一月

In exactly one month, my plane should be touching down at BWI airport. Where did the time go?

The Whore of the Orient and The Most Beautiful City in the World

For those of you who are visual people, here are a few pictures of my recent trip to Shanghai and Suzhou. Enjoy!

Shanghai!
Suzhou!

On My Own

Before coming to China I wouldn’t have called myself independent. I know, you might be thinking, “You went to China alone, that’s pretty independent”. But truth be told, I preferred doing things with friends to doing them alone. If someone was going to the supermarket, I might have just gone along to spend time with another person.

Living in China on my own hasn’t done much to support this habit. Although I do have a site mate who lives four floors below me, I live alone. I do my grocery shopping alone, I take the bus alone, and I cook by myself for myself. And beginning last weekend, I also travel alone. Though I knew that I would inevitably become more independent during my time in China, I would never have guessed that I would take such a step.

I had hoped to be able to travel to Shanghai this year; a year which is quickly coming to a close. Due to the odd scheduling of midterms this semester, Kelly and I had different days off and so could not travel together. After taking a quick glance at my calendar, I realized that I could either go to Shanghai while my students were taking the midterms by myself or not go at all. I thought about it for a few hours and decided that “The Paris of the East” was a good city for my first solo trip, so I went.

Thanks to the miracle of Facebook, I sent a message to my Chinese teacher, Beibei, who recently moved to Shanghai. I told her that I would be coming and that I hoped she would have time to meet with me. I hoped that she would be interested in grabbing lunch one day, but she had something entirely different in mind. Beibei and her boyfriend, Steve, were so kind as to put their entire weekend on hold to show me their new city. They took me to the Bund, the French Concession, Old Town, and the Shanghai Museum. Before leaving for the trip I was a little worried that I would get bored of myself after spending four days alone. Thanks to Beibei and her friends, I didn’t have time to find out if my fears were valid. We spent 4 great days together.

While writing this entry I’ve begun wonder if this trip should even counts as my premier solo travel experience. I spent so much time with my friends in Shanghai that I was barely “solo” the entire time. I’m going it to leave you to make up your own mind, but I think I’m going to count it. People who have traveled with me know that the worst part of traveling together happens before we even leave. I get nervous about everything and anything. I went through that whole process alone, thinking I would be traveling alone. I bore all the fears I had about being by myself, which for me is the most awful part.

So, no, I don’t think that I would like to travel around Europe for two months alone like other people I know, but I can travel to an unfamiliar, Chinese city by myself with far less fears than I have imagined having. Take that independence!

For You Viewing Pleasure

At long last, here are the links to the photo albums containing photos from my recent trip. There are 486 photos in all, so try not to wear yourself out looking at them all at once.

Hong Kong, China
Bangkok, Thailand
Auytthaya, Thailand
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Mekong River Cruise, Laos
Luang Prabang, Laos
Vientiane, Laos
Si Phan Don, Laos
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Kompong Khleang, Cambodia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hanoi, Vietnam
Halong Bay, Vietnam

Spring Festival Overview

Numbers:
# of days traveled: 31
# of countries: 6
# of currencies: 7
# of visas: 3
# of passport stamps: 14
# of extra pages added to my passport: 24
# of US Embassies visited: 1
# of cities: 13
# of times stranded in a city we did not intend on visiting: 2
# of UNESCO World Heritage Sites: 6
# of long distance buses: 5
# of buses missed: 1
# of trains: 7
# of flights: 4
# of unplanned flights: 2
# of boats: 2
# of days spent on boats: 4
# of elephants ridden: 1
# of bikes rented: 2
# of times ripped off by taxi/ tuk-tuk drivers: 10+
# of hotels: 12
# of bungalows: 1
# of animals found it the bungalow: 3 + bugs
# of insects willfully consumed: 1
# of fruit shakes: 21
# of bug bites: 50+
# of sun burns: 2
# of temples visited: too many to count
# of mosques visited: 2
# of random run ins with friends: 2
# of miles biked in Siem Reap: 45
# of things lost: 4
# of things broken: 6
# of times we did laundry: 2
# of times we had no idea what was going on: incalculable
# of people put into their place after they tried to rip us off: many
# of times we wanted to burn the LP: millions
# of books read: 4
# of scarves and bags purchased: an embarrassing number
# of dollars saved with our super bargaining skills: countless
# of dollars spent nonetheless: too many
# of dollars spent on visas: $108
# of pictures taken: 2186
# of new friends: dozens


The Best:
Meal: Chiang Mai
Fruit Shake: Chiang Mai
Street Food: Bangkok
Bus: Vientiane to Pakse
Train: Vietnam to Hengyang
Hotel: Siem Reap
Temple: Angkor Wat
Buddha: Bangkok
Bathroom: Hanoi
Airport: Hong Kong
Public Transportation: Bangkok
English: Kuala Lumpur
People: Kuala Lumpur
Tour Guide: Chiang Mai
Foreign Friends: Halong Bay
Knock-off Goods: Kuala Lumpur
Mall: Kuala Lumpur
Market: Bangkok

Oh, please, no! Not more delicious tropical fruit!

During the Vietnam War, hundreds of US pilots who were downed in the northern Vietnam area, including Senator John McCain, were detained in Hao Lo Prison, which is located in Hanoi. The prison was originally built by the occupying French to hold political prisoners. The Vietnamese who were imprisoned in Hao Lo were no doubt treated poorly and suffered extensively. Today, portions of the prison remain and are on display as a memorial and museum.

The curators of the prison did a very good job of showing how horrific life in the prison was during French occupation. The food, bathroom facilities, and living spaces were clearly inadequate. Leg braces, a guillotine, and prison uniforms are all on display for visitors to get a better idea of how terribly the prisoners were treated.

The curators were, however, a bit less detailed when it came to the US soldiers housed in the prison. According to Lonely Planet, Southeast Asia on a Shoestring, Senator John McCain is unable to lift his arms above his head due to torture he experienced at Hao Lo, where he tried to commit suicide twice. This aspect of life in Hao Lo was – how should I say it – “overlooked” when the exhibit was being designed. Instead the displays show pictures of happy inmates decorating a Christmas tree, singing songs together, and attending Christmas mass. Brand new-looking clothing, which was “worn” by one of the many US soldiers who “enjoyed” their time in “Hanoi Hilton”, as the prison was known during the war, is on display is several cases. Another case shows a letter which was allegedly sent back to America by one of the inmates tells of the delicious tropical fruits he ate, the songs about his home state that he sang with his friends, and the many other fun things he had been up to.

The account of Hao Lo clearly varies greatly depending on the source. Since obviously neither source is lying or exaggerating, I think we have to assume that the torture that John McCain speaks of must refer to the delicious tropical fruits. Lifting juicy pineapple, papaya, and jackfruit to one’s mouth day after day could permanently hurt the arms. Let that be a lesson to you. Be careful about the amount of delicious tropical fruits you eat, it could permanently scar you.

Dress in Islam

Rather than give you a play by play of my time in Malaysia, I’d like to let you read experts from a pamphlet I picked up at the Malaysian National Mosque. I’m not posting this here to laugh at or make fun of what they have to say. I just think it’s really interesting to take a minute to think about things from the “other side.” It’s rare that one is able to see things through another’s eyes, so I’d thought I’d share this opportunity with you. Furthermore, though I clearly don’t agree with everything they write, some of their points are actually valid.

Dress in Islam

“The very same headscarf revered as a sign of ‘holiness’ when worn by Catholic Nuns, is reviled as a sign of ‘oppression’ when worn by Muslim women.”

Western politicians and media criticize Islam as anti-women. … Just about everything that feminists in the West strived for in the ‘70s was already available to Muslim women 1400 years ago. Woman enjoy more protection and respect within Islam compared to any other faith. … In the spiritual realm, women are equal to men as the only distinction amongst the Believers is the level of their piety. Western politicians and media portray Islam as anti-women’s rights by highlighting cultural and political practices in Muslim lands that have nothing to do with Islam. …Muslims regard the West’s attacks on Islam as nothing by hypocrisy as reflected in their backing of groups that suppress human rights in Muslim lands. The hegemonic control of the oil and natural gas reserves in Muslim lands is the primary goal of the Western powers. … Every aspect of Islam is now under a magnifying glass – to search for subjects to distort and misrepresent Islam as backward and violent. They do not spare even the hijab, the dress of the Muslim women. They highlight it as ‘proof’ of women’s servitude in Islam. … The Muslim woman seeks spiritual beauty. Her hijab is an external expression of her inner commitment to lead a way of life that pleases Allah The Most Merciful. Rather than make rules of dress styles, Islam teaches both men and women how to be modest and humble in their dressing. The dress of the Muslims must be loose enough to hide the shape of the body. … Islam does not require a person to dress totally in black, blue, or green. Only saffron, the color associated with polytheists, is prohibited as dress color for Muslims. … Most hijab wearing women do not cover their face and hands. A small though highly visible minority wear a face veil (niqab). They have been harassed and discriminated in the ‘liberal’ West. … Cultural practices and personal choices are constantly highlighted to portray Islam as a backward religion that needs modernization. .. Islam redirects humankind from the false worship of created things to the true worship of The Lord of all created things.

Angkor What?

Before I started any serious planning for my Winterbreak trip to Southeast Asia, the one place I knew that I wanted to visit was Siem Reap, Cambodia, which is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor. Angkor is a complex of Hindu and Buddhist temples, the most well-known being Angkor Wat. I first learned about Angkor a few years ago while watching 1,000 Places to See Before You Die on my beloved TravelChannel. The Ulle's spent an entire episode in Cambodia, the majority featuring Angkor. At the time I thought the temples were amazingly beautiful and that it would be incredible to visit the site, but at the time I never imagined I too would get the chance only a few years later.
Though the visit had a rocky start, Caroline and I had a most enjoyable time. We were both overwhelmed by the size and complexity of the temples. We spent the first day visiting some of the outlying temples with the help of a tuk-tuk driver and the next day woke at 4:00 am in order to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. We rode bikes in the pitch-dark to Angkor, praying the enitre time that we wouldn't be killed by the tuk-tuks and tour buses that were whizzing past. Everything ended up just fine and Caroline and I lived to see the sun rise another day, this day over one of the most beautiful temples in the world. By the end of the day, we had ridden over 45 miles to visit 6 temples! Our final day in Angkor was spent visiting Angkor Wat itself. While it wasn't what I expected, it was magnificent and I'm so happy I was able to see it during my lifetime.
All of this, though, might not be what I remember most about my time in Cambodia. During the afternoon on the third day, Caroline and I decided to visit a "floating" village. The village is not actually floating, rather built on high stilts. To get there, we had to take a tuk-tuk, ride motorcycles, and then take two boats. The village is built in a area that is severly affected by the change in water levels during the rainy season. From the water marks that we saw, it appears the water rises over 8 feet during wet season. While it was fascinating to see the changes these people have made to their lives to allow for the changing water levels, the most interesting part of this visit was that it wasn't all touristed up. We did see some other tourists in the area, but for the most part, I felt like I was getting an authentic glimpse into the lives of the villagers here. There weren't really many people who spoke English, there weren't small children trying to sell me bracelets, guide books, and postcards, and there weren't women calling out "Lady, lady you want cold drink?" It was very refreshing and nice to be able to travel in a place that wasn't catering to my every need, as weird as that sounds. Although everything was set up for me, it felt a tiny bit like I was forging my own path and meeting the locals where they were, rather then having them come to me all the time. Because of this, I will remember Cambodia as a place where I was able to see real people, in their traditional and "natural" environment.

Make New Friends

Traveling throughout Southeast Asia has allowed me to see things I never dreamed I would. I remember watching “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” on the TravelChannel a few years ago and thinking that I would never in my life see those things. And now here I am! Every morning I wake up and am shocked to remember that I’m in Laos.
What’s almost more exciting than riding elephants, swimming in waterfalls, and visiting Buddhist temples is meeting other travel junkies like myself. A few days ago my travel companion, Caroline, and I had the “pleasure” of taking a slow-boat down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos. For two straight days we were squished into a small boat with 124 fellow travelers for at least nine hours each day. Each person had only a small wooden bench where they could make themselves “comfortable” during the journey.
This could have been a terrible, terrible experience. And while it wasn’t the most relaxing trip, it was a fun one. Caroline and I were able to meet some very interesting people from all over the world. We meet an older British couple who are on their fourth trip to the area, a middle aged American traveling alone, as well as a young Canadian couple who are on their fourth month of a year long trip around the world. These people had fascinating stories to tell of their travels in Southeast Asia and other places. The boat trip could have been deathly boring, but instead became fun and interesting with the help of the other tourists.
As this is my first time “backpacking,” I didn’t expect me meet so many interesting people. It has been a most welcomed addition to my travel experiences. These people have really left a mark on my trip, as I hope I have on theirs.

King Good, Government Bad

The Chinese love Mao. He's on the money, he's on posters in peoples' homes (even I have a painting in my apartment), and his statue stands in various places all over the country. He is looked up to by children and adults alike. There is no question that his name lives on in the hearts and minds of his people.

This all is nothing compared to the love the Thai people have for their king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The kind taxi driver that drove Caroline and I from the airport to our hostel in Bangkok said, "King good, Government bad," only 5 minutes after we got in his taxi. Apparently he likes the king. The king's picture is proudly displayed all over the town. Large portraits and small pictures can be seen at almost every turn. In fact, the Internet cafe I'm sitting in has several photos of the king on the wall next to pictures of the Buddha. Let's just say that after 5 days in the country I could pick him out of a line up.

At first I was a little confused as to why the Thai people love their king so much. The UK and Denmark have royalty, but they don't seem to revere hi as much as the Thai people. Then it occurred to me. Thailand has had so many coups and governments over the past years. Leaders have come and gone. Politics has changed drastically many times. One such example was in the news only a few weeks ago when protesters closed the Bangkok airport for several days. The one consistent during these troubled times has been the king. He has seen much during his 81 years. According to this article by the BBC, the king's reign has seen 17 military coups and 29 prime ministers. I'm not sure that we've seen that much change in the 230 years that the US has been a country. It's good to know that the Thai people have something they can hold on to during times of upheaval. I hope he is able to see them through the times of crisis that are certain to visit this beautiful country in the future.

I <3 HK

Someone once said that Hong Kong is where East meets West. I disagree. I would argue that Hong Kong is a transplant of the West in the East, which happens to be populated by Chinese people. Hong Kong was everything and had everything that Zhuzhou does not. Hong Kong is a place where people are not likely to push an elderly woman out of their way to get on the bus. People don't spit in the bus and on the street, don't encourage their children to use public trash cans as toilets, and didn't stare at my every move. Everything that I missed about living in a western country was wrapped up by the British many years ago and brought to Asia. Including food. I can't express how wonderful it was to increase my meal options 100 fold by traveling a mere 9 hours from Zhuzhou by train. I didn't know a place like this exsisted in China! (Whether or not Hong Kong is actually China is another topic, but we'll go with the official PRC stance for now.)
Don't worry, Hong Kong, I will be back!

Taking a Break from China

In about 2 hours, I will be getting on a train bound for Shenzhen, the gateway city for Hong Kong. This is only the first leg of my four week vacation from China. The current itinerary has me visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with my dear friend and travel companion, Caroline. We have a pretty ambitious schedule mapped out, so we’ll just have to see how things pan out during the coming weeks. I’ll do my best to update while I’m on the road, but please understand if my posts are not up to their usual standard for a while. One good aspect to the trip for you, however, is that you can expect a multitude of pretty awesome photos when I return. See you then!

Wulingyuan in Pictures

If you're interested in viewing a few photos from my recent trip to Wulingyuan National Park, please follow this link. Enjoy!

Getting to the "Big" City

Imagine it. You’re living in a small town in the Hunan countryside and you want to get to the larger city of Zhangjiajie. You don’t have access to a car or a motorbike and it’s far too far to walk or ride a bicycle. As your town is more like a village than a real town, it isn’t large enough to warrant a train or bus station, or for that matter even a bus stop. So, how are you going to get to the “big” city?

As always, I’m here to help you out. There is a quick and easy solution to your problem; one that is used by many villagers all across China. Go out to your local freeway and wait along side the road until a bus going the direction you’d like to travel in come by and flag it down.

Can’t imagine doing something like this? Neither can I and I witnessed it first hand. During the 5 hour bus ride I took this past weekend from Zhuzhou to Zhangjiajie the bus stopped numerous times to pick up more passengers. At one point I went to sleep and the bus was perhaps half full. I woke up about an hour later and the bus was so full that people were sitting in the isle on small plastic stools. Although I’m sure these people know the bus schedule and thus are more than likely only waiting a short amount of time, I don’t think it would be all that enjoyable to wait along side of a busy freeway in the hopes that the bus will stop for you. People got on the bus all along the journey carrying precious cargo ranging from a live chicken to huge plastic bags filled with who knows what. Often there were no longer free seats and, as I mentioned before, the newcomers were forced to sit in the isle regardless of the fact that they were carrying a tiny, crying baby or were rather elderly. It seems that the rule on city busses that seats be given up to the aged, pregnant, handicapped, and passengers with small children doesn’t apply to long-distance busses. It seemed that the disregard for this rule was hard and fast. Even when I tried to give my seat up to a woman who couldn’t be much older than I am who was trying to breastfeed her baby while perched precariously on a case of water in the middle of the isle, her family told me that she didn’t need it. Can’t imagine that either.

Part of me feels lucky that Zhuzhou is a city of over 4 million people, and thus warrants a train station, as well as multiple bus stations. The other part of me feels like I’m missing out on an interesting Chinese experience. Ok, maybe I don’t feel all that bad about it.

Lessons from the Countryside

An extended weekend trip to the Hunan countryside with over 450 Chinese seventh grade students and more than 20 teachers, nurses, and “leaders” can provide one with a wealth of new information. I’m not sure if I would have ever learned many of these fascinating facts had I not done just that. As most of you will likely never have a similar experience, I though I would share all that I learned with you. I wouldn’t want to keep this information to myself, as in some cases, it could save your life.

1. When traveling with so many young people, it is likely that on average, one student per bus will suffer from motion sickness. In my case, that means about 12 students were puking their guts out in the bushes upon our arrival in Yanling.

2. The student who is car sick on your bus will be sitting right next to you. He will barf all over the floor of the bus and the Chinese teachers will do nothing about.

3. When Chinese teachers tell you that the food at the camp will be “not delicious,” they mean it will be nearly inedible.

4. It is perfectly acceptable for the teachers and “leaders” to drink beer for breakfast when on a school trip.

5. If you eat sweet potatoes you cannot get cancer. It’s not that you can lower your risk of getting cancer by eating a sweet potato every now and then. Or that eating sweet potatoes on a regular basis is evidence of a healthy life, which, combined with other factors, can help lower your chances of getting certain types of cancer. No. If you eat sweet potatoes you cannot get cancer. Period. This is according to the psychology and health teacher at the school. A pretty reliable source. As this information could save thousands of lives, I encourage you to share it with everyone you know and love.

6. One way to entertain to seventh graders is to put loaches in a fountain and have the students catch them with their hands. Sure most of the fish will die, but the kids will have fun.

7. Another way to keep the students out of trouble is to walk them a mile to the riverside, give them a few cooking supplies, raw food, and a few matches and tell them to go at it. No really, we did this. The students carried the food supplies, which consisted of pork, bean sprouts, spam, two eggs, peppers, and rice, to the riverside. Once there, each group got a pot, a wok, a huge knife, a cutting board, a spoon, a pot stand, and a bundle of wood. They collected river rocks to build a fire circle and then started a fire to cook the food.

8. It is possible for 450 pre-teens to cook their own meals with fire and sharp knives and not kill themselves or each other. Granted the cooking might have gone a little smoother had someone taught them how to build a fire, but that’s splitting hairs.

9. Rinsing dirty pots in the same river that humans use for a bathroom makes them clean.

10. Mahjong is a fun and super confusing game. It is acceptable to gamble while playing Mahjong on a school sponsored trip, as long as the Assistant Headmaster is invited to play. If you want to play for spicy dried mini-fish in a vacuum-sealed package instead, find the young, poor teachers.

11. Teaching Chinese students the Chicken Dance and the Macarena is considered a performance. The students will love it and you’ll see them doing these dances during their breaks back at school.

12. Traveling with almost 500 of your students and collogues, though frustrating at times, should not be missed and I encourage you grab the opportunity whenever possible. I know I will.

***

Photos of the trip can be viewed here. Thanks again to Kelly.

Not want, thank you.

The Chinese aren’t known for their planning skills, so when I found out at 4:00 pm on Friday, October 18th that I would have a surprise five day weekend, I wasn’t that shocked. Expecting the unexpected is something you quickly become accustomed to in China. My site-mate, Kelly, and I decided to make good use of this gift and take a trip. Only twelve hours after learning about our long weekend, Kelly and I got off a train in Guilin, while the city was still covered in the darkness of night.

Guilin, and our ultimate destination of Yangshuo, are located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, only eight hours south-west of the Hunan Province. These cities are known to backpackers and tourists as beautiful areas to see China’s famous karst landscape. Karst topography is created when, over millions of years, the ground water dissolves a majority of the bedrock (often limestone), forming mountain-like towers from the harder stone that remains. Unlike most of the other cities I’ve visited, these towns were both flooded with not only thousands of Chinese tourists, but also foreign visitors of all ages. I must admit that it took a while for me to get used to seeing non-Asians at every turn.

Due to the abundance of both Chinese and foreign tourists, many locals are able to make a living selling their wares on the streets. They aren’t shy about approaching travelers to pressure them to take a look at their gourd flutes, DVDs, bracelets, scarves, or whatever else they might have to pawn off. One quickly tires of saying”不要,谢谢” (Bù yào, Xièxie), which literally translates as “not want, thank you”. It’s not just goods though. Coercion also comes from people who would like you to take on a bamboo boat cruise on the Li River, to the Super Water Buddha Cave, or be your guide for the day. Chinese fan? 不要,谢谢. Knock-off North Face jacket? 不要,谢谢. Weird profile cut-out that makes me look like I have a huge bump on my head? 不要,谢谢. Ear cleaning? 不要,谢谢. Osama Bin Laden T-shirt? 不要,谢谢. Taxi ride? 不要,谢谢. I don’t think I’m the first person to become mildly annoyed with then number of times I was forced to say “不要,谢谢” during a visit to Yangshuo. It can be become a little overwhelming and I began to think that these people didn’t see a person, but rather a dollar sign (or a yuan sign) when they looked at me.

While eating lunch with our bicycle tour guide, Daniel, my outlook took a 180˚ turn. I was feeling a little irritated that Kelly and I were tricked into/ forced to buy him lunch at a rather expensive restaurant, when I asked Daniel if he was married. He said he was and that he had a six year old son. He later added that his son lives in a village about 8 km from the town of Yangshuo with his parents, while he and his wife rent a room in the town. Work was hard to come by in the small village and so Daniel and his wife decided it would be better for their family if they sought employment in Yangshuo. There just isn’t time for them to ride their bikes back and forth between the town and the village everyday and there’s no one in the town who is able to watch over the little boy. Daniel and his wife work everyday, trying to find tourists who would like a bicycle tour guide, unable to see their son for months at a time. Then, in the off season when there are fewer tourists, they move back to the village and try to find employment picking fruit. Their lives are neither certain, nor easy.

There I was, feeling sorry for myself because I had to spend an extra ¥10 ($1.50) on this tour guide’s lunch after I already paid him for his guide services. And there he was, fighting every day to make a living, to stay alive, and to give his son the best life he can. Could I be more of a jerk? The least I could do for this very kind man was to buy him a nice lunch and not mentally whine about it.

Lunch with Daniel gave me an entirely new perspective on my need to say 不要,谢谢 time and time again. I’m still not going to buy everything offered to me. Not by a long shot. However, I am going to think not about how it can become irritating to be approached by local vendors, but rather about the person behind the goods and services, that person’s family, and their well-being while saying, “不要,谢谢.”

***

If you’d like to see photos of my trip, please follow these links: Yangshuo and Long Ji Rice Terraces and Guilin. (Thanks to Kelly for providing all the photos. My camera is currently out of commission and will be for the next few weeks or so. I’m trying to get it repaired here in Zhuzhou, but it’s proving to be more difficult that one might have thought. In the end, I may just end up having to buy a new one. Whatever happens, there will be pictures!)

A picture's worth a thousand words, so I guess these are worth 52,000.

If you'd like a few visuals of my trip to Sichuan, check out this link. Enjoy!

Game

« game: (adj) Informal. having the required spirit or will (often followed by for or an infinitive): Who's game for a hike through the woods? »

If I could offer one piece of advice to those considering traveling to or living in China, it would be to take a moment and seriously evaluate your level of game. Let me preface my explaination by saying that this suggestion is mainly directed at people who want to get off the beaten track. You can always do what some like to call “China-light” and not need a terrible amount of game. Although I’ve never been, I know that Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Xi’an are amazing cities and I can’t wait to visit them myself. But for those of you wanting to travel to the heart of China, to visit cities that the Chinese themselves visit, and to get a glimpse into real Chinese life, genuine game is an absolute necessity.

Take for example my recent trip to the Sichuan province during what the Chinese call Golden Week. Just the process of getting tickets required game. Because the Chinese are not familiar with the concepts of pre-planning and roundtrip tickets, just making it to Chengdu and back was not certain for some time. The headmaster at one of my friend’s school purchased outbound tickets for the both of us, ensuring our safe and rested arrival. As we setout on a 25 hour train ride that Sunday, however, we had absolutely no guarantee that we wouldn’t be hitchhiking our way back to Hunan. Golden Week is the most traveled of all Chinese holidays, thus not making it home was actually a valid fear. Luckily we got tickets with the help of another friend and things worked out beautifully. Without game, however, I don’t think I would have ever gotten on the train.

Only two days later my travel companion, Caroline, and I found ourselves in another situation that required us either to be totally game or die. Ok, so die is an exaggeration, but game was essential to our sanity. We arrived at Mount Emei, one of the four holiest mountains to Chinese Buddhists, around 6:00 pm with the hope of spending the night in one of the mountain’s many monasteries. We very quickly discovered that there were far more people than there were beds and that night was falling quickly. Due to the fact that the monasteries close at dark, we were in a race against time, as well as thousands of fellow travelers. We proceeded to run around, asking everyone we could where the nearest monastery was located. We finally found the Baoguo Monastery and practically sprinted to the “Accommodations” desk. My heart sank when I heard the monk say those famous two Chinese words, “mei yo” or “don’t have.” It looked like we would be sleeping in the forest. I told him that we were willing to sleep on the floor, but still the answer was “no.” Luckily for us, a monk who spoke a bit of English happened to be walking past and was called over by the monks behind the desk. The second monk told us that there was another option. He proceeded to describe what sounded an awful lot like a Buddhist homeless shelter. I said, perhaps too hastily, that we would take it, while Caroline was less sure. The monk offered to take us to look at the room. It turned out to be just fine and we decided to take it. In the end it was more than fine. We met some really interesting travelers who were in the same situation that we were. One, a Tibetan man, shared with us what it is like to live in modern China as a member of the Tibetan minority. And I can’t help but think that I never would have had the opportunity to talk with him had Caroline and I not been game. Game was incredibly important that night and the following days. I’m honestly not sure what we would have done without it. I’m so glad that I was able to spend my Golden Week traveling with someone who is not only super game, but also a wonderful friend. I’m quite confident we’ll need our game as we travel around Southeast Asia during Spring Festival in a few months, but more on that later.

I have plenty more examples of how important game is in China: sitting on the floor of a bus for over 4 hours, being pushed around by Chinese tourists in a line to see a giant Buddha for another 4 hours, and almost having to sleep in tents on the roof of a hostel after making a reservation for a bed. Rather than go into all of that, I need to highlight that Caroline and I don’t have a monopoly on game. Many of you are game too. You just need to find situations to act on it. Come to China and such situations will throw themselves at your feet.

A quick trip to western Hunan!

I’ve been sitting at my computer for about 30 minutes now, trying to think of a way to describe my trip to Fenghuang and Dehang. It’s hard because, more than likely, none of you have ever heard of these two cities. But that’s part of what made the trip so exciting. By visiting two minority villages in the Hunan province that I hoped were untouched by tourism, I hoped to get to know the real China. It turns out my wish was only partly granted. Fenghuang, which is said to be the second most beautiful city in all of China, was a bit more touristy than I would have wished, but still beautiful. Rather than describe everything I saw in Fenghuang, I’ll let you look at it.

A man fishing trash out of the river.

Over looking the old town from the Rainbow Bridge.

A Miao women sewing slippers.

Kelly and I post-rickshaw ride.

Fenghuang and the Tuo Jiang River.

Dehang, though not far in distance from Fenghuang, was all together different. The city was extremely small and is known more for the karst formations that surround the city than for it’s buildings or other structures. After finding a place to stay with the help of a pack of cigarettes, we were greeted by a local police officer wanting to register us for a “temporary residents permit.” We had previously told our driver that we had our passports, but this wasn’t exactly true. Most of us did, but not all of us. I’m sorry to say that I belonged to the group that did not have their actual passport in their possession. I had a copy of both my visa and passport, as I had heard that would be sufficient. In our case, however, it was not. Luckily I was able to sign-up for my permit without the officer noticing I didn’t have a passport. Another member of the group was less luckily and received quite a talking to from the officer. In the end, everything worked out and we were able to stay the night. The next day we took two amazing hikes. As most of you know, I typically do not hike. The Chinese as a people, however, also do not hike. So, this was most like a walk on stone sidewalks and a million stairs. Once again, describing what we saw would not do the area justice, so here are a few pictures.

A stream and bridge new our hotel.

Suzanne, Caroline, and Kelly just starting out on the first hike.

A man harvesting rice.

Kelly, Suzanne, a random Chinese man, and I pose on top of a mini-dam along the hike.

Me and the gem of the hike, a lovely waterfall.

I’ve posted a number of additional pictures on Facebook. If you’d like to check them out and are not a member of Facebook, simply follow these links: Fenghuang and Dehang.

I'm glad to have travled throughout the Hunan province. Next up, however, is the rest of China. October 1st is a national holiday and we have the entire week off of school to celebrate. We'll see where I end up and with who, but it will be a fun time regardless.

I've made it... sort of.

I just wanted to quickly let you all know that after four flights I've made it safely to Hong Kong. Just one short hop and I'll be in Changsha. We should be taking off in about an hour and arriving around 10:30am today, (10:30pm Tuesday night your time). I'll do my best to update during the next few days to give you some details. Hope all is well.