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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Wuhan


10/29/2011 China Date and Time

Wuhan-Somewhere between Wuhan and Guilin.

Ok….So sorry about my last post. It was a real downer, but I guess there are a ton of different emotions available, and that’s what hit me in the middle of the night. Ok, so we arrived at WuChang station and took the bus to the hostel at 5:30am.

We walked down beautiful paths, and it had just rained so the streets were clean and it smelled beautiful. It was so nice. The hostel was still locked when we got there. There was a number to call to let us in, but we did not see it until we had waited outside for a few hours. It was such a nice cute place that the seats outside were fine.

 A revival of China loving feelings began to flow. The beauty that China offers everywhere is so different from America.  There are temples everywhere in China, beautiful exotic trees with huge leaves on them, and BEAUTIFUL bridges everywhere. I thought that we would have to visit big cities like Beijing and Shanghai to experience temples, but I have found that in places smaller like Xian and WuHan they are everywhere.

We sat talking early in the morning, and heard a Monk singing in the distance. It was so cool, and so enchanting. A man walked passed us whistling to the tune of the song. It reminded me of Church bells chiming songs in places I’ve lived. I remember singing along with them too.

There were these two cute dogs sitting on the other side of the glass door waiting to be let outside. After a few hours of waiting we wanted to be let inside for the same reason the dogs wanted out! Once we found the number, the attendant let us in and we were up in our room and off to sleep.

The loft we stayed in in the Hostel called The Loft, was super cute. You walk in and the walls have a few simple stencils of New York’s Chrysler building on the wall. On the second level up was a sleeping area next to a table and two cushion mats to sit on. I pulled out my sleeping bag for extra cushion, as many of the beds are firmer in China, and snuggled up in the bright canary colored bedding and went to sleep…,

Right before I feel asleep I heard commotion out side. We looked out the window and there was a big group of older people standing in front of the adjacent building. A young man was trying to herd them together, chasing after strays, and shouting at them pointing at his watch. After a while they all walked out into the street and got into a line, two behind two. He handed them all pendants, and then they all sat down on the sidewalk again…waiting.

I went to sleep. After a few phone calls Curtis joined me and it was off to dream land.  Speaking of dreams… my dreams have been so funny since being here. They are such new dreams in comparison to my regular dreams. For instance I dreamt about almond sized ninjas the other night!! I’ve dreamt of cleaning the streets, of teaching cooking classes, of touring toy factories where security doesn’t prevent me from going in rooms that say no entry, and running into our friends Jeff and Kendra at random places in the world, all relating to what’s been happening recently. It’s fun and new!

We woke up cause I was hungry and went to look for food. On our way the group of older people were lined back up and started moving down the street parallel to us. They walked 50 feet and then stopped. We thought they may be touring since there were a lot of artsy things right near us within walking distance, but they had stopped in front of a door where food was being prepared and they were each receiving meals. I’m not sure what was happening. I wonder if it was a retirement home.

Anyway, we too found food. We saw Pizza Hut and ventured in. The food was terrific. It was a full-blown restaurant. I had spaghetti noodles, with fresh smoked salmon, lightly roasted asparagus and a tasty white sauce. I also had a potato soup with actual ham pieces. It was soo wonderful. Curtis had a popcorn chicken pizza, and some crisscut fries!!  I kept thinking that everyone from Wuhan that comes to America and goes to Pizza Hut feels disappointment….although Pizza Hut’s pizza is pretty great so maybe they decide its alright.

I forgot to mention that on our walk to the Pizza Hut there were beautiful dragons in the water, and a lotus lake and gorgeous bridges, and spectacular gardens, and of course as we entered the city some poo on the sidewalks and common walkways and stairs. However, it recently rained, and so it was no biggie!

Anyway, on our way home we stopped at a shop to buy food for the train. We saw really crazy looking fruits that seemed tempting to try but we settle for oranges. I found fortifying conditioner with English writing on it!!! We bought REAL pringles and picked up some tasty snacks. I was going to buy a face cream, but every cream and lotion, for girls and guys, has face whitener in it. I found that interesting. Oh, and AND I found…raisin bread versus bean bread. It was a gold mine.

We headed back and went to bed again. We woke up and ate some raisin bread and snacks and then went down stairs to the lobby and wrote a little. Whenever we walk through the lobby everyone bursts into hellos, and asks if they can make us anything, and are overly accommodating. Curtis busts out his Ni Hao and then everyone tries to speak Mandarin to him thinking he speaks it, but we need to learn the phrase “that’s all I’ve got”.

We were the only white people that I saw in the city and in the hostel. It was fun.  I am grateful to be in a place where people are so kind and so helpful and so happy to hang out with us. I ended up heading up to bed and Curtis worked for a while, and suddenly it was morning.
Like always we packed up, and headed out. The hostel attendant was there in the lobby waiting to check us out…sleeping on the bench near by, and gave us quicker directions to the station and we were off.

People were waving today, some boys on the bus were smiling and staring, people at the train station kept waving to us, people gathered around to see us, people were taking pictures, and asking to get pictures taken with us. It was fun. After making sure we didn’t have anything on our faces, we decided they were just very happy to see us!

Curtis Take: Julie is literally like a celebrity everywhere we go here. I’ve traveled before and without her I got a little attention but with her around, everyone takes notice. The entire train station was looking at us. As we were about to head on to the platform to get on the train, I was a bit ahead of Julie and turned back to see a girl come over and asked to get a picture with Julie. She asked another lady nearby, who was holding a baby, to take the picture. Julie and her got together and the picture was taken. The girl was beaming! As Julie turned to come toward me I noticed the girl, behind her now, eagerly looking at the camera screen to see how the picture turned out. All of a sudden she was grinning from ear to ear, jumped in the air and squealed like she had just met her favorite rock star! No joke, that really happened. I love being Julie’s entourage!

Now…Curtis is sleeping on the top bunk of the soft sleeper, which unlike the hard sleeper, is the same size as the bottom sleeper. I’m here typing while our other train mates speak in a language I don’t know. It’s been fun trying to talk to each other. When the train sellers come by my new friends help teach me how to respond. They offered me some dried gizzards, and coffee beans to chew on, but I told them it was ok because I had my raisin bread and ramen. They are super nice, they are eating ramen also! Ok well..off to Guilin.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Chengdu…10/22/2011-10/27/2011


China’s big…

We arrived at 5am after taking a 15-hour train ride from Xian to Chengdu in the hard sleepers. It was fine. I suggest getting the bottom. If that option is not available get the middle, and then the top after that. They gradually get smaller and smaller as you go up. I think I mostly enjoyed it, especially the view, but some rude person kept smoking their strange cigarettes and killing me. I did not sleep all that well.  The hilarious part of this story is that is took me awhile to figure out that it was cigarettes. There was a point when I was lying in bed and my head perked up in anger, nostrils flaring, and growling out, I smell poo! It was smoke, but just around the corner I did spot a small slit wearing child.

We hit some rain, and I got sick! We did see Pandas!! Insert pictures.

Then I went back to being sick. Chengdu is a thriving metropolis. You will not BELIEVE  where Curtis took me for a date!!! The dinner was amazing, and the walk was refreshing! IKEA!!!  Chengdu also had a Walmart. It was the first place we found to have hand sanitizer. We really stocked up.  I wanted to buy a facial cream, but all creams and lotions her have skin whitener in it…, and I really don’t need to head in that direction anymore than I already am.

This city has super duper cheap shopping, at least at the outdoor store next to the IKEA. New packing tip. If you start your trip in China bring a bag of toiletries, and NOTHING else. Buy it in China, and if you can in Chengdu. Most of China is fairly inexpensive, but for a price comparison, a bag that is $250 in the US is $70 in China. I bought snuggly pj’s there that are fast drying and spent around 15 dollars for a pair of pants and a shirt. I’m so happy!

Chengdu was helpful, and we stocked up on food, and mostly slept. It was funny because I have not seen Curtis so stir crazy to leave a city before, but Chengdu was not doing it for him. He is itching for sunlight and fresh air, and I believe something different to eat besides ramen.  Oddly, the same luck that took us to Xian did NOT follow us here. There were no tickets out of Chengdu for a while. We met a lot of travelers who are out for the same time as us or longer, and we are finding we all travel the same way. You plan some things, and sooo many things you take as you go. It is so freeing and so easy and the glitches are few if any, and it's cost effective. Curtis’s devotion to the cause of leaving Chengdu was great though and he finagled tickets to the middle of nowhere Wuhan where we could take another train to Guilin from there to keep us on our intended schedule. Not only that but he got us soft sleepers!!

The hostels are all so friendly and nice. It’s nice to come home to a hostel. It feels much the same everywhere you go. Everyone is sOOoo friendly, the other travelers are fun to get to know and pick their brains during the day, and the information the hostels give out about the cities and future cities you're traveling to are priceless.

We packed everything up, and headed out. The hostel gave us a quicker way to get to the station. We walked straight onto the train as they were already boarding and had our train cabin to ourselves. WE ended up with them to ourselves the whole night, and besides the workers unlocking our door and checking to see if anyone snuck in every now and then it was pretty much just us. The views were beautiful, and Curtis and I just talked and hung out.

We ate ramen for lunch, and when we were sick to our stomachs with hunger we ate the second for dinner.

On the train to Wuhan...10/27/2011

There are so many different emotions that you go through doing this the way we are doing it all.

I'm so tired. I've been sick recently and finding that one night of good sleep has been difficult. Honestly, it's hard to remember when I felt really rested.. I have dark circles under my eyes and wrinkles and I see the ugly that no sleep has left me.  

I know I have only been away a month, and while many keep telling us this will be the hardest
stretch I keep believing it is only the beginning of this journey. It's 2:50 in the morning and to be true I couldn't sleep because our train car keeps crashing into the other train cars, I am having dreams of cockroaches and rats and lice, the soft sleeper smells like fresh smoke and toilet coming through the vent and I was starving.... Until I got up and ate some peanuts.

These are moments I find myself pinching myself to wake up. It's amazing to me that I am not at war, or in a prison camp, or in the movie Hidalgo starving in the desert... Or in the prison in Four
Feathers....... Because that's who I find myself relating to sometimes. 

I'm sure if anything this is all beginning to scare you and make you wonder where we are and you are imagining places far worse than we are in. When or if  this happens revert to the pictures and understand I'm a baby. 

I have not been feeling hungry, but feel malnourished and I am starting to wonder if it is jet lag anymore or a serious loss of appetite. It's been a month and I am still having to remind myself to eat and not just anything but unhealthy foreign tasting food that sometimes is not so tasty. It's difficult when moving so frequently to find familiar things in each place you go, but as far as marts go I have done considerably well. 

It doesn't help that I have been sick recently. I remember being picky in America during colds and flus, but here you can lose a lot of weight. I don't believe I've reaped those benefits of starving but just been desperate for food. Every now and then I find myself eating and noticing I enjoy the flavor and the overall content of what I'm eating. Noticeably I find myself eating it slowly to savor it and that I'm desperate for every bite. I see glimpses of Heath Ledger in Four Feathers when Abu brings him bread in the prison. 

 I would feel like a baby, but I like the food in China and still I'm hungry. I would feel like a baby until I was sitting in the lobby of our hostel eves dropping on fellow travelers describing how
hungry they are and that THEIR countries must have spoiled them. One girl started going on about cheese. "It's hard to find good cheese in China and it's important. I searched for this cheese." The guy behind me..., "But how will that keep." "I bought enough for today and tomorrow", she said. "I had some for lunch and now for dinner and there will be some for tomorrow even." I was jealous of her cheese. 

I thought about talking with my sister explaining travel was possible with her kiddies. I did say don't do China, but I said it was possible. I started wondering why I blathered onto her like I knew anything when I remembered how the convo went and what I said would make it possible.

Cooking...

I started dreaming about carrying fifteen extra pounds of pan and battery coils to cook on. They felt light and easy. I would have impulsively bought one had they been in plain sight in any store we visited.
It's a cycle. I know I got sick because my immune system has been lagging in a country that's dirty and that's because and why I'm not eating what I should. I'm not drinking what I should because it's hard to carry enough clean water and I guess until I am truly thirsty the UV pen is not convincing my psyche of anything nor are their hot water dispensers. 

Everything seems to manifest during times of being desperate. In the night I am starving and earlier today I did not eat the soup we bought until I was sick to my stomach I was so hungry. I thought I was sick, but I realized it must be hunger pains because the thought to eat does not come to me without the alarms I set on the phone.

Many of you may be laughing at me, but judge me all you want because I have kept us eating, and am willing to eat most things. Meat that has been rotting and collecting bacteria, or dumplings being prepared in a bowl in the back of a restaurant on the streets where kids are pooing, by a man I just saw blow what Curtis told me is a snot rocket and then not wash but wipe his hands
on his pants leads me to go without for a while. 

Even while I write this all I'm not sure I will post it because now that the rant is over, I'm tired enough to sleep and remember all the good in the world and despite not always getting what I want or need... I have been eating quite well in comparison to so many here. 

Mostly, Curtis and I are so close. I remember believing that this trip truly could make or break us and it was really hard at first and suddenly in the worst of it Curtis really stepped up to the plate and we are besties for life. If anything I will cherish China every day because I have Curtis and I feel so close to him in ways I didn't before.

I really feel that even though I thought we were friends before this trip and that I loved him back then... It feels nothing like today and how much I feel for him now and am grateful that it's him with me rather than any other soul I've met! Sorry for the corniness..but the good feelings rushed in all at once after the rant and left the mush. :-)

A couple hours of watching the strobe-ing windows passing city lights.... and a ten minute dream of almond sized ninjas attacking me...we are now in Wuhan. Wuhoo!

Xian to come soon...

Under Construction Add VIDEO and PICTURES

Beijing

Friday 10/14/2011 .... about 5 hours after Shanghai.


Curtis and I both wrote a blog about Beijing. So as to not double up too much, I decided not to post, but added in the JULIE TAKE.

Curtis: Beijing is another of China’s enormous cities; it is the capital after all. There are so many things to see and do here. There are a myriad of sites, sounds and tastes to take in like The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, The Summer Palace, The Temple of Heaven, The 2008 Olympic Stadium, beautiful parks, and various markets. You could easily spend several weeks here and not take it all in.
Temple of heaven

Great Wall, and our new friend
Great Wall






Guy that wanted his picture with me at the Forbidden City.





































































Curtis: After the whirlwind tour of Korea and Shanghai we decided to take it easy for a day or so when first arriving in Beijing. It was nice to relax, catch up on sleep, the blog and work.

Julie Take: We literally did not go anywhere, me more-so than Curtis. I don’t think I left the hostel for a full day or two! Sweet recovery.

Curtis: We stayed at Qianmen Hostel, just south of Tiananmen Square. It was a great little hostel with charm and character, in an amazingly convenient location. It was near the subway, in the middle of the city and close to many major sites. The WiFi was good and available in many of the rooms. (The WiFi needed to be reset a few times over the course of our 5-day stay but all that took was simply unplugging it for a minute). The hostel staff spoke English, as in most hostels in China, and was very helpful with directions on how to get where we wanted to go. They were also available to help book train tickets or flights if needed.

Julie Take: Hostel in Beijing, China...well it was the friendly hostel. The wall between the bedroom and the bathroom was glass, and basically you MUST be close to share a room here. Wifi works in the rooms close to the lobby. I learned that the universal sign for telephone is not universal? I still don’t know what China’s sign is, but this hostel person did not recognize ours. Everyone is sooo helpful though!

Curtis: The second night we decided to get out a bit and took a stroll around Tiananmen Square. You can’t get onto the Square at night but walking around it let’s you experience it’s massive size. It is the biggest public square in the world. It is situated immediately south of the entrance to The Forbidden City. It was a unique experience to stand in that place, thinking about the intense standoff that happened there nearly 15 years ago and the positive change that has happened in China since then. I’m hopeful that change will continue to grow and blossom into all the freedoms that the Chinese people desire.

Julie Take: It’s amazing being here. I wish you were all here experiencing it with me. Mostly for selfish reasons because I miss you, but it is so interesting to be here. Tianamen square was beautiful!! Ironically Curtis and I had a standoff of our own there. You really get to know yourself and your mate when you leave everything behind you and go to a place where you literally only have each other. I’m impressed by the people in the world that serve missions. Away from home out there in the big world. What a victory that is to leave your world behind and go and serve others! I admire you. In my church their are young people that go, and become a companion to someone they’ve never met, spend absolutely ALL their time with them and talk about something as intimate as God with random strangers. For Curtis and me, we are mostly talking to each other in our own language. My walk around the world has really let me see how big this world is, and how small somethings really are, and how important my friendship to Curtis is, and what’s MOST important to me.

Curtis: After our walk I spent the rest of the night searching online, trying to find out how to get to church the next day. After a lot of searching I couldn’t find any clear directions on how to get there but did find an address. Whether or not the address was accurate or still the correct location I did not know, but it was better than nothing. I also found the Branch President’s phone number and gave him a call the next morning. Thankfully, he answered and was able to email directions on how to get to the church via the subway.
POST DIRECTIONS

As it is with most Christian religions, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not allowed to proselyte in China and only foreign nationals are allowed to legally hold and attend church meetings. Once at church everything was the same as it would have been anywhere else, but going to church in China, knowing that the Chinese people do not have religious freedom was a sobering thought.

On the surface China seems relatively normal, but with no freedom of religion, no free press or speech, even a filtered Internet experience, you realize you’re a long way away from the freedoms you take for granted everyday in the USA.

Julie Take: That’s pretty much all I’ve got too. Who knew that freedom of religion, of internet, or TV/ news, selected education could be gone after a ten hour flight across some water. If someone here asks you about your religion, you have to say, “ You know I can’t talk about that with you.” When I was a teenager I went to every church you can possibly imagine for long periods of time. I have read so many of the different books and literature given to these sects, and asked questions to teachers and friends about what they believe and why they live how they do, then to later, truly become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I can’t imagine if back then someone had said, “I’m sorry you know I can’t talk to you about those things.” I know for me I would have never stopped asking. I would have started a revolution. I hope that people in America never become lazy enough to let people take their freedoms away, NOT that China is Lazy, but I feel that may be the only reason we would lose our freedoms in America. As long as I live there you can be sure that I will be a fighter to keep what we have.

Sites We Visited:

- Curtis: The Forbidden City – We walked across Tiananmen Square to The Forbidden City. The FC is a huge complex. You walk across a big mote and through various large gates as you enter and exit the city. There are huge ornate building and palaces throughout. Ornate stone carvings and Chinese lion statues are all over the place. The garden has beautiful rock formations and old trees, some of which are 300-400 years old.

Julie Take: It was quite big, and I can say that I saw a small child with a slit in his pants. It took me a while to get this proof. Insert Proof

- Curtis: The Great Wall – I’ve always wanted to see The Great Wall in person. There are various sections that are relatively easy to get to from Beijing. The closer sections have largely been rebuilt in the last few decades and are generally over run with tourists and locals trying to sell you stuff. To get a more authentic Great Wall experience I highly recommend traveling an additional 1-2 hours to go to Jinshinling. There are less tourists and most of the wall you’ll be hiking on has not been rebuilt. The Great Wall is often situated up on the ridge-line of the mountains so it is a pretty long hike just to get to it. At Jinshinling and several other locations there is a cable car option that will take you right to The Great Wall, bypassing the time consuming process of hiking the entire way. When I first heard about a cable car option I was against it, but Julie realized the hike to the wall would be a huge time waste and that there wasn’t anything to see along the way, I changed my mind. We came to hike on The Great Wall of China and not to just waste half our day hiking to it. The wall was really interesting and must have been a massive engineering feat. Some sections were made of very steep steps to traverse steep mountainsides. Some parts were crumbling away with only half of the wall in tact to walk across. We walked through several guard towers of varying decay. It was a beautiful day and an exhilarating experience. (Definitely a check mark on The List). I was surprised out how low some parts of the wall actually were. I’m not sure if it was higher a long time ago and has either sunk down a bit or soil has built up around it, however several areas weren’t much higher than a few meters, easily breached by a basic ladder or rope. From what I’ve read the wall, although impressive, didn’t do a great job of actually keeping people out all the time. One of the most valuable parts of The Great Wall was the guard towers, found all along it. From the towers, guards could see a problem and notify each other by quickly lighting signal fires on each tower to notify others of the threat or danger.

Julie Take: I’m pretty sure I sang every Mulan song known to Mulan and quoted the movie. We later watched the movie back at the hostel. Insert Pictures

- Curtis: The Temple of Heaven – This beautiful pagoda style structure can be found in a large park just off the Subway line. The building itself was very stunning with many vibrant blue’s, red’s, gold’s and other colors. The surrounding gardens and trees were also beautiful. Lots of locals visit the park to play cards and other games. One I found particularly interesting looked a lot like hacky sack but was played with something that more resembled a large badminton shuttle bird with metal rings at the bottom to give it more weight. We watched for a minute and I wanted to give it a try but decided not to see if they’d let me join in. As we began to walk away Julie could tell that I wanted to give it a try and encouraged me to go give it a shot. I’m glad she did because I went back and in my universal language of charades was able to get the point across that I wanted to try. They humored me and let me join in. It’s been a while since I’ve played hacky sack or even juggled a soccer ball and I had sandals on and a day pack so I was a bit awkward at first and you could tell they thought I’d likely not get the hang of it. Then to their surprise I did start to get the hang of it and they all started laughing in amazement because I was able to keep up with them. It was a lot of fun. Travel is so much more enjoyable when you get involved in the local culture and life.

Julie Take: Insert pictures.

- Curtis: Olympic Park – The Summer 2008 Olympic games were held in Beijing. I almost came to China back then to experience the games first hand but decided instead to go to Africa during that time. When we got to the subway station where we could transfer to the only subway line that goes up to the Olympic Park grounds we discovered that the line was closed and we’d have to either walk the rest of the way or find a taxi to take us. As we came out of the subway we couldn’t see the stadium and from the looks of the subway map it would be a long walk. We were leaving Beijing that day so had our full packs on and were not up for a long hike with full packs. We tried to get a taxi but had no luck, and then a little motorized, enclosed rickshaw of sorts pulled up. It didn’t look very sturdy, nor did it look anywhere near big enough to handle our bags and us. The driver seemed to think otherwise so we decided to give it a shot and crammed ourselves in the back, holding our backpacks on our laps while the driver pushed the door closed. It was a really tight fit but we did fit. The drive to the Olympic Park grounds took just a few minutes but I wasn’t sure if that old rickety thing was gonna make it there or not. When we pulled up to the Olympic grounds everyone that saw us packed in there started laughing and taking pictures. (I wish I had picture myself, I bet it looked hilarious).

Julie Take: Basically we were touching the walls of the box. During the ride I felt swaying and mentioned to Curtis that if it tipped over to just got off of me and that I would climb out first. He looked at me oddly, and I guess it was a random thought, but honestly is seemed like a reasonable comment to me. The funny guy (driver?) said he would give us a ride back too. How nice. When we got out people were laughing and the driver started scolding them all and they stopped until they heard us busting up laughing too, and then it was all over!!

Curtis: We walked around the grounds a bit, saw the “birds nest” stadium and took some pictures with the locals. People in China always want to take pictures of or preferably with Julie. She is pretty much a celebrity here and sometimes they think I’m pretty cool too just by association. I think we should make an album and put it out here in China, we’d be huge!

Julie Take: Some cute girl came and said, “ I think you are very beautiful and you are very handsome, can you get of picture of me and her?” Ha ha.. Curtis is great! Also the sun was out today! It looked like a small moon hiding behind a sheet of smog. I looked right at it thinking it was the moon. I wondered what time it was, but then realized it was the sun. I’ve come to understand why people are wearing masks. It’s difficult to breath. I’ve smelled a lot of not so great things here, but what a beautiful park! We got to see more kites here.

- Curtis: The Summer Palace – This place was massive! Literally as big as a large amusement park. It is on the North West of the city, built on large hill or small mountain and a lake. The landscape is stunning, the architecture interesting, and the entire scene picturesque. This was the playground of China’s emperors. If I were they I would have ditched The Forbidden City and moved my permanent head quarters to this place. You could easily spend a full day exploring The Summer Palace. We just had a couple of hours and it was definitely worth it.
Side note: Try the roasted chestnuts from street vendors. They are all over the place. Often they'll give you one to taste straight outa the hot gravel. I really liked it and bought more but made the fatal error of letting them cool off before eating them and cold chestnuts don't taste so hot. Bleck!!!

Julie Take: Good idea, walking through the Summer palace! Bad idea, walking through the Summer Palace with your life on your back, 2 months after knee surgery. I think I was panting. It was worth it though. Also, they sell yams on the street. Carry a fork at all times, or smell them, and wish you had.

Curtis: Word to the Wise, Don’t get scammed: Places that have a lot of tourists also have a lot of scam artists and others who will try various ways to separate you from your money.

Exhibit A: The rickshaw driver that offered to take us to the subway station. After walking though Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City we were a ways away from the nearest subway station. We figured we’d just walk but a nice rickshaw driver offered to take us there. We knew to be wary of such and negotiated the price upfront, (ALWAYS negotiate the price up front with rickshaws, taxis, etc. and if they try to make you pay more or don’t take you where you wanted to go then just leave what you think is fare on the seat and walk away). The language barrier can always make negotiating a bit of a challenge that will either work in your favor or against you depending on how you go about it. We asked how much and he said 3. We clearly restated, “3 RMB?” several times and he kindly replied, “3 monies” and offered for us to get in for the ride. We got in, carefully keeping an eye on the traffic around us so as not to get hit while riding in the rickshaw. He took us about 20-30 meters and across a busy street and then said something to another rickshaw driver that was coming over. He then proceeded to tell us to get in with the other driver. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to pull, perhaps wanting us to pay him and then the other driver as well, so I said NO and told him to keep going. After another 20 meters he stopped the rickshaw and started adamantly saying, “3 monies, 3 monies”. I said, “Yes, we’ll pay you 3 RMB” and pointed in the direction of the subway. At that point he pulled a card out of his pocket that showed the pricing of 300 RMB for the ride. HAHAHA. I knew something was going to happen. At that moment we said no way, jumped out and started walking towards the subway. He got off the rickshaw bike and started following demanding the money. So that he would stop harassing us I turned and started to hand him a 5 RMB bill, which he refused. I was about to just drop it and walk away but he took it and left.

Julie Take: Basically he picked us up on the corner, and took us to the other side of the cross walk and demanded three money. I got out and walked away. Curtis makes me feel safe like that!

Curtis: People often try to take advantage of good-natured tourists. If they aren’t threatening you physically then don’t let them verbally extort money from you. Not only does it ruin your day but it also emboldens them to do it again to another tourist down the road.

Julie Take: Amen!

Curtis: This reminds me of another tactic used by street vendors or shops you may come across or just be passing by. They will put merchandise in your hand to make you feel more obligated to buy it and they will not allow you to give it back to them. If it ends up in your hand you’ll often have to put it back on their cart or shelf or even the ground to get them to take it back. If you don’t want something then don’t let them put it in your hand and don’t let them sell you something you really don’t want. The next time someone tries this to me I may just act like I thought they were giving me a gift, say thank you in their language and start to walk away just to see what happens.

Julie Take: Bu Yao, Xia Xia.. That’s all it takes. (No want, thank you..)

Curtis: Language barriers can be challenging but can also be a lot of fun. One night, while winding our way through some of the old alleyways of Beijing, we came to a street with many restaurants and shops. (Generally alleys in the USA are places to avoid but in Beijing they are full of life, culture, shops and restaurants so go explore them).

Julie Take: IF...., they look like alleys you should go into. Most do, but I always say bring your education everywhere you go..it’s safer that way.

Curtis: Julie wanted to find some dumplings. We went into a popular looking dumpling restaurant to get a bite to eat. It was the busiest place on the block and that is almost always a good sign. Upon entering we got in line to order and quickly realized that there wasn’t anything in English. The line moved fast and before we new it we were at the front trying to explain that we just wanted some dumplings. They clearly didn’t understand what we were getting at, even with some charades and picture pointing. Everyone, including the workers, Julie and I, and everyone in line started to laugh because we all recognized the funny predicament. A lady in line was able to speak a bit of English and came to our rescue. We ordered the dumplings and they offered for us to try the soup as well. They gave me a bowl and motioned for me to try it and give it back if I didn’t like it. It was a strange congealed; thick, unappetizing looking soup but everyone in the place was downing it like it was going outa style so I decided to try a spoon full. Just as I was scooping a spoon full of the sludge, Julie said, “I don’t think you wanna eat that”, I was already committed and slurped it down. I should have listened to Julie. It was most definitely an acquired taste that I hadn’t yet acquired and for a split second I thought, “Oh know, am I going to throw up right here, right now, into the huge vat of this soup they are making in front of me”. Thankfully I didn’t but it was a close one. I quickly gave the soup back and they smiled. I think they had had that experience before with other foreign visitors. Haha. The dumplings were really good though so we ended up on a positive note.
Word to the Wise: Eat where you see locals eating and avoid eating at places that are empty.

Pollution and General Cleanliness or the Lack Thereof: I like China in general and am really glad to be visiting here but China has a lot of pollution and sanitation issues that taint the overall experience. The major cities are thick with Smog and covered in a grimy film. People spit all over the place and kids just go to the bathroom wherever they feel like it. In fact babies and toddlers clothing comes with a fully open crotch slit and they usually don’t wear diapers. We’ve often seen kids doing their business whenever and wherever they please (Number 1 & Number 2, yup you read that right). We’ve seen parents holding up their kids and pointing them in a “safe” direction like a weapon to let them do their business, sometimes in the gutter or a planter and sometimes just anywhere. You really have to watch where you are walking in some areas or you will step in human waste. Avoid stepping in any wet looking spots or on anything that looks like you know what. Avoid walking around barefoot in any public place including trains and public transportation.

Julie Take: Right! After the Forbidden City sighting, we started noticing small children everywhere toileting the sidewalks. Stop it!!!!

Curtis: We decided to leave Beijing Wednesday and head for Xian via train. Upon checking out of the hostel we asked if they could call to check on Train tickets for us to Xian. They said it was likely all sold out and two tourists in the Hostel lobby chimed in saying they had to book Xian train tickets several days in advance. We asked them to call anyway just to check and when they got off the phone they said there were only standing class tickets left. There are no seats in standing class so you’d have to basically stand the whole 15 hours. One of the other travelers in the lobby said she did it. Kudos to her but we thought that would be too much of a grind for us. We decided to go check the train station for the next available sleeper class tickets we could get and decide what to do from there. We went to the train station and were lucky enough to actually get tickets for that very night in a soft sleeper cabin, which is what we wanted anyway. Thanks to Julie, and her Chinese skills. She has been good about learning key phrases that have really helped us. Soft sleepers have 4 beds to a cabin and a door to the cabin that can be locked. When we got on the train we realized we were in different cabins (we didn’t know that phrase). We were able to play charades and use the Pleco phone app to convince a lady in Julie’s cabin to switch with me and we were all set. Even more serendipitous, our other two cabin mates for the train ride happened to be the same couple from the Hostel lobby that said they had to book the train several days in advance. Their names are Andy and Rachel Povah.

Julie Take: It was funny. We were getting on the train and they motioned Curtis to go to a different car. When I got in my car I saw Andy and Rach’s friendly faces! I convinced Curtis to come ask the lady and son in the bottom bunk to move over, and he did it! We all got to room together, and what a HUGE help it was. We made fast friends, and got fantastic travel advice from them about transiting, and student I.D savings…etc

Curtis: Train travel can be very convenient in China. For long hauls I’d recommend the soft sleeper. It’s a bit pricier but the privacy, extra space, and ability to shut and lock the door to each 4-person cabin at night make it worthwhile if it fits your budget.
You also have the option of the Hard Sleeper, this cheaper option is an open layout of 6 beds to a section, go for the middle section if you take this route...the bottom sections are open seating until later in the evening when you can use it for sleeping...so if you are assigned to a bottom bunk you may have people coming and sitting along side you until it's time to sleep. There is not much privacy with this option as the entire train car is open with no doors so it's generally noisier, smellier, etc.
The other two options that you can do is a seat or standing...yes, it is possible to buy a standing only ticket for a long haul 15 hour train ride in China and some people and travelers do it...haha...crazy!

We enjoyed talking with and getting to know Andy and Rachel on the way to Xian. They’ve been traveling for 8 months now and will be for another 4. It was great to be able to tap into their experience and get some good insight.

In a nutshell, Beijing was great and a must see on any trip to China.

Goodbye Beijing..

Shanghai, Day Three, Thursday.


10/13/2011
Today was a good day!!

 I had a dream a couple nights ago about going swimming. I think I was dreaming about something refreshing. Amazingly enough the gym, almost kissing Jeff and Kendra’s building, had a pool.

Kendra and I woke up early and went swimming at their gym while Curtis recouped from his nights work. It was an adventure. It was Kendra’s first time using the pool, and bringing a guest. After understanding the price we headed up to the locker rooms.  We experienced some surprises…

The openness of the fellow locker-roomies… not just in changing, but also in using the ladies room. After Kendra and I put lye in our eyes we headed through the maze for the pool. We saw what looked like a pathway to the pool and we were met by a footbath that blocked our path and forced us to step through it.  Kendra noted it was a good sign. I guess its custom that they were cleaning our feet before entry….I did feel like it was a stagnant pool of bacteria that I was forced to step through, but when in China…

 We made it! As we were entering the water we heard loud shouting…, !!$&%(*#)$(!!... being directed at us and hand gestures.  It shocked me until we realized they were telling us it was mandatory to wear a swim cap. Down stairs we went to the desk where we paid 100 Y for each swim cap. The swimming was great. Kendra did the breaststroke and I just free swam! It was an upgrade for my normal doggy paddle! The pool attendant pitied me and gave me his eye goggles…, oh yeah and helped me get my swim cap on properly so my crazy hair would stop popping it off my head. The grunge feeling of a few days travel was cleansed from me. It was such a nice refreshing aerobic release!

We walked back to the house and took nice hot showers, and prepared for the day. Everything was beginning beautifully, but I could not find my grey sandals to complete my super cute outfit that I accessorized up with one of my brand new scarves. I looked all over, and then asked Kendra if she’d seen them. When you have so many things in one bag and you are moving from place to place it’s easy to lose things without a system. I have systems though…so I was confused! Kendra started laughing, shaking her head, and putting her hands up to her eyes… and began to  relay that when the IE (maid) arrived she asked Kendra if she could wear them, and Kendra thinking they were the maids, approved her petition. It is custom to have house shoes available. In-fact in every hostel we stay in there are house shoes waiting for us. I never wear them… because I don’t know who else has, but I wear my grey ones instead. Anyway…, I decided to let the IE wear my shoes for the day and Newport it up—(my other sandals.). Glad I did because it was wet and slippery outside, and the Newports are sturdier and built for wet and dry terrain.

We ventured out to Suzhou on a pretty fast train. We visited an enormous, gorgeous garden, probably the biggest I’ve ever been in, and I’ve seen some big ones,  ironically enough it was built by and for, “The Humble Administrator”. I wonder what the other gardens look like. Later we took a taxi to Tiger Hill.( Insert Pictures with descriptions)
This is where I fell in my sturdy Newports down the stairs!!!!!! While it was unfortunate and I had mud on my bum for the rest of the day, I was told it was a graceful fall, so that means something. I’m not clumsy it was just wet out!

It was pouring rain and suddenly everyone with a car was out trying to offer rides because all the normal taxis were taken. We chose a nice looking car, negotiated the price, jumped in and got a nice ride to the train station. We were not sure if it would be safe, but Curtis was up front imagining up ninja moves that would take nothing more than the use of a pen! We arrived bought tickets and then tried to get on several trains that were not ours…on purpose. Our train was leaving later than we liked. All attempts to board earlier trains failed…it did keep us very busy until our train was ready to leave, however. ….Curtis….


Thanks Julie, after getting back from Suzhou we met up with Jeff to go out to dinner at a Cantonese restaurant! The food was interesting and pretty good. I tried some preserved egg, not sure how old it was but it was black in color, pungent in smell and potent in taste. Been there, done that, and not going back, but Jeff loved it.

Julie liked a lot of the food as well. When I asked what she thought about the food she started saying, “You know what I miss about China Curtis? Chest-nut-cowrn juice. Mmm mn, sometimes I go grab a can of cowrn out the cabnit and strain me a glass of fresh cowrn juice. It tastes juuusst like it. Ahh (sounds you make after soda) It really brings me back Curtis. Reminds me of home. I mean China!” Ha ha I love her.

On the way back to Jeff & Kendra’s we stopped by the local super mart, like a lesser Wal-Mart, kinda like the Lesser Panda, outside of their house. The grocery part of the store was in the basement and in the back next to the fresh produce we also found live, fresh frogs, snakes and other interesting creatures. The frogs were bigger than my fist. It was really interesting.

At Jeff & Kendra’s that night we packed up before going to bed to be ready to head out to the Train station in the morning to catch a bullet train to Beijing.

10/14/2011

We woke up early Friday to finish packing and caught the Metro to the train station. The Pleco phone app was a big help in getting us the tickets we wanted for Beijing. Pleco is a Chinese translation app and we highly recommend spending a few bucks to get it and use it while in China. It’s been a huge help for us.

After buying the train tickets we found a little café at the train station and got some food. I thought we were right next to our gate so we took it easy till a few minutes before boarding time. As we walked out of the café toward the gate I realized that it wasn’t the boarding gate, it was the gate for exiting the train platforms. We quickly located a sign, which pointed the way to the boarding gates and started running, not an easy task with full packs on. We had to run down to the other end of the huge corridor we were in, about 100 yards, where we found signs pointing us up an escalator and then through security, where we had to remove our packs and send them through scanners while we walked through metal detectors. Another guy came rushing through security, clearly late for his train also and he just ran through, didn’t even put his bags through the scanner, (We’ve come to realize that security in a lot of places throughout China, like train stations, is often pretty lax…try a stunt like that in the USA and you’d get tackled, cuffed and likely put in a cell for questioning. Additionally, everyone always beeps when going through metal detectors here but never really gets stopped for a thorough search). We grabbed our bags and asked which way to our gate and ran for it. We barely made it in time for them to rush us through the gate and onto the train.

We were on a bullet train to Beijing, going about 300 kph. It took about 5 hours or so at that speed. We had various short stops along the way to pick up additional passengers in other cities. We passed through a lot of varied terrain as we headed north through China. I really enjoy traveling by train…sure, it’s slower than flying but it’s cheaper too, you get to see the country as your transiting through, and you get a better feel for the locals as you spend time traveling with them. China has an extensive railroad system. If you’ve got the time then I highly recommend traveling this way.

Goodbye to our loved Shanghai…, hello Beijing.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Shanghai on Wednesday

8:00a.m in Shanghai, China. I had been lying in bed since 6:35 just taking it all in when the sweet smell of Crepes seeped through our bedroom door. I got up and walked into the living room. Kendra greeted me to let me know that breakfast was waiting for ME!! <3 <3 <3
We walked into the beautiful dining area where they have the most beautiful view of the Pudong right from their eating area. Kendra is a perfect host and set the table just beautifully, so we could both have the best possible morning siting of the beautiful skyline. I never loved crepes so much or ate more than one and a half before, but it was like a nonfood to me suddenly (nonfood: food you eat when you are not even close to hungry.) I stopped at three but believe I could have kept going and going, but I knew Curtis would be hungry so…I left some. I didn’t leave enough though..Curtis was left wanting. Kendra took me on an architectural tour of the Bund while Curtis worked…, It was so fun. I remember was I was younger she and I use to discuss the houses local to us and where their origin was from. It was fun to come together on the other side of the world and talk about the Bund’s art history! 

 We toured the tallest building in Shanghai, which is the Federal Building. I guess that's what you do in every big city to see the amazing view.
Federal Building, Shanghai, China
Walking along the Bund at night. View of Pudong.
View of Pudong and the Bund from Federal building
Curtis and Jeff met us for lunch and we went out for Sushi. The Sushi was good, but their tuna was canned tuna, and the cucumbers were replaced with lettuce. Then Jeff went back to work and we toured the Aquarium. 
Awesome Jelly Fish Picture!!! Someone told Kendra that the aquarium was bigger than the Shedd in Chicago, but we decided it wasn't. However, the Jelly fish wall is SOoooOOoo cool, and it made it worth it for me.
This guy is a shark.
Can you say, Holy Awesome picture!! I forgot what type he is.
Wow
Mushroom & Broccoli Jellies
Ha Hah!! I am taller than the Emperor Penguins. Yeah!
I know, I know..it's pretty awesome. He makes millions.
There was also a leopard one. I will eventually create a gallery you can visit.
Kendra and Curtis. He's  soo happy. "I'm in the fish tunnel!!"
Later that night we met up with Jeff and went to the Garden. We ate at a very popular restaurant where we had dumplings also known as steamed buns. On our way home……I found the shopping I had been waiting for!!!!!!!SCARVES scarves and more scarves! We also walked through the back streets of China….. Off to bed, and  off to work for Curtis ….who worked until 3am! He’s amazing!
Me and my favorite person
On the Bund, Pictures of the Alien invaders and the buildings they landed on.
Circular Walk Way
Me walking on the circle walk way.