visit to our favorite skewer boys, a train to Hefei, a train to Bengbu, a taxi to Bengbunan station, a high speed rail to Zhengzhou (where we met a really nice Georgetown alum named Christina, teaching English in Zhengzhou), and then a walk to our hotel, we finally made it through 36.5 hours of travel.

The Ninth was spent recovering from the exhaustion and the one hour of sleep I fit in, out of the day and a half of traveling.

Zhengzhou is a surprisingly large city - with all of the worst aspects of Shanghai and Beijing combined. Overcrowded, smoggy, under construction, and teeming with shops and malls. Zhengzhou's only redeeming qualities are the mouth watering array of street food (unlike the food we've seen elsewhere) and in serving as the closest rail station to the Shaolin Temple.

Last night we stumbled upon a magical alley with vendors galore. We had spicy french fry type things, smokey ground fish hot dogs with spicy sauce and wrapped in a thin Asian tortilla, fried bread filled with spicy noodles, sweet and spicy shaved pork and lettuce sandwiches, squid skewers, dumpling balls, and a sandwich best described as an Asian taco. Chinese food is super complicated, but so easy to describe - frickin' delicious.

At 9:40 AM we embarked for the Shaolin Temple, the birth of kung fu and Zen Buddhism is East Asia. The temple complex was huge and insanely touristy, but it was worth the trip. I've wanted to visit this sacred site for years. The Shaolin Temple was mostly rebuilt in the '80s and even as late as 2004, after having been largely destroyed in the 1920s during war. Despite this, the essence and character of the temple still shone through. We spent a few hours there, basking in said essence, taking pictures, and contemplating life.

We managed to find a bus from there back to Zhengzhou, where we overendulged in street food once more. In a few hours, we will board a train to Hua Shan - one of our most anticipated destinations!

Delicious noodle-filled pastries.

Squid skewers are the most delicious food in all of China.

The Shaolin Temple

PS - "Dig" by Incubus

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

China: Observations and Comments

China is a strange, yet awesome place. Here are a few things that I've noticed about the world's most populated country.

When most people think of China, they envision themselves walking down a small and misty alley, being bowed to by monks in rickshaws drawn by shoeless peasants in hats. Well, the alleys and hats are real... But I've seen more monks on GW's campus than in China, and rickshaws are mostly motorized.
As a foreigner, it's completely normal to be subject to blatant stares and calls of "laowei" (old foreigner). Also, expect to be in about 800 photos by the time you leave.
Street food > restaurants
It's impossible to find a bad noodle dish or dumpling.
The people are incredibly friendly and helpful to Westerners. Those that aren't are just miserable to everyone.
There's an interesting gap between generations - young people are focused on fashion, and the ideal young man is a "gentle" soul... you won't see many gentle or fashionable older guys, though. Quite the opposite. The fashionable-ness of the Chinese is astounding.
Most people know, "hello" and "yes," and they think it's applicable in any and every situation.
Often times, people will walk past you and from about ten feet away they'll turn around and say, "how are you?", "where are you come from?", etc. It's kind of awkward to answer these questions, from such a distance and after such an elapsed time of passing someone.
Transportation - particularly the roads, signs, metros, trains, and taxis - put every American city and state to shame.
People wear shirts with hilarious attempts at English... "I never wear underwear," "Mind Jesus," "Today, I'm feeling depressed" (with a winking bear), "Sexuality is,.. flow," and the list goes on and on.
If you say "Nihao" in response to "hello," it's assumed you speak fluent Chinese.
Shoes are a big deal. For men, white is in. For women, anything really flashy and bedazzled goes.
It's totally normal to walk around singing or blasting music from an MP3 player or stereo. How '80s.
Since being pale is beautiful here, parasols are ubiquitous.
Hacking and spitting your phlegm anywhere is a thing here.
Never pay more than 1/3 of the originally quoted price for anything except hostels and trains/buses.
Cards and gambling are a favorite pasttime of the Chinese.
The best way to beat the heat is ice cream... and lots of it.
You can buy anything and everything in China... except deodorant. And men's shoes above US size 9.
Mao is God. No questions.
When men get hot, they roll their shirt up halfway to show the world their stomach. Unfortunately for everyone, only overweight men do this. Yum. *Vomit*
China is so massive, and everything is so worth seeing that it's nearly impossible to really take it all in.
The only thing Communist about China is the hammer and sickle plastered everywhere. It's more of an authoritarian capitalist socialist hodge podge.
Since it's the year of the rabbit, there are rabbit and bunny merchandise and decorations EVERYWHERE. You don't even have to look hard to find live ones.
The Chinese don't really eat weird animals and insects. But they eat every part of the animals you'd see in any American restaurant.
There's a KFC on almost every block. And at 5AM, their bathrooms become more popular than "Imma let you finish jokes" circa 2009.
Old Chinese people are the most adorable and intriguing elderly folk this side of the Asteroid Belt. Every wrinkle tells a million stories. Every smile warms your soul.
98% of Chinese dogs are little. Chihuahuas, mini-poodles, corgis, and some really ugly squashed face thing being the most common.
If you think you bought something unique, take five steps down the road and realize that every vendor is selling the same knock-off thing that you just spent too much on. *Cough*Karen*Cough*Pocketwatch*Cough*
White, blonde girls in China draw similar reactions to a presidential visit to GW.
If things are going smoothly and according to plan... just wait.
Climbing holy mountains will make your body scream, "holy sh*t!" So painful. So worth it. Don't take the cable car up.

PS - One year, ten months, and one day says a lot.

Where in the World is Captain America: Atop Buddha's Belly, Little Likeng, China

Captain America seeking good luck by rubbing the Buddha's belly.

Where in the World is Captain America: Rice Paddies in Little Likeng, China

Captain America getting ready to do what Americans do best... consume carbs.

Little Likeng

Written 6 July 2011.

The Huang Shan bus station took us to the Wuyuan bus station, where we had two orders each of some of the most delicious noodles in China. Then a cab took us to the Wuyuan North bus station, and a small bus took us to a random intersection, from where we walked quite some time to Little Likeng. This quant, insanely picturesque village was the perfect respite from our city hopping adventures.

After finding a room, we got lost in a field of rice paddies. I ditched Michael and Karen, and went 'splorin' on my own.

This place is so beautiful, so rustic, so captivating, that nothing could prevent me from falling in love... not even being whacked in the face with a fishing rod by an angry eight year old.

My adventures brought me past gambling, ducks, the most photogenic candle in the world, happy Buddhas, pepper plants, dried vegetables, intrigued shopkeepers, tight alleyways, reflective rivers, moldy and partially eaten produce, chipped paint, mossy walls, tea shopps, children in assless chaps (they do this instead of diapers), and so much more.

I've never found so much beauty in every inch of a place. I've never sweat so much - and didn't care. I've never eaten so much ice cream - in an effort to cool off. I've never been to a place like this. Off of the more mainstream international tourist route, this town is a true gem in this fast paced country... frozen in time.

Now, I'm off to fall asleep to the sound of toads chirping. Peace.

Rice paddies as far as the eye can see.

Putting new meaning to "walking on egg shells"?

Someone needs a Wet One.

The kid on the left was the one who whacked me in the face with his fishing rod.

Mmm, tea.

Mmm, fresh chicken.

PS - And I'm on the bleachers...

Monday, July 4, 2011

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

Captain America hunting the Na'vi in ~~Pandora~~ Huang Shan, China

Captain America and myself at the 6,115 foot peak on Huang Shan in China. This picture drew hoardes of laughter and photo-taking... I'm probably one of a hundred with this photograph.

Huang Shan... or should I say Pandora?

"You should see your faces!" laughed Trudy, turning to her passengers as they approached Pandora's Hallelujah Mountains. James Cameron's 'Avatar' laid out a mystical and utterly stunning world, one inspired by Huang Shan and a few other places in China (like Zhangjiajie).

As we hiked from the drop off point to the highest peak, at 6,115 feet, I heard Trudy's voice. "You should see your faces!" While I was not on Pandora, I sure as heck felt like it. The jagged cliffs, dotted with ancient pine trees; the low lying clouds, and the sheer otherworldly atmosphere had me saying, "Hallelujah," indeed!

It took us four hours to walk up countless steps to reach the peak, and we saw very few foreigners on the climb. Approaching the base at which the cable car unloads the unadventrous, I couldn't help but laugh. Hundreds of tourists, with matching hats and all, were being herded around like frantic sheep, gawking at the beauty around them. Well hey guys, I had to work for that darn view! It took me three and a half hours to get to the base point. It took all of them 10 minutes and 80 quay. So ha! My experience was much more meaningful, I don't regret a second of it. We did take the cable car down, I had to admit, but it was only because the last bus was to leave at 5PM, and we wouldn't make it in time had we started walking by the time we were finished. C'est la vie. The climb up is the more important part. :-P

Upon our return from Huang Shan, we cleaned up and ate some frickin' amazing street food. Noodles, and skewers, and ice cream - oh my! When it got dark, we sat outside our hostel and chatted for awhile, watching the Chinese watching us watching them. They took photos of us and with us. Some discreetly, most of the time not so much. The crowd of Chinese onlookers got really excited when we began playing the Mongolian ankle bone game. At one point, I turned to make my move, and half a dozen flashes went off. I felt like Tom Cruise. Wait, no, he's insane and washed up. I felt like....... George Clooney. No, he's a prick. Barack Obama? Idk, I felt like someone famous - you get the picture. It's weird to have paparazzi and a crowd just for being yourself. But hey, I guess now I know how people feel when I take pictures of them playing cards or selling stinky tofu.

Here are some photos of Huang Shan. Keep an eye out for giant blue people, they might be somewhere among the trees... probably playing the ankle bone game with Krishna, or the Smurfs.

PS - Letters??

Tunxi

Tunxi will be remembered for three things: as a base point for Huang Shan, as having a really China-chic Old Town, and as a culinary extravaganza.

The food here is delicious. Noodles with about 50 ingredients, spicy skewers of all sorts, dumpling soups, and coconut ice cream. Yummmm.

There isn't much more to say about this place, so here are some photos: