Friday, July 25, 2008

Some newer pics and Putuoshan

Hi Folks -

I was able to add a few pics to the blog, but I had an incredibly slow connection. I will post mroe as I can, but checkout my pics of the Hanging Temple, the caves of Yunang and the girls, Noga and Keren, who I was travelling with.

My 23 hours train ride was actually 25, but the soft sleeper did make the difference. I got plenty of rest and met some delightful people on the train inlcuding a three year old boy who I considered kidnapping and taking with me. He's so cute! Don't worry, he's safe and sound with his mom.

Ningbo was awesome. I ended up staying an extra day, because the city was modern and clean. Coffee was readily available and I stocked up on some reading material. I stayed ina very nice business hotel. I didn't do much int he way of tourism. I did take walks around the city and ate fake chicken at an amazing vegetarian retaurant. Now I'm on the island of Putoshan, one of four sacred Buddhist mountains. It's absolutely beautfiul here. There isn't much to do. I've hiked and gone swimming. The island is small enough that I walk everywhere and big enough that this gives me some exercise. There are monks everywhere, because there are several Buddhist monastaries and nunneries all over the island. The monks are very relaxed. Sit down outside and chat with tourists and friends. I find them incredibly approachable, down to earth and in good shape. You should see them climb this mountain! I can't keep up and they do it barefoot.

My next stop (only two more to go) is Hangzhou. It's a midsized city between here and Shanghai. Apparently a lot of famous green tea is produced in that area. I plan to drink my fill. Also, I will stay at a youth hostel where I'm sure I will meet more people my age than I have here. Then I'm off to Shanghai for two days before I fly home. I can't believe this trip is winding down, but it's been incredible so far.

Love you all,
C

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Terracotta Soldiers, Great Mosque, Two Thumbs Up!

Hello Friends and Fam -

I'm writing to you from Xian. Yesterday I saw the Terracotta soldiers. They were absolutely stunning, especially when imagining what they must have looked like a thousand years ago! Though they look like clay sculptures now they were painted in brilliant, realistic colors. Makes you wonder why the heck anyone would spend so much time contemplating their afterlife. I mean this Emperor had a few screws loose to say the least. The Chinese won't even open his tomb, because supposedly there is a river of Mercury flowing through it to kill anyone who tries to enter! Oy. Still I guess madness can sometimes breed greatness and these soldiers were a sight to behold. Each one is completely different--some are skinny, some are pudgy, some are tall, some are short, some are squatting, some are standing, etc.

In Xian I also went to the Great Mosque. It's one of the oldest in China and really beautiful and peaceful. I took a lot of pictures and hope to share them with you soon.

Today at 5 pm (my time), I'll begin a 23 hour journey on a train. I splurged for a soft sleeper (for about 60 bucks) so that I can get some real rest. Tomorrow afternoon I'll arrive in Ningbo, a small city about two hours south of Shanghai. I'll spend a night there and Tuesday morning I'm off to Putoushan! I'll be kicking it on a beach and in the background will be one of four sacred Buddhist mountains. I plan to do some hikling there as well. Then I will make my way to Shanghai. I may stop off in some small fishing villages for a night or two here and there.

I really love China, but exhaustion is kicking in. I'm very much looking forward to returning to Wyoming and seeing Johnny Depp! In other news, I got my first essay published ever. I'm excited. It's in a magazine that I had never heard of out of Colorado, but I'm so excited.

Thanks for the emails, phone calls, text messages, blog comments. I love reading them all!

Love,
Christina

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

tibetan villages a no go




Hey Ya'll -

I'm back in Lanzhou. For two days I tried to get to Xiahe and then Langmusi. Both of these are small Tibetan villages outside of Tibet that are supposed to have amazing hiking. Also you get a taste for Tibet without actually going to Tibet--Buddhist monks, colorful architecture, etc. I was so excited to go that I tried two bus stations in two different towns to get to Xiahe. The women at the stations didn't speak too much English but they screamed at me and the two girls I'm currently travelling with (we met tryng to get to Xiahe), "NO BUS!" We would not be told why, although it definitely has to do with the CCP's concern about the Olympics going smoothly. So we gave up on Xiahe, travelled to another city and tried ot get into Langmusi. We bought our bus ticket, showed up at the depot, and rode for 2.5 hours on the bus until military police came on and escorted us off! They were very nice, not scary at all but told us to continue on to wherever we were going. Obviously we complied. We asked the one soldier who spoke some English why and he said, "The big earthquake! Foreigners are forbidden. It's very dangerous." Now if you believed that bunk, I'll tell you I'm the tooth fairy! I'm a bit concerned about what is actually going on in those towns--martial law? house arrests of monks? Regardless, this was not the time or place for me to find out.

Today the girls and I split the cost of a fancy room in a hotel in Lanzhou for the equivalent of $11 each! We have an awesome shower, two separate bedrooms and time to relax and email. We are feeling better and tomorrow we wll head to Xian(Terracotta soldiers! Woo!) where we will part ways.

I feel like I have so many stories to share but I'll leave you with jsut one for now. In the town where we were stuck waiting to get to Langmusi we went to a temple named Washou. It had Taoist influences (yinyang symbols, etc). The temple was okay, good views of Linxia (another dingy China city), but behind the temple was a forest amd garden. There old CHinese people were playing cards, drinking tea and eating sun flower seeds. We joined in on the tea and chilled out at the top of this beautiful hill where we couldn't see one bit of smog. It was more awesome than I'd imagined.

Love,

Christina

PS I still have the same problem with pics. I promise as soon as I can I will post some!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

sorry for the hiatus!





Hello Folks -

Sorry that it's been a few days. It seems the further north I go, the more diffcult it is to find internet connections. Also, because I can't get wifi, I'm unable to post pictures from my computer. I will as soon as I can!

I will tell you Datong was in fact dingy. When I blew my nose, black stuff came out from all the pollution. The only thing Datong is known for today is coal production. Literally huge trucks of coal zoom down the highway and everything in the city is covered in a dismal gray smogginess. However, about two hours away I went to see the Hanging Monastery. It was built on the side of a sacred Taoist mountain. The Temple was built by monks who hung over the side of the mountain and chiselled their way into it. I can't wait to show you pics. Apparently, the first monks to work on this were Buddhist but eventually they felt they needed more protection so that the temple wouldn't be flooded by a nearby river. So now it is a Buddhist, Taoist and Confucious Temple. It was closed down during the Cultural Revolution, but the site is open to tourists.

I also went to see Buddhist grottoes at Yunang Caves outside Datong. These are amazing carvings chipped into by sculptors. There were no caves here before the artists started working. Thousands of Buddha statues line these man made caves. It is shocking and beautiful. Some Buddhas are several stories high and others are only a few inches.

I got into Inner Mongolia two days ago. It is very cool and few people speak any English. BUT I've foudn the Inner Mongolians to be the nicest people. Several have gone out of their way to help me and make sure I have what I need. I went to see an amazing Lamasery here yesterday and the Inner Mongolia museum. I also saw one of China's oldest Mosques, The Great Mosque. The Muslim quarter here in Hohhot was filled with tons of food and delicious markets. I took a few pics of the kebab stands because they looked like works of art.

Now, not to worry anyone, but I had a bad case of traveller's diarrhea. I am feeling better, have medicine and slowing down. I rested a lot yesterday and expect to make a full recovery any day now. I hope this wasn't TMI!

Love,
C

Monday, July 7, 2008

Leaving Beijing...






Hello Avid Readers (and by this I mean MOM) - 

In this post I'm including some pictures of Hutong (meaning Alleyway), the neighborhood I where I've been staying.  The area is very artsy and reminds me a lot of Brooklyn in a very Chinese way.  I'm glad I stayed here, and I know I'll miss this place.

On Saturday and Sunday I went to Lama Temple and Temple of Heaven.  Lama Temple is where Lama monks still practice buddhism.  There is a Buddha that is over three stories tall, painted in gold.  It's amazing to see.  I couldn't take pictures of any of the Buddhas, but I found the place very inspirational.

At Temple of Heaven, I saw where emperors used to sacrifice goats and other animals for a good harvest and for annual rituals.  

Tonight I'm taking a sleeper train to Datong, one of China's dingiest cities.  However, outside of town are amazing Buddhist grottoes and plenty of coal mines.  I'm very excited and will write again soon.

Love,
Christina

Friday, July 4, 2008

The Forbidden City, Mao's body, Tianemen Square and the Great Wall!!







Hello Loved Ones - 

I have had two of the most amazing days of my life in and near Beijing.   On Thursday I went to the Forbidden Palace to see where Emperors once lived and roamed.  I was overwhelmed with the size and scope and history.  In the interior of the palace(s), only the emperor, his concubines and eunichs were allowed to stay.  There emperors would write poetry and make political decisions for his people.  These pictures of only two quick glances of the entire city.  Each one wwas equally ornate, and every shape and bit of architecture had a purpose.  Along the footbridge that you see in the picture are incense holders that were used to let people know when the emperor was around.

I also saw Tienamen Square, which was interesting but not terribly beautiful.  Of course the square is incredibly historically important, but I was sweltering in 100 degree heat.  Then I headed to the very morbid but amazing building that holds Mao's body.  He was laid out in all his glory.  I was not allowed to take pictures, but he looked like he had a good makeup artist.  At the tomb, you can lay flowers at the foot of a statue of him before you get into the room that holds his body.  Although I did not see this, apparently the flowers which accumulate by the thousands every day are collected a few times a day and resold until they've obviously withered.  What a scam!  Also, the statue of Mao was so imposing that it made the ornate thrones in the Forbidden City look humbling.  Ah dictatorial leadership!

Yesterday I went on a ten mile hike on the Great Wall of China.  I went with a youth hostel that gives semi-guided tours.  This was absolutely the best day of my life.  I was emotional, physically pushed beyond anything I've ever done before and totally satisfied with the journey.  I hiked for about four hours on parts of the wall that are less travelled.  We had to drive 2.5 hours to get there and we climbed through approximately thirty towers before reaching our final destination.  I honestly had not realized what I'd signed up for, but when I saw the first set of steep and crumbling steps up to a tower I finally understood.  For some reason I always though the Wall was like this flat, smooth thing.  However, the area we hiked was extremely mountainous, so when the hills rose, so did the wall.  There were moments when I though someone would have to carry me off the wall or call the paramedics but I actually made it!  On the hike, crab apple trees and beautiful birds surrounded us. I truly had to live in the moment.  Each step was difficult and rewarding.  When I finally got to our destination, a restaurant in the village of Simatai, I collapsed and drank three bottles of water and an iced tea, just to refuel.  I really think this was the best thing I've ever done.  Today I'm a bit sore, but I couldn't be happier.  

I will write again soon!

Love,
Christina

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Day One or Two? in Beijing

Hello Friends and Fam - 

I have made it through my first night in Beijing.  I'm staying in a reasonably grimy but excellently located hotel, but I have my own bathroom with a flush toilet so I can't complain.  The plane ride was hilarious, because no one listened to the flight attendants.  Even when there was severe turbulence, people were walking around, chatting loudly, using the toilets.  I was kind of shocked, but after a while I moved around.  It was like a party in the air at 35000 feet.  I met an awesome business woman from Fuzhou who gave me a lot of good traveling tips.  

My first meal in Beijing was stir fried green veggies (the menu called it "broccoli", but it did not resemble broccoli at all).  The meal was delicious and light - just what I needed before I passed out at my hotel.  

Today, I may try to switch hotels (for something cheaper).  As many of you don't know, every single lead from Chinese universities has fallen through, so I suppose I'm just going to be a tourist until my money runs out.  This also means I have no idea what I'm doing for my thesis, but I'll worry about that later.

For now, good morning (good evening to you Americans) from Beijing.