Date: Wednesday, May 21
Time: 8:14 AM Chengdu
Location: My bed, Room 410, a SWUFE dormitory
It was about 2:30 when Dr. Chandler and Professor Shuai came back to announce they'd managed to get us tickets out of Chengdu to Shanghai for Wednesday night. There were no details yet, but Shanghai had agreed to let us come and do a program. Professor Shuai led us all off-campus to eat in a pretty tasty Korean restaurant.
Some people wanted to shop afterward and he called in a female professor to take the shoppers shopping. Six of us opted to go back to Professor Shuai's office to send emails instead. The connection was a ltitle iffy, but he had three computers we could use. I emailed my mom and Mike and finally braved checking my grades. On a whim I went back to check my I-mail again and Mike at replied. It was amazing timing that we both happened to be on and even more strange that the Great Firewall of China hadn't blocked his MySpace Blog page from me. I grinned for most of the rest of the night. I was so glad to get to read and catch up on what was going on with him.
Dr. Chandler met up with us in Professor Shuai's office. The books that had been ordered for us were too easy. Shanghai was going to be too expensive and it didn't look like they'd understood what we wanted. Things werent' exactly looking up.
We had a welcome/farewell banquet at the building that serves visiting scholars and academics. Waittresses piled the lazy susan high with all sorts of dishes, and though we initially eyed them dubiously, the food was fantastic. my table the six non-shoppers (minus one who didn't feel well), Dr. Chandler, Professor Shuai, the Director of Foreign Students, and the Director's 10 year old son, who was adorable. Our Chinese was just about good enough to communicate with a 4th grader. Wow--we need to start those classes. A plate with beef and a second one with a bacon, chicken, french fry, green things concoction totally warmed us to the food. It was amazing.
After dinner, the Director took us to his office and let us all call home and let everyone know we were all right. The students and teachers were all sleeping on the lawn again for safety. A few people in the group wanted to join them, but most of us were pefectly comfortable wtih the idea of staying in the dormitory and were looking forward to sleeping on real beds. We were told we got an approval to stay inside, but to have our shoes and small bag with our passports ready at a moment's notice. Dr. Chandler took the sick girl from earlier (102 fever) and one of the guys with an eye that didn't look too good to the campus doctor. There was a massive thermos of boiled water--safe for drinking, shaving, teethbrushing, etc--on each of our desks. It was still boiling hot. We had bowls (not sure if they were for washing clothes or our faces) and I shaved my legs with the hot water and a had a long, slow foot bath. I even mixed cooler water in with it because it was too hot at first. We were relaxing in our pj's when we got word that they had found somewhere for us to sleep and we needed to go in 15 minutes.
Figuring we were joining the others in tents and tarps on the grass, I threw my jeans on, grabbed my backpack and blankets, slathered on bugspray, and headed out. There was a van waiting, and it drove us to another building on campus. There were some folding chairs and pingpong tables psuhed up against the walls. The wooden floor was open for us to lay out our blankets and sleep on. A table had canisters of hot water and cups for tea, and a door at the back led to the restroom. It was the best of both worlds--we weren't up in our rooms on the 4th floor, but we weren't out on the grass either. Personally I was more afraid of being bitten by bugs than a quake bringing the building down. To assure us that he felt wherever we were going to be was safe, Professor Shuai was staying too. When we were going to be in the dorm, he opened up another room and was going to stay there, same floor. When we moved to the this building he said he'd be there too, right in the next room if we needed anything.
Our slumber party in the building was pretty good. Play some sort of card game called Phase 10. We got up the next morning, showered, went to breakfast, and anticipated just putzing around until lunch, maybe hitting the corner store from yesterday morning for more ice cream. Unfortunately however, they wanted to keep us occupied and we're in Jinli now--we took cabs and are here with one of the female professors.
Not much is open and we found a tea store selling specialty teas and tea sets. They gave us a full demonstration and tasting. I swallowed the jasmine tea they gave me and tried to keep my empty cup from attracting notice as they continued doing refills with different types. As some people started wandering away to inspect the wares (others continued tasting), I discreetly left my cup on the table and looked around a bit.
I had more sense than to want to stay there. My allergies had been acting up since we stepped out of the cab and this was the first day I didn't have an allergy pill on me. I walked a couple of stores down and turned back to the tea shop to wait on the front step with a couple of other people. We'd very clearly been babysat our entire time at the university and I figured wandering away now would be a bad idea. They brought us more tea. Being rode of hospitality and gifts is very bad in China. I took the tea and drank it. Finally it looked like we were leaving. I stood up, and I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I think my hand spasmed. It might have been me being clumsy, but I don't think so. My hand was around the little cup, and then it wasn't. I remember noticing the hand thing over Christmas--medication related? No idea, but the result was smashed China all over the pavement.
Because they'd given me the glass and it wasn't me shopping and knocking it over, they didn't take any money for it and told me not to worry. I felt 2 inches tall and very alone on the walk to lunch at the Sichuan Firepot.
The Firepot was an upscale restaurant where there was a spicy broth, and a chicken broth cooking on the table in front of you and vegetables and meatas were brought to the table and we added them to the pots. The liver I ate was really good, the beef was a bit fatty though. I couldn't handle much spice, but I was proud of myself for trying some of it.
So after 36 hours on a train to get there, we spent a total of about 36 hours in Chengdu. Professor Shuai and his colleagues did everything to feel welcome, and treated us to amazing meals whlie we were there. Okay, cafeteria breakfast is cafeteria breakfast anywhere. It's a no-win. They refunded every penny we'd given them and paid for everything while we were in Chengdu.
For a couple of reasons, SWUFE is the first university I'd look at probably if I were going to study in China again. Everyone I met--studetns and teachers--was not only polite, but friendly. They accomadated us in every way. I"m sure I could eventually deal with the whole cold showers only thing. The hot foot bath I gave myself felt fantastic. Sichuan University houses 40,000 students alone--SWUFE has about 10,000. Smaller, but cozier and more one on one I think.
And life in Chengdu is much cheaper than Beijing or Shanghai. A cab in Chengdu is 1.4 Yuan per KM--Beijing it's 2 Yuan. I never paid less than 5 Yuan for a soda or 3 Yuan for water in Beijing--Chengdu 2.8 and 1. The city is quieter, the streets less hectic. In Beijing the honking never stops, but here I rarely heard it during my brief stay.
I'm at the airport now, waiting for my flight to Shanghai with Dr. Chandler. There wasn't space to get us all on the same flight. Ours was supposed to leave an hour and a half after theirs, but it looks like we've been delayed half an hour.
Of course we have, right?
Anyway, it's taken all day to write this, a few minutes here and there, but now it's all caught up. When next I write, I should be in Shanghai for a 2 week intensive program.
Erin
Location: Chengdu Airport, 1st Class Lounge
Time: 5:45 PM Chengdu
Date: Wednesday, May 21
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Arrival in Chengdu: May 20
Date: Tuesday, May 20
Time: 10:29 AM Chengdu
Location: Front Steps of our Would-Be Dormitory at SWUFE
I think it's time to do a quick recap. Our Saturday morning train was canceled because of a landslide and there wasn't enough space for us on the Saturday ngiht train--just as well, there was an aftershock Saturday night. Our Sunday morning train was delayed 'til evening, which would have put us in Xian at 8:30 in the morning instead of 3:30 in the morning. When we got to Chengdu, we found out there'd been another big aftershock early that evening and for the first time since the initial quake, the students and professors were sleeping on the lawn again. We actually were a little better off--we slept on the bus. We've had a lot of close calls, but no disasters for us.
Our main professor/handler at SWUFE and the Chancellor's Secretary met us at the station and led us to a bus. There were people everywhere. Whether they were refugees or just camped out to catch trains out of there, I don't know, but it wasn't just at the station--there were people on nearly every street.
The bus parked in the lot and the professor whose name isn't really clicking since we rolled through the gates around 4 AM brought us water and some sort of danish and led us into Cafeteria #4 to use the bathroom, and then back to the bus. The bus was big enough that we each had two seats.
I woke up arouond 7:30 AM and nothing was happening. Ten minutes later I was being to to get up and grab my stuff. We were going to the dormitory. I tried to drag my bag up the stairs and had to stop 3/4 of the way up for my inhaler. Didn't help that I'd taken my ankle brace off on the bus, so the foot was angry at me too. Dr. Chandler made sure I was okay, taught me the Chinese word for asthma, and took care of my bag the rest of the way up. He'd been pretty much carrying it up stairs for me most of the trip, and I feel a little bad, but he told me not to worry about it and that he'd deal with my suitcase and any stairs and that came along. Clearly no laws in China demanding all buildings have handicap access.
They had the rooms all set up for us. Fresh sheets on the bed, with a pile of folded blankets, a towel, and a pillow. Shower sandals were on the floor by our beds, and hangers, toilet paper, and a palstic container with a new wash rag, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Each room had it's own bathroom, consisting of a sink, squat toilet, and cold shower head. We had half an hour to shower and head down for breakfast in Cafeteria #4 again. We were on the fourth floor of the dormitory building. Did you know 4 is the Chinese equivalent of the American 13?
When I was waiting outside for the rest of the group to show up, there were about a dozen Chinese students chatting and they gave up their chairs and chatted with us, asking why we were here and if we're afraid of the earthquake.
Breakfast consisted of a sort of porridge, cabbage, a hard boiled egg, and a bread type thing made of rice. We walked back to the dormitory and had the situation laid out ofr us. It's been over a week now and the aftershocks haven't died down. The university may close down for a week. I think we're leaving for Shanghai tonight or early tomrorow. I really want to find a computer and let you all know I'm okay.
Last we heard from Dr. Chandler, he was gathering passport numbers and making our arrangements. We've been waiting for him for a while and chatting on and off with Chinese students. Some can't udnerstand why we're here with the earthquake situation, others have confidence in the university's safety and don't see why we're leaving.
Two of the three students from my class who have been here since February are here now. They're studying at Sichuan University, 15 minutes away, and took a cab here. The third one, Christine, is in Thailand--how or why, I'm not sure. Chris and Chad took a taxi over here. Gina, who is on our trip, is Chad's girlfriend, so she's been waiting months to see him. Chad and Chris aren't worried about the earthquake--said they didn't even feel last night's. The buildings and elementary schools that collapsed elsewhere weren't built right for earthquakes. The buildings in Chengdu are newer, built to withstand a quake. Rather than collapse, they have pillars in them that let the buildings sway side to side instead.
Chad and Chris love it here. They're telling us about their favorite restaurants and places to shop. We've got a really great welcome here and any other summer we'd stay in a heartbeat. It really does seem like somewhere we'd be comfortable in. Part of me still wants to stay here and weather it, but I understand the risks and why we should go.
Erin
Location: By the gate to our would-be SWUFE dormitory
Time: 1:48 PM Chengdu
Date: Tuesday, May 20
Time: 10:29 AM Chengdu
Location: Front Steps of our Would-Be Dormitory at SWUFE
I think it's time to do a quick recap. Our Saturday morning train was canceled because of a landslide and there wasn't enough space for us on the Saturday ngiht train--just as well, there was an aftershock Saturday night. Our Sunday morning train was delayed 'til evening, which would have put us in Xian at 8:30 in the morning instead of 3:30 in the morning. When we got to Chengdu, we found out there'd been another big aftershock early that evening and for the first time since the initial quake, the students and professors were sleeping on the lawn again. We actually were a little better off--we slept on the bus. We've had a lot of close calls, but no disasters for us.
Our main professor/handler at SWUFE and the Chancellor's Secretary met us at the station and led us to a bus. There were people everywhere. Whether they were refugees or just camped out to catch trains out of there, I don't know, but it wasn't just at the station--there were people on nearly every street.
The bus parked in the lot and the professor whose name isn't really clicking since we rolled through the gates around 4 AM brought us water and some sort of danish and led us into Cafeteria #4 to use the bathroom, and then back to the bus. The bus was big enough that we each had two seats.
I woke up arouond 7:30 AM and nothing was happening. Ten minutes later I was being to to get up and grab my stuff. We were going to the dormitory. I tried to drag my bag up the stairs and had to stop 3/4 of the way up for my inhaler. Didn't help that I'd taken my ankle brace off on the bus, so the foot was angry at me too. Dr. Chandler made sure I was okay, taught me the Chinese word for asthma, and took care of my bag the rest of the way up. He'd been pretty much carrying it up stairs for me most of the trip, and I feel a little bad, but he told me not to worry about it and that he'd deal with my suitcase and any stairs and that came along. Clearly no laws in China demanding all buildings have handicap access.
They had the rooms all set up for us. Fresh sheets on the bed, with a pile of folded blankets, a towel, and a pillow. Shower sandals were on the floor by our beds, and hangers, toilet paper, and a palstic container with a new wash rag, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, and toothpaste. Each room had it's own bathroom, consisting of a sink, squat toilet, and cold shower head. We had half an hour to shower and head down for breakfast in Cafeteria #4 again. We were on the fourth floor of the dormitory building. Did you know 4 is the Chinese equivalent of the American 13?
When I was waiting outside for the rest of the group to show up, there were about a dozen Chinese students chatting and they gave up their chairs and chatted with us, asking why we were here and if we're afraid of the earthquake.
Breakfast consisted of a sort of porridge, cabbage, a hard boiled egg, and a bread type thing made of rice. We walked back to the dormitory and had the situation laid out ofr us. It's been over a week now and the aftershocks haven't died down. The university may close down for a week. I think we're leaving for Shanghai tonight or early tomrorow. I really want to find a computer and let you all know I'm okay.
Last we heard from Dr. Chandler, he was gathering passport numbers and making our arrangements. We've been waiting for him for a while and chatting on and off with Chinese students. Some can't udnerstand why we're here with the earthquake situation, others have confidence in the university's safety and don't see why we're leaving.
Two of the three students from my class who have been here since February are here now. They're studying at Sichuan University, 15 minutes away, and took a cab here. The third one, Christine, is in Thailand--how or why, I'm not sure. Chris and Chad took a taxi over here. Gina, who is on our trip, is Chad's girlfriend, so she's been waiting months to see him. Chad and Chris aren't worried about the earthquake--said they didn't even feel last night's. The buildings and elementary schools that collapsed elsewhere weren't built right for earthquakes. The buildings in Chengdu are newer, built to withstand a quake. Rather than collapse, they have pillars in them that let the buildings sway side to side instead.
Chad and Chris love it here. They're telling us about their favorite restaurants and places to shop. We've got a really great welcome here and any other summer we'd stay in a heartbeat. It really does seem like somewhere we'd be comfortable in. Part of me still wants to stay here and weather it, but I understand the risks and why we should go.
Erin
Location: By the gate to our would-be SWUFE dormitory
Time: 1:48 PM Chengdu
Date: Tuesday, May 20
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Still Westward Bound: May 19
Date: Monday, May 19
Time: 8:04 PM Beijing
Location: Hard Bed 001, Middle Tier, Car 12, somewhere between Mian Xi and Chengdu
Well, we passed Xian about 12 hours ago and we're still on the train. Because of the late departure, some stops have been cut out to help make up the time. What we didn't know when we boarded was that apparently Xian was one of them. So the decision had been taken out of our hands: we were going to Chengdu. Our only other option at this point would be to stop at one of 3 minor towns and who knows how long it might take to get back if we were to stop there.
They shut the lights out for sleep around ten last night. Feeling rebellious I turned my mag light on to read for another half an hour.
I woke up a good 10 hours later, having had solid sleep, and saw that we had about half an hour til we got to Xian. Great. Then I found out we weren't stopping there. Oh.
Unlike last night though, I didn't opt to spend today as a hermit in my bunk. I climbed down and started palying B.S. with a group of maybe 5 or 6 and eventualyl we started playing it in Chinese. It was a good way to review our numbers. After that it was a crazy game of Go Fish in Chinese. We chatted for a while and Dr. Chandler was on the phone to the university to let them know we'd be arriving tonight after all. They didn't want us to come now. Too late, we're coming. Generally by this point in time an earthquake's aftershocks die down, but these aren't. We'll be getting to Chengdu around 2 AM and will be met by someone from the university. We'll assess the situation tomorrow (they'll have us tonight) and either stay, take a boat to Shanghai, or fly to Xian. I broke out my M&Ms and have periodically passed them out as an alternative to beer as a way to de-stress and feel at home.
The little kids on the train kind of adorably gravitate toward Dr. Chandler. Lunch in the dining car I had a fried egg and tomato dish in some sort of unidentifiable sauce. It was pretty decent and I ordered it for dinner too.
As far as I can tell, my suitcase was spitfree. I hauled it up on the bunk with me anyway. In it's new position it takes up half the bed, but no one has asked me to remove it. I didn't take my alertness pill today, so I managed a lovely 4 hour nap after lunch.
I understand now why China isn't really moving toward western toilets. While squatting is awkward for all of us who don't possess fencer leg-muscles, it's definately more sanitary than the western style ones I've seen. I hung out with Eric, Kelsey, and Merideth after my nap, and was even adventurous enough to try a bite of Eric's spicy tofu dish. Bit of an after burning taste in your mouth, kind of like Slaughter Sauce.
I've still got a while 'til lights out. I'm going to condense my stuff as best I can, read, and grab some shut-eye. I'm about a dozen chapters into Snow Crash and enjoying it. I still don't totally understand why the hacker has mad sword skills, but that's okay. As annoying as climbing to the middle bunk is, the bright side is, unlike bottom tier, no one is sitting at the foot of my bed. I'm hoping to upload these entries at the university to morrow so you can see how I've been. Missing you all. And fresh air.
Erin
Location: Hard Bed 001, Middle Tier, Car 12, Somewhere between Mian Xi and Chengdu
Time: 8:59 PM Beijing
Date: Monday, May 19
Time: 8:04 PM Beijing
Location: Hard Bed 001, Middle Tier, Car 12, somewhere between Mian Xi and Chengdu
Well, we passed Xian about 12 hours ago and we're still on the train. Because of the late departure, some stops have been cut out to help make up the time. What we didn't know when we boarded was that apparently Xian was one of them. So the decision had been taken out of our hands: we were going to Chengdu. Our only other option at this point would be to stop at one of 3 minor towns and who knows how long it might take to get back if we were to stop there.
They shut the lights out for sleep around ten last night. Feeling rebellious I turned my mag light on to read for another half an hour.
I woke up a good 10 hours later, having had solid sleep, and saw that we had about half an hour til we got to Xian. Great. Then I found out we weren't stopping there. Oh.
Unlike last night though, I didn't opt to spend today as a hermit in my bunk. I climbed down and started palying B.S. with a group of maybe 5 or 6 and eventualyl we started playing it in Chinese. It was a good way to review our numbers. After that it was a crazy game of Go Fish in Chinese. We chatted for a while and Dr. Chandler was on the phone to the university to let them know we'd be arriving tonight after all. They didn't want us to come now. Too late, we're coming. Generally by this point in time an earthquake's aftershocks die down, but these aren't. We'll be getting to Chengdu around 2 AM and will be met by someone from the university. We'll assess the situation tomorrow (they'll have us tonight) and either stay, take a boat to Shanghai, or fly to Xian. I broke out my M&Ms and have periodically passed them out as an alternative to beer as a way to de-stress and feel at home.
The little kids on the train kind of adorably gravitate toward Dr. Chandler. Lunch in the dining car I had a fried egg and tomato dish in some sort of unidentifiable sauce. It was pretty decent and I ordered it for dinner too.
As far as I can tell, my suitcase was spitfree. I hauled it up on the bunk with me anyway. In it's new position it takes up half the bed, but no one has asked me to remove it. I didn't take my alertness pill today, so I managed a lovely 4 hour nap after lunch.
I understand now why China isn't really moving toward western toilets. While squatting is awkward for all of us who don't possess fencer leg-muscles, it's definately more sanitary than the western style ones I've seen. I hung out with Eric, Kelsey, and Merideth after my nap, and was even adventurous enough to try a bite of Eric's spicy tofu dish. Bit of an after burning taste in your mouth, kind of like Slaughter Sauce.
I've still got a while 'til lights out. I'm going to condense my stuff as best I can, read, and grab some shut-eye. I'm about a dozen chapters into Snow Crash and enjoying it. I still don't totally understand why the hacker has mad sword skills, but that's okay. As annoying as climbing to the middle bunk is, the bright side is, unlike bottom tier, no one is sitting at the foot of my bed. I'm hoping to upload these entries at the university to morrow so you can see how I've been. Missing you all. And fresh air.
Erin
Location: Hard Bed 001, Middle Tier, Car 12, Somewhere between Mian Xi and Chengdu
Time: 8:59 PM Beijing
Date: Monday, May 19
Ticked Off on the Train: May 18
Date: Sunday, May 18
Time: 7:40 PM Beijing
Location: Hard Bed 001, Middle Tier, Car 12, Somwhere between Beijing and Xian
If for the next 24 hours all persons within 10 miles of me could stop issuing forth any and all bodily fluids, that would be great. Thanks.
Spitting, whether indoors or out, is not a Chinese custom to which I find myself getting used to any time in the near future, and it's everywhere...including under my bed. Riding the train out of Beijing is not like riding the Eurostar or the Ave, or the Italian train whose name escapes me.
We'd been warned that smoking was extremely prevalent in China. Apparently businessmen bond when they share the same brand of cigarettes. I still the the stuff reeks beyond measure and I put up with it only from strangers I'm afraid of, or the people I care about. Smoking's been banned in public in Beijing until the Olympics are over, but this ban doesn't extend to things like restaurants and trains. That smoking is allowed in the close quarters of the train pains me. Literally. My eyes are stinging. So aside from the spit on the ground, the place smells of smoke and human sweat. However, there are worse things it could smell of, and I know because I've already smelled those today, and I'm grateful the train doesn't smell like that.
I read for hours last night--I couldn't sleep 'til I finished Dragon's Keep. It's not an amazing book, but it's a page turner and it was a first time read for me. I didn't get my morning off to a good start at all. I woke up to a bad dream, and while I remember details, the dream as a whole and how those details fit in with each other are kind of fuzzy. Totally moving the dream sequence to the end of this post so that anyone who doesn't really care about my sleeping brain doesn't have to read them. Okay, moving on.
Fun start to the day, right? I also woke up with an odd pain in the corner of my eye. It's still there, but the eye looks fine and there's no vision problem with it. I'd repacked my bag before bed, so there was nothing to do in the morning but eat, hastily check my email, and with a few minutes to spare, try calling Mike again. I got through. It was so great to hear his voice. I've missed talking to him, just sitting and chatting about nothing...or everything. I really want a hug right now.
Dr. Chandler laid out our options for us in the lobby when I pried myself away from the phone. We could take the train all the way to Chengdu (Plan A--we never do Plan A). Or maybe Plan A was a plane to Chengdu. I can't remember. Yesterday's train was canceled because of a landslide. Then Saturday night (there had been a Saturday night train, but we couldn't get enough tickets) there was a a big after shock. Well, good thing for us there was no train Saturday morning and no space Saturday night. While, I repeat, Chengdu is pretty much fine, the last 3 hours of the 31 hour train ride go through mountainous landslide area. Plan A really isn't an option.
We could go to Xian, which would be 15 hours, and sight see for a few days and take the train to Chengdu then. Or we could take a 10 hour train to Lu Xin, sight see, and eventually end up at Xian or Chengdu as the situation prgoressed. Or we could take the train to Xian tonight, arrive 3:30 in the morning, stay a few days, and fly to Chengdu. This seemed most likely as we get to bypass the landslide area by flying over it instead of riding through it. This sounded like the winner.
14 of us opted to take taxis, and Dr. Chandler rode wtih the two that wanted to take the bus, and we were shortly thereafter all at the correct station. Our train was listed this time...and it said LATE. The waiting room for our terminal was packed and we just stood there for a bit with all our bags in a huddle.
After a few words with railway personnel, the huddle of awkward Americans was shuffled off to a nicer terminal. There were far fewer people, though the place was still busy, and we could wait out our time here in better comfort. It might have been the family waiting room--there were a lot kids, and a lot of pregnant women. It was close to 1 in the afternoon when we found out our new departure time was 5 PM. On the bright side, it meant that we'd be arriving at 8:30 in the morning rather than 3:30.
The hours passed, mostly playing with Chinese babies, chatting, and feeling right at home with our McDonalds, ever a comfort food no matter how far from home you may be. I haven't really touched on this subject in my journal 'til today, but Chinese bathrooms smell awful. In large part, I blame the sewage systems, which don't handle paper. Used toilet paper goes in a basket. You can smell a public toilet before you see the sign for it. The train station bathroom made me want to vomit. it smelled of piss, dung, and blood. My second time in I found a western style one but it was covered in piss and the door didn't lock--one of my male classmates found the hard way that a lot of times people don't bother locking them anyway. Some people don't even bother shutting the stahl doors.
I won brownie points on the train for discovering a western toilet on the train when we thought there weren't any. The train toilets were admittedly cleaner than the ones at the station, for which I am exceedingly grateful.
When it came time to board, they let us board straight from where we were and got on before the others in our original terminal did. Yay for special treatment.
Passengers who had come from further up the rail line were already on. There's bottom tier, middle tier, and top tier beds built into the walls. I'm in Row 1, with a Chinese man in each bed above and below mine, and Jessica straight across from me and situated the same way.
I really wasn't enjoying the ride. The smoke and smell were making me cranky. There's a luggage rack along the wall, but I've got my suitcase at the foot of the bed, held in place by the ladder. I've got my backpack and purse up by me. I attempted to eat in the dining car, but I couldn't figure out how to tell the waitress to give me a minute and ordered a chicken thing and hoped for the best. It wasn't bad, but I didn't eat most of it. The waitress I think thought I was struggling with the chopsticks and brought me a spoon after another waitress had kind of glanced at me, laughing. I used the chopsticks. I wasn't having trouble with them--I just only thought about a third of what was on the plate was really meant to go in my mouth and I was picking carefully which those pieces were.
Passing through the train I saw my classmates generally enjoying themselves and chatting with other passengers and realized my dislike of the journey was probably me being cranky. A pity. I'm not a fan of traveling--I'm a fan of getting somewhere and actually being there. Buses, the train, walking--not my cup of tea. I hope my classmates aren't getting a bad first impression of me, or it could be a rough six weeks. Wehn we've settled into Chengdu, I should be better. I think the other part of the problem is the constant sense of people. I'll like to have some time to myself. The other 5 girls in my room were all asleep before 9 last night--a shame since there'd been a plan to go to a kareoke bar--but I was glad they were, because it finally gave me time by myself to be alone, pack, and read (minus a game of mao, which was fun).
With the four Chinese guys asleep and Jess elsewhere having fun, I'm winding down out of my cranky mood. I'm still hungry though and I think I'll sleep soon, but I've a couple of other points I wanted to note.
The differences in modesty astound me. A bare ankle or foot is rude/seductive, and apaprently somehow the equivalent to walking down the street in a g-string, but it's okay to leave the stall door wide open while in use? A bare shoulder is scandalous, but skirts can be as short as you'd like? Dang it. The upstairs neighbors woke up and are chatting. I never ended up getting my yarn yet. I really wanted it for the ride. I'm hoping to upload these last few entries in Xian.
Crap. The attendant just put my bag on the floor right on the half dry spit puddle because it won't fit under the lowest bunk (someone else's stuff is there). I really hope they don't wake up and spit without looking, but it's a slim hope--at the end of the bed are spit covered sandals on the floor.
Missing all the ones I love,
Erin
Location: Hard Bed 001, Middle Tier, Car 12, somewhere between Beijing and Xian
Time: 9:40 PM Beijing
Date: Sunday, May 18
The Dream Sequence I cut out of the main part of the overly long journal entry:
Generally speaking, it included a teacher chasing me to China to explain why she thought I was a loser and informing me she'd plublished it in The Penn. Another section of the dream had Mike in some sort of slightly run-down house, alone, and studying art or philosophy or the occult or something for a long while--one of the sorts of things that only Mike would study. He was very much not himself in the dream, something odd that, awake, you can't put your finger on. He offered to take me to the room where he worked and said something about a burning, a poster, an artist, fire, and himself. Things are really fuzzy there and I can only remember that all of them were somehow involved in what he said. And it was a round room we were going to--kind of tower-ish. I think I carried him into the room--apparently dream physics are cool like that. I can't remember if he was in the poster and burning, he was burning the poster, or the artist was in it...He muttered something about ghosts and I saw in the brass mirror on the floor (very Disney's Haunted Mansion-esque) ghosts appear in the mirror as he was mumbling. So I was pretty weirded out by the dream, mostly because it's so rare that I have/remember them, and doubly by the fact that a teacher was attacking my character and my academic life plan quite vindictively. Maybe the artist/philosophy/ghost/burning/house thing was actually the part that's least strange? Or maybe not since that's just the part that's least coherrent.
Time: 7:40 PM Beijing
Location: Hard Bed 001, Middle Tier, Car 12, Somwhere between Beijing and Xian
If for the next 24 hours all persons within 10 miles of me could stop issuing forth any and all bodily fluids, that would be great. Thanks.
Spitting, whether indoors or out, is not a Chinese custom to which I find myself getting used to any time in the near future, and it's everywhere...including under my bed. Riding the train out of Beijing is not like riding the Eurostar or the Ave, or the Italian train whose name escapes me.
We'd been warned that smoking was extremely prevalent in China. Apparently businessmen bond when they share the same brand of cigarettes. I still the the stuff reeks beyond measure and I put up with it only from strangers I'm afraid of, or the people I care about. Smoking's been banned in public in Beijing until the Olympics are over, but this ban doesn't extend to things like restaurants and trains. That smoking is allowed in the close quarters of the train pains me. Literally. My eyes are stinging. So aside from the spit on the ground, the place smells of smoke and human sweat. However, there are worse things it could smell of, and I know because I've already smelled those today, and I'm grateful the train doesn't smell like that.
I read for hours last night--I couldn't sleep 'til I finished Dragon's Keep. It's not an amazing book, but it's a page turner and it was a first time read for me. I didn't get my morning off to a good start at all. I woke up to a bad dream, and while I remember details, the dream as a whole and how those details fit in with each other are kind of fuzzy. Totally moving the dream sequence to the end of this post so that anyone who doesn't really care about my sleeping brain doesn't have to read them. Okay, moving on.
Fun start to the day, right? I also woke up with an odd pain in the corner of my eye. It's still there, but the eye looks fine and there's no vision problem with it. I'd repacked my bag before bed, so there was nothing to do in the morning but eat, hastily check my email, and with a few minutes to spare, try calling Mike again. I got through. It was so great to hear his voice. I've missed talking to him, just sitting and chatting about nothing...or everything. I really want a hug right now.
Dr. Chandler laid out our options for us in the lobby when I pried myself away from the phone. We could take the train all the way to Chengdu (Plan A--we never do Plan A). Or maybe Plan A was a plane to Chengdu. I can't remember. Yesterday's train was canceled because of a landslide. Then Saturday night (there had been a Saturday night train, but we couldn't get enough tickets) there was a a big after shock. Well, good thing for us there was no train Saturday morning and no space Saturday night. While, I repeat, Chengdu is pretty much fine, the last 3 hours of the 31 hour train ride go through mountainous landslide area. Plan A really isn't an option.
We could go to Xian, which would be 15 hours, and sight see for a few days and take the train to Chengdu then. Or we could take a 10 hour train to Lu Xin, sight see, and eventually end up at Xian or Chengdu as the situation prgoressed. Or we could take the train to Xian tonight, arrive 3:30 in the morning, stay a few days, and fly to Chengdu. This seemed most likely as we get to bypass the landslide area by flying over it instead of riding through it. This sounded like the winner.
14 of us opted to take taxis, and Dr. Chandler rode wtih the two that wanted to take the bus, and we were shortly thereafter all at the correct station. Our train was listed this time...and it said LATE. The waiting room for our terminal was packed and we just stood there for a bit with all our bags in a huddle.
After a few words with railway personnel, the huddle of awkward Americans was shuffled off to a nicer terminal. There were far fewer people, though the place was still busy, and we could wait out our time here in better comfort. It might have been the family waiting room--there were a lot kids, and a lot of pregnant women. It was close to 1 in the afternoon when we found out our new departure time was 5 PM. On the bright side, it meant that we'd be arriving at 8:30 in the morning rather than 3:30.
The hours passed, mostly playing with Chinese babies, chatting, and feeling right at home with our McDonalds, ever a comfort food no matter how far from home you may be. I haven't really touched on this subject in my journal 'til today, but Chinese bathrooms smell awful. In large part, I blame the sewage systems, which don't handle paper. Used toilet paper goes in a basket. You can smell a public toilet before you see the sign for it. The train station bathroom made me want to vomit. it smelled of piss, dung, and blood. My second time in I found a western style one but it was covered in piss and the door didn't lock--one of my male classmates found the hard way that a lot of times people don't bother locking them anyway. Some people don't even bother shutting the stahl doors.
I won brownie points on the train for discovering a western toilet on the train when we thought there weren't any. The train toilets were admittedly cleaner than the ones at the station, for which I am exceedingly grateful.
When it came time to board, they let us board straight from where we were and got on before the others in our original terminal did. Yay for special treatment.
Passengers who had come from further up the rail line were already on. There's bottom tier, middle tier, and top tier beds built into the walls. I'm in Row 1, with a Chinese man in each bed above and below mine, and Jessica straight across from me and situated the same way.
I really wasn't enjoying the ride. The smoke and smell were making me cranky. There's a luggage rack along the wall, but I've got my suitcase at the foot of the bed, held in place by the ladder. I've got my backpack and purse up by me. I attempted to eat in the dining car, but I couldn't figure out how to tell the waitress to give me a minute and ordered a chicken thing and hoped for the best. It wasn't bad, but I didn't eat most of it. The waitress I think thought I was struggling with the chopsticks and brought me a spoon after another waitress had kind of glanced at me, laughing. I used the chopsticks. I wasn't having trouble with them--I just only thought about a third of what was on the plate was really meant to go in my mouth and I was picking carefully which those pieces were.
Passing through the train I saw my classmates generally enjoying themselves and chatting with other passengers and realized my dislike of the journey was probably me being cranky. A pity. I'm not a fan of traveling--I'm a fan of getting somewhere and actually being there. Buses, the train, walking--not my cup of tea. I hope my classmates aren't getting a bad first impression of me, or it could be a rough six weeks. Wehn we've settled into Chengdu, I should be better. I think the other part of the problem is the constant sense of people. I'll like to have some time to myself. The other 5 girls in my room were all asleep before 9 last night--a shame since there'd been a plan to go to a kareoke bar--but I was glad they were, because it finally gave me time by myself to be alone, pack, and read (minus a game of mao, which was fun).
With the four Chinese guys asleep and Jess elsewhere having fun, I'm winding down out of my cranky mood. I'm still hungry though and I think I'll sleep soon, but I've a couple of other points I wanted to note.
The differences in modesty astound me. A bare ankle or foot is rude/seductive, and apaprently somehow the equivalent to walking down the street in a g-string, but it's okay to leave the stall door wide open while in use? A bare shoulder is scandalous, but skirts can be as short as you'd like? Dang it. The upstairs neighbors woke up and are chatting. I never ended up getting my yarn yet. I really wanted it for the ride. I'm hoping to upload these last few entries in Xian.
Crap. The attendant just put my bag on the floor right on the half dry spit puddle because it won't fit under the lowest bunk (someone else's stuff is there). I really hope they don't wake up and spit without looking, but it's a slim hope--at the end of the bed are spit covered sandals on the floor.
Missing all the ones I love,
Erin
Location: Hard Bed 001, Middle Tier, Car 12, somewhere between Beijing and Xian
Time: 9:40 PM Beijing
Date: Sunday, May 18
The Dream Sequence I cut out of the main part of the overly long journal entry:
Generally speaking, it included a teacher chasing me to China to explain why she thought I was a loser and informing me she'd plublished it in The Penn. Another section of the dream had Mike in some sort of slightly run-down house, alone, and studying art or philosophy or the occult or something for a long while--one of the sorts of things that only Mike would study. He was very much not himself in the dream, something odd that, awake, you can't put your finger on. He offered to take me to the room where he worked and said something about a burning, a poster, an artist, fire, and himself. Things are really fuzzy there and I can only remember that all of them were somehow involved in what he said. And it was a round room we were going to--kind of tower-ish. I think I carried him into the room--apparently dream physics are cool like that. I can't remember if he was in the poster and burning, he was burning the poster, or the artist was in it...He muttered something about ghosts and I saw in the brass mirror on the floor (very Disney's Haunted Mansion-esque) ghosts appear in the mirror as he was mumbling. So I was pretty weirded out by the dream, mostly because it's so rare that I have/remember them, and doubly by the fact that a teacher was attacking my character and my academic life plan quite vindictively. Maybe the artist/philosophy/ghost/burning/house thing was actually the part that's least strange? Or maybe not since that's just the part that's least coherrent.
Escalator Antics: May 17
Date: Saturday, May 17
Time: 2:41 PM Beijing
Location: Cafe in the Far East International Youth Hostel
Well, a bus, walking, and a taxi later, I'm back at the hostel. We left the station and took the overpass to the otherside of the street to get on the bus. Going down the escalator, somehow there was a pile up. In front of me people were somehow bottlenecked and I went down under a pile of people. I'm not totally sure what happened but Dr. Chandler pushed 3 Chinese guys out of the way who were standing in front of me and pulled me out from the pile, and Jessica apparently punched a guy. I made it out with a couple of bruises on my shin and no other battle wounds. So I guess we've seen a fight every day in Beijing, and today it was ours. The worst part was that it was the wrong side of the street. We hadn't needed to cross the over pass after all.
We got on the bus--but only 9 of us made it on. Dr. Chandler and the others couldn't squeeze on. We knew where the bus stop for the hostel was and figured we'd be fine. Bus didn't go there; we were supposed to get off at the same place we had gotten on to the subway from earlier. Oops. We ended up by Tiananmen Square again.
We were pretty close to the hostel actually and debated walking, subway, or taxi. One girl had 2 suitcases and wanted a taxi, and I can not carry my bag up a set of stairs really. Dr. Chandler had been doing it all day for me. I can take up maybe 2 or 3 stairs and then I have to stop--I can't carry the weight. Walking or the subway were both out as far as I was concerned--they necessitated taking an underpass and using stairs. That wasn't going to work for me. They opted for the subway (went the wrong way--they really only needed to go one stop and would have walked if they'd realized it, but eventually made it back). The girl and I took a cab. For a $1.50 we made it back long before they did, and life was good. Dr. Chandler and his group (having gotten off at the right stop) beat us back.
Generally people have been chatting and many of them are drinking Chinese beer to take the edge off after the morning we just had. I just sat and sipped my Coke and watched them goggle at the non-drinker, though I wasn't the only one and they really didn't give us a hard time.
We snacked on American-esque chicken and fries as a massive table of people rotating in and out. We've got nothing in mind tonight but relaxing and getting out tomorrow. I totally want a massage tonight. They have them fairly cheap at the hostel. Yay for going somewhere where our money doesn't work against us.
Erin
Location: Same table at the Cafe of the Far East International Youth Hostel
Time: 5:30 PM Beijing
Date: Saturday, May 17
Time: 2:41 PM Beijing
Location: Cafe in the Far East International Youth Hostel
Well, a bus, walking, and a taxi later, I'm back at the hostel. We left the station and took the overpass to the otherside of the street to get on the bus. Going down the escalator, somehow there was a pile up. In front of me people were somehow bottlenecked and I went down under a pile of people. I'm not totally sure what happened but Dr. Chandler pushed 3 Chinese guys out of the way who were standing in front of me and pulled me out from the pile, and Jessica apparently punched a guy. I made it out with a couple of bruises on my shin and no other battle wounds. So I guess we've seen a fight every day in Beijing, and today it was ours. The worst part was that it was the wrong side of the street. We hadn't needed to cross the over pass after all.
We got on the bus--but only 9 of us made it on. Dr. Chandler and the others couldn't squeeze on. We knew where the bus stop for the hostel was and figured we'd be fine. Bus didn't go there; we were supposed to get off at the same place we had gotten on to the subway from earlier. Oops. We ended up by Tiananmen Square again.
We were pretty close to the hostel actually and debated walking, subway, or taxi. One girl had 2 suitcases and wanted a taxi, and I can not carry my bag up a set of stairs really. Dr. Chandler had been doing it all day for me. I can take up maybe 2 or 3 stairs and then I have to stop--I can't carry the weight. Walking or the subway were both out as far as I was concerned--they necessitated taking an underpass and using stairs. That wasn't going to work for me. They opted for the subway (went the wrong way--they really only needed to go one stop and would have walked if they'd realized it, but eventually made it back). The girl and I took a cab. For a $1.50 we made it back long before they did, and life was good. Dr. Chandler and his group (having gotten off at the right stop) beat us back.
Generally people have been chatting and many of them are drinking Chinese beer to take the edge off after the morning we just had. I just sat and sipped my Coke and watched them goggle at the non-drinker, though I wasn't the only one and they really didn't give us a hard time.
We snacked on American-esque chicken and fries as a massive table of people rotating in and out. We've got nothing in mind tonight but relaxing and getting out tomorrow. I totally want a massage tonight. They have them fairly cheap at the hostel. Yay for going somewhere where our money doesn't work against us.
Erin
Location: Same table at the Cafe of the Far East International Youth Hostel
Time: 5:30 PM Beijing
Date: Saturday, May 17
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Trains Trains Everywhere: May 17
Date: Saturday, May 17
Time: 11:47 AM Beijing
Location: Floor of the West Beijing Railway Station by a Locked Door
Well our train was supposed to have left 22 minutes ago. It was cancelled at the last minute. We left the hostel at 9:30, plenty of time to walk to the subway, ride it a couple of stops, and make it to the train station for our 11:25 train to Chengdu. Dragging our suitcases down the street was one thing, but I wasn't prepared to drag mine up and down stairs. I was grateful for Dr. Chandler carrying mine up the stairs when he saw I couldn't do it. I ought to work on my biceps. I wonder if the university has a gym? Probably.
We arrived at the train station, sent our bags through x-ray, and checked the arrival/departure board. K117 wasn't there. Dr. Chandler talked with someone and ushered us outside. Beijing has 2 train stations and we were at the wrong one. We wanted Beijing West Railway Station. Dr. Chandler threw us in cabs with our bags and told the drivers where to take us.
Katie, Shane, and I sped off in the first cab. It'd be close but we could still make it. Our driver, one of 4 Mario Andretti's hauling the group across the city, took a different way than the others, so we worried a little, never seeing them behind us. He dropped us off on the ground floor and, still not seeing anyone, we waited in the lobby nervously. Our train wasn't on the board. And we were still alone.
Shane went up the escalator to see if anyone was there. We still had a few minutes. They were upstairs--their cabs had dropped them off their and Karen said she had seen our train on the board. Well it wasn't there now. Having raced again to the gate we were sure. It wasn't there. It had been cancelled. We could exchange our tickets and go tomorrow.
So we went to where we were told to change them just as a door was being locked shut but wedged open, and Dr. Chandler was redirected to another entrance. SO we're in the station, sitting amid all our baggage. Among me, people are palying chess, cards, journaling, and practicing Chinese.
Dr. Chandler just got back. We all have our tickets for tomorrow's train. we're all in the same car, hardbed, and in the middle and top bunks. We're leaving 11:25 AM tomorrow.
Next task is to find lodging. When I write these journals I wondered if maybe I'm writing worrisome things and shouldn't , but remember, but the time I've gotten this to a computer where you can read it, things are settled and less uncertain than when I'm writing this journal. When I get to Chengdu I'll try to upload my pictures so far.
One more note before I close the journal and find a new distraction: it's so weird to be stared at whereever we go. Apparently it's not considered rude to stare here according to Dr. Chandler. We get stared at a lot, and catch people taking pictures of us with camera phones. On the bright side, when we get somewhere I can buy yarn. Back to the hostel now, same one we just left.
Erin
Location: Floor of the Beijing West Railway Station
Time: 12:42 PM
Date: Saturday, May 17
Time: 11:47 AM Beijing
Location: Floor of the West Beijing Railway Station by a Locked Door
Well our train was supposed to have left 22 minutes ago. It was cancelled at the last minute. We left the hostel at 9:30, plenty of time to walk to the subway, ride it a couple of stops, and make it to the train station for our 11:25 train to Chengdu. Dragging our suitcases down the street was one thing, but I wasn't prepared to drag mine up and down stairs. I was grateful for Dr. Chandler carrying mine up the stairs when he saw I couldn't do it. I ought to work on my biceps. I wonder if the university has a gym? Probably.
We arrived at the train station, sent our bags through x-ray, and checked the arrival/departure board. K117 wasn't there. Dr. Chandler talked with someone and ushered us outside. Beijing has 2 train stations and we were at the wrong one. We wanted Beijing West Railway Station. Dr. Chandler threw us in cabs with our bags and told the drivers where to take us.
Katie, Shane, and I sped off in the first cab. It'd be close but we could still make it. Our driver, one of 4 Mario Andretti's hauling the group across the city, took a different way than the others, so we worried a little, never seeing them behind us. He dropped us off on the ground floor and, still not seeing anyone, we waited in the lobby nervously. Our train wasn't on the board. And we were still alone.
Shane went up the escalator to see if anyone was there. We still had a few minutes. They were upstairs--their cabs had dropped them off their and Karen said she had seen our train on the board. Well it wasn't there now. Having raced again to the gate we were sure. It wasn't there. It had been cancelled. We could exchange our tickets and go tomorrow.
So we went to where we were told to change them just as a door was being locked shut but wedged open, and Dr. Chandler was redirected to another entrance. SO we're in the station, sitting amid all our baggage. Among me, people are palying chess, cards, journaling, and practicing Chinese.
Dr. Chandler just got back. We all have our tickets for tomorrow's train. we're all in the same car, hardbed, and in the middle and top bunks. We're leaving 11:25 AM tomorrow.
Next task is to find lodging. When I write these journals I wondered if maybe I'm writing worrisome things and shouldn't , but remember, but the time I've gotten this to a computer where you can read it, things are settled and less uncertain than when I'm writing this journal. When I get to Chengdu I'll try to upload my pictures so far.
One more note before I close the journal and find a new distraction: it's so weird to be stared at whereever we go. Apparently it's not considered rude to stare here according to Dr. Chandler. We get stared at a lot, and catch people taking pictures of us with camera phones. On the bright side, when we get somewhere I can buy yarn. Back to the hostel now, same one we just left.
Erin
Location: Floor of the Beijing West Railway Station
Time: 12:42 PM
Date: Saturday, May 17
Friday, May 16, 2008
Great Wall: May 16
Date: Friday, May 16
Time: 12:50 PM Beijing
Location: White van somewhere between the Great Wall and Beijing proper
Wo de shen bu hao. My health is bad. I don't want to be in one of the most amazing places in the world and begrudge a few steps, or not want to continue because I can't, or it hurts. That's why I'm traveling young. I'm not in the sort of shape I need to be in at 20 years old. Climbing the Great Wall today taught me that. Worse than the trouble breathing (yes I used my inhaler), was the feeling that my knees and ankles were jello. I quite honestly thought with every step of the walk back to the cable car they'd give out on me. So in front of all reading this blog, I am resolving to improve my health by means of a more active lifestyle and attempts at better eating. I'm not going to make any outrageous claims here like quitting French fries cold turkey or committing to exercise 4 times a week. Life happens. To get back to today:
I didn't sleep well last night at all. I was waking up for no reason and sleep simply didn't want to be my friend. After breakfast, we left for the Great Wall around 6:30.The group doing the 6 mile hike left at 6. My group had 5 from IUP, one woman, and 3 girls from Britain studying in Moscow for a year and on break presently.
It wasn't until we'd been driving for a while and reached farmlands, suburbs, and slums that we realized just how far away we were going. The cable car (more like a ski lift) ride up was gorgeous, and there was even serene music playing. We headed off to the right when we got off, fending away postcard sellers by the first guard house. Down hill climbing was really rough for me, partly physically, partly because I was sure I'd be falling straight down the stairs--in my opinion a valid fear given that it wouldn't be the first time.
I made it as far as three guard houses. At the second, there were two women selling cold drinks, Ritz crackers, and miscellaneous useful things like batteries. At the third were two more women selling more of the same. We talked to them for a good half an hour and they were very friendly. Looking at the time, partway to the fourth tower I turned back and explored the third one until the others came back. the uphill portion of the climb back was a lot easier on my knees, but not so much on my breathing.
I opted not to try my reflexes on the sharp cornered tobaggon/luge ride down and took the cable car again with 2 of the 5 of us. We had just enough time left to explore the tourist trap of vendors. We decided we were done when a man attempted to steal from a Chinese woman's purse. She started fighting back and several people restrained him..two of her friends had to restrain her or she would have kept beating him. We made our exit from the clutches of the market stalls shortly thereafter and went back to the bus. I've only seen one gas station since arriving, and we went shortly after leaving the Wall. I'm really curious now where all the city cars must fill up. The ride back was otherwise uneventful, though we enjoyed conversing with the students from Moscow. At the beginning of the trip we were given a sandwich and water bottle. I decided not to eat the sandwich and am really hungry now. The room's empty. I think it could be a few hours before the hikers come back. We leave for Chengdu in the morning, so I supposed I'll pack after I'm nourished. I'm tempted to take the subway and go shopping, but I probably shouldn't do that on my own. I'm buying a phone card today to try calling home and Mike tonight or tomorrow.
Erin
Location: Bed 121-F in the Far East International Youth Hostel
Time: 2:09 PM Beijing
Date: Friday, May 16
Time: 12:50 PM Beijing
Location: White van somewhere between the Great Wall and Beijing proper
Wo de shen bu hao. My health is bad. I don't want to be in one of the most amazing places in the world and begrudge a few steps, or not want to continue because I can't, or it hurts. That's why I'm traveling young. I'm not in the sort of shape I need to be in at 20 years old. Climbing the Great Wall today taught me that. Worse than the trouble breathing (yes I used my inhaler), was the feeling that my knees and ankles were jello. I quite honestly thought with every step of the walk back to the cable car they'd give out on me. So in front of all reading this blog, I am resolving to improve my health by means of a more active lifestyle and attempts at better eating. I'm not going to make any outrageous claims here like quitting French fries cold turkey or committing to exercise 4 times a week. Life happens. To get back to today:
I didn't sleep well last night at all. I was waking up for no reason and sleep simply didn't want to be my friend. After breakfast, we left for the Great Wall around 6:30.The group doing the 6 mile hike left at 6. My group had 5 from IUP, one woman, and 3 girls from Britain studying in Moscow for a year and on break presently.
It wasn't until we'd been driving for a while and reached farmlands, suburbs, and slums that we realized just how far away we were going. The cable car (more like a ski lift) ride up was gorgeous, and there was even serene music playing. We headed off to the right when we got off, fending away postcard sellers by the first guard house. Down hill climbing was really rough for me, partly physically, partly because I was sure I'd be falling straight down the stairs--in my opinion a valid fear given that it wouldn't be the first time.
I made it as far as three guard houses. At the second, there were two women selling cold drinks, Ritz crackers, and miscellaneous useful things like batteries. At the third were two more women selling more of the same. We talked to them for a good half an hour and they were very friendly. Looking at the time, partway to the fourth tower I turned back and explored the third one until the others came back. the uphill portion of the climb back was a lot easier on my knees, but not so much on my breathing.
I opted not to try my reflexes on the sharp cornered tobaggon/luge ride down and took the cable car again with 2 of the 5 of us. We had just enough time left to explore the tourist trap of vendors. We decided we were done when a man attempted to steal from a Chinese woman's purse. She started fighting back and several people restrained him..two of her friends had to restrain her or she would have kept beating him. We made our exit from the clutches of the market stalls shortly thereafter and went back to the bus. I've only seen one gas station since arriving, and we went shortly after leaving the Wall. I'm really curious now where all the city cars must fill up. The ride back was otherwise uneventful, though we enjoyed conversing with the students from Moscow. At the beginning of the trip we were given a sandwich and water bottle. I decided not to eat the sandwich and am really hungry now. The room's empty. I think it could be a few hours before the hikers come back. We leave for Chengdu in the morning, so I supposed I'll pack after I'm nourished. I'm tempted to take the subway and go shopping, but I probably shouldn't do that on my own. I'm buying a phone card today to try calling home and Mike tonight or tomorrow.
Erin
Location: Bed 121-F in the Far East International Youth Hostel
Time: 2:09 PM Beijing
Date: Friday, May 16
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