New beginnings in old Middle Kingdom (China)

Well...... Where to start...


I will start back in my first few weeks in China...

It was during the trip my roommate and I took to Lanzhou, China...

On our way back we had to take a seated train (as opposed to the more preferable sleeper train), so we were a bit cramped. It wasn't too bad because we met two sisters from the Tibetan Plateau. Jim was tired, so he went to sleep while I stayed up all night playing cards and joking around with them. Since this was my first trip in China, I wasn't very anxious to meet any long-term girlfriend types, just some friends. Well, when it was time to leave the train, one of the sisters gave me her business card (many people carry business cards in China. it doesn't matter what you do, you still have them to give to someone on short notice.). I was cautious, as I have talked with many of you about, there are many scams Chinese ladies use to either get money, or US citizenship. I wasn't really into making any sudden plans or anything. Just maybe a pen pal, or something....

I wrote one of the sisters, 王桂燕 (Wang Guiyan), a few times and she wrote back. We were friendly, and sparked interests, but I was still unsure about my situation back home (the recent divorce stuff). It wasn't until I received STRONG confirmation a few weeks later, that my old relationship was over and time to move on, that I contacted Wang Guiyan (sounds like Wong Gwayyan) with a more interested heart. It was then that I found a very interesting girl that I wanted to know much more about.

For the next month we wrote often, but I wanted more. She lives 22 hours away by train, so I couldn't see her in person (we video chatted often, and recently just about every day for many hours), so I set up a trip to see her in 格尔木 (Golmud, Qinghai, China). Leading up to the trip, Wang Guiyan and I began to communicate even more frequently, sometimes 5-6 hours in a day! It was obvious that this trip was going to be about discovery of any chance of a long-tern type relationship, instead of some friendly trip.

The ticket buying and travel to see Wang Guiyan wasn't very easy, to say the least. You see, Wang Guiyan is a Tibetan, and she lives in a "Tibetan" city out of the province of Tibet. In order to go to Tibet as a foreigner, you are required to fill out plenty of paperwork, submit for special papers, and finally, pay more for entrance than a Chinese national. When there, you aren't allowed to go anywhere either. You can only go where allowed. OK... Why does that effect me? I'm not going to Tibet here. well, Geermu is the main last stop to Tibet. Many foreigners go to Geermu to get special privileges to go into Tibet and Lhasa. Geermu is a city without a large tourist pull. The government has a hard time believing a person actually WANTS to stay there, without going to Tibet. So, I have to follow all of the regulations as if I was going to Tibet... or so they say... I had a Chinese friend buy my ticket after I was refused a ticket without the paperwork for Tibet. I spoke with many people and they assured me that I would be OK.

The morning came to head off to Geermu to see Wang Guiyan, and nerves were running through me like crazy! I was nervous that I wasn't going to be allowed on the train, or that Wang Guiyan would end up trying to scam me, or that we would ACTUALLY like each other.

I arrive at the train station to find that they have a special section for those going to "Tibet" and that since the train I was going on was going to Tibet, I was required to use that section. Well, getting into that section they asked me for, you guessed it, my special papers. I showed them my passport and my temporary residency paperwork. They still seemed very "confused" as to why I was going to Geermu, and not to Tibet. I showed them a picture (the one above) of Wang Guiyan, hoping they would understand. They took about 7-8 minutes deciding to let me in... WHEEWW... I was on the train before I knew it!

Upon my arrival (finally), I was very excited. How would we react to each other? I understand the culture is very different than what I am used to, but What would happen over the next week?

My fears were quickly conquered... The Geermu railway station isn't very big, or busy, so I simply walked off of the train and a few steps later was at the parking lot. As Wang Guiyan got out of her brothers car, I realized, WOW... This is Wang Guiyan, and she is beautiful! As I walked up to her, I knew I wanted to give her a hug... and a kiss... but I was unsure of what would be culturally acceptable. We hugged, and gave each other a sweet little kiss. It was a perfect beginning. Then I tried to get into the car and the seat was pushed too far forward and wouldn't move. So I sat in the back... he he We then spent the next hour with her sister (the same sister I met on the train) trying to find a decent hotel. We actually found the best hotel on the same block as her brother. I stayed there for a while and slept for an hour or so, then freshened up and got ready to see the town with Wang Guiyan!



We then went to her sisters store (yes, her sister "owns" the store!) to help her for the morning, and to babysit Jinwei (Wang Guiyan's nephew. He is a good kid that really loves Wang Guiyan!). We were there and around Geermu for the rest of the day, just getting me used to the city a bit. Talking the whole way... Or at least trying to communicate. You see, even though we have been communicating for a few months, it was with the use of language translation programs. We can have basic conversations in English, less basic conversations in Chinese, but even with that limitation, we could understand each other fairly well. This will need to improve.

Then, the party started...
At around 6pm, we went to a birthday party for her sister. Yeah... Party is the right word. I am not sure if I have ever seen so much food for 25 people in my life! Some of it was crazy (Chicken feet, skin, other things I have no idea about) and some of it was very good! Everyone was drinking and smoking (except me, of course), even Wang Guiyan... hmmm... Interesting. I suppose that since I have made some changes recently, this wouldn't be too crazy. In China most many people offer cigarettes to say hello to new people they meet. It wasn't that crazy.






So, Dinner was great, but you go to KTV to party!



We weren't finished!! We then went to the disco!! The place was crazy! The dance floor was on springs, or something, and bounced to the dancing. The DJ called me up to the front (of course) and had me and my group dance for everyone else! It was wild to watch others copy the lameness that were my moves!! What a night!!




We went to the mountains and a point that is higher than just about the entire US! We were about 4500 meters above sea level. I could feel a huge difference and I was coughing a bit. We stopped at Kunlun Springs. a natural spring that is considered sacred to the locals. The water is supposed to have a very good flavor. I didn't try it, it was SUPER cold!!It was beautiful though!

Interesting facts about China (as noticed by me) #1

The "Great Firewall" isn't going to get me down

Well, after repeated attempts to post here, and to be turned away by the "Great Firewall of China", I am back up and running. Hopefully, everything will be OK from now on. Anyway, this post will be all in good fun. I thought that a period of NOT traveling may be coming and I haven't traveled for a little over a month now. SO, I thought up a few things to write about anyway that will be interesting to those of you who read this blog-o-mine. I want to clarify this first. This is NOT an indictment of China or the people of China, rather a look at some of the cultural differences between here and The U.S. Some of these things on this list I prefer, while others, well, I don't prefer! Living in China to this point (10 weeks already!) has been a very good experience. I have seen many things and learned many facts that I would have never known if I hadn't experienced them myself. I like it here to this point. It isn't the same as America, but it isn't so different. However, the list below highlights some of the "differences". Enjoy!



Here is my first list of Interesting facts about China (as noticed by me):

Fact #1 - Chinese people spit whenever, and wherever they want, and you can't do anything about it!

Now usually spitting in America isn't such a big deal. People try to do it carefully, quietly, not in the middle of a public walkway. Not so in China. When you walk down a street, you have to be cautious not to walk in spit (among other things I will discuss later in this blog). But it is worse than that. You have to pay attention in hallways, restaurants, everywhere you walk. And in China, you don't just spit! No, no, you SPIT in three parts! First comes the suck back (gross), then the hocking, then the spitting. It is loud and obnoxious, but it happens everywhere so I deal with it. This has become such a noticeable problem to foreigners in China, however, that they are trying to fine people for spitting (Not that they enforce it though!)!


Fact #2 - Young children do NOT wear diapers, they wear clothes with a huge hole in the crotch so they can do their business ANYWHERE!!

So, in China, instead of being a "bad parent" and putting a diaper on your child, you must subject them to being held over a tree hole or bush and a whistling parent while they do their business. In public. At any time. So they have this awesome thing for kids, instead of diapers, let's just put a HUGE hole in your clothes, and we are good! Yeah!! Go China!


Fact #3 - The streets in China don't look very safe to drive in, to walk in, or to be near! And they aren't!

So, you probably won't catch me trying to buy a car in China due to the fact that it will probably end up wrecked soon after! The Chinese have laws, but they have their own "laws of driving" that prevail. They drive and walk across streets much like they do anything. Whoever gets to the spot first, you let them pass, then you go, but you fight to get there first! It doesn't matter who you are, you can be a taxi, a bus, a person on a bicycle, or a pedestrian, you are treated the same. It can be quite an adventure! Another thing, directional markings exist for driving lanes (left only, straight, right only, etc.) but they aren't always followed, neither does it matter what side of the road you drive on(they drive on the right side, just like America, by the way.), just TRY to stay on the correct side. If you question this, just look at the laws I talk about above, they apply to the side of the street you drive on as well!


Fact #4 - Chinese people WANT you to tell "White Lies"!

Chinese culture has some very useful and at the same time mildly "interesting" tactics. One of them is the constant and understated use of the "white lie". It is a constant, and I will include a little bit on that from somewhere I found on the internet that explains it really good. Here it is: Chinese people like it when you lie to them. That pretty much describes it. It was weird to understand at first, but I completely understand it, and it is all about being polite and NOT making who you are talking to look stupid, or disrespected. The idea of saving face (both one’s own and that of others) is strong in Chinese society. Frankness or abruptness, especially in offering criticism of any kind, is to be carefully avoided. People are generally reserved, quiet, refined, gentle and friendly. They respect a person who is friendly and who carefully avoids hurting the feelings of others. Loud, untactful or boisterous behavior is usually regarded as very poor taste. Interesting, huh?


Fact #5 - It doesn't matter what you need, Chinese people will get it for you!

One day I was at a restaurant eating boiled dumplings and I ordered a COLD sprite. They didn't have one, but instead of telling me they didn't have one, they sent an employee (the owners mother maybe) to get me one. 5 minutes later, I had a cold sprite! This is all about AMAZING customer service! They really take service to a new level here. It doesn't matter what you buy, they make sure you are satisfied! When I bought a frying pan, they took it out of the box and made sure it was functional and in proper condition. They then repackaged it up real nice. When I bought my cell phone, they took it out of the box and showed me how to use it. They even checked the strings on the bag they put my box in to make sure it was sturdy enough! Amazing! In the morning you will walk by a store that is opening and the employees will be outside doing a dance, or marching. Just to open a regular store. It's great!


Fact #6 - Chinese people pop raw cloves of Garlic like they're Tic-Tac's!!

You read it correct. At restaurants, on the street, people peel open a clove of garlic and start chowing down! It IS the biggest reason for pollution in China (from the bad breath!). Just kidding, but, really, not good for the breath! When you talk to others here it is where you use the little "white lie" rule and just be polite while trying to stay upwind of their breath! So, one day while eating lunch with some friends I thought, hey why don't I try it? I grabbed a clove of Garlic(which are placed on many tables like bread, or popcorn, or any other appetizer in America) and peeled away a good looking one and took a bite. It wasn't bad, but... let's just say I won;t be doing that again soon. Go ahead, try it! I dare you!



Fact #7 - It is more dusty and dirty in China than I could have imagined!

We clean our hardwood (fake) floors and the next day they are just as dusty as before! It is just everywhere! You cannot get away from dust in China. Breathing hasn't been nearly as much of a problem as I thought, but the dirt EVERYWHERE is just not cool! I think that once I have a good coating of dust on EVERYTHING I own, I will just paint the dust so It looks clean! Now THAT would be Chinese!!


Fact #8 - Restaurants in China are a piece of work!

This is a fun section! I need to first say that eating in China is both GREAT and inexpensive! You must REALLY like Chinese food, because, except for a Mickey-D's or a KFC, you are eating Chinese food! This leads me to the subject of #8, restaurants. They have rules that are very different than America's rules. Let's see, where to start?? OK.. Let's take today for example. I walked into my favorite restaurant (I eat there once a day - sometime twice in a day!) and there were three hostess/servers waiting for me. They all sat me down together, in parts (one pointed the way, another sat me and grabbed a menu for me, and a third poured my tea.). Then I yelled, more like YELLED, Fu Yar (it sounds like that anyway..)! Then a server came over and took my order (面条 mian tiao, or noodles, and a 肉夹馍 rou jia mo, or hot meat sandwich). She then yelled the order to two others and wrote it down on a piece of three-ply paper and left two of the pieces at the table. The other went to the kitchen. In these restaurants, food comes out whenever. You WILL get your meal in pieces! One dish here, another there, and rice some other time (by the way, it is so surprising, but rice tends to be one of the most difficult items to get quickly unless you gripe constantly!). It is just lucky when you have all that you need at the same time! Another thing, usually when you eat at a regular type restaurant, the food is served family style, so you must be OK with sharing everything but your bowl of rice. Tea is ALWAYS served with your meal, and the type varies greatly (I go to one restaurant mostly for the tea!!). Well, I prefer eating my 肉夹馍 before my 面条 but today the noodles came first, but only just barely. I had some noodles then ate my meat sandwich, then finished off my noodles. At that point, I called the server over again, the same way. I then stated 买单 mai dan (you say it like MY DAN, or DONE), or "bill please". She brought me by bill and something happened which doesn't happen in the States. I DIDN'T PAY A TIP!! That is right, you DO NOT tip in China! Ever! I love it! They give you good service and they get to keep their job. I like it. anyway, then it is common to ask for a fa piao. A fa piao is a SUPER receipt! Really though, it is something to do with taxes, but you have a chance to win money when you ask for it. There is a little scratch section that if you don't win has "thank you", or something like that, written on it. If you win, there is a two character code. I have won 15 RMB recently from them! Anyway, that is eating in a Chinese restaurant!


Fact #9 - The Chinese celebrate EVERYTHING using fireworks!!

One of the first few days I was in China, I was at work talking with one of my sisters on Skype when, suddenly we heard what sounded like gun shots outside!
My sister started freaking out about what I had gotten myself into. I quickly found out that they were fireworks for a store opening nearby and nothing to freak out about. Anyway, it seems that for any occasion, be it a wedding, a birth, a death, the tooth fairy coming (Just kidding), store openings, birthdays, etc., etc! You name it, and they will celebrate with fireworks! I tell you they sell these things everywhere! Even the street vendors sell them. I am sure there is a place somewhere where 25% of the population has some form of physical damage due to fireworks! They are crazy too! They aren't wimpy American fireworks. No, this stuff will blow a hole in the ground (If it wasn't concrete in most places here)! It is not uncommon during the day to hear them going off constantly. Gotta love a nation of pyro's!



Well, it's time for me to sleep. It's 2:31am here in China and I have school to teach in the morning...

The Freaking Great Wall of China!

So this last trip was one of those that you think about, and when you are there, your just like, "I'm here, holy crap!"

We weren't sure if we would be able to make this trip... Let me explain...

This was a very interesting week for us because it is the anniversary of the People's Republic of China (similar to the fourth of July in the states), so we didn't work our usual Saturday and Sunday hours. But we worked them on Monday and Tuesday instead, then we had Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off. Jim and I wanted to go to Jiayuguan to see the end piece of The Great Wall, but it is very far away and we needed at least three full days to see it. So this vacation gave us the time we needed, but we still had a problem. we could only get train tickets to Lanzhou (which is only half of the way there), and so we planned to go to Lanzhou with a back-up plan if we couldn't get tickets to Jiayuguan.

We started our trip after work on Tuesday night. We arrived in Lanzhou just fine, and we quickly ran to see if we could pick up any tickets to Jiayuguan. We were able to get tickets for a train leaving only an hour and a half from then, so we were very happy about that. We were happy and satisfied that we weren't going to have to use our backup plan.

The train ride was quite nice. We went across a huge desert, with mountains surrounding us. There were sections where you could see the great Wall in the distance, and even areas where you could see caves built into the mountainside for homes.

We even went right by the city where they just recently sent a few men into space. Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better 20 hour trip.

we arrived in Jiayuguan, hoping to get a return ticket immediately, but they only had sitting (not sleeping) tickets available, and they were only to Lanzhou! So we were going to have to hope again, that we could find what we needed once we arrived in Lanzhou. We felt we'd be OK, so we bought the tickets, hoping to figure out a way to get comfortable for a long train ride, while sitting. It was around 6:30 pm, so we needed to find a hotel, and soon! This was the first time something happened that I'm sure will happen more often. we went to a few hotels only to be told that they don't accept foreigners! Can you believe that! we finally found a hotel that had one room left, and that accepted foreigners, and booked a room. The room was not that great, I must say. The bathroom sink randomly sputtered water in a freaky way, and the shower was to be barely trusted. Then there were the beds. Sheesh.. They couldn't have been more hard, and with pillows that felt like overstuffed beanbags (No kidding here either. They WERE overstuffed beanbags!!).

Anyway, we walked around for a while and found a place to eat dinner (by this time it was around 8:30pm). We had Ka Rou which is essentially skewered meat and Chou Mi Fan, which is Fried Rice. It was pretty good, but the place we were in was cool. Kinda of like an open air market with shops all around. It was groovy. We then went back to our noisy hotel room to sleep since we had a busy day ahead of us.

We woke up around 7am to see if we could hire a taxi for the day. There were three sites we wanted to go to, and figured it would cost about 120 Yuan (about 17 or 18 US dollars.). We went outside of our hotel and there were a few taxi's just waiting for someone to pick up. The first one said 200 Yuan and we laughed at him and went to the next one. They said the same, but we saw that since this was a holiday week, we weren't going to get the best rates. So we decided the best plan was to have an auction, sort of, with the drivers. Who had the lowest price? They all kindof settled on 160 Yuan for FOUR sites (this would take most of the day), but we still weren't satisfied, and we told them we would just wait, or find others. One finally said 140, and we quickly agreed and were on our way.

The first place we went to was the Wei Jin Dynasty tombs. These are famous for being underground tombs spread over a large area and having many cool painted bricks still in good shape. The tombs are sometimes called an underground art gallery.







It was quite interesting as we pulled up to it, I was wondering where everything was. Then we went underground and it was pretty cool. Unfortunately, they didn't allow for pictures, but I snuck some photo's in the museum as we left.

I saw something that just wont fly in the states.... Here it goes....






Yup, you see that right. FIVE people on a motorcycle! That would help the gas crisis, eh?

Next, we went to THE GREAT WALL of CHINA! This was where I first touched, climbed, and experienced The Great Wall. The section we went to here had been fully restored not too long ago, so it looked very new. The wall was built in the exact same way as the original and in the same spot as the original as well. This section is also not like many you see in travel shows or China guides. It is not very wide or tall. It isn't made out of bricks, but rather mud and hay. BUT, it's still The Great Wall! In fact, later on, I will talk about going to see the first foundation, and western end, of the Great Wall. Here are some photo's:








So, that was great. we were then off to have lunch. We found some non-descript noodle shop and had Beef Noodles. It was pretty good. We then went to the Jiayuguan Fort. The fort was part of the Great Wall and an important defense outpost. They wanted defense from the "savages to the west", since the Chinese rulers said that anything beyond this point was uncivilized savage land. The fort is very cool and massive, but the inside was very empty. While inside, we were able to see the living quarters and shoot bows and arrows. It was cool. I have plenty of pictures of the fort on the photo section of my blog. Check them out. While leaving the fort, you have to walk through a gauntlet of souvenir shops. Most of them were overpriced, but some had pretty cool offerings. Jim and I did notice something very funny while flipping through books they sold. Most of the shops had PORN, yes, PORN books for sell, right next to everything else! It was amazing (but not in a good way)! Imagine bringing your kids to the fort then wanting to buy something to remember the trip by, only to be forced to see tons of books of naked ladies. China seems to be a very conservative country, so this was very unexpected. It was very tacky, but whatever...






Next, we went to the First Foundation (or so they say) of The Great Wall. What that means, I'm not so sure, but it is recognized as the Western tip of the Great Wall.

It was pretty groovy as well. They had recreated a small village at this area that we walked through. Then we did something mildly stupid. We walked across a suspension bridge! It was a strong bridge though, except for the floor. The bridge had huge cables holding it up, but only had old rickety wood flooring!


I was very afraid for my life, but you know, what the heck. It was quite a rush and after we did it, I was happy I did it.

That was it. At this time, we went back to our hotel to gather our things from the front desk. This didn't go perfectly though because our taxi driver demanded an additional 20 Yuan. We kind of thought this might happen, but we failed to have exact change, so I walked to a store and bought a water so we would have exact change to give him. What a goon. The worst part, is that when we were finished with the Jiayuguan Fort, we had to wait for him for about 10 minutes because he had left (probably to pick up some quick fares). We could have left there without paying him if we wanted to be slimy, but we didn't. Anyway....

We then made our way back to Lanzhou by train. Our train had a double-Decker section and nobody was in there so we grabbed a section and were comfortable when we expected our trip to stink.

Once we arrived in Lanzhou, we were able to quickly book a train to our home and all was good.

It was a very good trip, even though we traveled for two of the three days. We saw some really cool sites, and did some things many won't ever have the chance to do.

Till Next Time...

Loving Sichuan - The Opera, Panda's, and the Biggest Buddha in the world!!!

For those who know me, I really love Sichuan style beef when I go to Chinese restaurants in the US. This trip, I had a chance to have REAL Sichuan style food! We had quite a lot packed into a small space for this one, so here we go.

Our plan was to go to Chengdu in the Sichuan province overnight to mid-afternoon (this is a long train ride!), walk around and see simple sights, eat Hot-Pot,

then go to sleep. The next morning is where the fun was to begin. We were to wake up early in the morning and go see the Giant Panda's at a reserve,

then travel to a mountain nearby and see the biggest Buddha in the world.

We were then to take a train back home at that point.

That was MOSTLY how it happened. We added going to the Sichuan Opera (AWESOME)

and a funky Chinese-style variety show (LAME).

So, here it is.

We finished our classes at 7:30 pm and caught our train at around 8:30 pm (Yeah, we were cutting it close..). Once on the bus we were greeted very warmly by a group of, what we found out later, academics who were on a 40 hour train ride! They greeted us warmly because it was the Mid-Autumn festival (pretty much everyone gives out and eats interesting little pastries called "MOON CAKES".), and they had been drinking a little handing out moon cakes. They gave us one and they had an egg yoke in them! They weren't bad, I must say. Anyway, it was a sleeper, so not much happened that needs to be on this blog. I slept fairly well on this train and woke up ready for the day. It was a nice morning, waking up with the Sichuan province outside my window for me to look at. There are many mountain villages and farmlands in this region. It was a nice ride.

We arrived in Chengdu (A city of about 9 million people) and were picked up by the hostel we were going to stay in that night. We went directly to the hostel and booked our next day's trips, and decided to go to the opera as well. We traveled by bus around the town for a little while then decided to go set our mouths on fire with the "Hot-Pot" experience. If you have ever had hot food before, this was hotter!! The picture below is of the pot.... notice all of the hot peppers!!

The food was very good, it is just that my lips went numb from the heat!

We then boarded a mini-van with two other people from the hostel, Kobe and Steve (hello guys!).

They ended up bring pretty cool guys from Israel that we ended up hanging around with for the night. We arrived at the tea house where we would watch the opera. It was a pretty groovy building that was semi-outside. It had walls and a ceiling, but they weren't attached to each other, giving the room an open vibe. There were people trying to sell us stuff at very high prices, so we didn't buy anything. I did get to take some groovy photos of the performers before the show, however.

The show was great, There were dancers, singers, martial arts and fire breathing, Hand puppets, comedy, and music.

It was a very good night. I have good video of it.

Steve, Kobe, Jim and I then went to a Russian/Chinese variety show. It was an experience, but certainly not a big deal. We were laughing at how dumb most of the acts were.

So, the next morning, we left early to see the Panda's. They are at a reserve near the city, and we went at feeding time (which was when they were most active, obviously). We were able to see about 20 Panda's in all, including newly born Panda's (we weren't allowed to take pictures of them) and red panda's. It was fun to see them in the habitat. I have a picture of one Panda that looks drunk...

Anyway, we left there and met some new friends that were in our panda tour, Bart and Elaine. They were going to Le Shan, the 230 foot "Biggest Buddha in the world" which is where we were off to next, so we went together. They were from Belgium, where Bart is a train engineer. Nice guy.

So, the Dafo (Great Buddha) was HUGE!

first, you walk up the side of a mountain, passing by many sculptures and monuments. Then you are standing at the head, and expected to walk STRAIGHT DOWN A CLIFF!!! It is crazy! It was pretty cool to see. At the feet were some very kind monks (by the way, monks don't really want their picture taken at these places. They are fairly adamant about it.) and an amazing view of the Dafo. Look it up on the internet, you'll see what I mean. Also, I have lot's of pictures and video that you'll want to check out. The you have to walk BACK UP another set of stairs... ALOT OF STAIR WALKING!! Anyway, it was well worth it.

That was pretty much it.

We then went to the airport, where we flew back home to get to our classes the next morning on time!