I'm just coming down from an earlier massage-induced intoxication. Wow - I went for 60-minute foot massage and it turned into a 90-minute full body massage. I could barely walk straight afterward, I was so relaxed! I just wanted to adopt my young masseuse, bring him back and set him up in my computer room... my own private massage studio. What a sweet thought!

 

Aside from that, my time in Beijing is coming to an end. I moved to nicer quarters today and took a blissful shower. I chose the Temple of Lamas over the Forbidden City this morning, but may end up having a peek at the former tomorrow. We'll see if I feel like running myself ragged before my flight.

 

Now I want to stay and shop and be massaged for a few more days or months! Quite the reversal since yesterday, huh?

A friend I used to know was fond of saying "Material possessions are the key to happiness". At the time, I disputed that statement passionately. The stark materialism of the statement didn't sit well with me. But in Beijing, I found grains of truth in this. A few hours of shopping acted like calamine lotion on my exacerbated mood.

 

On my way to check out better hotels, I was accosted twice by students of Beijing University inviting me to attend an Arts Exhibit. I accepted the second time. I had nothing better to do. My room is a smelly dungeon, not exactly cosy. So, I zigzagged with 3 students through neighbouring streets until we reached their exhibit. I ended up buying 2 silk paintings which had been painted by two of them.

 

The third set of students who later bumped into me basically told me that today was "Find some tourists and herd the suckers to the art exhibit" Day. Ah well, it was a pleasant interlude.

 

And just when I thought there were no pictures to take... I learned to never underestimate the entertaining powers of the Chinese English Sign. I will have more to add to my evergrowing collection.

 

As I continued shopping, I found out that I am still an extra large here. Sigh. Tried a beautiful blouse but my muscles refused to fit in the sleeves. But the shopping rage has taken hold of me. I think I will skip the Wall tomorrow (sacrilege!), probably visit the Forbidden City for a few hours and return to my primary activity. Then, I plan to treat myself to an hour-long, well-deserved foot massage. :-)

 

Oh, and I did find a very pleasant alternative to this dump and reserved a room for tomorrow. Lo and behold, this guest house is run by the All-China Women's Federation. It's pristine and quaint and costs less than $150 per night. The best part is that it's located in a hutong, a little sidestreet where locals have lived - and still do - for centuries.  

 

Well, that's my update. The adventure presses on.

 

Just when you think that you'll be able to coast for a while in a "world class" city, reality hits you like a grand piano dropping flat on your head. Beijing is just as hard to get around as anywhere else in this country.... then multiply that by 100 due to the sheer size and population of the beast.

 

This city is nowhere NEAR ready to welcome the world next year. After the ordeal I went through just to FIND my hotel (which is a hell hole, the worst yet...and I'm running out of Purrell!!), I'm not even tempted to visit this place. Sure, there are pretty baskets of flowers in the streets, but I don't think I'll be taking many pictures, it's just a big, big city.

 

I wanted to hole up and wait for my return flight, but my room is so revolting that I will be forced to venture out to find new digs in a moment. What a waste of a day.

 

While venting on MSN just now, 3 Tunisian guys - who incidentally go to UQAM - came in, also scouting for somewhere decent to stay. I guess I'm not the only one in this boat. They gave me a lead on decent accommodation, will have to go check it out in a minute. Wow, it felt good to commiserate with fellow travellers.

 

Ah well, I hope my next entry will be more upbeat....right now, I AM NOT LIKING THIS PLACE!!!!

This one has dumbfounded me for weeks.

 

If you're in a bus, a crowd or a queue, you will be shoved, trampled, pushed, hustled, etc.

 

When walking on the streets, you will pass everyone in sight. People here are the slowest walkers I've ever encountered.

 

So why pretend to be in such a rush when standing still?

No, don't get too excited, I still can't post to this page. BUT, my Brazilian friend, Natalia, has had more success than me. She posted some pictures of our weekend on her site, and does not mind if I direct traffic to it. For some recent shots of my last weekend in Shaolin, follow this link:

Well, it seems that I'm having a stretch of luck with MSN Spaces! Two nights in a row!

 

I just wanted to comment about my teaching experience in Kaifeng. I just finished another exhausting day - really the schedule makes my head spin. But with every day, I am more and more convinced that teaching is my thing. I enjoy it, I am never bored...and I'm sure that every day, I get better at it, especially at this condensed rate. In fact, i think I'm becoming a very good teacher. Two more students today told me that they thought I explained well ... these are the little things that make my days absolutely epic! :-)

 

Less than two weeks to go... I almost feel like yelling "stop the clock, I'm not ready!"... but I'm always like that when the end of my trips approaches.

Wow - it seems that I am finally able to post on my blog ... haven't been able to access it in the past week. I'll take advantage of this brief window of opportunity!

 

I just got back from spending a third weekend in Shaolin - the best weekend of my trip yet! I started with an excellent kungfu lesson with this little cutie of an instructor. I think he quickly figured out that positive feedback works wonders with me and kept telling me what a fast learner I was. I think I have one sequence of movements under control. He even finished off the lesson with a massage! Yes! :-) I'm looking forward to next weekend! ;-)

 

Then, I joined Natalia and Yaron (a very friendly, outgoing guy from Israel who was also taking kungfu this week) for a hike to Wuru Peak. We got back just in time for sundown - excellent timing and great company.

 

This morning, Natalia and I headed off early, wanting to bag Shaoshi Shan... but somehow took the wrong cable car. What a shame. The views were still spectacular (photos to come) and the trail was covered in a layer of snow in most sections. Pretty slippery. We eventually lost the trail and turned back as we both decided that it was getting too risky. I have to admit that we were both a bit disappointed at not seeing the cable bridge - that had been our objective for this hike as my time was a bit limited, having to take a few buses to get back to Kaifeng before curfew. This cable bridge is apparently 782 steps long, and would've been a thrill. But then, we realized that we were in the wrong section of the mountain altogether.

 

I'm still hanging on to the slim hope that Ed - Dutch guy I met on the Lhasa-Xian train - will come this way and join me on this hike. It's too treacherous to do it alone for 6 hours - and Natalia and I noticed that ours were the only footstep on the trail this morning.

 

Ah well, making the best of the situation, we decided to explore Dengfeng and do a bit of shopping this afternoon. I mostly looked since my pack was heavy enough, but did buy two VCD's which hopefully will keep me entertained on a few nights this week. Having said that, my personal time is really limited since starting to teach 8 hours a day...and having a computer in my room - although convenient - is keeping me from my mopping and nightly boredom! ;-)

 

I should sign off and do some work. Only two weeks left in the country... I am feeling that clock speeding up!

 

 

Wow - this might be a quick entry as my Internet connection has been dodgy all day... well, like everything else here, you just never know when it will stop working!

 

After more than 6 weeks in this country, my overwelming impression is of freezing all the time. Who would've thought that I would be so cold in China? I guess those "in the know" are reading this smirking, but seriously, I am SOOO thankful that I didn't leave my sleeping bag in Lhassa, trying to shed some weight from my oversized backpack... it's a thinsulate summer sleeping bag and it's still warmer than all the blankets i've piled on here.

 

I'm also realizing how futile it is to think that just because you drop some cash on a 5-star hotel, you will be comfortable. This weekend, I treated myself to a "luxury" outing and paid 3 times more than I normally do for a hotel room. It was beautiful, no doubt... but without heat, marble floors only add a touch of hypothermia.

 

Whining and shivering aside, I had an excellent weekend. I hooked up with a Brazilian girl that I had met the previous weekend - Natalia. She seemed cool and adventurous, and I'm a bit starved for good company that speaks English at the moment. I was also curious to try kung fu, so I made arrangements to return this past weekend. I took a 3-hour class on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday. The fact that I can walk without crippling pain leaves me completely astonished! I am so happy that I've been religiously doing sets of abdominals, squats, lunges and pushups regularly since my trip began (in an attempt to NOT completely lose my climbing form!!)

 

Natalia and I hung out in her room, watching Chinese-dubbed cartoons and made plans for next weekend! Yay! I'm really looking forward it! I might stay at the cheap place again - it was just as warm but one-third of the price. Also, the luxury resort came with a human shadow, Robert, who was attached to my every footstep for 24 hours. You all know how much I like that!! So, next weekend, I'll ditch him and take kung fu from a different school (why not sample them all, huh?), then meet Natalia for a hike or two. Very cool - she suggested it...I didn't even have to cajole or persuade her! What a refreshing change!

 

My overnight stay in Zhengzhou on Friday night was also surprisingly smooth. For a very reasonable price and with almost no hassle, I found a very decent hotel room ...where (get this) the heat WAS working, the shower was good...and they actually used metal pipes for their plumbing! I have not witnessed this yet!! AND, I found a good, TOASTY, Internet cafe next door...not to mention restaurants and stores that were open beyond 9 pm!!! I could almost imagine that their might be a hint of a night life in Zhengzhou...but didn't push my luck!

 

My return trip through Zhengzhou was just as satisfying. I met a French guy, Igor, who had been travelling in China for more than a year. It gave me a chance to bounce some observations and exchange theories about our trips and our experiences in China (its' been a trying week). I was in dire need of good conversation this weekend - and I found it twice!! I would say that this was an excellent weekend! Looking forward to the next one! :-)

 

 

 

 

I've been teaching for two weeks now and the first week was quite a shocker for my body. But things are smooth, less exhausting than I expecting but still, the days can sap your energy dry. Yesterday was an awesome day, and I think a good time to update my blog!

 

Of course I woke up to experience one of our multiple daily power outages - this one actually 'paralyzed' all my power outlets in the living room (BAD = that's where my 'central heating' is) for most of the day. Then of course, the daily plumbing emergency, this time another kitchen flood. Ah well, I'm getting better at dealing with these things. It does boggle the mind - the Chinese people build these incredible architectural wonders - I will have to include pictures of some of the buildings around campus - but they are made as flimsily as a deck of cards! They do look fantastic though, and the speed of construction is quite phenomenal (they built their high-speed railway from Lhasa SIX months AHEAD of time...something unheard of back home)...the quality ... well, ahum.

 

Anyway, this didn't mar my mood, like I said, these things happen daily and the power outages, as often as 10 times a day. So, I went to class relatively calm.

 

One of my students had read that it was Thanksgiving 'back home' and left me a very touching note, with reasons to give thanks and signed it with a big "thank you for coming and bringing us your knowledge". Then in the afternoon class, another student had been alerted to this Thanksgiving idea, and came in person to tell me how much she appreciated my help and teaching. My eyes suddenly moistened...they are so sweet!

 

At night, another breakthrough. I was taking my weekly Chinese lesson, a little disheartened that I just couldn't understand the tones. I'm a little tone-deaf to start with... so I do feel challenged in Chinese. But then, I heard it. It's like notes! They confuse the issue by calling them falling, rising, rising-falling ... but I finally got it! I giggled through the rest of the lesson, then went to buy some bananas to test my confidence! Success on all counts! What a great day!

 

I have to sign off, it's Test #2 today and my students would not appreciate if I showed up late! ;-) More to come... (this weekend, I am heading to Shaolin temple, should be good!)

 

After a gruelling 36-hour train ride from Lhassa to Xian, I eventually made my way back to Kaifeng. The train and bus rides were experiences. In the end, despite the fantastic scenery viewed on the new high-speed train from Lhassa, I decided that contrary to Canadian transport systems, the bus is much better than the train here.

 

The first thing I want to demystify is the myth of the BOTTOM BUNK!! They make you pay a premium for this bed in the sleeper cars, and not only does this not guarantee you seating room, but people think nothing of sitting on you while you sleep, as demonstrated by my cabinmates when three of them decided to play cards. Your bunk is the designated sitting area, therefore you will not have room for your stuff, people will eat and leave their garbage there... and you will only be able to sleep once everyone climbs back to their bunks. Rodrigo did tell me (after I'd bought my ticket) that the top bunk is the top choice. As the least expensive option, you will have more room to stretch if you are tall (I know, I know, not my case) or to store your luggage as there is extra space at one end... and you are guaranteed some peace, quiet and undisturbed sleep until you decide to wake up. No room to sit up...but remember, that's what the bottom bunks are for.

 

Now, if you decide to take a seat instead of a sleeper.... be aware that not everyone will have a seat. This means that if you leave your assigned spot, there will be any number of scavengers who will flock to grab it for a while. You will have to dislodge them when you return. There will also be people who will sit on you, or beside you - although as a white traveller, they mostly leave you alone. Then there is a small matter of the constant horking and spitting by passengers and infants pooing and peeing on the floor beside you.

 

My advice? Take the bus! ;-)

Well, it's my last day in Tibet. Tomorrow, I leave on the train for Xian, from where I will make my way to Kaifeng and reintegrate the working life. It has been wonderful to be here, the people are extremely friendly, always ready to smile and laugh. The Tibetan people are also very warm and touchy - it is not uncommon for them to touch your arm as they talk to you.

 

Sometimes, they are almost forceful! Like the salesladies - they grab me, the trap me, they pin me, they FORCE me to buy! Honest! (yeah right) Most people who know me are already aware of my love for turquoise, both the stone and the colour. A less well-known fact is that turquoise and red coral are the two most prominent stones in Tibetan jewelry. A recipe for disaster!! It's a good thing that I am leaving as it's been very difficult to limit myself. The thought of carrying extra weight has been a good deterrent.... BUT!!

 

Yesterday, Saskia and I chose to avoid the tourist section, bustling with vendors, clothes, jewelry and souvenirs. Instead, we rented bikes and braved the streets...which make Montreal look safe! We were pleased to spot some yaks and cows, roaming the streets, on our ride. We found our way to Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1414 (photos to come). It is one of the Great Three Tibetan university monasteries of the Yellow Hat sect. It is also famous for the monks' animated debating sessions in the courtyard, from 3 pm to 5 pm. Unfortunately, yesterday, we were told that the monks would be chanting for the next 7 days. Nevertheless, it was an incredible sight, which allowed many stunning close-ups of the monks.

 

Overall, the weather has been very sunny, warming up between 12 pm and 3 pm but flirting with freezing at night. Yesterday, we made our way through frozen puddles on our way to rent bikes...but stripped down to our t-shirts at the monastery. I am getting quite tanned...yet, I spend most of my days shivering. The problem is that you only warm up in the sun for a few hours. Otherwise, heating is scarce, doors are always open and windows seldom feel airtight - when they're not open wide.

 

My next entry will be from China. I am told that I will definitely have a window seat in the train due to the layout of the sleeper section. I hope to take more incredible shots tomorrow. :-)

 

 

Finally, I loaded some pictures! I don't think that MSN Spaces is so convenient anymore as it's been a giant pain to find a place where i could actually upload these.

 

I've been in Tibet 4 days, and it's been the best part of the trip. I finally met some cool people: Rodrigo, a Franco-Chilean, Saskia, from Holland and Jane from Australia. We toured the city extensively and so far, our past time has been feasting our eyes on the colourful costumes that Tibetan pilgrims wear. It's been very refreshing to feel so welcome. In general, Tibetans are against the Chinese occupation (I won't start a political discussion here) and as a result, they are more than pleased to speak English instead of Mandarin. Almost everyone knows how to say hello, and everywhere we go, Saskia's blond hair and blue eyes generate enthusiastic greetings or wide-eyed wonder from the children.

 

Unfortunately, there has been some fresh snow on the road to Lake Namtso and the hot springs. Apparently, a Jeep spinned out of control and since then, the government has stopped issuing permits for that area. I keep hoping that I will be able to venture there before i leave, but after today's rainfall, the surrounding mountains are coated with a fresh coat of snow. I may have to content myself with the numerous monasteries around Lhassa.

 

The weather is definitely colder than in Yunnan, but we have had some balmy afternoons where we perfected our tan. More later!

 

And of course, in the final hour, my money exhausted, my camera batteries dead, I inadvertently dined on the street where I should have stayed. The street where the real artesans worked, where real people lived, with cute puppies and babies, a street neglected or undiscovered by tourists, jealously guarding.... the best bathroom in town! Not to mention, the 2 best-looking guys I'd seen on my trip!!

 

All at once, I was sad to leave. I still had 2 hours before my bus, and I wandered aimlessly, utterly lost in the maze of narrow streets and canals, happy. At some point, I realized that I was going in circles and became slightly concerned about the time. But eventually, I heard the music in the distance, the souvenir shops became tackier and the crowd thickened. I was back at the Big Old Wheel and on my way back to Kunming.

 

The old town and I parted ways, reconciled.

 

This morning, back in cushy Kunming after a 12-hour bus ride in a sleeper bus, I found myself smiling at the children who brightly yelled "hello" in my direction.

 

A note on the sleeper buses - they have a terrible reputation, but I enjoyed both rides. Having said that, remember that I'm a bit of a midget by North-American standards. It's a bit like a pyjama party - as they supply the blankets, pillows, mattresses and movies (more kung fu), individual beds (except if you get one of the last seats...like me last night - in that case, 5 people share a big mattress!). They even gave us water bottles for the trip. Really, they should introduce the concept to Canada.

 

I have TONS of pictures to post...and can't seem to find a place that will let me upload them. I will keep searching... be patient.

 

I haven't posted for a few days, partly due to lack of Internet access and lack of enthusiasm since leaving Kunming. The first few days were gruelling, I was feeling the effects of prolonged diarrhea and dehydration, lack of food and probably the altitude as I tackled the ascent of Jizu Shan, a 3240 meter mountain, boasting an ancient temple at its peak. More than 150,000 thousands of people come each year to admire the sunrise from the temple.

 

From there, I went to Dali, a cute little old town. Very restful and cushy, cheap, luxurious accommodation, good food.... lots of shopping, not much else to do.

 

I pushed on to Lijiang, a beautiful old Naxi town. Again, very hard going, hard to get around... probably due to the throngs of tourists. People don't need to try too hard to help you. After all, there are hundreds of other tourists behind you. I tried my best to make it to the Leaping Tiger gorge today, but got defeated, running around from bus station to bus station until it was too late to go. So, I spent the day in Old Lijiang. Paid $5 for the worse instant coffee ever - Christine your coffee is 10 times better when we go camping!

 

Finally, I thought I should head to the Black Dragon Pool Park - a beautiful, much-photographed pond, not far from the old town. Another annoyance - prices quoted in The Lonely Planet's latest edition have all increased, sometimes by as little as 2 yuans... or by multiples of 2 and 3. This was the case in the pond. But I had to kill 10 hours before my bus to Kunming, so I coughed up the cash.

 

The Lonely Planet also gives a vivid description of how unsafe this park is (in fact, the warnings are valid for the whole province of Yunnan according to the chapter). I saw that the park officials were also weary. There is a little hill that you can climb - Elephant Hill - on which two women were assaulted in broad daylight, years ago. Many signs in the park clearly state that unless you are more than 4, it is not safe to undertake this little hike. Bah - as tempted as I was....I mean, how much shopping can you do? I was itching for some action... but decided to stay alive for Tibet and stayed on the path, close to the pond.

 

Out of nowhere, this ridiculous little man comes up to me, holding out his tiny, flacid pecker. "Pfff" I rolled my eyes in contempt and kept walking. A few meters later, I turned around to yell "fucker".... the idiot probably thought it was a cry of passion. I felt like making a rude gesture of my own but it wasn't worth the aggravation and of course, the thought occurred too late.

 

Folks, I tell you, give Lijiang a miss. It's overcrowded, overpriced, over-touristy and known to be unsafe. Sure, it's beautiful, but you can buy the postcards. Or better yet, have a look at my pictures when I post them, at least they'll be free.

 

On a positive note, I'm getting tanned. The weather has been gloriously hot, sunny and summery. More to come from Tibet!

 

 

I spent a lovely day hiking up Xi Shian today, near Kunming. At first, I figured that the Chinese people thought I was crazy, as I steadily refused their offers of taking a minibus up to the top. By chance, my colleague taught me how to say "to walk" last week, and I managed to tell everyone that I would like to walk. On my way up, I discovered great numbers of Chinese people also walking up. It reassured me that they must have understood my motives to some extent, instead of writing me off as a cheap American!

 

I did get caught in a downpour on the way down, and minutes after I bought the tackiest little umbrella I could find, I gave in and took a ride down.

 

I'm hoping to post today's pictures soon, but I am heading North of Yunnan province this evening and will be in much smaller towns for a few days. I'll come back to Kunming at the end of the month....to CATCH A FLIGHT TO TIBET!! I'm very excited! :-)

Bad news for everyone who was anxiously awaiting pictures... something (not sure if it's the university or some other firewall) won't let me post photos on this site. :-( I will try again somewhere else, but I thought my best bet would be the university. Ah well - keep checking, you never know if I will have some luck somewhere! 

Well I made it to China and found my way to Kaifeng after missing my connecting flight. My big goal today is to get in touch with my University contact, Mr. Li. The poor guy must have been waiting for me in Zhengzhou my first night, but I tried every phone number and email I had for him and nothing worked. If all else fails, I'll rent a bike and find the university tomorrow.

 

I just finished walking around one of the lakes in Kaifeng, Baogong Hu, and loved seeing people of all ages doing their morning calisthenics and stretching. Sorry for the lack of pictures, i just tried downloading them on this public computer, but the popup didn't appear. I'm also crossing my fingers that I remember all the commands by visual memory because the commands are all symbols.

 

My biggest sport so far has been crossing the streets. I think that the trick is just to amble nonchalantly in the direction that you pick, look straight ahead, and don't pause, but most of all, don't rush. At least, that's how people seem to do it. I tend to follow the pedestrians who are around me - they're much better at finding openings in the traffic!

 

Riding the bus was an adventure as well - thank God for Montreal drivers, I only really feared for my life once or twice since I got here. A funny thing happened on the bus to Kaifeng yesterday...the cops pulled us over!! I was really stumped! With everyone driving all over the place like madmen, one hand on the horn... how can the cops pick one vehicle over another?! Ah well, there was a good kung fu movie playing, and I was sitting beside a very nice girl who gave me a perfect banana, so I didn't care.

 

There is something very peaceful about not understanding anything. I walk around completely unconcerned, in my little bubble - it helps to drown out the noise! Once again, I think the most useful thing I have packed will be my earplugs! ;-)