China, Day 9: Zaijian (Goodbye), China!

After last night's festivities that led until the wee hours of the morning, I managed to wake up today before anyone else in my hostel room. I was famished, so I immediately set out for my last breakfast in China. All I wanted was a nice, hot bowl of pork dumplings, and it took me over two hours of wandering through the streets to find it.

I came back to the hostel, met my ride, and by noon was headed to the airport. Finally, after a long delay on the runway, I was in the air by 4:30 pm. I arrived in Seoul around 8:00 pm, retrieved my bag (the last one out, of course), and took the bus home to Pyeongchon, finally bounding into home-sweet-home around 9:30 pm.

So all I can say is that it is good to be home. I never thought I would say this, but by the end of the week in China, I was really missing all things Korean and very ready to come back. Spending a week in that strange country was all I needed to count my blessings and really appreciate my Asian home-away-from-home.

So a little recap of random Chinese experiences:

First, I will never look at ordinary Western toilets with anything but complete appreciation and admiration. Any modicum of modesty I had left before going to China has completely vanished. If I never have to squat over a hole next to another person (no doors or walls, of course) facing six Chinese women who have no qualms about staring, then I will not die an unhappy person.


Two "toilets" in a bathroom I had the pleasure of using... 

Secondly, I wish I had taken a picture of it, but one of my favorite sights in China was the babies. First of all, they have really big heads...it is such a strange phenomenon, considering nobody's head seems abnormally large after the age of about two. Also, I do not understand why, but diapers have not caught on in China. Instead, babies' outfits all have huge cut-out sections at the bottom, so their little bear hinies hang out. If the kid has to go, I suppose the mother gets a warning shot, to which she then holds the baby out (over a bush? a drain? an enemy's head???) to do its business.

Thirdly, I thought the drivers in Korea were bad, but the Chinese are maniacs. In one afternoon in Xi'an alone, I saw two pedestrians get hit by cars. The first one was an older woman, writhing in pain on the street, while the passengers in the guilty van hung out of the window, staring at the victim and casually chewing gum.

Finally, I cannot begin to count how many photos I took with random Chinese people this past week. In Beijing, especially, people come up to you asking if you could take a picture. In the beginning, I naively tried to grab their cameras to play photographer; however, I soon realized that they wanted a picture with me! I was completely caught off guard, but realized that since I was in major tourist spots, these must be Chinese tourists as well. I assume they came from small towns that had never seen the likes of a young, blonde American girl. Of course, I posed like a movie star, but by the end of the week it was getting quite annoying. I do not know how foreigners living in China manage!


A random family photo...hey, who stole my eyes? 

So that's it in a nutshell. I had a terrific time, experienced things that I will never forget (including things I would like to forget!), and met many wonderful people. I know without a doubt that I will be back to China in the near future... maybe next time I'll check out Southern China and Tibet. One thing is pretty much certain: While I love traveling alone, I feel like my solo travels are coming to an end. Japan was easy, but it would have been very nice to have had another person with me in China. I am a tough cookie, but I do not have to be that tough all the time! Here's to hoping I can meet a cool traveling partner who is up for things like hiking a mountain in the middle of the night and not taking showers for days...Any takers???

China, Day 8: The Summer Palace and Lama Temple

A gathering of palaces. 

After waking up feeling quite refreshed after a beautiful night's sleep, my train arrived into Beijing station just after 7:00 am. My initial plan was to head straight to the Summer Palace. However, discovering I had no money, I hopped into a taxi for what I was hoping would be a quick dash to the nearest ATM. Unfortunately, I got into the wrong cab, because over 30 minutes later we were clear across town...I had seen our car pass numerous Bank of China branches, but he ignored me. We were basically having a huge yelling match when he finally pulled into a bank parking lot. I got my money, threw him his 65 Yuan, and tried to figure out where I was.


A bridge leading to a (formerly) private island. 


The beautiful facade of a building at the Summer Palace. 

I realized I was near my hostel, so I went ahead and checked in before making my way to the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace was built as a vacation home of sorts for the royal family to escape the summer heat of Beijing. It is a massive complex of temples, palaces, gardens, and gazebos located on a gigantic man-made lake. I had been wandering around for hours before I realized I had only explored a very small portion of it. As threatening lightning flashes and rumbles of thunder quickly descended on the palace, I made a quick escape onto a bus just as giant raindrops began to fall from the sky.


The main palace overlooking the lake. 

My next destination, not to mention the final item on my Beijing list of "Places to See," was the Yonghe Lamasery, also known as the Lama Temple. This is one of the largest Buddhist temples in China, and it's purpose serves as a Tibetan Lamasery. The Dalai Lama has even visited on several occassions. While I thought that I was completely "Templed Out" after my time in Asia, I was quite impressed by the lamasery. The strong fumes of burning inscence were quite enticing, and the temple grounds were extensive. There were several buildings filled with Tibetan artifacts, many quite interesting. The largest building held a huge sandalwood Buddha standing almost three stories tall.


A small Buddha at the Lamasery. 


Incense burning through Lama Temple. 

From the lamasery, I headed back to my hostel, where I took a shower and met up with two girlfriends of mine from Pyeongchon who had just arrived today from Korea. Together we headed to the Chuoyang Acrobat Show and met up with two guys from my soccer team who had also just arrived. We all enjoyed the impressive show, complete with crazy balance maneuevers and "How many Chinese can we fit on one bicycle?" tricks.

After the show, we went to a nearby restaurant for my first experience with Peking Duck. It was absolutely amazing. The chef carved our duck right beside our table, and we wrapped the warm (but slightly greasy) meat in thin pancakes and an assortment of fillings, including vegetables, sauces, garlic, and sugar. It was a most scrumptious meal, and I could not stop eating!

After our filling dinner, we waddled out of the restaurant and hit the entertainment area in nearby Sanlitun known as "Bar Street." Unfortunately, at that point the rains had begun to fall again, so the combination of that and bad lounge singers made for a potentially boring evening. After the girls headed back to the hostel, my soccer buddies and I headed to another area and wound up having a fun-filled, story-filled night. I definitely ended my week in China with a bang...!

China, Day 7: Hiking Down Hua Shan

My hiking buddies and I atop Hua Shan. 

I awoke from my catnap just after 5:00 am to the beautiful gray-blue sky of the impending sunrise. It took everything in me to muster up the energy to roll onto my stomach and snap a few photos of my surroundings, and man were they gorgeous! In the dawn's light, I removed the inscripted lock from my bag, secured it onto a huge chain at the edge of the cliff, and threw my key over the side, hoping my wishes were "locked away" forever.


The gloomy sunrise over Hua Shan. 

It was still freezing cold, but once the sun came up, people started moving around again and dispersing from the Central Peak. My newfound friends (I still had no clue how to say their names) informed me that it was time to head to the East Peak....WHAT?!! No way, Jose! I had been climbing this mountain for 9 hours...I was not about to continue. I sadly said goodbye and began my long, lonely descent of Hua Shan.


Wish Ribbons and Locks along the Hua Shan trail. 

I wish I could say that I got a second wind on the way down, but unfortunately my mind and body began a steady decline as soon as I left Central Peak around 6:00 am this morning. The entire climb down, which took about four hours, was eerily quiet. Around 7:00 am, I realized that I was completely alone on the trail; I contribute this to the assumption that most of my fellow night climbers took the smart exit aboard the cable cars. Despite my complete exhaustion, I enjoyed marvelling at the beautiful scenery, happy for the chance to see what I had missed the previous night.


A temple tucked away in the trees. 


I never want to see stairs ever again... 

However, by around 9:00 am, after twelve hours of hiking and over 24 hours since sleeping, my body completely shut down. I had to lean against trees and rocks every 10 meters or so for support. At one point, I passed an old woman coming up, and she took one look at me and motioned that I should eat something. I have no clue why I didn't (as there were multiple vendors selling Ramen noodles on the way down)...I suppose I was just so ready to get to the bottom that any secondary thoughts were completely pushed out of my head. Finally, around 10:00 am, I reached the bottom, hopped on a motorcycle taxi to the bus, and by 10:20 am was passed out in the back of the bus bound for Xi'an.


Making the long journey up Hua Shan to deliver goods...he asked me to take a photo of him! 

I arrived in Xi'an around noon. Of course, the first thing any rational person would do at this point is find a meal and a hot shower. In my delirious state, I figured I would go straight out for some more sightseeing...so to the Small Goose Pagoda I went. I cannot really say I remember much about the place, but it was the last thing on my Xi'an To-Do list, so I just wanted to make sure I got it out of the way. I then decided to make the approximately 4-mile walk from the pagoda to my hostel, eventually reaching it around 3:00 pm. Even though I was checked out of the hostel, I snuck in for a long, hot shower and a huge meal, complete with a pot of tea and dessert. Afterwards, I ran into my "almost climbing partners," took a quick, final trip with them to the Muslim Quarter, and headed to the train station.


Small Goose Pagoda rising above the rose garden. 

All the train tickets to Beijing from Xi'an were sold out, except for the soft-sleeper tickets. These are basically the First-Class train tickets, and they cost almost twice as much as the hard-sleeper tickets. However, after my Hua Shan experience, the last thing I could handle this evening was people staring at me or kids spitting blood on me. So around 9:00 pm, I happily surveyed my fancy-pants room, climbed up onto my bed, and fell into a deep, much-needed slumber.

China, Day 6: Hiking Hua Shan

Fine Chinese breakfast of pork dumplings in the Muslim Quarter. 

I awoke this morning to an extremely hot and humid day in Xi'an. I immediately headed to the Muslim Quarter for a hot Chinese breakfast of pork dumplings before making my way to Daqingzhen Si, aka The Great Mosque. Outside of the mosque was a long alleyway of local Muslim vendors selling their wares, everything from the ubiquitous jade bracelets and silk handbags to Mao Tse Tung playing cards. Of course, I could not pass up the opportunity to fill my bag with more souvenirs before finally entering the holy mosque grounds.


Antique Street outside the entrance to the Great Mosque. 

The mosque is one of the largest of its kind in China. It is beautiful, as it was built in the traditional Chinese architectural style (sans the big round dome). I walked through the gardens for a bit (not being Muslim, I was forbidden to enter the mosque) before being drawn back onto Antique Street for some more shopping (this time for some of those yummy baked goods to which I have now become addicted!).


The gardens at the Great Mosque. 

This morning I talked two fellows at my hostel into venturing a couple hours outside of Xi'an for an afternoon hike up Hua Shan Mountain. The plan was to meet up around 1:30 pm, take the bus to Hua Shan village, and make our way up the 6km climb to the North Peak before sundown. Unfortunately, our messages continued to get mixed, and I found myself waiting outside the train station for two hours. Finally, before allowing myself to give up on the hike altogether, I found the waiting bus, and an hour later was headed to Hua Shan.


Hua Shan Village. 

By the time we arrived, it was 6:00 pm...much too late for my plan to be at the top by sunset. However, the "Chinese Way" is to start the climb up this holy mountain around 11:00 pm, reaching the second summit by 4:30 am, just in time to witness the sunrise. I tossed all reason aside and asked a group of five Chinese guys I met on the bus if I could join them. We imbibed in a carb-loaded dinner, and one of the guys bought me a padlock, explaining to me that it was for making wishes. A man inscribed my name on the lock, along with wishes for health and happiness for myself and my family in Chinese script. Soon after, we began our hike up Hua Shan around 9:00 pm. Fortunately I had remembered to bring along my flashlight.


Pre-hike Chinese pow-wow! 

The first couple hours of the hike were very easy-going (the guys I was accompanying were extremely out of shape, so we had to stop every 1/2 km or so). However, my lack of mental and nutritional preparedness began to show just after midnight...the sad news was that we were only halfway to the first summit. A light rain began to fall around 1:30 am, so we took a very extended break, and it took everything in me not to find a bush to crawl under to catch some much-needed Zzzz's!


One of the many vendors along the climb. 

As for the hike, it was ridiculously difficult. The entire first 2km of the climb was a steady, paved incline. Then we hit the stairs...3999 in all, to be exact. The entire remaining 4km consisted of these stone steps, many so steep that we climbers had to grip onto heavy chains to pull ourselves up with the little strength we had remaining. I consider myself to be in fairly decent shape, but by 3:00 am, I was cursing stairs forever and wishing I could die right then and there.


My vision at this point of the climb was just as blurry as this photograph... 

Finally, 6 1/2 hours, 3999 stairs, 6km, a few cookies and an iced coffee later, we reached the North Peak. We were joined by over a hundred other Chinese around our age (keep in mind I was the only foolish foreigner to make this climb...fortunately one guy in my group knew a wee bit of English...mostly I just laughed when they laughed and tried my hardest not to pass out). While most everyone else took naps, I had to entertain numerous random Chinese college students hoping to practice their English skills at 3:30 in the morning.

Finally, we set out for another fun-filled time of climbing stairs, eventually reaching Central Peak just after 4:30 am. This peak was freezing cold, and jackets were being rented out by the truckloads. I opted to wrap up in my fleece blanket and immediately passed out on a cold, hard stone on the edge of a cliff......

China, Day 5: Xi'an

My train arrived in Xi'an around 9:30 am this morning, and I headed straight for an ATM to fill my poor money belt with some Yuan. On the way to the bank, an American girl came up to me asking for directions to her hostel. Being completely clueless, I asked her to join me. About an hour and 4 miles later, we finally arrived at Mariel's hostel. At this point, we were great friends, so we made plans to check out the famous "Army of Terracotta Warriors" located just outside of Xi'an.

After finally taking my first shower in two days, I met up with Mariel, and together we hopped on the bus bound for the warriors, China's #2 tourist must-see destination(after the Great Wall). I had heard many mixed reviews about the place, but love it or hate it, it is one of those places you have to see for yourself while in China. When we arrived at the site, it was slightly sprinkling, but fortunately everything was indoors.


Soldiers ready for battle. 

We first checked out the museum, then made our way to the first "pit." In 1974, some farmers were digging around and uncovered an underground vault of thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers, thought to be built over 2000 years ago. Today, at least three of these vaults have been discovered, and they think there are many more out there. Anyway, the first pit contained mostly covered vaults that have yet to be excavated of its warrior inhabitants.


It is said that every single face is different. 

The other two vaults, located within large, modern buildings, contained the thousands of warriors and terracotta horses and chariots that we had come to see. It was a pretty amazing sight, seeing the warriors lined up in long, narrow rows, ready for battle. (They formerly held real weapons, but I suppose the Chinese government felt it necessary to seize their swords and what-not). This, along with the fact that the warriors were housed in extremely modern hangar-like buildings (I would have preferred a more ancient setting), was the only disappointing aspect. Also, I had heard taking photos was strictly forbidden, but upon witnessing other camera-weilding tourists, I whipped out my Canon and got busy (keeping an eye on the guards, of course).


The Bell Tower. 

After arriving back in Xi'an, Mariel and I had an amazing dinner of paomo in the Muslim Quarter of the city. I had heard the food was to die for in this large Muslim section of town, and my dinner only proved that point. Paomo is a mutton soup that requires you to break up a loaf of flatbread into little pieces before adding the soup. Unfortunately, we were cheated out of our bread-ripping experience, as the chef did it for us. Seeing as we were absolutely famished, and I had heard stories that this could take up to an hour, I was not too disappointed.


Xian's Muslim Quarter. 

After dinner, we walked around for a bit, buying incredible loaves of bread and dried fruit, before meeting up with the English teachers I had met on the train. An hour later, I sadly said goodbye to all my new-found friends and headed off to bed.