So I spent the last day here in Laos walking around the capital, Vientiane. It is by far the least developed capital I have ever visited. But it has a nice character to it. I visited more temples than I can count today, and loved all of them. While I am sad to see the trip end, I am happy to head home to Changsha.
The most interesting place I went was Laos' version of the Arc de Triumph. It was built from concrete donated by the US for a new runway... thus it has earned the nickname The vertical runway.
C. Johnson
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Kayaking
Okay, Vang Vieng was fun, but we couldn't stay there forever... so yesterday, it was on to Vientiane. Instead of just hopping on a bus and taking a long 3-hour trip down to Laos' capital, we decided to go kayaking. It was a blast!
We started by going through a couple of small rapids. Frank, Vinny and I all fell in the water... unfortunately Frank brought the trophy with him and it was never seen again. Actually, it was a fitting end for our brave mascot. Before stopping for a picnic of BBQ'd chicken and veggies with rice, we were given the opportunity to jump off a ten meter cliff into the river. Also a blast!!
Vientiane is a bit seedy for my tastes but we are only spending a bit of time here so it'll be allright. This morning I went for a walk down by the river and now I'm writing this post. This is our last full day here in Laos so I'm sure we will make the most of it.
Thanks for reading.
C. Johnson
We started by going through a couple of small rapids. Frank, Vinny and I all fell in the water... unfortunately Frank brought the trophy with him and it was never seen again. Actually, it was a fitting end for our brave mascot. Before stopping for a picnic of BBQ'd chicken and veggies with rice, we were given the opportunity to jump off a ten meter cliff into the river. Also a blast!!
Vientiane is a bit seedy for my tastes but we are only spending a bit of time here so it'll be allright. This morning I went for a walk down by the river and now I'm writing this post. This is our last full day here in Laos so I'm sure we will make the most of it.
Thanks for reading.
C. Johnson
Monday, February 7, 2011
Celebrating Spring with Aussies in Laos
Yesterday and today there was no power in the whole city... thus the lapse in blogging.
For Australians Vang Vieng is something equivalent to Cancun (except it is completely undeveloped still). My point is that Australians come here for spring break. So it is crazy...
The minivan from Luang Prabang was uneventful, other than the unbelievable scenery. Laos' Northern Provinces are covered with rugged mountainous terrain. Without the money for true highways, the government has essentially just paved the most frequented dirt paths through the hills, which means that it takes hours to get anywhere of consequence. The countryside is well populated, but not crowded, with most people living in thatch huts made of palm fronds. Each valley was more beautiful than the last and every time we went around a bend a dusty ribbon of road came into view and snaked endlessly through the Northern lands.
Vang Vieng is a dusty little town that thrives under the burden of Australian spring breakers. My Aussie friend (travel buddy) Jack has a quote that just about sums the place up. Last night after drinking on the river (more later) we were dangling our feet off the back of the Tuk Tuk returning to town. He lost his sandals (as I subsequently did) and he said "Well I'm not gonna buy new ones... there's no need in this town."
'The River' boasts kayaking and tubing, zip-lining and water slides, all centered around four or five river-side bars. In the wet season the bars are spread out, but now that it is dry the next bar is just about always in the line of sight of the bar you're at now.
Every morning an army of tan young bodies pile into Tuk Tuks (open air taxis) and are taken ten kilometers upstream from the town to the cleverly named Bar 1. Which is of course followed by Bar 2, Bar 3, Bar 4 and so on. As the tubers or kayakers make their way downstream, those without transportation (me and Jack) jump in the river and swim down to follow them. The party moves and keeps going in this remarkably organic fashion from 10 AM till about 6 PM. Then you pile back into your Tuk Tuks and come back to town. As you might imagine, it is a pretty raucous atmosphere... and I am enjoying myself.
I've only got a few more days here in Laos before I head back to China, and Mary. The relationship seems to have survived this short distance test which is good. I love you all and thanks for reading.
C. Johnson
For Australians Vang Vieng is something equivalent to Cancun (except it is completely undeveloped still). My point is that Australians come here for spring break. So it is crazy...
The minivan from Luang Prabang was uneventful, other than the unbelievable scenery. Laos' Northern Provinces are covered with rugged mountainous terrain. Without the money for true highways, the government has essentially just paved the most frequented dirt paths through the hills, which means that it takes hours to get anywhere of consequence. The countryside is well populated, but not crowded, with most people living in thatch huts made of palm fronds. Each valley was more beautiful than the last and every time we went around a bend a dusty ribbon of road came into view and snaked endlessly through the Northern lands.
Vang Vieng is a dusty little town that thrives under the burden of Australian spring breakers. My Aussie friend (travel buddy) Jack has a quote that just about sums the place up. Last night after drinking on the river (more later) we were dangling our feet off the back of the Tuk Tuk returning to town. He lost his sandals (as I subsequently did) and he said "Well I'm not gonna buy new ones... there's no need in this town."
'The River' boasts kayaking and tubing, zip-lining and water slides, all centered around four or five river-side bars. In the wet season the bars are spread out, but now that it is dry the next bar is just about always in the line of sight of the bar you're at now.
Every morning an army of tan young bodies pile into Tuk Tuks (open air taxis) and are taken ten kilometers upstream from the town to the cleverly named Bar 1. Which is of course followed by Bar 2, Bar 3, Bar 4 and so on. As the tubers or kayakers make their way downstream, those without transportation (me and Jack) jump in the river and swim down to follow them. The party moves and keeps going in this remarkably organic fashion from 10 AM till about 6 PM. Then you pile back into your Tuk Tuks and come back to town. As you might imagine, it is a pretty raucous atmosphere... and I am enjoying myself.
I've only got a few more days here in Laos before I head back to China, and Mary. The relationship seems to have survived this short distance test which is good. I love you all and thanks for reading.
C. Johnson
Friday, February 4, 2011
Sun Bears, Waterfalls, and Boobs
Another good day...
Last night Frank decided it would be a good idea to buy a box of wine. So obviously this morning when I woke up I felt pretty terrible.
At 11:30 AM, after eating a baguette with two eggs, we climbed into a saganthaw (a small truck with two benches in the bed) and made our way to the local waterfall... It was just what I needed.
Included in the park is a bear sanctuary. Laos currently has a ton of problems with the export of rare (and thus endangered) species, and the purpose of this facility is to educate the public and try to protect the local exotic wildlife. They had at least 5 small Sun Bears (as opposed to a Grizzly Bear). We then walked up on a dirt path to the waterfall, which was beautiful.
Between the waterfall and the reservation facility there are a number of small pools where one can swim in the stream. One pool features a nice waterfall (maybe ten feet high) to jump off of, and in front of that they built a rope swing. A mass of people gathered around this pool anticipating:
A) you would be really good and do a cool flip or dive,
B) you would try to be really cool but mess up and hit the water with a loud painful slap, or
C) you would make a complete ass out of yourself.
Trust me it was a pressure cooker. After several jumps somewhere around the 'low-A' to 'B' range I made one jump that was a complete 'C' and called it a day.
Outside the park I bought a nice blanket. As I was negotiating the price, the woman I was speaking to picked up her baby and started breast feeding it. This was a good tactic as I probably agreed to a price too high just to get out of there.
Tomorrow we will head to the party town of Vang Vieng!
C. Johnson
Last night Frank decided it would be a good idea to buy a box of wine. So obviously this morning when I woke up I felt pretty terrible.
At 11:30 AM, after eating a baguette with two eggs, we climbed into a saganthaw (a small truck with two benches in the bed) and made our way to the local waterfall... It was just what I needed.
Included in the park is a bear sanctuary. Laos currently has a ton of problems with the export of rare (and thus endangered) species, and the purpose of this facility is to educate the public and try to protect the local exotic wildlife. They had at least 5 small Sun Bears (as opposed to a Grizzly Bear). We then walked up on a dirt path to the waterfall, which was beautiful.
Between the waterfall and the reservation facility there are a number of small pools where one can swim in the stream. One pool features a nice waterfall (maybe ten feet high) to jump off of, and in front of that they built a rope swing. A mass of people gathered around this pool anticipating:
A) you would be really good and do a cool flip or dive,
B) you would try to be really cool but mess up and hit the water with a loud painful slap, or
C) you would make a complete ass out of yourself.
Trust me it was a pressure cooker. After several jumps somewhere around the 'low-A' to 'B' range I made one jump that was a complete 'C' and called it a day.
Outside the park I bought a nice blanket. As I was negotiating the price, the woman I was speaking to picked up her baby and started breast feeding it. This was a good tactic as I probably agreed to a price too high just to get out of there.
Tomorrow we will head to the party town of Vang Vieng!
C. Johnson
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Soaking up Life in Laos
Luang Prabang
Yesterday we took a 9 hour bus ride from Namtha to Luang Prabang. The ride was crowded, hot, long, and the bus broke down... twice. Last night was Chinese-New- Year's-Eve and we tried to find some Chinese tourists here to party with. Unfortunately our efforts proved to be largely futile. We did find a Hunan Restaurant that had two large families watching CCTV's New Year's programing being broadcast from Beijing. We threw out a few 'XinNian KuaiLe's' (Happy New Year), and spent a little time talking with them. Because the upcoming year is my animal (year of the rabbit) people were especially excited for me. We also spent some time shopping in the famous night market in the center of town.
Today I took a much needed solo day. Instead of renting bikes with the guys, I decided to walk around Luang Prabang. It's a charming little town full of small cafes and little markets. I visited Wat Xieng Thong. This small temple was overrun by tourists. On one hand, the temple was really cool. I have probably seen over one hundred temples in my life but I am still amazed by the dutiful effort the monks, at even a small temple like this, put forth to maintain their institutions. Unfortunately, most people were not respecting the privacy of the visiting Laos locals and were blatantly taking photos of Buddha and those praying in the temples. In Thailand or India these people would have been removed from the Temple, but Laos is more laid back and most pretended not to notice the annoyance.
Walking along the Mekong River I noticed two boys no older that six bolt out of a shack on the far bank and run into a shallow, slow moving part of the river. They were stark naked. They picked their way carefully through the shallows to a small exposed sand bar about fifty meters upstream. Once they got there they jumped into the fast moving current on the opposite side of the sandbar and giggled wildly as they flew downstream. I imagined that their mother had sent them out to go wash up, and presumed that instead of doing something boring like taking a bath, they decided to play a bit. Of course when mom asked if they were clean, they would certainly assure her that they were.
I found a second temple complex named Ban Aham. This was laid out over a large complex and includes 8 or 9 stupas with one main hall. It was nice to relax in the shade and enjoy the outdoors in one of the many large grass lawns within the temple complex. I bought a couple pieces of artwork near here as well.
Upon the recommendation of an ex-pat turned local I walked for about an hour on the far side of the Mekong River. There wasn't much over there, but again, it was fantastic to soak up the sun.
Tomorrow we will head in a minivan to a supposedly fantastic waterfall at about 11:30. There are only 8 days left in my vacation so I need to enjoy the weather as long as I can!
C. Johnson
Yesterday we took a 9 hour bus ride from Namtha to Luang Prabang. The ride was crowded, hot, long, and the bus broke down... twice. Last night was Chinese-New- Year's-Eve and we tried to find some Chinese tourists here to party with. Unfortunately our efforts proved to be largely futile. We did find a Hunan Restaurant that had two large families watching CCTV's New Year's programing being broadcast from Beijing. We threw out a few 'XinNian KuaiLe's' (Happy New Year), and spent a little time talking with them. Because the upcoming year is my animal (year of the rabbit) people were especially excited for me. We also spent some time shopping in the famous night market in the center of town.
Today I took a much needed solo day. Instead of renting bikes with the guys, I decided to walk around Luang Prabang. It's a charming little town full of small cafes and little markets. I visited Wat Xieng Thong. This small temple was overrun by tourists. On one hand, the temple was really cool. I have probably seen over one hundred temples in my life but I am still amazed by the dutiful effort the monks, at even a small temple like this, put forth to maintain their institutions. Unfortunately, most people were not respecting the privacy of the visiting Laos locals and were blatantly taking photos of Buddha and those praying in the temples. In Thailand or India these people would have been removed from the Temple, but Laos is more laid back and most pretended not to notice the annoyance.
Walking along the Mekong River I noticed two boys no older that six bolt out of a shack on the far bank and run into a shallow, slow moving part of the river. They were stark naked. They picked their way carefully through the shallows to a small exposed sand bar about fifty meters upstream. Once they got there they jumped into the fast moving current on the opposite side of the sandbar and giggled wildly as they flew downstream. I imagined that their mother had sent them out to go wash up, and presumed that instead of doing something boring like taking a bath, they decided to play a bit. Of course when mom asked if they were clean, they would certainly assure her that they were.
I found a second temple complex named Ban Aham. This was laid out over a large complex and includes 8 or 9 stupas with one main hall. It was nice to relax in the shade and enjoy the outdoors in one of the many large grass lawns within the temple complex. I bought a couple pieces of artwork near here as well.
Upon the recommendation of an ex-pat turned local I walked for about an hour on the far side of the Mekong River. There wasn't much over there, but again, it was fantastic to soak up the sun.
Tomorrow we will head in a minivan to a supposedly fantastic waterfall at about 11:30. There are only 8 days left in my vacation so I need to enjoy the weather as long as I can!
C. Johnson
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tiger "Tales"
First thing after breakfast yesterday we rented some 125 cc Suzuki gas powered mopeds and hit the pavement. The first place we stopped was a small town just outside of Luang Namtha.
The roads off of highway 3A were all bumpy, dirty, dustbowls, but one specific road had a parade of colorful umbrellas so we followed it. The umbrellas were protecting students from the sun on their way to school. Most walked or rode on bicycles... I saw only one student with a gas powered moped.
The high school was a structure of no more than three or four rooms built on stilts. Most buildings that are not made of concrete are built on stilts. (Most buildings are not made of concrete). The primary school was on an adjacent corner. It was just a concrete shell with no visible sources of electricity running towards it. Dirty, I mean really filthy, children were playing in the small schoolyard.
At lunch we met two guys who ran tourist trekking companies in town. Being good entrepenuers, they invited us over for a drink. We started talking and the topic of tigers came up. The man closest to me told me this story: "When I was a young child I was walking my water buffalo through the jungle with my brother and my aunt. We had two buffalo. Suddenly a tiger attacked the lead water buffalo mortally injuring it. My aunt tried to protect the second buffalo, but the tiger started attacking her. My older brother was very brave, and we had a rifle, so he shot at the tiger. Then he pulled out a machete and hit it three times. The tiger ran away. My aunt lived but the tribal doctor needed to amputate her leg."
The other man told this story: "When I was very young a hunter in my village killed a tiger with some other men from his family. That night we had a huge celebration and everyone ate some of the tiger."
These may be tall tales but think about this before you write them off.... The second man's village is only accessable by a four hour bus ride (from a capital city where there are more bamboo buildings than concrete ones) followed by a four hour trek into the deep jungle. Laos is craaaazy.
C. Johnson
The roads off of highway 3A were all bumpy, dirty, dustbowls, but one specific road had a parade of colorful umbrellas so we followed it. The umbrellas were protecting students from the sun on their way to school. Most walked or rode on bicycles... I saw only one student with a gas powered moped.
The high school was a structure of no more than three or four rooms built on stilts. Most buildings that are not made of concrete are built on stilts. (Most buildings are not made of concrete). The primary school was on an adjacent corner. It was just a concrete shell with no visible sources of electricity running towards it. Dirty, I mean really filthy, children were playing in the small schoolyard.
At lunch we met two guys who ran tourist trekking companies in town. Being good entrepenuers, they invited us over for a drink. We started talking and the topic of tigers came up. The man closest to me told me this story: "When I was a young child I was walking my water buffalo through the jungle with my brother and my aunt. We had two buffalo. Suddenly a tiger attacked the lead water buffalo mortally injuring it. My aunt tried to protect the second buffalo, but the tiger started attacking her. My older brother was very brave, and we had a rifle, so he shot at the tiger. Then he pulled out a machete and hit it three times. The tiger ran away. My aunt lived but the tribal doctor needed to amputate her leg."
The other man told this story: "When I was very young a hunter in my village killed a tiger with some other men from his family. That night we had a huge celebration and everyone ate some of the tiger."
These may be tall tales but think about this before you write them off.... The second man's village is only accessable by a four hour bus ride (from a capital city where there are more bamboo buildings than concrete ones) followed by a four hour trek into the deep jungle. Laos is craaaazy.
C. Johnson
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Crossing the Border into Laos
OK so it has been a while since I posted, but the Internet has been tricky here on the border. We spent one full day in Jinghong, the least Chinese city I have ever been to. The architecture, language (in addition to Chinese), and the people are SE Asian.
We rented some bikes then tooled around the outskirts of the city. I caught my first sight of the Mekong, one of the world's great rivers, which I was pumped about. At dinner that night we complained to the waitress that Yunnan food was too bland and that we Hunnan people would want something spicier. They threw their best at us... and ya, it was spicy. While at dinner we met some Chinese guys, and after going home to change our clothes, we met them at a club on the less populated side of the river. The place was completely empty except for our new-found friends. As hard as we tried, there was no way to make this a party so we headed home early for our trip to Laos the next day.
The bus was already close to full by the time we boarded it at 11:30. The reputed Jinghong to Laos bus clearly had its true origins somewhere to the north. After clumsily taking my seat I got ready for the long trek south of the border. I passed the time by listening to audio books and pretending to be asleep.
After a few hours we stopped in Mengla, on the Chinese side of the border. All the passengers hopped off(I unfolded like an accordion) and got some stuff to eat. While we were gone our bus was packed with everything from Lays chips to some odd metal satellite looking things. It wasn't until then that I realized our driver had parked in the import/export section of Mengla's bus station.
Another hour and we were at the border. The Chinese building was a magnificently clean, new, and large hall where silence was required and the customs officials checked and rechecked each passport. Actually the guy who was in charge of our line was kind of an idiot and I noticed that he changed my name to GRAIG thinking that I had mistakenly written CRAIG. The Lao border... was a cement shack where people were jostling to get through the fastest. It was quite a disorderly process but, of course, we made it through.
The Laos countryside is gorgeous but impoverished. North of the border a giant highway cuts straight through the hills, cutting tunnels and hillsides away. In Laos the highway tries to meld with the hills. Instead of dominating the landscape, the highway makes you feel to be a part of it.
At the border some Laos people got on the bus, and one sat next to me. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that he pooped his pants right before he got on the bus. An hour after that we reached Luang Namtha. This tiny border town is full of foreigners in transit to or from China. We will spend the day today renting motorbikes and hopefully penetrating the countryside a bit. Tomorrow we will go farther south.
C. Johnson
We rented some bikes then tooled around the outskirts of the city. I caught my first sight of the Mekong, one of the world's great rivers, which I was pumped about. At dinner that night we complained to the waitress that Yunnan food was too bland and that we Hunnan people would want something spicier. They threw their best at us... and ya, it was spicy. While at dinner we met some Chinese guys, and after going home to change our clothes, we met them at a club on the less populated side of the river. The place was completely empty except for our new-found friends. As hard as we tried, there was no way to make this a party so we headed home early for our trip to Laos the next day.
The bus was already close to full by the time we boarded it at 11:30. The reputed Jinghong to Laos bus clearly had its true origins somewhere to the north. After clumsily taking my seat I got ready for the long trek south of the border. I passed the time by listening to audio books and pretending to be asleep.
After a few hours we stopped in Mengla, on the Chinese side of the border. All the passengers hopped off(I unfolded like an accordion) and got some stuff to eat. While we were gone our bus was packed with everything from Lays chips to some odd metal satellite looking things. It wasn't until then that I realized our driver had parked in the import/export section of Mengla's bus station.
Another hour and we were at the border. The Chinese building was a magnificently clean, new, and large hall where silence was required and the customs officials checked and rechecked each passport. Actually the guy who was in charge of our line was kind of an idiot and I noticed that he changed my name to GRAIG thinking that I had mistakenly written CRAIG. The Lao border... was a cement shack where people were jostling to get through the fastest. It was quite a disorderly process but, of course, we made it through.
The Laos countryside is gorgeous but impoverished. North of the border a giant highway cuts straight through the hills, cutting tunnels and hillsides away. In Laos the highway tries to meld with the hills. Instead of dominating the landscape, the highway makes you feel to be a part of it.
At the border some Laos people got on the bus, and one sat next to me. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that he pooped his pants right before he got on the bus. An hour after that we reached Luang Namtha. This tiny border town is full of foreigners in transit to or from China. We will spend the day today renting motorbikes and hopefully penetrating the countryside a bit. Tomorrow we will go farther south.
C. Johnson
Friday, January 28, 2011
Sick Day, Not!
Well, Lijiang has been a bit of a whirlwind. For the first few days all I could manage was a bit of souvenir shopping and lots of rest (much too sick for anything else).
Vinny and I took a risk last night and booked tickets to visit Tiger Leaping Gorge today. It is about a three hour bus ride so if our stomach problems persisted we would be in for a rough day. Fortunately, we managed to kick our sicknesses and ended up having a great time.
Last time I went to the gorge (three years ago) our group travelled on the well groomed, and completely flat, south side of the river. Today our cheaper tickets meant we were off to the north side. About three kms downstream, and devoid of any high priced tourist centers, the second rapid of the gorge is accessible only by a series of shoddily maintained switchbacks. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise though. Sun and a bit of strenuous activity were just what we needed.
Most of the Chinese were awfully slow moving. At the river bank you can climb onto a large boulder in the center of the river. I think I got some good shots with my camera. Tomorrow we will head off to Jinhong in Southern Yunnan.
Then we're going into Laos.
C. Johnson
Vinny and I took a risk last night and booked tickets to visit Tiger Leaping Gorge today. It is about a three hour bus ride so if our stomach problems persisted we would be in for a rough day. Fortunately, we managed to kick our sicknesses and ended up having a great time.
Last time I went to the gorge (three years ago) our group travelled on the well groomed, and completely flat, south side of the river. Today our cheaper tickets meant we were off to the north side. About three kms downstream, and devoid of any high priced tourist centers, the second rapid of the gorge is accessible only by a series of shoddily maintained switchbacks. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise though. Sun and a bit of strenuous activity were just what we needed.
Most of the Chinese were awfully slow moving. At the river bank you can climb onto a large boulder in the center of the river. I think I got some good shots with my camera. Tomorrow we will head off to Jinhong in Southern Yunnan.
Then we're going into Laos.
C. Johnson
Merrily We Roll-A-Sewer
Great Day, Man!
"Yesterday was a great day, man." We've all been repeating this today. Like a mantra.
Yesterday we woke up and grabbed some bikes with Sebastian and Chelsea, the latter being a 'World Teacher' who Frank is familiar with, the former her boyfriend. As a group we are far from expert planners (and proud of it), and so we decided to just head east, sure that we would reach ErHai lake.
Crossing the highway that connects Dali's old and new cities we rode along a cobblestone road that cut through countless plots of leafy green vegetables. The farther we went the worse the road's condition, but we continued on until we reached a construction site where workers were extending the road into a small village.
After conversing, and then trading cigarettes with the workers, our little band started off into the village. Tight alleys with oddly angled walls and hidden intersections created a maze for us to explore. We kept heading east and eventually we spilled out onto a small rock 'pier' that extended some twenty feet into ErHai lake's flooded banks.
We were greeted by a few old ladies washing vegetables and clothes in the dirty water. Was it a marvelous temple? A popular tourist destination? A well maintained vista viewpoint? NO! But there is no way that I would have preferred any of those locales over the simple stone pier that we stumbled upon.
We lingered for a bit and then we reentered the maze with the goal of heading south. After a few wrong turns we found ourselves on another elevated road bouncing through the countryside. Eventually we came upon a group of villagers who were also trying to further extend the pavement into their town. The current task was to move a massive cement pipe (you know, the ones that they build sewers with).
I was the first in our group to reach them and I jokingly asked if we could help. A tired looking woman stopped struggling with the pipe and nodded that any help would be appreciated. The man who seemed to be in charge laughed "dui, bang bang mang wo men", surely thinking that I would just ride past. The four guys in our group hopped of their bikes (I didn't even put the kickstand down) and we replaced the women on the pipe. Chelsea whipped out her camera.
There were several obstacles and a very bumpy stretch of rode between us and our goal some 15 meters away. We were aided only by two long 2 x 4's that kept leapfrogging the pipe. The next bit was a blur of Chinese instructions, English instructions, and laughter... lots of laughter. I was giggling like a four-year-old for ten minutes straight. With one final cheer we rolled the pipe into the ditch that would soon be a road, and not long after that we were back on our bikes and back in a maze of village side streets.
I think everyone involved will have a hard time forgetting the day the crazy foreign people helped roll a sewage pipe into a ditch on the outskirts of a tiny village on the banks of ErHai lake.
C. Johnson
(sent via email on Monday, January 24, posted Friday, January 28)
"Yesterday was a great day, man." We've all been repeating this today. Like a mantra.
Yesterday we woke up and grabbed some bikes with Sebastian and Chelsea, the latter being a 'World Teacher' who Frank is familiar with, the former her boyfriend. As a group we are far from expert planners (and proud of it), and so we decided to just head east, sure that we would reach ErHai lake.
Crossing the highway that connects Dali's old and new cities we rode along a cobblestone road that cut through countless plots of leafy green vegetables. The farther we went the worse the road's condition, but we continued on until we reached a construction site where workers were extending the road into a small village.
After conversing, and then trading cigarettes with the workers, our little band started off into the village. Tight alleys with oddly angled walls and hidden intersections created a maze for us to explore. We kept heading east and eventually we spilled out onto a small rock 'pier' that extended some twenty feet into ErHai lake's flooded banks.
We were greeted by a few old ladies washing vegetables and clothes in the dirty water. Was it a marvelous temple? A popular tourist destination? A well maintained vista viewpoint? NO! But there is no way that I would have preferred any of those locales over the simple stone pier that we stumbled upon.
We lingered for a bit and then we reentered the maze with the goal of heading south. After a few wrong turns we found ourselves on another elevated road bouncing through the countryside. Eventually we came upon a group of villagers who were also trying to further extend the pavement into their town. The current task was to move a massive cement pipe (you know, the ones that they build sewers with).
I was the first in our group to reach them and I jokingly asked if we could help. A tired looking woman stopped struggling with the pipe and nodded that any help would be appreciated. The man who seemed to be in charge laughed "dui, bang bang mang wo men", surely thinking that I would just ride past. The four guys in our group hopped of their bikes (I didn't even put the kickstand down) and we replaced the women on the pipe. Chelsea whipped out her camera.
There were several obstacles and a very bumpy stretch of rode between us and our goal some 15 meters away. We were aided only by two long 2 x 4's that kept leapfrogging the pipe. The next bit was a blur of Chinese instructions, English instructions, and laughter... lots of laughter. I was giggling like a four-year-old for ten minutes straight. With one final cheer we rolled the pipe into the ditch that would soon be a road, and not long after that we were back on our bikes and back in a maze of village side streets.
I think everyone involved will have a hard time forgetting the day the crazy foreign people helped roll a sewage pipe into a ditch on the outskirts of a tiny village on the banks of ErHai lake.
C. Johnson
(sent via email on Monday, January 24, posted Friday, January 28)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Small World!
Only in China.
Some of you may think us egotistical jerks after this post. But we are awesome....
Our first night in Dali, Frank and Vinny met a laoban (boss) in his bar. Then on our first full day we grabbed lunch at a restaurant that he happened to own. After calling us over and offering some tea, he asked us to help him write an English happy hour menu.
In China guanxi is very important. Guanxi is like a game where one can gain or lose face. The three of us have honed our guanxi to a science in China's biggest party town, Changsha. By helping this laoban we gained major guanxi.
Some time and several pots of tea later two beautiful American girls sat down at a table at the restaurant we previously ate at. Time for more guanxi. We sent Frank over to make the introductions and before long the girls had joined us at the table. Foreign girls=major guanxi.
They (our new Chinese friends) offered to take us to dinner and we obliged them... although the girls were a bit nervous about hopping into a Mercedes with a bunch of guys they just met. Having foreigners pile out of his car was major guanxi for laoban and we played our part well, drinking homemade baijiu and trying even the most adventurous dishes placed in front of us. A spread of peanuts, fruit and beer (a lot of beer) greeted us upon our return to laoban's bar. We had played our part and now it was time for our reward.
At breakfast this morning we met a girl who lives in Xiangtan (45 minutes from Changsha). One of the workers at our hostel lives in Changsha. A foreigner we met in Kunming also lived in Changsha!!!!
Small world.
C. Johnson
Some of you may think us egotistical jerks after this post. But we are awesome....
Our first night in Dali, Frank and Vinny met a laoban (boss) in his bar. Then on our first full day we grabbed lunch at a restaurant that he happened to own. After calling us over and offering some tea, he asked us to help him write an English happy hour menu.
In China guanxi is very important. Guanxi is like a game where one can gain or lose face. The three of us have honed our guanxi to a science in China's biggest party town, Changsha. By helping this laoban we gained major guanxi.
Some time and several pots of tea later two beautiful American girls sat down at a table at the restaurant we previously ate at. Time for more guanxi. We sent Frank over to make the introductions and before long the girls had joined us at the table. Foreign girls=major guanxi.
They (our new Chinese friends) offered to take us to dinner and we obliged them... although the girls were a bit nervous about hopping into a Mercedes with a bunch of guys they just met. Having foreigners pile out of his car was major guanxi for laoban and we played our part well, drinking homemade baijiu and trying even the most adventurous dishes placed in front of us. A spread of peanuts, fruit and beer (a lot of beer) greeted us upon our return to laoban's bar. We had played our part and now it was time for our reward.
At breakfast this morning we met a girl who lives in Xiangtan (45 minutes from Changsha). One of the workers at our hostel lives in Changsha. A foreigner we met in Kunming also lived in Changsha!!!!
Small world.
C. Johnson
Blue Skies
Sent via email on Friday, January 21
We spent the first full day of vacation walking the streets of Kunming, visiting parks and a few local restaurants and cafes. In our ramblings we came across a street of shops that sold only trophies, plaques, and other awards. We bought a trophy and declared ourselves 2011 "Hide and Seek" champions. Our trophy also makes a great cup.... and we have taken to drinking from it to celebrate our 'victory'.
Kunming is a gorgeous city and seeing a blue sky is unbelievably refreshing. The first park we went to was centered around a pond with thousands of white birds that resembled sea gulls. Pond gulls maybe? There were families all around and I got to watch some old people dancing, which is one of my favorite activities. After another night out in Kunming we were all ready to leave the city behind us.
After a mildly stressful 4 hour bus ride we found ourselves in Dali. It is a beautiful small town famous for three pagodas overlooking the city from a great mountain vista. It was late though, so we went to find something to eat. Yak steak is the best food ever. After filling our stomachs we went back to the hostel and fell asleep. This morning we were greeted with the bluest sky I have seen in 6 months and a massive snow capped mountain in the near horizon.
Time to go climb it...
C. Johnson
We spent the first full day of vacation walking the streets of Kunming, visiting parks and a few local restaurants and cafes. In our ramblings we came across a street of shops that sold only trophies, plaques, and other awards. We bought a trophy and declared ourselves 2011 "Hide and Seek" champions. Our trophy also makes a great cup.... and we have taken to drinking from it to celebrate our 'victory'.
Kunming is a gorgeous city and seeing a blue sky is unbelievably refreshing. The first park we went to was centered around a pond with thousands of white birds that resembled sea gulls. Pond gulls maybe? There were families all around and I got to watch some old people dancing, which is one of my favorite activities. After another night out in Kunming we were all ready to leave the city behind us.
After a mildly stressful 4 hour bus ride we found ourselves in Dali. It is a beautiful small town famous for three pagodas overlooking the city from a great mountain vista. It was late though, so we went to find something to eat. Yak steak is the best food ever. After filling our stomachs we went back to the hostel and fell asleep. This morning we were greeted with the bluest sky I have seen in 6 months and a massive snow capped mountain in the near horizon.
Time to go climb it...
C. Johnson
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
CHANGSHAREN in Kunming
Craig has taken off on a trip with two friends during Spring Festival. He promised to start his blog again. Here is his first entry:
After a terribly bumpy flight we arrived in Kunming in the early afternoon. Paranoid that we would be mistaken as Laowai or tourists we blew past all the people offering us rides to the city center. We also accidentally blew past the bus station we were supposed to use. After walking for about twenty minutes we reached the next stop on the line and hopped on bus 67.
The congestion of human traffic on this line is mind blowing. At each stop no more than 5 disembarked while no less than 20 got on the bus. A gentleman was trying to help us find the stop we wanted but after he told us that he was actually from Beijing I had an ominous feeling. His advice wasn't completely accurate and we needed to walk another 20 minutes before we found our dormitory.
THE HUMP is one of those Lonely Planet endorsed megahostels where the number of foreigners is just creepy for someone who left Changsha just once in the last 4 months. Everyone from professor types, with grey hair and pipes to smoke, to hippies on the run, with wild shocks of hair and scummy clothes, share a gigantic common room. After eating BBQ at a place with meal worms, pig feet, and whole intestinal tracts on display we started interspersing shots of tequila and mixed tonic drinks with over-competitive games of ping pong.
At the hostel a group of Chinese drivers were playing pool and after buying them a shot of tequila GANGZI (a person) bought us two bottles of watered down gin. While we drank we met a foreigner who lived in Kunming and told us horror stories of Laowai beatings occurring within Kunming's KUNDU bar district. With these thoughts in mind we set off to find said district and offer the Chinese a different point of view on the foreign devils.
Everyone we talked to howled with laughter when we told them we were CHANGSHAREN (people who lived in Changsha [this terminology is reserved for those who are native to a given region]) We finished the night with more BBQ and philosophical conversations. All in all it was a great night.
C. Johnson
After a terribly bumpy flight we arrived in Kunming in the early afternoon. Paranoid that we would be mistaken as Laowai or tourists we blew past all the people offering us rides to the city center. We also accidentally blew past the bus station we were supposed to use. After walking for about twenty minutes we reached the next stop on the line and hopped on bus 67.
The congestion of human traffic on this line is mind blowing. At each stop no more than 5 disembarked while no less than 20 got on the bus. A gentleman was trying to help us find the stop we wanted but after he told us that he was actually from Beijing I had an ominous feeling. His advice wasn't completely accurate and we needed to walk another 20 minutes before we found our dormitory.
THE HUMP is one of those Lonely Planet endorsed megahostels where the number of foreigners is just creepy for someone who left Changsha just once in the last 4 months. Everyone from professor types, with grey hair and pipes to smoke, to hippies on the run, with wild shocks of hair and scummy clothes, share a gigantic common room. After eating BBQ at a place with meal worms, pig feet, and whole intestinal tracts on display we started interspersing shots of tequila and mixed tonic drinks with over-competitive games of ping pong.
At the hostel a group of Chinese drivers were playing pool and after buying them a shot of tequila GANGZI (a person) bought us two bottles of watered down gin. While we drank we met a foreigner who lived in Kunming and told us horror stories of Laowai beatings occurring within Kunming's KUNDU bar district. With these thoughts in mind we set off to find said district and offer the Chinese a different point of view on the foreign devils.
Everyone we talked to howled with laughter when we told them we were CHANGSHAREN (people who lived in Changsha [this terminology is reserved for those who are native to a given region]) We finished the night with more BBQ and philosophical conversations. All in all it was a great night.
C. Johnson
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