TravelStream™ news feed for member squigglytea on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/squigglytea en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:48:56 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224602820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224602820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224602820/tpod.html Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:48:56 -0500 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Today I went to the Shanghai Museum. I took the subway and walked through a park. I was interrupted twice by two groups of young people. The first group of three came up to me on the street. There was one woman and two guys, all 18-20ish. They spoke good English. The woman told me that they were students--she was studying English, one of the guys was studying engineering, and the other one was studying something else (I don't remember). I spoke some Chinese--told them I was American. When they seemed impressed with that I told them in Chinese that I am a teacher. They asked about my hair, of course. The woman circled some sights on my map for me and talked about the city. She told me that the Museum would be crowded at that time because it was the hot part of the day and everyone goes inside. She said that it's better to go at around 4 o'clock. That didn't make any sense to me because the Museum closes at 6 o'clock. Regardless, I was going to the Museum. She then asked me if I had heard of the Tea Festival. I thought, "Here we go!" She talked about how maybe nobody told me about it because I look different, how they could practice their English, how it's a great opportunity to see a Chinese Tea Festival, and how I could tell all my friends in the US about it. I recognized a potential ruse, plus I really wanted to get to the Museum. I declined and told them that I appreciated their invitation but that I wouldn't have enough time and so I was going straight to the Museum. They pointed me in the direction of the Museum and went on their way. When I got to the Museum I saw that it actually closed at 5:00 and they don't let anyone enter after 4:00!

But before I got there I walked through a beautiful park and on the other side ran into another group of young people. This time it\\there was a group of three young women who also spoke very good English. They asked me where I was from. I answered in Chinese, of course! They told me asked me about my hair--if I got it done in China, if they could touch it, if they could make the style with their hair, and how long it takes to do. They told me that in China the hairstyle is cool. As I was explaining, an older woman came up behind them staring at me and listening to what I was saying. I can't adequately describe the scene, but the lady was shorter than the younger women and the way she just came up behind them to listen so intently with her head leaning upward toward me was funny. I guess she was just being nosy. Then they brought up the Tea Festival that's not too far from where we were. I thought, "Here we go!" They told me how they could practice their English and I could practice my Chinese. I again declined. They continued to try to convince me but when they saw I wasn't going to go, they pointed me to the Museum and I finally made it there.

The Shanghai Museum is very nice and if I ever get back to Shanghai I will go again because I didn't get a chance to see all of the exhibits I wanted to see. I rented an audiotour which explained the history and significance of some of the artifacts. As I came down the steps to the first floor to leave, I saw a class of schoolchildren (maybe 9 or 10 years old) in two beautifully straight lines. I stopped to snap a picture to show my next class how straight lines are supposed to look. But a few of the boys turned around, spotted me, and started hamming it up for the camera. I said "Oh, you want me to take your picture?" and took a snapshot. Then some of the boys and girls started to talk to me in English--"Hello," "Where are you from?" and "What's your name?" I answered their questions in Chinese and also told them that I am a teacher (one of my favorite Chinese sentences). I asked them in English if they understood my Chinese and they said yes. I spoke to them a little bit more in English as well and then waved goodbye as I saw that we were getting a little loud in the otherwise quiet museum. As I made it to the exit, I saw them talking to a couple of other tourists. The kids were so cute! Too bad I only got one picture.

After I left, I took the subway for a brief stop at the hotel, then I got back on the subway and went to the Shanghai Acrobat Show at Circus World. It was very cool! I was sitting next to two guys from South America so we chatted about the show. We were not allowed to take pictures or videos. The guy next to me was secretly videotaping the show but he got busted so he had to turn his camera off. Without pictures it's hard to describe but the show involved acrobats hanging from umbrellas, running on huge spinning "guinea pig" wheels, riding on motorcycles in a huge metal sphere, and performing other entertaining feats. It was an excellent show. I also spotted six black people sitting two sections away from me. I wanted to wave, but I controlled myself.

After the show, I took the subway back to the hotel to prepare myself for the next day.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224548640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224548640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224548640/tpod.html Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:26:35 -0500 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Today I woke up exhausted. I ate breakfast at the hotel and then added some entries on my travel blog. I wanted to rest in my room for the rest of the day, but I decided to at least take a walk around the neighborhood. It reminded me of New York City. The traffic was still a little crazy, but not as chaotic as it was in Beijing. The traffic guards are very serious about their jobs. I spent the rest of the day planning what I was going to do while in Shanghai and catching up on U.S. news on CNN and the BBC. I love the BBC! They seemed a lot more thorough than CNN. Plus I love listening to British accents.

GROSS CONTENT ALERT!
Since this is a short entry, I'll use this space to talk about the hocking of the loogies. In China when they spit, they tend go deep down in the throat noisily and pull stuff up. I know. It's gross. During my research for this trip, I learned that hocking of loogies is prevalent in China, though the government tried to get people to give up the habit before the Olympics. I heard stories of people hocking the loogies everywhere, not concerned about where it would land, even if it was your shoe. The way people wrote about it, I thought I would hardly be able to walk down the street without stepping in globs of spit. Though I haven't seen anyone spit on anyone's shoe and I am able to walk down the street without stepping in spit, there is a lot of spitting going on! During my first two days in Beijing I only heard one loogie hock a day so I thought it wasn't going to be so bad. But when I started spending more time on the streets and at crowded tourist sites, the spitting was relentless. The hockers are both young and old, men and women. A few people spit into a garbage can instead of on the ground.

The funny thing is that I am somewhat used to it. The restaurant at the small hotel in Moon Hill was outdoors. As I ate breakfast, I could hear the neighbor in a nearby home hocking. I was actually amused and it certainly didn't prevent me from enjoying my breakfast!

The nose-picking (or nose-digging) is also common. It is not a source of embarassment if people are seen digging in their noses and flicking the boogers. No Seinfeld "It wasn't a pick, it was a scratch" moments here! I have seen so many people go to town!

Another habit that grosses me out is the snot blowing, where a person presses down one nostril and blows a blob of snot out of the other. Luckily, this is not common.

Stories about the spitting almost kept me from going to China because I thought it would gross me out. If you are easily disgusted like me, don't let the spitting stories deter you. You'll be fine. It'll be worth it. It'll get you prepared for trips to places where you might see things that are even more disgusting!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224460800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224460800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224460800/tpod.html Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:24:17 -0500 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Shanghai, Shanghai, China

After paying my $90.00 U.S. bill at the hotel (the TOTAL for four nights accommodation, four breakfasts, two dinners, and one bike rental and guide, plus I got two nights free transportation to town and free Internet), I took the long, sometimes scary ride to the Guilin airport to catch my plane to Shanghai. On the way we encountered a man leading a herd of water buffalo in the middle of the highway.

After almost missing my plane because they changed the departure gate with no announcement, I followed a Spanish-speaking tour group to the correct plane. Luckily I heard them say that their flight was at another gate. I went to check and their flight was my flight. Knowing Spanish turned out to be helpful in China!

Our plane arrived at the Shanghai domestic airport. The cab line was like none I've seen before and there were 5 or 6 lanes of cabs waiting. It was incredible.

I arrived at my fancy hotel in Shanghai looking crazy, reeking of insect repellent, and mumbling about being a mess. Because it was so hot I was carrying my black cardigan and my jacket. I was also carrying a busted plastic bag full of papers that I had to hold like a baby to keep the papers from falling out. Plus, the locking neon green strap on my suitcase that never worked was hanging off. I'm surprised they didn't kick me out! The lady who showed me to the check-in desk brought me a bag from the hotel's store to put my decimated plastic bag into and brought me a cup of tea.

After I checked in I went to the hotel gym and worked out on the treadmill. I needed to justify packing a workout outfit and I wasn't planning on doing anything else that evening. I ordered room service and watched TV before I went to bed.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224374400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224374400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224374400/tpod.html Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:03:38 -0500 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Moon Hill Village, Guangxi Zhuang, China

Today after breakfast I took a two-hour walk in the area of the hotel and then on the main road going in the opposite direction of Yangshuo. In the area of the hotel are several homes on a winding dirt road. On the walls in the area there are handwritten red arrows. I was going in the opposite direction but made mental note of the turns I took. At one point, I walked up some stairs and found a cave that was full of equipment, including construction hats. There was a mother and a little girl sitting on the top of the steps. She said ni hao. I replied ni hao, then took out my phrase book and asked her how old her child was. She told me that the child was two years old. Pleased that I had gotten the tones right, or at least close enough to be understood, I found the words for "How cute." I mangled it though so she didn't understand me so I showed the Chinese characters in the phrasebook. She told me how to say it correctly.

The way I walked finally led me to the main road. I walked up the main road observing the people and exploring the area. When I returned to the hotel, Wei Wei asked me which cave I wanted to go to see. I decided to go see Moon Water Cave. The ticket office was right down the road so I was thinking I would walk there but she said her husband would take me. I didn't know why until we got there and he hooked me up with a lower price. I got in a van that took me to the cave.

While I waited for the boat that takes you into the cave, a young woman who worked there and spoke English asked me what I did, where I was from, and why I was in China. In Chinese I told her that I am a teacher, that I'm American, and that I'm in China on vacation. She then said in English, "You're a teacher in America. Are you from Zambia?" I told her that no, I am from America. She was surprised!

To go in the cave you have to wear helmets, shoes with a good grip, and it helps to take one the flashlights they provide. My flashlight didn't work, but it wasn't necessary. I had to change into the plastic shoes they provided because I didn't trust my tennis shoes. They were gross though because I wore them with no socks and the idea of wearing shoes someone else had on with no socks too...Blech! But I got over it. I was going to get on one of the boats with a group of Chinese teenagers but a group of English-speaking educators arrived and one of them asked if I wanted to tag along with them on the tour. I went with them which was good because it was a much smaller group and one guy explained some of the formations and scientific information about the cave. The boat took us part of the way into the cave, then we got out and walked. The cave was eerie and beautiful. There were all kinds of formations with names like curtains and sleeves. Hanging from the roof of the cave were stalactites. There were some formations on the floor of the cave that look like the egg pods in "Aliens." The cave was huge! We just kept going up and up and up. There was good reason for the helmets as we had to fit through short, narrow passageways. I knocked my head several times. When we arrived at the mud bath, some of the people with my group jumped in. It's supposed to be good for your skin, but there was no way I was going to roll around in that mud. Eeeew!

After the stop at the mud bath, we kept climbing up the cave. Knowing beforehand that I was not going to get in the mud bath or in the water outside the cave, I hadn't planned on getting as filthy as I did. The rest of the way, the walls were covered in mud and we were sloshing through muddy water. It was very rocky and slippery. My borrowed shoes were ill-fitting and not that easy to walk in and one of them fell off in the water several times. I slipped once going up some stairs as some teenage girls were coming down and they made sure I didn't fall and kept saying "Careful." Fortunately, at some tricky turns and rocky, slippery parts, there were ropes on the side to hold on to and help guide you. Unfortunately, some of the ropes weren't very taut. We finally saw some light and exited the cave. Then we walked down the mountain. It was a pretty long walk. I survived the cave visit with only a small cut on one of my fingers.

After I cleaned my feet and changed back into my shoes and socks, I tried to find my ride back to the ticket office because I though it would be waiting for me. I went down to the road and saw two vans. One of the drivers was sitting outside his van. I asked, using gestures and my ticket as a prop, if he was the driver to the ticket agency. He told me "Wo bu shi" (meaning "I'm not"), followed by a lot of other stuff. I was so excited that I understood those three words without having to think too much about it, though I didn't understand another word he said. I did notice that he pointed to the Water Cave as he continued to speak. I said "Ni bu shi" (meaning "You're not") and then pointed to myself, pointed to my ticket, and then to the Water Cave. So I walked back up to the Water Cave. I asked the English-speaking lady about the van. She told me we were waiting for some people to come out of the cave and then the van would pick us up.

I got in the van with two French women and their French-speaking Chinese guide. I spoke a little French--pretty much telling them that I don't remember much of my French! I got back to the hotel and cleaned up. When I came downstairs Wei Wei had a cab waiting for me because this morning I had told her that I was going to Yangshuo tonight. I had pretty much changed my mind because I wanted to rest and pack but it being my last night I decided to go. There was a vegetarian restaurant in town that I wanted to try.

When I found the restaurant I walked in and said "Yi ge ren" (one person) and gestured toward my mouth. When I got my table, one of the women who worked there asked me if I spoke Chinese. I guess I got my tones right this time! I ordered some vegetable meatballs with broccoli. I managed to use chopsticks effectively during this meal. I only dropped one or two pieces.

As I was sitting at my table by the window, a little girl stood outside looking through the window and talking to me. She was gesturing to me if she could come in or if I could come out, I think. I pantomimed that I was eating. She pantomimed eating and I realized that she wanted me to get her something to eat. I shook my head a few times and waved goodbye. She waved goodbye and ran down the street. She was so cute! One of the other diners saw her and said that there were a lot of children like her.

When I got back to the hotel I practiced my numbers in Chinese again with Wei Wei's daughter and then she drew my picture. I then went to my room to pack and go to sleep.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224288000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224288000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224288000/tpod.html Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:52:41 -0500 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Moon Hill Village, Guangxi Zhuang, China

Today Wei Wei arranged for me to go to Yingping to take a boat ride on another river, the Li River. Her husband drove me to town and told me which bus to board to get to Yingping. The bus is a basic commuter bus that is set up with cushioned seats, all facing front (Greyhound-style as opposed to CTA-style). Right behind the driver was a small platform for passengers to place their stuff with a raised section on one side. Luckily I got a seat because...
As the passengers continued to board the bus, the lady who worked on the bus and collected the fares had people sit on the front platform and the raised section. When as many people as possible were squeezed in there, she pulled out short wooden stools to place in the aisles of the bus for people to sit on. Some of these stools had been strategically placed on the roadside and she would pick them up when needed and place them on the bus for people. At one point, a police officer stopped the bus, got on and counted the seats. The woman who worked on the bus told the extra people to get off--everyone without one of the regular seats. They all got off but I noticed that the ones sitting on the platform left their stuff on the bus, so I figured out what was going to happen. And it did. The lady told them something as they got off and pointed up the road. The bus started going again and then stopped. The people who had been booted off the bus were running toward the bus. They caught up with us and hopped back on. I was thinking that we hadn't traveled that far up the road and the cops must have known what was happening but the young man sitting on a stool next to me, who spoke some English, indicated that this happened all the time.

We kept on picking up and dropping off people until we arrived at YingPing. A woman Wei Wei had arranged to meet me there came up to me but she spoke Chinese only so I wasn't sure if she was the person I was supposed to go with. She called Wei Wei so that I could confirm it with her over the phone. She told me which vehicle to get on to get to the boat. I made it to the dock. After a discussion with a British man, his mother, their Chinese guide, and a woman Wei Wei sent to meet me at the dock over whether we could share a boat or not, they boarded their boat and I boarded mine.

This boat was a raft but larger than the one I rode in yesterday and it was powered by a motor. I liked this boat ride a lot more than yesterday's. The Li River is beautiful. It is surrounded by mountains. I also liked that the boat moved faster. On the round trip, which took about 1 and 1/2 hours, I took an insane number of pictures. Everywhere I turned there were mountains of all different shapes. The fog surrounding some of the mountains gave them a ghostly appearance. I saw many birds, water buffalo, and people who lived or worked around the river. Like yesterday, the man steering the boat spoke to me in Chinese as he pointed out things that would make for good photos.

Like at all the tourist spots, I was part of the scenery. People on several of the large tour boats carrying Chinese passengers waved at me and yelled "ni hao" and "hello" and probably some other things as they passed me by. I waved back and said "ni hao." I'm so popular!

Once I finished my cruise, I got a ride back to the bus station and hopped on the bus back to Yangshuo. This time I wasn't fortunate enough to get a seat. All of the regular seats were taken and the front part that was presumably for luggage was full of people. The lady who worked on the bus set a small wooden stool out for me near the front of the bus and I sat down. At first it was just uncomfortable, then it became painful. Then even more people got in. It was packed! As we drove back to Yangshuo, we kept picking up more people. No matter how many people got on, there was always a way for everyone to squeeze in. It was the opposite of the clowns coming out of the car. Old ladies would get on the bus and squat on the floor. Squatting is common in the area, as it was in Xi'an. People squat as they wait for the bus, as they wash clothes, and of course squat toilets are the norm. But still it can't be pleasant having to squat on a moving bus. From what I observed, here as well as on the subways and buses in Beijing, neither men nor women give up their seats to the elderly or to anyone else for that matter. When a seat on the subway or bus opens up, it's up for grabs. I was sitting there wondering if I should offer my seat to one of them but as I didn't want to make myself stick out anymore than I did, I stayed put, though squatting may have been more comfortable than that stool!

When I got back to the bus station I called Wei Wei's husband from a pay phone to tell me how to say the name of Moon Hill in Chinese to the bus driver. I couldn't understand how to say it over the phone and he offered to pick me up, but I was determined to make it back on the bus. Luckily there was a girl near me who spoke English, so I put her on the phone. They had a 3-minute conversation. I noticed again that things that seem simple still require a lot of discussion in China. After he told her my stop, she told the bus driver. I followed her, but the lady running the pay phones yelled and ran after me! In my haste I had forgotten to pay her. After I paid, I got on the bus and was dropped off at the entrance to Moon Hill.

After I walked back to the hotel, I ordered the specialty in the area, Beer Fish. It was a whole fish, served with yellow and red peppers. It was delicious! There was so much that I couldn't eat it all. I feel like I'm the only one in China who wastes food. I ate everything else they served me at the hotel so I hope it's okay. I just couldn't eat one more bite.

While I ate Wei Wei told me that her husband was going to town to pick up their daughter (this time in the truck) and asked me if I wanted a ride. I said yes. In the truck I asked him if one person usually eats the whole fish. He said yes. I was surprised because I'm a charter member of the Clean Plate Club, but that was a lot of food!

After I got to town I sat outside in a less crowded area, people-watched, and caught up in my journal. Then I decided to walk off that fish I ate for dinner. At about 8:00 pm I went to the supermarket on West Street to buy some water, a Snickers, and a large brown envelope. A lady who worked there asked if I needed help. I asked her if they sold envelopes. She didn't understand the word so I took out my indispensable Mandarin phrasebook/dictionary and showed her the characters in Mandarin. As I was talking to her at one end of an aisle I noticed two teenage girls that had been following me. When the woman told me that they didn't sell envelopes, she tried to get the girls to help me (maybe they knew English) but they were dumbfounded, just staring at me and giggling. It was very bizarre. Then I said ni hao to the girls, they said hello and resumed their giggling. The lady then wrote down in Chinese characters the name of a store down the street that sold envelopes and gestured to me which direction I should go. I walked in that direction, checking the characters on my paper with the store signs, but after awhile I gave up and headed to tthe taxi stand. As I was leaving West Street, I ran into Cherry and Susan who were chatting with two other English-speakers. I said hello, they practiced their pleasantries with me (For example, "Nice to see you again"). Then I caught a cab.

The cab that drove me back didn't drive me all the way down the street to the hotel because off the main road, the streets are very narrow. I'd heard that some cabs do this and I can see why. But it was dark and I was out in the country! I mean it was pitch black darkness. I took pictures as I walked and realized that I could keep the pictures showing to use as a flashlight. I passed the house with the dog that always barks when I passed by but in the dark it was spooky. Thank goodness I had remembered the turns I had to take (left at the blue sign, left at the grey building).

When I arrived Wei Wei was reading with her four-year-old daughter. The girl was so cute with her little book, repeating the words with her mother. They had a TV program on that taught English, but the words "fifteen, sixteen, and seventeen" were mispronounced on the show. Later, a girl came out singing "Sally's wearing a white dress, white dress....all day long!" But she wasn't wearing a white dress and there was nobody on the screen with her. Then another girl came out wearing a brown outfit and they both started singing "Sally's wearing black shoes, black shoes,...all day long!" But neither of them was wearing black shoes. I just didn't get it!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223946960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223946960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223946960/tpod.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:13:38 -0400 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Xi'an, Shaanxi, China

A traumatic thing happened to me today at the airport.  They confiscated my hand sanitizer!  The screener gestured that it could be blown up or something , so he had to throw it away.  this is the first time I've been without hand sanitizer in at least 10 years!  It has put me into a state of disequilibrium from which I my never recover!  After I went threw the metal detector, I has to get patted down.  The young lady who patted me down kept touching my hair, then she pressed my left chestal area!  Then she said something to her co-worker.  Now maybe there's a security reason for pressing on someone's left chestal area.  If you know of one, please let me know!  But then why just the left one?
I took an uneventful 11/2 hour plane flight to Xi'an with the lady sitting a row behind me on the opposite aisle seat staring at me for about the first fifteen minutes of the flight.  The woman who arranged my car ride from the airport spoke very good English and asked details about how I do my hair, how long it takes, etc.  I think that many people are probably just curious like her, but can't communicate with me because of the language barrier.
Got to the hotel this afternoon.  I punked out and booked the hotel's tour of the Terra Cotta Warriors, Wild Goose Pagoda, and City Wall for tomorrow.  First I went to book my next plane ticket.  As I was sitting on a bench on the second floor of the hotel getting my purse organized, one of the hotel employees passed me, then came back to check out my hair.  She touched it and asked how I did it.  My hair as turned out to be a great conversation starter!  I then went for a walk around the hotel. It is in an interesting area, a mix of commercial and residential buildings.  There was a large park around the corner from the hotel--like a little oasis in the middle of the hubbub of the city.  I walked through the park.  People were walking, eating, playing games, and kids were playing on the playground in the park.  Came back to the hotel to eat and chilled out.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223737200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223737200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223737200/tpod.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:24:35 -0400 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Beijing, China

Delayed reaction--when I woke up this morning my legs were killing me!  The Great Wall and the steps at the Forbidden City did me in.  I had the breakfast buffet at the hotel.  I tried and loved the fish cakes.  Despite my leg pain, I was determined not to waste any time in Beijing and  to continue with my plans to visit the Summer Palace.  I'm so glad I did.  The Summer Palace is magnificent!
 
I took the subway to Xixhimen station and took a scary cab from there.  I wasn't sure about taking the subway, but it was very easy with excellent signage.  The only thing I didn't like about it was that the staring was worse on the subway because you're stuck in one place. The same thing happened to me in Spain. Yes, I'm black and yes, I wear locks. Since I've been in China I've only seen a handful of black people myself, and most of them were men, so I understand the looks of surprise, double-takes and looking just a little bit longer than normal, but the nonstop, non-looking away stare, even when I look back at you, is ridiculous.  To keep these starers from driving me insane I've decided that they think that I'm gorgeous and that's why they can't look away. 

The cab ride was uncomfortable for different reasons.  The driver was weaving in and out of lanes with hardly any room between him and other cars and buses.  Big buses!  I had to close my eyes at a couple of points and hope for the best.

At the Summer Palace I hired a tour guide named Helen to show me some of the palace.  It was Saturday so it was extremely crowded.  It was another huge, beautiful area in China.  It was breathtaking.  Unfortunately for me, there were a lot of stairs that kept going and going and going.  I kept going too, despite my wobbly legs, because I wanted to get up as high as possible.  I took a boat ride from one side to the other with Chinese passengers.  It was nice to be able to sit down.  The first four or five of us to get on sat on one side so the boat felt like it was going to tip, and one of the women yelled something, so two of us moved to the other side of the boat.  We all got a good laugh out of it, except one little girl who started crying.  She calmed down pretty quickly and we waved at each other.  Generalization Alert!  The kids in China are extremely cute!

We arrived on the other side of the lake in an area with shops and restaurants.  A woman stood outside the first restaurant and invited people in Chinese to come to eat or drink tea.  When she saw white people or me she would say in English "Hellooooo. Tea. Food."  I replied "Food" because I was sooo hungry by that time.  I ate some hot, spicy vegetables with rice and drank a Coca-Cola.  The food was delicious.  Two Chinese women were sitting at the table next to mine and the one facing me surreptitiously took my picture as I was writing in my spiral.  They both got a big giggle from it.  I thought it was funny that they didn't think I had noticed. Had I been thinking, I would have lifted my head and made a big cheesy smile just as she was pressing the button.  I'm sure there are plenty of pictures of me out there that I don't know about.

After I ate, I walked around some more, nodded at a few people who were staring at me, said a couple of ni haos to some little kids, and left the food/shopping area to find more of the Summer Palace!  I walked up and down tons of more steps and rocks, through caves, up and down hills.  Every view was more beautiful than the last.  It seemed like it went on forever.  Exhausted, I tried to find my way out at about 5:00.  I finally got to an area and saw a whole bunch of people going in one direction so I figured that that was the way out.  I stopped to take a picture and when I turned around, most of the people were going the other way.  I stuck with the first direction I had chosen and finally saw some small landmarks that I recognized.  I then exited the way I came in.
Then came the long journey home!  Outside the Summer Palace a cab driver speaking English asked me if I needed a cab.  I said yes.  He asked where I was going.  When I told him I was going to Xixhimen Subway Station, he told me that there was too much traffic.  Another cab driver told me the same thing, so I asked them which bus I could take to the subway. They told me to take bus 332.  Riding a bus in Beijing was on my to-do-list because I've heard about how people push and shove their way onto the buses and trains in China and I wanted to elbow a few people, just for the experience.  The people on the subway so far had let me down, not pushing much at all on the rides I was on.  I walked around the bend to the bus station and waited in the line for bus 332.  I asked the couple behind me (using my handy phrasebook and map) if bus 332 took me to Xixhimen Station.  They said no, but to take bus 332 to some station (I''ll add the station name later) and then take the subway from there.  There were three doors on the bus- front, middle, and rear.   The middle door is where a bus attendant stands to collect the money. The other two doors are for exiting the bus. After we got on the bus (a man who worked at the station made sure the line was orderly, another disappointment),  I got a seat in the back row.  Because I'm a doofus I got up for my stop right after they had stopped for my stop.  I walked up to the bus attendant to ask if this was my stop and the young couple that had helped me were sitting across from her.  They told me that this was my stop, but it was too late.  The bus couldn't stop there again.  I asked the bus attendant how I could get to the subway.  She started taking to me rapidly in Mandarin, got out a piece of paper, I figured out she was asking for a pen, so I gave her one, and she said"ba ling ba" as she wrote down the bus number 808.  I was happy to hear Mandarin words that I understood. Then she wrote down two more bus numbers.  I didn't understand if I was suppose to take 808 and then transfer to the other two buses, or take one of the three buses to Xixhimen.  I wish I had learned the word for "or" in Mandarin!   The attendant spoke rapidly the whole time, then she took out a book, pointed to the bus number and to all these words written in Chinese characters!  She was trying so hard to help me.  As I'm trying to tell her I don't understand, she keeps talking. It was hilarious!  Then a man comes up and asks me in English if I need help.  I tell him where I'm going--Xixhimen Station. He asks me which line I'm taking.  This is a very straightforward question, but I didn't get what he meant.  I knew that there are two subway lines at Xixhimen Station (Lines 2 and 11) and that I was taking Line 2, but what he was asking me did not compute.  What I didn't get was that unlike in Chicago when a station has two or more subway lines running through it but you use the same entrance, in Beijing, that is not necessarily the case.  Xixhimen Station has an entrance for Line 2 and an entrance for Line 11. But at this point, I still don't know what he's talking about.  At the next stop, the man says "Get off here, take the paper," and as I'm hopping off the bus he says "Good luck!"

At this bus stop, I ask a man which bus will take me to Xixhimen, he points to a bus that has just closed its doors, then points to a bus 808.  I hop on the bus.  We ride for a while, then at one stop, everybody gets off. As I see what's happening, the bus attendant (a male this time) says something to me which I took as a clue to get off the bus.  So now I'm waiting at this bus stop and another 808 comes by.  People stay on this one, so I get on.  No bus attendant on this one.  I get off at the Xixhimen bus stop, but don't see the train station.  I see an older and a younger woman walking down the street and ask them in Chinese how to get to Xixhimen Station.  The younger woman speaks English and asks me what line I'm taking.  She apologizes for her English not being very good (I hear that quite a bit) and I apologize for my Mandarin not being very good. Then she says to follow her. She asks a teenager who's walking down the street where the station is and the girl tells her, then the woman points me in the right direction.  I walk in that direction and see the Xixhimen Station, only it's the Line 11 entrance.  I enter and ask a woman working there how to get to Line 2.  She says "Go around" and points me in the right direction.  I go through the turnstyle and learn what "go around" means.  From what I remember, I had to make a u-turn at the turnstyle, go down some stairs, go up some stairs, go outside, follow the line of people through the lanes, go down some more stairs, around a bend, then down some more stairs to Line 2.  I went to Food Street again for dinner.  This time I had some dumplings, some hot and spicy noodles, and more candied fruit on a stick.  I got two of the fruits on a stick for the price of one, but it was too much food.  I had to throw some of it away.  I think it was the only food in the garbage can.  Unfortunately there was a "fertilizer" smell wafting through the street that night, so I didn't stay out too long.  It smelled really gross.  So I went back to the hotel and went to sleep.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224212160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224212160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224212160/tpod.html Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:37:33 -0400 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Moon Hill Village, Guangxi Zhuang, China

The Moon Hill resort is owned by a woman named Wei Wei and her husband Xu cheng deng.  Both of them speak pretty good English.  Wei Wei is also a guide. Yesterday when I arrived I told them that I wanted to go biking.  She showed me two routes on a huge map she had on the wall.  She said that one route was on flatter ground but with more traffic and not as scenic.  The other route was less crowded and more beautiful but rockier and harder to navigate.  I told her that I wanted the more scenic route.  She showed it to me again on the map.  Looking at the route, I could tell that I would get lost.  No doubt about it.  Sensing my apprehension, Wei Wei asked if I needed a guide.  I said yes because I know I would get lost.  Being lost in the city of Beijing didn't bother me (if worse came to worse I could always find a cab or a phone), but being lost in the country by myself was a scary thought! 

So today after I ate breakfast (a potato pancake that looked like a bird's nest and had a fried egg on top--greasy and yummy!), Wei Wei and I went on the bike ride through the country.  I haven't ridden a bike in at least seven years, but luckily I got the hang of it.  We biked for about 1 1/2 hours through the country, past homes, rolling hills and mountains, lots of farms, and a river.  We saw corn fields, rice fields, dogs (for some reason every dog I saw in the area during my entire stay was yellow), roosters,  and water buffalo. When Wei Wei pointed out a water buffalo that was actually in the water, being a city girl I got concerned and wondered why it was in the water and if anyone was going to help it get out!  I thought it was drowning.  Luckily I realized there's a reason they call it a water buffalo before I asked Wei Wei those questions.

We biked to what's called the Old Village.  There were some abandoned homes there that were preserved so you could see how people lived in the past as well as current homes in which people live.  A man was cutting wheat with a tractor and it was an attraction!  People walking by would stop to watch him work.  He attracted quite a crowd.
We then biked to the riverbank and I took a ride down the river on a man-powered log raft.  They place your bike on the raft under the seats.  It was not as relaxing as I thought it would be because it was hot and I was wearing black pants.  The river water was pretty low (there had not been enough rain) so the men working the boats had to work really hard to get the rafts through some sections of the water.  I saw more animals and noticed that people use the river to bathe and wash their clothes and food.  Wei Wei met me at the dock. As we began to bike back, I biked up a ramp adjoining about three or four steps, and promptly fell off! Luckily I am skilled at falling off bikes, so I only got a few scrapes on my right knee.  We biked for 10 minutes back to the hotel, this time on the main road.  At the hotel, I ate some fried noodles with vegetables (which cost me $1.20 in US dollars).  
Later that afternoon Wei Wei had to go to town to pick up her daughter from kindergarten and offered to give me a ride.  On her motorbike!  I couldn't resist.  It was a scary ride, especially because of Chinese driving habits.  But I always repeat to myself, though it may seem crazy to me, "They know what they're doing."  At first I grabbed Wei Wei's shoulders, but then I saw that some people were holding on to the metal rack on the back of the scooters so I did the same.   
After Wei Wei dropped me off on West Street, the main shopping street in Yangshuo, I walked down the street and took a couple of pictures.  I went to a market to buy a bottle of water.  When I tried to take another picture, I noticed that the button on my camera that you push to take a picture had fallen off!  It wouldn't work without it.  Believe me, I tried.  It must have gotten damaged when I fell off that bike.  I looked around for it for a little while with little hope for finding it.  Once I gave up, I took it to a photo shop for it to be repaired.  
After my camera was fixed, I walked around the area.  Not there for shopping, I walked around to take everything in.  One older woman, carrying a chubby-cheeked baby, asked me in English where I was from.  I answered her in Mandarin (wo shi mei guo ren) because that's one of my best sentences. I don't always get the tone of "ren" right, but by then people know what I'm saying.  She told me that my Chinese was very good!  I was so proud.
At dusk, I walked past stands where the women yell out to you to come see their merchandise, but I wasn't in a buying mood.  I have two more stops on my trip and didn't want to carry too much more stuff around.  I was about to go back to the hotel when I saw a black woman!  I was in shock.  She was with a white man and they had already passed me.  After I bought some more water I decided that I was going to find the black woman, just because.  It was still early and I had nothing else to do.  So I began walking around, knowing it was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Soon I after I resumed my walk, I passed by two young ladies.  They smiled at me so I smiled back and said "ni hao."  After seeing that I was friendly, they started talking to me in English.  They said that they were 18 years old and had been studying English for two years and wanted to practice.  They each took a picture with me and I took a picture of them.  At first I was skeptical because I had heard of the many scams people try on foreigners.  They say they want to practice their English, take you to a tea ceremony somewhere, and you end up getting charged a ridiculous amount for the tea.  Even if you don't have enough money, they take whatever you have.
Keeping this in mind, I kept my guard up, but it turned out they were on the up and up.  Their English names were Cherry and Susan.  They each had a little notebook with sentences and phrases to use as conversation starters that their teacher had told them to use.  Cherry had to leave but I stayed to talk to Susan for awhile. We sat on a bench by the river.  I, still being vigilant, kept looking around to make sure there were still lots of people around and that we weren't isolated, because you never know!  She told me that she really wanted to learn English and that she wants to be a teacher or work in a 5-star hotel.  We had an interesting conversation about the English language.  She was very excited about learning more English and very animated.  She wanted to confirm that "I understand," "I see," and "I get it" mean the same thing.   I got to learn a little more Mandarin like how to say Chicago in Chinese!  I also got a Chinese name.  I had gotten one back in Xi'an but I couldn't pronounce it!
After we finished our chat, she left and I walked around a little bit more, then I caught a cab back to the hotel. I never did find the black woman.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223557500/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223557500/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1223557500/tpod.html Sun, 26 Oct 2008 04:13:05 -0400 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Beijing, China

Today I took an 8 kilometer hike from Jinshangling Great Wall to Simatai Great Wall. The wall is a wondrous sight but the hike scared me to death. A woman from Germany from my hostel, Sabina, and I took an 18 minute cable car ride up to a section of the wall. It was a frightening 18 minutes. Then on the wall there are many steep sections with and without stairs and it's incredibly rocky and slippery in places. Many of the sections don't have any side barriers between you and the hills below. When you're going up or down the rock steps you have to constantly make adjustments because the rocks are different heights. There may be a few steps that are two inches high while the next few could be eight inches high. As someone who has fallen UP regular stairs in the U.S. at least twice and twisted her ankle once going down a 3-step staircase, I was nervous, to say the least. Did I mention that in many places on the wall, there are no side barriers? Sometimes you have to walk right near the edge! And it's a long way down! All I kept thinking was that I was glad I got travel health insurance. You'll see what I'm talking about when I post my pictures (once I get the right equipment, hopefully while I'm still in China!) The walk was so long and so steep I thought that my legs would give out. Less than halfway up I thought I was going to vomit. There are a few souvenir sellers on the wall and one helped me halfway up the wall in return for me buying a souvenir at the end, of course. I haggled like you're supposed to in China. I probably still overpaid for the book I bought, but as the woman saved my life, I'm not gonna worry about it. It's hard to haggle effectively if you don't know how much things are supposed to cost. Another woman helped me part of the second half. Oh my goodness! Parts of the path were a steep mixture of gravel and rocks of all sizes conspiring to have someone break an ankle. At certain parts, I was tempted to sit down and wait for someone to come get me (in a helicopter maybe?) After the hike my entire lower body, my back (from the leaning I had to do on the steep parts), and even my toes were hurting.

I thought I had it bad hiking, but imagine the men building the wall who had to carry the rocks up the wall, go back down, and do it again!

Now for the awe: That section of the Great Wall is magnificent! It is vast. There is lush greenery around it, and a river when you are at the Simatai end. The mountains are beautiful. Pictures are coming soon. It is a long ride from Beijing, so it's not as crowded with tourists as the most popular section Badaling.

Obnoxion ( I know it's not a word but I'm using it anyway): As a foreigner and a black person, I was used to the stares of people in the neighborhood where I'm staying and when they see me in a vehicle, but when I was on the wall one young woman got wide-eyed, acted scared of me, and hid behind her boyfriend when she saw me. I said hello in Chinese and she and her boyfriend said hello back. I wanted to say "Don't worry, I don't bite," but that wasn't covered in my survival Chinese class! I was a little amused by the situation because it was ridiculous in my opinion, but still obnoxious. Then some Chinese people hanging out near the entrance of one of the towers with three or four really high stairs said I was going up the stairs like a monkey. I was, but still!

Anti-obnoxion: One Chinese woman told me my people are beautiful people. Now that's better!

When we finally finished our walk, we started our drive back to the hostel. We left at the right time because it rained the whole way back. Sabina and I went out to eat at a nearby restaurant and then went for a walk around the neighborhood (as if we hadn't done enough walking for the day)! At least it was easy walking.

Unsolicited advice of the day: If you are going to do the Jinshanling to Simatai hike, eat a light breakfast, bring food and water, wear well-fitting shoes with a good tread, do some squats and lunges as part of your exercise routine before you go, go slowly, and take lots of pictures. If I had spent as much time exercising this summer as I did planning for this trip, I'd have been in much better shape for this hike. I'd have still been scared to death though! I didn't think I was afraid of heights. I love huge roller coasters. But I guess being strapped into a roller coaster car with a seatbelt is a little different form being on rocky ground inches away from the side of cliff!

Bottom line for this hike: Am I glad I hiked this part of the Great Wall? Yes. Would I do it again? Never!

Other stuff:
Interesting store names of the day: Grifted, Wazzap, and Afro Fashion (I really wanted to see what the merchandise looked like but we were passing by in the van and it was too rainy to see.)

Interesting signs of the day: Chinese Electronics Standardization Institute and Country Hygiene Area.

Tomorrow: I leave the hostel for a hotel (yay, T.V!) and do some more sightseeing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224111600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224111600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/squigglytea/1/1224111600/tpod.html Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:38:25 -0400 China Adventures--A Dream Come True!

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Moon Hill Village, Guangxi Zhuang, China

Today I left Xi'an and flew to the Guilin airport.  It was very hot outside.  A driver hired by my hotel picked me up and took me for the two-hour drive to Moon Hill Village.  After we entered Moon Hill Village, I saw chickens, a big pile of dung, and small houses.  Once you make the first turn, the street gets very narrow so the driver stopped there and the owner of the hotel where I'd be staying met us there, picked up my bag, and walked me to the hotel.  I arrived at the Moon Hill Resort, a farmhouse that had been converted into a hotel.  The couple who own it live there with the husband's mother and the couple's four-year-old daughter.  The first night there I went with a group of other guests to the San Lu Jie Light Show on the river.  There are two shows every night.  We went to the second show which started at 9:20.  There was an unbelievable number of people there.  There was a lot of pushing past people in the line--just what I'd been looking forward to!  I elbowed some people (gently, of course) so I could fit in.  It was fun! The show was really beautiful though I only understood one word in the whole show.   Once we returned I went upstairs and went to sleep.  It was so quiet out there at night.  All you could hear were crickets chirping.
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