Chengdu Week 8 - JiuZhaiGo Day 3

Oct. 25, 2014
黄龙 Day 3
    Wake up call was 5:50 which literally gave us enough time to take a quick warm up shower and then it was on the bus by 6:30 am. We decided to leave really early so that we could keep on time. So we got to see the sunrise in Jiuzhaigo, which was gorgeous, but the bus didn’t allow for any good pictures. The bus was quiet most people were just sleeping. We started really climbing in altitude. We made a mid morning stop at a little Tibetan village that had been opened up for tourism. I really enjoy the colors of the Tibetan culture, everything is rainbow and gold. I wandered around with Jesse for a little bit before having to get back on the bus. Then we drove around for a little bit and stopped at this weird shop that apparently was affiliated with our tour guide’s company, so she would get commissions if we bought anything. No one bought anything but I did get my Tibetan scarf in a little shop set up by the buses so I was pleased. Lunch was about the same as it has been and it sat in my stomach like a rock, but oh well.

    After lunch we were finally on the last stretch to Huanglong (Yellow Dragon). We had to climb into mountain ranges, and at one point we passed a sign that read 5500 meters (roughly 16,500 feet above sea level). So we were really up in the mountains, and the view from the bus was spectacular. We could see permanently snow frosted mountains and long sweeping ranges, it was truly breath taking. The park we would be going to sat comfortably at 13,500 feet. Even I could feel the difference in the air, it was thin but not unbearably so. If was interesting as we were heading into the park, there were many Chinese people who were hunched over because of the altitude. Until now I had never seen anyone been well and truly affected by altitude. It was bad enough that they were selling little oxygen tanks for people to use when in the park. First thing was we had to wait in a line to take a gondola to the top. We simply didn’t have enough to hike up and down the mountain. This was the fastest gondola I had ever been on, which made me a little uneasy, however, we made it to the top with no problem.
    Once at the top we could see out into the valley. It was amazing the different climates visible from top to bottom. This park had a lot more people, which meant we were essentially people dodging the whole time. It was around 2 pm we began our descent. Everything was beautiful and again I will really need pictures to explain the situation. The most frustrating part was the amount of people, it literally became a game for us to dodge people. The light was different so there were more shadows on our descent, but in the end we had an excellent time. My travel companions were Jesse, Crystal, Ashley, and for a while Kong, which turned out to be a really good travel group. We grabbed a bite to eat then were escorted back to the bus. The ride back was beautiful, as the sunset around us.

This was the only picture taken on the journey back... I was asleep otherwise

    Arrival at the hotel was cold and dinner was cold, I really can’t wait to get back to my epic Chengdu food. I miss the really cheap and spicy food. After dinner we explored the shops and I picked up a few souvenirs. Everything is really cheap even by Chinese standards, I think this area sees enough tourist traffic to make a decent living. I really like this area and I will miss the clean fresh air. I went back to the hotel with Cassidy and to my excitement there was a proper bathtub. So bath time for Jenn!! It was lovely just floating in the water, though it wasn’t as hot as I wanted, but a bath is a bath. Tomorrow we are heading back and it will be a very long bus ride home. I am so happy I did my homework before we left.  Time to go to bed!

Chengdu Week 8 - JiuZhaiGo Day 2

Oct. 24, 2014
九寨沟 Day 2
    So last night it was so cold in our room both Cassidy and I went down to Brennan and Jose’s room to sleep. With four bodies in the room the night was actually tolerable. We all awoke randomly at 2 am and had a sleep delirious conversation. Then 6 am roles around and it was time to get up. Breakfast was as disappointing as dinner, but not matter, we all had brought enough snacks a foods to survive. Then it was off to the national park. There is a saying in Chinese 人山人海, literally people mountain, people sea. Used for when there are a lot of people, too many for anyone to be comfortable. And at the front gate of the Park, there were so many people, there was even a shoving match to get on the buses. I ended up in an interesting group of Jack, Seth, Sean, Crystal, and Dee. We rode the bus up to the top part of the left side.
    Jiuzhaigo is gorgeous, lakes to clear that they are mirrors. The mountains tower all around us, Tibetan prayer flags in the wind, and the autumn coloring the mountainsides. It was was utterly breath taking. My group ended up being really good company, so the conversation was easy as we hiked and bused our way around the Park. I will simply need to show you in pictures, words can not begin to describe the beauty that was Jiuzhaigo. We did all the left side of the park from 8:45 to 12:15ish, most of it was busing and not walking. I forget how bad altitude can affect people. I was doing just fine, in fact my nose cleared up and felt way more energetic than I have in a long while. But some people, Dee in particular, had a lot of trouble. Dee’s asthma was acting up, she ended up needing to go back to the hotel early. She didn’t come with us for the right side of the park.

    I was pleased that I ended up in a fairly fit group, we were able to hike down most of the right side of the valley. We didn’t do the 10 km from the forest to the first major lake but I think that is ok.  The waterfalls and lakes were exquisite. We kept meeting people who wanted to take our pictures or talk with us. Generally people were very friendly to us, though we did had a few confused stares. In total we spent nine hours exploring the park, which simply wasn’t enough time. I wish I could have a few days to explore and just hike the trails. But we needed to head back so that we could get the bus to our hotel. Overall, it seemed that people had a good experience. I realize that we were fairly lucky, our little band of hikers managed to be exactly where the crowds weren’t. Cassidy and Brennan had a very different story to tell about getting on the buses and trying to get pictures. Dinner was a dull affair the food as terrible as the night before. Oh well, we are switching hotels tomorrow (6:30 am leaving time!!), so hopefully the next place we stay at will be better (Or at least closer to decent restaurants.)
    After dinner I went on a small adventure to find batteries for my camera. The batteries almost died on me in the park so I wanted to stock up. The first three stores I tried, no one had batteries. And also no one spoke Mandarin, that was fun. This is a Tibetan area, so only recently has Mandarin been taught in schools. I did eventually find my batteries, and now I have enough to change them twice. It cost me 28 RMB (4.66 USD), but it is a price I am willing to pay for awesome pictures. So I am back in my hotel, hopefully I won’t freeze like a I did last night. We shall see, tomorrow we leave for Yellow Dragon (黄龙) scenic area.

Chengdu Week 8 - JiuZhaiGo Day 1

Oct. 23, 2014
九寨沟 Day 1
    We all made it down to the lobby by 7:45 and easily partitioned ourselves in the bus. My seat mate would be Raphi for this journey. We left, surprisingly, on time, which is always a good sign in China. Driving out of Chengdu, I was glad to be leaving, the pollution was particularly bad for that day, it was hanging low in the surrounding farm land. The beginning part of the trip was passed mostly by listening to the audiobooks I had on my ipod. Decidedly the best way to travel ever. Then after I got bored with that it was general socialization for the rest of the journey. Jesse and Seth sat in front of me, Brennan and Cassidy were right there. Our only wild cards were Austin and Conrad, two people I do not know very well. They were alright but conversation with them was fairly stilted. The area outside of Chengdu is lakes, stark colorful mountains and tunnels. The ride was gorgeous. We stopped in the middle of no where on a mountain side for food. This was the first time in China, there was a meal I left hungry. The food was poor quality, even the rice was a disappointment. We were however, warned that this might occur, so I had my own bag of snacks prepared. So lunch was really some bread and fruit.
    After leaving the mountain we drove for another few hours, and then arrived in a little touristy town that had a wall built during the Ming dynasty. This area we were now in is completely Tibetan, so even finding someone who spoke reasonable Mandarin was rather difficult. I got to hang out with Jesse and Alex for little bit, exploring the area. People pointed at me and my hair. One little girl let out  surprised gasp when she turned around and saw me. Eventually we made it back onto the bus. The countryside is absolutely gorgeous, I can’t get over how beautiful it is. I spent a good portion of the ride just hanging out the side of the bus (not recommended for the faint of heart) taking pictures and just looking. The air is clean and the hills are painted with autumn.
    Now what is is interesting about this area by the freeway is most of it is new. In 2008 Sichuan province experienced a massive earthquake that devastated most of the countryside. The areas where tourists go and by the freeway were rapidly rebuilt. But I wonder what would happen if we were to wander deeper in the countryside away from the proper tourist spots. I bet it would be a different story. Many of the villages destroyed were never rebuilt displacing thousands if not a million people, instead many of them were shipped into Chengdu or other major cities as apart of the urbanization process. In this area many local officials took the government money and never helped the people. I don’t know everything that happened, but if you are interested please look into it, it is a very interesting topic.
    We passed over several mountain passes all the way up to see yak herding, hand farming (yak and yoke), and permanent snow. We were truly in the Tibetan plateau. Not to many pictures simply because we were riding the bus. We finally arrived in Jiuzhaigo, after 9 hairpin turns. The city was fairly touristy, but that is to be expected. We were taken throughout the town and to a small hotel area far outside the town. We arrived around 6:30pm. Dinner was as unspectacular as lunch, but oh well, I was honestly too tired to care. Wake up call is 6 am so I am going to go bed early and get some sleep. The air here is crisp, thin, and cold, reminds me of home.

Our large and very cold hotel room!!

Chengdu Week 8 - Beginning of the Week (Pictures to come later!!)

Oct. 21, 2014

    Class was alright, it was a little hard to concentrate. Everyone is really restless to go to Jiuzhaigo. But we all managed to survive the class, though Yin Laoshi had to bang on the table to get the class to quiet down. I will be getting the homework done before I go on our trip that way it won’t be a problem. After class I met up with my friend Angela. She had come to braid my hair. My hair is at a weird length, so I decided it was best to braid it back and not worry about it to much. It took her about 3 hours but she got it done. My hair is very fine and the extensions she used weren’t super good, so it probably won’t last very long but I don’t mind. If I end up not liking it then it is no big deal. Everyone who has seen thought it looked really good, so I am really pleased. When I stepped outside it only took five steps before a Chinese person snapped a picture of it with their phone. Both Jesse and Corey laughed fairly hard at that.
    Dinner was a quick trip to the school cafeteria, then I was off to work. I have to leave early then normal due to rush hour. It always takes a really long time and it always is very crowded. Everyone at the center liked my hair but Lily was worried about my earrings. She wanted me to take them all out, and I had to explain to her that it wasn’t a practical thing to do. She was worried the parents would be bother by it. The other Americans in the office, however, defended me saying that my per icings are fairly normal in America. I still think she had to go talk to the parents and explain the cultural differences. I realize sort of by accident I have opened myself up to more scrutiny by Chinese, let’s see how I deal with it. Class went well, the kids were a little bit destructively hyper, which was frustrating. But they are 4 boys who are essentially in school all day and then go to more school after they finish elementary school. I really don’t know how they keep it together as well as they do.
    Work went well, I am rather pleased that I have job it will make my life easier. Wilma (my boss) is giving me hours. I will be doing some one on one tutoring on Fridays, I think it will be a good thing. The bus ride was quiet, which is always a plus. Cassidy and Brennan finally saw my hair, they both said they liked it which is encouraging for me. Tomorrow I will have a free and will probably spend it getting snacks and preparing to going on the trip. I will attempt to upload the blog tomorrow evening and then it will be radio silence for at least four days. Easy day tomorrow!

Oct. 22, 2014

    Today was meant to be a relaxing day but it quickly got out of hand. For some reason I woke up tired so after doing a few necessary errands (ie breakfast) and then I went back to sleep. Around noon Jose knocked on my door to get for lunch. We went out with Andrew and bunch of USAC students to lunch. Then things got a little hectic, apparently everyone decided that they wanted to go to Dufu’s Thatched Cottage. The route they decided to take involved buses, the metro, and another bus. When in reality the Thatched Cottaged was about 8 stops away from our University, yay for convoluted routes. But the area we were at was quite nice. It was the afternoon on a working day so there also wasn’t that many people. It allowed for some great photos. The area around the historical site, was beautiful and quiet. I hope to go back when I am more up for the journey. We also managed to lose Kong somewhere in the park, but we saw him in a taxi while we were going back on the bus.
    Arriving back at the University we had to make a quick trip to the convince stores to get snacks for our eight hour journey tomorrow. Then it was back to my room to get my homework done so I don’t have to worry about it when we get back on Sunday. Corey appeared to ask me to come watch some TV shows. Then I went into my room and packed. I am very excited for Jiuzhaigo. I will be back mostly likely Sunday evening late, I will do my best to get pictures uploaded after that. See you in a couple of days!

Chengdu Week 8 - Sunday Special

People's Park Memorial

Oct. 19, 2014

    Well today started off slow. I essential did my homework and practiced my Chinese with a friend on WeChat, which is a really easy to use texting service. I also ran a few errands for people who were not super interested in leaving the dorm. Then after lunch I headed out with Meiling to go see People’s Park (人民公園). Since it was Sunday, there were people everywhere. People dancing, Children running around a small amusement park, vendors selling things. There was a small lake that you could rent a paddle boat out and go travel around the park. There were also many tea houses including one that was famous for secret meetings during the Japanese occupation. I began to figure out that this park was in fact a memorial to the soldiers who died fighting with the Japanese. At least fem what I gleaned for the large memorial and the information around the park. This particular memory of the Japanese invasion is very complex, so it was very interesting to see how it was so carefully integrated into a normal place such as a park.
    After the park Meiling and I walked to the Wide and Narrow Street which I had been to before but not explored all the way through. It was nice to have a companion this time around, and one that could tell me when things were probably too expensive to be reasonable. Walking around, I had many people take pictures with me or of me. Meiling didn’t say anything about it though so I guess I just noticed more. We went and found some odd street food including pig nose… Yeah, even Meiling thought that was strange. After we had finished wandering around Meiling and I headed back to the University to get some dinner at the very cheap cafeteria. Then I went back up to the dorms.
    I went on a mini adventure with Jesse to our favorite bubble tea stand (Boba tea in the States). They have begun to recognize me so now I have a punch card. The two workers that are always there are very nice and patient with me when it comes to my Chinese. Today I tried out the Puding tea which Rahpi introduced me to, it was better here then the one we got at the Mall and half the price. After that we wandered back to the dorms, and I waited for Chiyi to come. She checked out my homework, and found it was good. I was rather pleased about that, I feel like my Chinese writing and understanding are getting very good. I also enjoyed our speaking because we were able to switch between English and Chinese fairly fluidly. It’ll be a short week, but that doesn’t mean Yin Laoshi won’t kick our butts tomorrow in class. After this week I’ll have been in Chengdu for two months. It feels very short, and yet like I have been here forever; I find I really enjoy the feeling. Good night for now!

Chengdu Week 7 - End of Week update

My bug bite

Oct. 15, 2014

    Woke up with a bit of a head cold, and the air quality was not helping. Since it is my off day, I sat around, did homework and watched a few TV shows ( and when I say a few I mean spent most of the day doing this). I wanted to take it easy, so that was I would be good for tomorrow which is by far the hardest day, classes from 9 to 4:30. I did however manage to get myself  a new phone. This phone, however, is a rather epic Nokia-esque brick. I like it though, it’s kinda funny. Maybe when I come back to China I will get a cheap smart phone, but for now my brick works. Not too much to report otherwise, tomorrow should be more interesting.

Oct. 16, 2014

    Today was definitively more interesting. First we had class, and I had to give an oral presentation about how much I like sports. The presentation went ok, but I felt a little flustered because I didn’t really have a choice but to use words which I then had to write down and explain to people. So I was constantly interrupting my talk. I think I am going to do what I used to do in Japanese class, which is send the teacher a note ahead of time with all the words so she can make a hand out for people. After class we were going to head out to lunch with Andrew. I figured it would be a good time to show Wentao the bite and strange rash on my arm. It had been growing since last night in a very distinct line.
    So I show her the bite and explain what had been happening, and she went Chinese mom on me. Wentao really cares about all of us, so she said I needed to go see a doctor right away. Mostly likely I was just having strange reaction, but she wanted to be sure that it was nothing. So I went to lunch and then met up with our favorite intern, Chiyi. She walked me over to a different, larger hospital than the one I went to with Cassidy. It was actually very easy, the Doctor looked at the line and immediate prescribed a few topical ointments. In that situation you really have to trust the person who is translating, because if they don’t understand you then something very important can be missed. But I think Chiyi is getting very good with medical terms, now that she is our main USAC go to person for medical things. The medicine turns my skin yellow and makes it cool to the touch, all I know is it is some Chinese medicine.
    So after that I spent a lot of time just reading. It actually ended up taking quite a while for the hospital so I didn’t make it to history class. I’m not all that worried though, not much of it is new information. I spent some time with Cassidy and we did our calligraphy homework together. I really like the class, it’s very fun, but I am just not very skilled at the act of Calligraphy. I practice and just enjoy it though. Dinner was an adventure with Dee, Corey and Jesse. I took them to one of the skewer places, where you can get very heart meals for about 10-15 RMB. I always do an all vegetable meal, which is always excellent. It’s fun getting to know other people well, I have spent a lot of time with Corey and Jesse needing out about games, movies, and TV shows.
    Chiyi showed up in my room later to check on me. We were a little concerned as the rash had grown so I applied some more medicine and then the line finally started to noticeably recede. I think the medicine wiped off on my hoodie sleeve, so it was like I didn’t put anything on. I will continue to check it and apply the medicine as instructed. Tomorrow will hopefully be an easy day as I am still getting over my cold; an easy weekend also would hop the process. I want to be back at full health for our trip next weekend.  (Future update: All is well the bite has gone away!!)

Oct. 17, 2014

    Late last night calligraphy class was canceled, so I literally had nothing planned for the day. So the first thing in order was a nice lie in that involved not getting dressed until I felt like it. It’s actually been quite a while since I’ve been able to do that, between school and random planned outings. So after that I kinda kicked it around the dorms, and had lunch with Corey and Cassidy. After that Cassidy and I hit the track. We chatted and walked for a good hour. It’s good for both of us, to catch up with one anther and also get so exercise. The track is generally empty after lunch, more people prefer naps or class to a nice little stroll. The it was back to the dorms to watch the cooking class. I think I will take the class next semester though I am going to have fun explain dietary restrictions. People here seem to have very few and I have so many.
    For dinner I went out with JD, something we both have been planning for a while but life and things kept getting in the way. JD doesn’t speak much Chinese and it was a really interesting thing to be the one with the most Chinese. I was able to order our food, and communicate a confusion. The waiter thought I wanted take out but I wanted to sit. It’s just funny because a year ago I was the one who would have needed help and now I have enough Chinese to spontaneously navigate situations. I am really pleased about the whole.  Dinner of choice was dan dan mien, a local special and one of my favorite dishes. JD seemed to really like it and we got ice cream afterwards. It was a good time and we hope to not have some much time between meeting up. I am going to try and invite her on some outings that I have.
    The rest of the night was dedicated to study and Game of Thrones. We got to a particular episode, and Dee freaked out. It was fun to watch because the entire storyline changes after that point. Good fun shenanigans, and Corey recorded it all. Overall a good day, tomorrow I will have work in the after and most likely homework in the morning. Next weekend will be a little bit different. We are heading to 九寨共 (Jiuzhaigo), a place famous for it’s beauty (I recommend googling it). So I will be out of commission on the blog the later half of the week, but there should be some beautiful pictures after that. Then in November we are going to Xi’an, where the terracotta warriors are. Eventful couple of weeks I am looking forward to it. On another note the semester for us is about half over, which is middy crazy in my mind. Where did the time go?

Oct. 18, 2014

    Morning and early afternoon were quiet. Mostly just doing homework and hanging out. I caught up on some reading that I’ve had by my bed side for a while. It was nice. My day really began at 3 pm when I left for work. This would be my second class. I talked with my TA Lilly and we got the lessons ready. I am very happy to be teaching. Generally speaking it’s a fairly easy job and the little ones are quite cute. I am very lucky because getting them to engage isn’t too hard, they seem to like me. Lilly was taking pictures with her phone so I hope she will send me some and I will show you all. The Children tackled me while we were plain games which tells me they are very comfortable. I am still not used to the schedule though so everything seems to go very fast. After classes were done I went out with my coworkers to dinner, low and behold I ended up at Peter’s Tex-Mex. I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and just chatted for three hours. It’s again nice to get to know people outside of the program. And to get to know people who have been here longer and kinda know the ropes. I think my working and YMCC will be really good. I got the last bus back to the dorms and headed up. People were around to chat with rounding out the night. A quiet but lovely day, all in all.

Games!!

A story!