A Very Delayed Part 2 of the Kangding Experience
Trip Start
Aug 23, 2008
1
17
41
Trip End
May 11, 2009
Kangding,
Sichuan,
China
Saturday, October 11, 2008
I just figured out how to change the language settings on my mac to chinese so I have been a little bit chinese happy. And when I say just I mean I just tried to figure it out. It took less then three seconds once I started to. Anyway where did I leave off on 康定 (Kangding)？
The first night was an interesting night. I slept mostly through the night and woke only to a cell phone dying and the sound of snoring (haha). I wont say which was the culprit for either but it was one of each.
That's as far as I got before distracted. Well let me continue:
We awoke at 8 and finally left around 9 with a plan to scale Paoma Shan. We walked down the hill, turned the corner and all three of us collectively gasped at the view. We snapped our shots, bought a big round fluffy bread loaf and went in search of the stairs to get us to the mountain.
Before we found the stairs (which were super small and shoved between a butcher and a little restaurant) Trista bought a coat and we were mistaken for French. We asked directions to the stairs from a really good looking Tibetan man and it was really interesting communicating in what is neither of our native languages.
We finally found the stairs (after again asking some other foreigners where to find it) and scaled them for forever. I think it took at least an hour and a bit to get to the first rest area, where we talked to another nice Chinese man, and then there were more stairs. Oh man it was never ending. It reminded me of when the little mice in Cinderella are carrying the key up the stairs to get her out and win the prince. You could have just called me Gus.
I walked up the stairs in a wedding march fashion. Step stop step stop. Or normal walking then rest for a bit. It was interesting also because there was definitely an altitude difference than what we were used to because we could breathe in a full deep breath and still be wanting oxygen.
We finally arrived at the top! After Trista and Mike finished taking pictures with a number of kids who wanted a picture with them because of their blonde hair we went to the tea house to warm up and ended up playing Majiang with the owner. He was super nice because obviously we all sucked at it. He practiced his english and we practiced our Chinese. It was really fun and he had a nice automatic majiang table.
We decided to then dress up in Tibetan clothes and take horses the rest of the way to the top. It was really fun and a nice ride (except going down I was freaked out I would fall off the horse). We just really sat on them and the owner led them up the mountain. There was an old monestary at the top and the view was spectacular! We got some awsome shots and then headed back down where we joined in a Tibetan dance going on in the center of the ampithater like courtyard. When we did that you could see the line of Chinese tourists taking our picture.
When I was dressed up, I got my first request for a picture with a child and then with another man. It made me feel really good and almost believe Mike and Trista when they said that I looked beautiful. We took some more pictures including some with these beautful Chinese women, whom I was shocked wanted a picture with me in my non-Tibetan garb. That made me feel awesome too.
We ate at the restaurant on the mountain and had some really good potatoes and our first bit of yak meat. It was really, really good. The owners had us sign a guestbook which was really cool to look through to see where all the people were from that went there. But when we looked out the window when we finished, we saw that it was raining. I had fogotten my poncho back in the room and we had to walk down those torential stairs.
I went super slow because they were really slippery, especially the first part. And these stairs are not like the states. There is no handrail or anything like that. I fell three times before the rest area, but none were horrid falls nor hurt that badly, just got me all muddy.
We hung out a bit at the resting pavilion and it had stopped raining during that time. It was such a nice view and a quiet place. The rest of the stairs were not as slippery because they were made out of different stones.
We arrived at the hotel and called our new friends who wanted to eat dinner with us. During a series of confusing text messages they asked us to treat them (but there were 6 so we were weary). We met with them at the place where we met and found out that there were only 5 and that they had no money at all to eat out with us. So we agreed to treat them. The didn't want to pay there though because it would be too expensive so we went on a crusade to find a place to eat. After about a half hour we ended up at this hole in the wall chicken place that was a nice place for the locals to come but we would have never found on our own. And wow was it good.
We had a full (and when i say full I mean head and feet included) rotisserie style chicken, some potatoes and rice. They were all very good! The best part of the meal was the conversation though. It was so helpful to talk to them. And the next day they wanted to make us dinner themselves!
During the meal we mentioned wanting to go to the hot spring. They told us it was 24/7 so we decided to go that night. As soon as we decided that one of the girls calls her dad who is a taxi driver who agrees to take us there (and back to the hotel to get our suits). The two girls we met first decide to stay with us while we are there which we tried to say was not needed but they insisted. They didn't even swim with us, just watched.
The hot spring was really interesting. It was a little indoor complex where you could take a bath or swim in a naturally heated pool. We opted for the pool and had a great time swimming in the warm, sulfur smelling water. We were there till midnight and then the girls helped us get home and we promised to call them the next day.
That night I really enjoyed the heating pad that my bed had built into it.
The next day we decided to do a little shopping and then eat lunch with the girls. After that we would take the last bus out of Kangding. We called and asked if that was OK and they were super excited to feed us. We did a little shopping and got to their house at 2. It took them another hour and a half to cook it though but during that time the gave us some fresh fruit (a pear and an apple for me) and some yummy yak butter tea (thought it had a bit of an after taste.. but they cooked it themselves so it made it awesome). They told us to watch TV while they cooked and we found a Chinese version of the Price is Right which we were all shocked about.
During this time we found out that the bus which I thought left at 6 really left at 4. We asked the girls to call and find out when the last bus left for us and they said it was 5pm. Trista and Mike went to get tickets to ensure our being able to leave, and I waited with the girls. The food was delicious! They cooked yak for us, as well as some other meat (pork and beef I believe) and some soup, some potatoes, and just overall amazing food. We had to rush through the meal though to get to the bus before it left. They were so nice and walked us to the bus station.
We arrived on the bus and I sat down in my seat which was my good fortune to be in front of the lady who puked for 8 hours and had a small child (who was mostly cute). Plus my chair was broken. But the others had broken chairs too plus the added benefit of being behind a smoker. So it wasn't an entirely pleasant ride back but this driver was better and the stops were shorter.
We arrived back in Chengdu around 12. It was such an awesome little trip. I just got back from another trip to the mountains. This time Emei shan and with the entire USAC group, but i will save that for another entry.
Comments
Finaly
Well it sounds like You had a Blast! Can't wait to read the next One! Love, Dad
Holy moly
Wow. Those pictures are beautiful!
And the bed has a BUILT-IN heating pad? Oh my god, I want one! :)
--Kristen