China is great!
by andrisChina, 23 Feb 2007 --
I think I’ve finally hit my stride in China, and a lot of the things that seemed confusing at first are starting to make more sense. I think travel here is a bit like chess…it’s just not possible to win if you don’t plan a few moves ahead. Once I accepted that and started trying to look at the big picture, things just started to fall into place. Also, the complications arising from the language barrier are turning out to have their bright side, making the most mundane accomplishments seem huge and vastly rewarding.
On my way to Heng Shan, for example, I had to take a city bus from the train station to the minibus terminal. From there, I planned to catch a bus to Nanyue at the base of the mountain. By complete dumb luck and despite all the fumbling with my phrasebook to ask which city bus I needed, where to buy my ticket, and which minibus to get on…I caught the last minibus of the day to Nanyue (just me, five other passengers, and a rooster in a paper shopping bag that made himself known halfway through the journey). This good luck saved me spending a night in the not so interesting town of Hengyang. When I got to Nanyue, I managed to haggle pretty respectably for a great price on a clean room. None of these things seem impressive, but with the massive communication barrier, doing all of that successfully left me on a high for the rest of the night.
The high continued, as my use of the phrase “What do you recommend?” from my phrasebook when presented with an all Chinese menu (which has produced watery fish rice gruel in the past) landed me with a single-serving clay pot full of tasty fried tofu and pork. Apparently it’s called Nanyue tofu, and is (obviously) a local specialty.
Having to ask for help so frequently is a humbling experience, but at the same time it’s made me very impressed with the patience and friendliness of the Chinese people. It’s like I’m being carried along on this trip by all the helpful people I meet, and they always wish me the best before sending me on my way. The one and only time anyone has tried to rip me off in China was in Changsha, and that was just a case of some cab drivers trying to tell me that their meters were broken. Lets face it, are the cab drivers in any country trustworthy?
At any rate, Wuhan is a surprisingly comfortable city with a nice downtown walking mall that would look at home anywhere in the west (except for the Chinese characters, of course). Again, dumb luck prevailed, and I wandered into a clean, cheap hotel right off the main drag that’s located right over an English school. The ancient hotel owner doesn’t speak a word of English, and looks like he used to be in the Red Army or something…but he’s a really friendly guy who gives me the thumbs up sign every time I come in.
The street food here is honestly the best I’ve seen yet on this entire trip, and that’s saying a lot. For 1 kwai (1/8 of a US dollar) I can get three deep fried spring rolls. For 4 kwai: seamed dumplings with assorted delicious fillings, and 5 kwai gets me a sort of fried pita wrap with a fried egg and grilled pork. I feel a little lazy since I’ve eaten on the same ‘food street’ for the last 3 meals…but when it’s so good, so cheap, and so close…why go anywhere else? I figure a few days will give me enough time to work my way down the entire street…for tonight, I’ve got my eye on the claypot noodle soup.
Now that I’ve located my first Chinese internet cafe, I don’t think I’ll be able to upload any pictures for a while. Unlike the completely disorganized places in S.E. Asia that offer easy access to USB ports and DVD drives…this place seems to be run by someone who actually knows what they’re doing. The PC itself is locked in a box, and this whole establishment seems more like a back-alley gambling den than a webcafe. In a week or so, I should be in Chengdu, which is the next city I’ll hit with an established backpacker/hostel culture. Hopefully from there I’ll be able to put some images online. ‘Till then, my action-packed prose will just have to do.
Categories China
February 27th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
How was climbing Hang Shan?
February 28th, 2007 at 4:22 am
As with all things tourist related in China, mountain climbing is done in large crowds. There’s a narrow winding road to the top, and most people choose to drive. During the days of Chinese New Year, this created a complete traffic nightmare. I think some of the people were probably stuck in their cars for at least 5 hours trying to get up or down and doing neither.
Fortunately, though, all the driving left the hiking trails almost empty. As is always the case with driveable mountains, it was strange to climb alone for 4 hours only to break out into a mob scene at the summit. It misted on and off all day, but I shared one of those great climbing moments with hundreds of other people when the clouds parted just as I reached the top.
If you’re Buddhist, the purpose of climbing the mountain is to burn incense at the top to ensure wealth and good fortune in the new year…the more the better. They actually have a giant furnace to accomodate the armloads of the stuff people bring up to throw into the blaze. You can probably smell it for miles.
I ended up doing the 30 km (15 up and 15 back down) in about 6 hours, which I thought was pretty good. I’m glad I started early because the traffic at the top was turning into a smelly, honking mess by the time I left.