Travel, Tulous and Trains; Things I'm Into, in China

Trains
I'm really into trains. Right now, I'm into a lot of things, per usual. 

But trains... Trains are awesome. Trains go so many places, you can show up right before departure and you don't need to check any bags. In China, they're organized, clean and reasonably priced. Trains are pretty cool.

My Province
Me and a couple of my colleagues traveled, by train, to another famous spot in Fujian province- our province. We wanted to check out the houses of the Hakka people, called tulous. And we wanted to stay in one! We'd heard that you couldn't stay in them anymore, so we were pleasantly surprised that, actually, you can. These traditional houses are typically round with an open inner courtyard and most of them are really old. The open, inner courtyards reminded me of European flats, but the round shape is unique and the limited number of windows facing out, gives them a mysterious look. And the red lantern decorations and old-style tiled roofs are really pretty.







The above photos are of a rectangular tulou, that has been modernized and turned into a hostel. The hostel we stayed at!

Interestingly, because of their strange appearance, they were mistaken for missile silos during the Cold War!



Tulous are a popular thing for Chinese tourists, and not a few foreigners, to visit, but there isn't a lot of detailed information about how to get there and get around the area they are located in, online. At least not in English anyway. Thankfully, my amazing teachers assistant/ aka The Reason I'm Sane and Actually Happy teaching 25, 6 year old, ELL students, helped us set things up.







China knows how to turn everything into a money making and worthy tourist site. They lit up the tulous at night! Beautiful.



'They' also sneakily snapped everyone's photo, in the daytime, and sold nice key chains for less than $1.50. With how many tourist funnel through there, it might be a profitable venture. I definitely considered buying one. The amazing part was how fast they printed, cut, put together and hung up the finished product. I was almost shocked into buying one.




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The area has an obsession with bamboo. It. Was. Everywhere. They made dishware out of it as well as many delicacies. I bought a bamboo cup for my travel souvenir. For starters, you could get bamboo dried, smoked bamboo and pickled bamboo at restaurants. We were served it pickled for breakfast and ordered bamboo shoots for dinner.



Bamboo drying in the sun.



Bamboo shoots are on the right and taro buns on the left. I liked the bamboo a lot. A taro is a tuber and they are purple. The buns were too chewy for us to enjoy. There is yummy ginger tea in the bowl.




Buying some tea.




So these are bridge alternatives. They were everywhere in this area, though I have not seen them anywhere else in China. People can cross them and the water can flow freely through, too. They are not as precarious to cross as they look.



To top off the tulous' unique attractiveness, they have tea and rice terraces, and mountains as their backdrop.



It was another great 3 day weekend getaway in China!

Other Things I'm into Right Now

Besides trains (and travel obviously), I'm also currently into biographies, tea, lotus root and running.

I've read all the biographies of missionaries who came to China, in the Christian Heroes Then and Now series done by YWAM, this year. After reading Bound for Burma (while in Burma!/Myanmar), in February, it seemed like the next logical step. There are 7. 
In fact, I've read 23 books, so far this year.

Tea. On this trip, I picked up some Fujian red tea and I can't get enough of it. I try to get ginger tea whenever I'm dining out, as well. It might be time for me to attempt making it myself. The spicier the better.

Lotus root. It's interesting looking and starchy, but less so than a potato. In fact it's kind of crunchy. And it's delicious.

Running. I'm not back to where I was a year ago, but I'm doing better than I was a month ago. I guess this is currently an 'I'm trying to get back into' thing more than an, 'I'm into' thing. I am happy I bought a treadmill, because I don't believe it's healthy to run outdoors with the pollution.

I feel like a trader ending my I-Love-China-Weekends post with the word pollution, so I'll end by linking a couple new additions to my 'To Visit in China' list: Xian, Harbin, Sanya.

The world is full of wonder full places.

Spring Break in China

Wuyishan and Beijing

Spring Break is one of the only breaks on our school calendar that is not a Chinese holiday. This means it is the ideal time for traveling in China because most places won't be so crowded since Chinese people are still working. There's generally nice weather during this time, too. I had a week off and I took the opportunity to visit one location in the province I currently live, and to check out Beijing, for the first time.  

First Stop, Wuyishan. 
Shan means mountain, so my first stop was Wuyi mountain.  

Translations:

In China, bed means a table with a sheet.

In China, hiking means stairs.

A typical bed in China is very hard. For my apartment I've bought a mattress pad that helps a little. Many hotels have softer beds, however I stayed in a no-frill hostel on this trip, so my bed was the typical table with a sheet. 

After 3 hours on the bullet train, I was picked up by the owner of the hostel I booked. The hostel had amazing reviews, on the website I use to make all of my accommodation reservations, and they are mainly due to the owner. His English is limited, but we could communicate pretty well with our basic language skills and online translators. He immediately jumped into telling me about the tour he has set up for the next day.  "It has beautiful fogger" he repeated over and over.  I just went with it, even though it meant leaving at 6 am the next morning. And I'm glad I did.

Bright and early, he walked me and a Malaysian couple, an hour through tea fields, to the base of the back entrance to the most popular hike/view. Then he set us off on our own, to walk up thousands of stairs. The front entrance would have required an entrance fee and didn't open until 8, which would have meant we would  have missed the "beautiful fogger" (and had to join in the slow ascent with the mass crowds). 

In China, granted there are a lot of mountains, but everything is staired.  I have yet to find a hiking path that is not paved or chiseled into stairs. I find this really strange but I'm getting used to it. It helps when you have breathtaking natural views like these at the top of the man-made stair paths.

It was a very unique place to stay. I booked a private room with a private bath in the basic accommodations, per my typical, but I needed to go out and find a towel to purchase. I can still see why the reviewers rave though because the owner took me, and the other guests on several free tours. He also called a friend and got me discounted tickets to a popular performance. The spectacular show included a revolving stage and served the audience their famous oolong tea. My host also chauffeured me. I didn't take advantage of the free bike rentals this time, but I plan to when I return. For all of the taxing me around and my 3-night room fees, I paid the equivalent of 50 American dollars.  

I also took a bamboo raft trip with the Malaysian couple and a British couple, who were also staying at the hostel. 

I can't believe so much beauty is just a 30 dollar, 3 hour, train ride away from where I live.

Beijing. 
Bei means north and jing means capital. After a day and a half reprieve in my own apartment, I flew direct to China's capital, Beijing. I flew 3 hours north.

In Beijing, I wanted to see the Great Wall and watch a Chinese acrobat show, but I wasn't sure what to expect from polluted, mega-city.  I was pleasantly surprised. I stayed in a quiet, quaint hutong (traditional neighborhood) at an amazing hotel and I had a once in a lifetime Great Wall experience (literally no one was there the majority of the time I was there). I briefly checked out Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, as well. There are other sections of the Wall I'd like to explore, and more things to see on a return visit, but it was a delightful trip. 

Every time I go somewhere I want to plan a return trip, and I'm constantly adding more places I want to visit to my 'China List', so it is ever growing. This really is an amazing place to live.

6 Weeks Ago, in Guilin

Getting Lazier.
Man, I am getting lazier. My normal lazy is to pen my last adventure, the day night before the next travel experience commences. But this time, I didn't even have that in me. (I have since conquered another Chinese mountain!) Until now.

So, 6 weeks ago in Guilin...

Where is That?
Guilin is a popular tourist destination because of its beautiful karst topography. That's why I made it a priority to get there. It's located in Guangxi autonomous region(technically it's not a province), on the west bank of the Li River. 

BTW, the pandas are in Sichuan province and the Avatar mountains are in Hunan province. Shanghai and Hong Kong, which I have also visited, are not considered provinces but have special, separate titles. Shanghai is a municipality and Hong Kong is a special administrative region. But I digress, and have confused, even myself. 

Guangxi (the area Guilin is located in) is southwest of Fujian province, where I live. It took 2 hours on a plane to get there. 

Terraced Rice Fields.
I arrived at the hostel, as I planned, with just enough time to catch the last tour bus to the rice terrace. Ever since seeing pictures of terraced rice fields, I've anticipated seeing them, in person. But when I arrived, I was informed there were not anymore seats on the last bus. It was a mistake of the hostel, but a reality, nonetheless. I began to despair because I was in a bit of a time crunch, but I persisted and regrouped. I proceeded to grab a taxi to the public bus station to set off on the 2-hour journey. I had become somewhat of a pro at this during my past trips. 

After I sat on the bus for a few minutes the bus driver asked me, a little exasperated, where the person I was traveling with, was. I told the driver, I was alone and he cracked up. I was confused and a bit embarrassed that he was laughing at me, and then he explained (in slow, simple Chinese) that I had bought 2 tickets. And then I, the pro, was really embarrassed. And a little annoyed because there was no time for me to get my, equivalent to 7 US bucks, back.  

I thought I was being wise wearing my bulky, athletic shoes. It felt like a sacrifice because I didn't like how they looked. And aren't most sacrifices the better choice. In this case, my comfortable, breathable shoes were a very bad choice. It was quite cold and I get cold quite easily, especially my fingers and toes. Public buses are, evidently, not heated in this 'autonomous region'. So the comfortable shoes actually made my feet very uncomfortable. 

When I arrived, everything was easy. Lots of people come to photograph the fields so they have a ticket counter and viewing platforms and maps. Walking up all the stairs warmed me up a little, too. There was hardly any people there, which is a happy rarity in China. 

 

Mudslide.

After a few hours of hiking and admiring the sprawling fields, I hopped on the public bus back to Guilin. Even with buying the extra ticket, I saved money by taking the public bus. The tour bus was probably heated through. We didn't get far when we had to stop. There had been a mudslide and it blocked the only exit out of the rice terrace. Cars and buses alike had to be abandoned on the single lane road. We all got out and creeped up as close as we dared and stared up at the mountain. It was momentarily still, but could 'slide' onto us at any moment. After some phone calls, the driver communicated that another bus would pick us up on the other side. We then proceeded to cautiously walk up to the dangerous area and then run directly under where the disaster had occurred. It was so ridiculous and unsafe that I couldn't help but burst out laughing a couple times.  

I bought this handmade wall hanging from a lady at the terrace. 6 weeks later, it is laying there (I just took the photo) though, because I don't know how to hang a wall hanging. Maybe if I was living in Nebraska, I could figure that one out.

Obligatory Li River Cruise.
Everyone who travels to Guilin, takes the Guilin to Yangshuo cruise. It's overpriced and crowded, but the view is beautiful. If I went during warmer weather I would have stood on top the whole time. I met and talked with some other English speaking foreigners. Even though I have been traveling alone a lot, I always find nice people to have small encounters and chat with. 

Unfortunately, it was too cold and windy to stay up top on the large boat for more than 20 minutes at a time. So I had to go back to my, warm (apparently, they do heat tour boats) seat, on the inside of a long booth, next to a windowless wall. Every time I did this, I had to have 4 people get out to let me in. I was sitting with 9 non-English speaking, Chinese tourists. Awkward. They served us a... meal. I was not impressed. But I liked the wrapper enough to take a photo.

Typically people take a photo while holding up the 20 yuan (Chinese mula) bill, on this cruise. 



I wanted to do that, too. The part that looks the most like the picture on the bill, was when we were seated to eat. They announced, even in English, that if you want to take a picture with the bill to go up now. But I would have had to ask 4 people who were eating to get up so I could go out, so I decided to skip it. 

This photo I took after the cruise, is more similar. 

The cruise was also the way to get to my next hostel location.

Yangshuo.
Yangshuo is breathtaking with those mountains!

For the Birds.
The next bit is taken almost entirely from my Facebook post on the matter.

After getting settled in the hostel, I wandered around the smaller, picturesque town.

I was strolling on the bank of the river when this dejected, but also kind, looking guy hopefully looks at me. He was a curious sight. He sat on a chair, next to a stick with birds perched on the ends and a sign that said 3 Yuan.

Hmm... "3 Yuan?", I ask a Chinese man standing nearby, wondering what trick this guy and these birds could do. 

He looks at the same sign, and nods his agreement, "3 Yuan.". 

I reach for my wallet and pay the guy the money. (3 Yuan is equal to 43 American cents). Now the 15 or so people nearby take a step or two closer. Maybe they knew what I'd paid for, but I had no idea. I take a few steps back to see what cool trick I had just paid for. I was then beckoned closer. I had paid to get my picture taken with some birds. Anti-climatic, but okay. I asked the nodding guy to take my picture, he accepted and then wanted a picture, too- with him and me in it.

And then... this whole thing then explodes into utter chaos. The group size somehow doubled and everyone wanted just one more picture with the foreigner.
"Foreigner one more",
"one more",
"Thank you, foreigner, thank you."

This was definitely a highlight of my trip. There was lots of smiles and laughter.

Here is the kind guy whose eyes and birds got my attention.

The guy who confirmed my price question and started the photo frenzy.

Unfortunately, in the excitement I forgot to turn so the karst landscape, that frames the Li river, could also frame my photo.

And I don't think anyone else paid the bird guy for their photo!

Important Local Tradition

I didn't even know it at the time, but those cormorant birds are part of an important local tradition. 

"Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method in which fishermen use trained cormorants to fish in rivers. To control the birds, the fishermen tie a snare near the base of the bird's throat. This prevents the birds from swallowing larger fish, which are held in their throat, but the birds can swallow smaller fish. When a cormorant has caught a fish in its throat, the fisherman brings the bird back to the boat and has the bird spit the fish up. Though cormorant fishing once was a successful industry, its primary use today is to serve the tourism industry." - From Wikipedia

Countryside Biking?
A popular thing to do in Yangshuo is bike in the countryside. I never left a paved road and I had to maneuver through a lot of traffic at first, but I guess you could call that countryside. It was stunning.

Impressive "Impressions" Show
I didn't see the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, but I guess it was impressive, because the same producer, produced this show. The outdoor show, showcases local culture using dance, songs and drama. The actors are mainly locals and the show was completely done on the Li river, in front of the karst mountains. 



Guilin lived up to and exceeded my expectation. 

There are so many beautiful places in this world. I hope they never stop surprising me.