adventures in china

Almost home now, just another week and I’ll be back in the land of cheese and beer. Here is a brief synopsis of the last two weeks of travel, mouse over photos for a description –

Following our stay in Guilin, Isabella and I took the two hour bus ride south to Yangshuo. The landscape brought me to my knees in awe, though the tourist prices and never-ending souvenir stands made the ancient rock formations feel sort of manufactured. Our second day there, we rented bikes and spent the afternoon away from the city in order to climb moon hill and see a 1400 year old banyan tree.

After a 26 hour-long train ride we arrived in Chengdu, the 5th largest city in China and capitol of Sichuan. This is where all the tourists go before they head into Tibet. It’s a wonderful city. People are friendly, food is spicy, buses can take you just about anywhere for less than a quarter. And there is Sim’s Guesthouse.

Sim’s is Mecca for backpackers in China. You must make a pilgrimage to it at least once on your trip. And it seemed to us like most do. Isabella and I had planned on staying one or two nights at this hostel/adventure resource center, but ended up staying a total of five, enjoying a home base to return to following day trips from the city.

Heading west another 8 hours from Chengdu, we arrived in Moxi, a small dusty town near Gongga Shan mountain. At slightly over 22,000 feet, it’s the tallest in Sichuan province. We hoped to marvel at its summit from Hailuogou Glacier, about 12,000 feet below. But there were clouds. Everywhere. After several hours of buses, cable cars, and hiking, we arrived at the glacier, an endless gray mass of ice. We loitered on it for the entire afternoon in hopes of a view of what was once thought to be the world’s tallest mountain, but we were trapped in a cloud. All the Chinese tourists had left in disappointment hours earlier. We were cold, and feeling a bit weak, perhaps from the altitude, so we began walking back.

Then the clouds began to shift. A hole directly above us appeared minutes before boarding the cable car. And the snowy summit of Gongga Shan appeared in the sky, bordered in gray. But only for a minute!

The last stop was Leshan, a city about the size of Madison and home to the world’s largest Buddha. It was carved from the side of a cliff over 1300 years ago, taking 90 years to complete. Since then, the surrounding area has been shaped into more sculptures of the Buddha, though most seemed to just be fairly recent replicas.

It’s easy to think of Hong Kong as just a giant city, but in fact nearly 70% of the land is undeveloped.

Saturday, Isabella took me to the highest point on Hong Kong Island, The Peak. It’s a huge tourist attraction, but still a nice walk along a concrete path around the top of a mountain. Dotting the steep forested slopes are giant mansions and exorbitant apartment complexes for the wealthy who work below in the city.

Sunday, Uncle Joe took us to Shing Mun Country Park. Little Isabella went there with him 18 years ago and had her lunch stolen by the monkeys. When Uncle Joe went to rescue her, his backpack was taken. Many monkeys were seen on our 4 hour hike around the reservoir. We guarded our belongings.

Today we’re off to travel China. Places to visit/spend time in may include Shenzhen, Guilin, Yangshou, Guipin, Longsheng, Chengdu, and Leshan.

This city is something else. It has the cleanest, most efficient public transportation system I’ve ever experienced. The food is incredible. Other than Dai barbecue, you can find just about any kind of food you would want to eat (and it’s all good). Nobody stares at me anymore, kids don’t point at my beard.

Maybe I’m mostly enthused about being in Hong Kong because it’s not Xishuangbanna. That’s not to say I won’t miss southern Yunnan. I’ll miss the fried rice lady who never smiles, water buffalo walking down the street, spicy food for every snack and meal, and the people I worked with.

But right now, I’m glad to be out of there. And to see Isabella!

Hong Kong the last couple days: