Of Tigers and Gorges

Each step was taken with apprehension whether we knew it or not. Our minds seemingly drugged by the landscape that lay in each direction. There are words that could be used. Breathtaking. Sublime. Overwhelming. But it doesn't help. Land of the likes we have seen can't be captured.

Dynamite blasts can be heard echoing along the walls of the high granite gorge. A new road winds its way along the treacherous slopes, defying rock falls and new mountain springs, to provide so-called scenery to clamoring Chinese tourists. Although, we are no better.

Every morning we wake to the clatter of construction. Symmetrical opposition to the ancient serenity of the granite peaks. They have never been successfully climbed, and so rest unconquerable, challenging the carpenters, the farmers, the westerners who look on filled with awe.

Too much

Oliver is feeling slightly unwell as we camp in the narrow alleyways of Lijiang, a charming valley town nestled between rough gray-green peaks and the blueness of a sky that can only be described by altitude. We are in the southwest of China. It is a mixing point of culture and environment that caught our breath as we rounded every bumpy bend along our bus ride through the countryside. The land roller coasters from lush subtropical fruits in deep valleys, climbs into high, dry, sweet pine-smelling forests shrouding the Himalayan foothills. It is where Han Chinese is finally met by minorities in force, by Tibetans, and Naxi, Dai, and the influences of Burma, Thailand, and Laos that surround Yunnan Provence.

Everyday I hope to record the details of our travels. We have felt countless textures of humanity... a woman washing shoes in her smoke lit doorway, the sweat and sweetness of climbing through green, misty forests, the resonance of sound and motion as a gong sounds temple prayers... but before I have time to fully process the impressions of similarity and difference, we are whisked away to our next destination.

There is simply too much, but it seems such a shame to leave it as such. I couldn't possibly write anything worth reading that accurately reflects our past few weeks, but I would like to share a few thoughts and memories.

Pilgrimage: As we hiked up Mount Emei on Easter weekend, I began to reflect upon the idea of pilgrimage. I believe it is supposed to be a journey of moral or spiritual significance. Emei Shan has been a place of Buddhist worship for centuries. In addition to the mystical quality of the landscape, temples and monasteries are scattered along the route to the top. Oliver and I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but after 12 hours of ascent and as many of panting, I knew the feeling of sacrifice in the journey and sheer elation at the summit. We were joined an hour's hike from the summit by busloads of Chinese tourists who "cheat" their way to the top. Pilgrimage? It must come in different shapes and sizes.

Retreat: After spending a month and a half in Beijing and hopping from city to city and attration to attraction, nothing felt better than to escape to a mountain lake with few guests, cheap but genuine accomodation, and unbelievable natural beauty. Before Lugo Lake, I would not have believed that China could boast such clarity of water and air. The sky and lake were duling depths of blue. We bushwhacked our way around the shore a bit, but mostly were content to lounge in the soft breeze and partial shade (after a pretty deep sunburn on my part) reading books, sighing over the shapes of clouds or the song of a Mosuo fisherman. We rested and relished the break from the gogogo of travel.

And there's more! But I suppose that can wait for another time when the words eventually come. Perhaps our photos will be the biggest aid.

Present Location

The past few weeks have presented massive changes in landscape, climate and culture.

From dusty Yulin we moved to springtime in Xi'an. From Xi'an we migrated further south to lush and lovely Chengdu. For the past few days we have been climbing Emei Shan, a famous peak for Buddhist pilgrimage which took us from subtropical forests, to tea gardens, through a cloud forest, and onto a nearly frozen summit. Now we are in LeShan and hoping to go to Kanding, Litang and more ethnic Tibetan areas from here... That is, if they are open to foreigners.

Trace our steps

The Urban Palette

Chengdu's skyline rests mute amongst the heavy gray humid air, while the emerald explosion of plants and trees cherishing warmer weather fills the air with a respiratory haze. The 18 hour sleeper train from Xi'an had slipped through the remaining khaki colored landscape unbeknownst to its heavy lidded passengers. We had overnight shed the gray brown palette of dry winter, replacing it with the lush tones of a sub-tropical city.

Despite the city's gray muteness upon arrival, we ventured forth eager to explore the green alley ways of this humid place. Open air markets and porcelain basins filled with fish and squirming eels litter the windy urban infrastructure while darkly shaded back porches hum with mid day games of mahjong lit by dangling light bulbs.

The city, like its palette, is more subdued. A tropical lull. A familiar southern slowness perhaps encouraged by the mild weather. And it is a pace we can appreciate, as we crunch on horse beans while lounging in our hostels water filled back garden.

The Best of Shaanxi

* Before you read further, take note: if you click the picture to the right, you can see some of our recently posted photos, and yes, the chicks in the blog header above were actually those colors....hm...

O+K in Shaanxi has revealed a series of extremely fortunate events. Yulin? We gave it good reviews upon our arrival, but what now? If a boom-town, built on coal, and surrounded by dusty dunes is not one's idea of paradise, Yulin may not warrant a several day stay. However, if you appreciate meeting good friends who invite you to their birthday dinners and karaoke, if you like planting trees to stop desertification surrounding one of the fastest growing deserts in the world, and if you don't mind getting free food and curios while walking down the street just for being a foreign face, Yulin is perfect!

Yes, we were completely surprised by our good fortune in making friends that were so eager to show us around. Here's a quick review of the town:

Accommodation: 5

Food: 8
Other than being treated several times for superb dinner and eating an absolutely delicious farmers lunch in a small village outside of the city, Yulin food was decent.

Overall: 9.4!!
Thanks to the generosity of our friends ShiHei, Qi, Zhang, Candy, Lao Zhu,...etc this was great... KTV (karaoke) was the best night yet:)

Last night we took a sleeper train twelve hours to the south of Yulin and now we are in Xi'an, still in Shaanxi provence. For hundreds of years Xi'an was the capital of dynastic China, so it is steeped with historic flavor and maintained with modern pride. We are settled into a very cool, relaxed international youth hostel, preparing to go tomorrow to see the Terra Cotta Army... if you don't know much about Xi'an (or the terra cotta soldiers) definately skim the wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi'an.

City Walls

Yulin is an unassuming town. By town I really mean to say large city by most American definitions. Inside its ancient crumbling city walls bustles a Chinese city few Americans (or for that matter westerners) come to. Walking down the street you can hear the people gasp (followed by a ridiculous case of the giggles) at the sight of mei guo ren.

We are unmistakably the only foreigners here. Yet, we have felt more at home here than almost anywhere else because of the kindness of strangers.

The search for information about desertification has lead us to the fringes of northern Shaanxi, a place once stricken by increasing dunes and sand storms. Today, the land seems full of scrub that amongst rains must blossom into lush green hills. Helped by the benevolence of local college students, we were able to see a community organized tree planting group, visit the local govt's sand control center, and finish the day by dining, family style, with the dean of the international office.

Sometimes all you need is an invitation to KTV (karaoke) to finish it all off.

Review: Huhehaote, Inner Mongolia

These quick city reviews are meant to give a brief overview of our impressions. In many cases we will not have had enough time to see or do everything, but from our limited experiences, we will give each location ratings and reviews:

Lodging: 7
We stayed at the Binyue International Hostel in decent four-bed "dorms" that were old hotel rooms. It was nice and we had the room all to ourselves for 50 RMB per person.
Food: 8
In order to taste a bit of Mongolian culture we tucked into a mutton and milk tea type hot pot pairing... It was good but pricey. We thoroughly enjoyed a small shop with fantastic baozi (steamed dumplings).
People: 9
As Oli said in the last post, we made a Mongolian friend. He was a singer! Although his hospitality was superb and seemed completely genuine, we were sometimes overwhelmed by the attentions he paid to us. But he certainly was the best part of Huhehaote (closely followed by the baozi).
Generally: 6
We thought we would love Hohhot and assumed it would be more charming without tourists (who come in the summer to see the beautiful grasslands). What we found was a coldish, crowded and typical city with no beautiful grasslands (yet).

Now we're in Yulin, Shaanxi, a relatively small town on the line of desertification. It is quaint and surrounded by a massive, crumbling, yellow earthen wall. Tourists must not frequent Yulin much in the winter (or ever?) and we made quite a stir on the street. After a family photo shot with big, tall, and strong Oli holding the baker's young boy-child, we scored some freeee baked goods and two cones of frozen yogurt.

Yellow Earth vs. Desert? Tomorrow we will observe this match with experts from Yulin University.