I'm on a train from Yichang to Xi'an. This is the short overnight train on our trip, at a measely 15 hours. If it's on time.
3 beds to a bunk. 2 bunks to a "cabin". 108 people to a carriage. 2 bathrooms.
As the BBC documentary says, "This. Is WILD China."
We're about an hour in, and I've heard the squatter bathrooms are already wonderful, so I figured I'd take my mind off the urge to go and try to kill a little time blogging. And maybe notice the smoking a little less.
Chinese people are funny. Everything with food is about being healthy and nutritious. They love to explain the health benefits of each ingredient, all while puffing away on a cigarette. Often right beside the no-smoking sign.
It's not that bad on here though. I've been on worse. No, wait... I haven't. Literally.
But no, it's not that bad. We'll visit, I'll sleep, and we'll wake up in Xi'an for the next leg of the journey. Here's a quick summary of what we've already seen so far:
Shanghai
- the Bund is un-bund-leviable. (oh come on, you've heard worse. No, wait - you haven't). But seriously, it's gotta be one of the most iconic city scapes in the world, and very cool to see in person. The architecture is impressive everywhere in the city: upside buildings, twisting towers, rarely a straight up-and-down line anywhere. And crazy to think the city, with 27 some million souls now, was a small fishing village barely more than 150 years ago.
- I cannot walk 2 blocks on Nanjing street without getting propositioned for a "sex massage". "young lady". "very pretty". "you come look, see if you like." One even grabbed my arm and starting pulling me towards a side street. 'twas very nice when the rest of the group showed up so I could walk next to one of the girls be left in peace.
- also went to Circus World Shanghai Acrobat Show. On par with, if not better than, Cirque-du-Soliel, but I liked it better as it was more physical and less artistic.
Hangzhou
- had never heard of it before, but the tour I wanted stopped here to see "one of the most beautiful lakes in all of China". Meh. Was an unfortunate waste of day IMHO.
Yangshou
- This was the whole reason I came to China, and was not in the least disappointed. The Karst Mountain scenery is spectacular, with the best views we had from a climb to the top of Moon Hill.
- Even better, was biking through the country-side scenery, where we passed rice fields, small villages, and ended up with a cave tour punctuated by a mud bath, cold shower, and a dip in a hot spring. Everyone who joined agreed this has been the highlight of the trip.
- the town itself is an interesting mix of quaint and gawdy. Surrounded by a karst mountains and bordered by the Li River, the main area is only a few cozy and walkable blocks you can stroll in for hours. But at night the neon lights turn on, the bar doors open, and unless you are in one of them, you'll hear the music from all of them. If I were to come back, this is a place I'd bunk down for longer.
Yangzti River Cruise
- the Three Gorges Scenery was quite nice, but the best part was being able to relax for a day as we had no where else to get to. Ended with a tour of the Three Gorges Dam which, aside from all the dam jokes, was quite disappointing. Fog made good pictures impossible, and the tour itself doesn't let you on, in, or practically even near the dam. It's another thing I'd strongly suggest you reconsider before expending the effort to get here.
The Rest (aka Random Thoughts)
Prices - after SE Asia, I was expecting things to be fairly cheap. Generally food is, but everything else is, well, my money's been disappearing far faster than I expected. It may have something to do with the fact I seem to have "SUCKER" written across my forehead when the locals look at mye. I don't want to admit to what I paid for the cab from the airport.
The Company I Keep - yet again, the group is quite good. Older than usual, and I'm the only straight guy under 50, but all are friendly and look after each other. Most are with friends or partners, but there's three girls also traveling alone so we mostly hang together. 2 from Munich and 1 from Finland, so it's like a 2 week game of Taboo... they explain what they are trying to say without saying the actual word and I have to guess it. And then there's Patrick, the 67 year old Irish marathon runner. Good ol' St. Patty. He's got a good heart, but he sure marches to the beat of a different drum.
Food - was worried about this given I'm currently on an elimination diet, but its actually been quite easy. Dishes are far simpler than Western cuisine so it's pretty easy to see what's in everything and get around the plethora items I have to avoid.
In the Category of "New Delicacies" I've tried consuming:
- Durian --> Smells Awful. Tastes Great. Like a blend of mango and banana.
- Pickled Bamboo --> Smells Awful. Tastes Awful. But kinda grows on you.
- Pig's Ears --> Smells Great, Tastes Awful. Mmmm... cartilege.
- Frog Skin --> Smells Great, Tastes Great.
- Snake Wine --> Smells like turpentine, tastes like turpentine. With a hint of the snake that marinates in it.
In the Category of "Things I'd Never Seen Before":
- An Asian Dwarf
- An Asian with Downs-syndrome
Both are surprising in that you don't realize you've never seen it until you do
In the Category of "Biggest City You've Never Heard Of"
- Chongqing. The city proper is only 7 or 8 million, but the Municiple Area it governs (~= a North American "Greater Metropolitan Area") is 44 Million. 50% larger than Hong Kong, Beijing, or Shanghai. Or Canada for that matter.
- speaking of which, the population numbers here are mind boggling. I'm not sure what the actual number is because every time you see an estimate it's different. 1.25 Billion. 1.34 Billion. That's right, the entire population of Canada isn't even a rounding error in a Chinese census.
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