frank’s big adventure

I know that it has been a long time since this page has gotten any updates, chalk it up to the Great Firewall of China blocking my access or to weary travel bones unwilling to sit in front of a computer, but the fact remains that I´ve barely made mention of my month in China. Rather than attempt to recreate the whole trip I´ve decided to leave little picture postcards from each stop along the way…

Xián

In the ancient epicenter of China´s government we found ourselves atop the unexcavated mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang who unified the country and ruled with an iron fist. The is nothing more than a large mound with (at the time) snow covered steps up to the top. Archaeologists are hoping the tomb is still intact and full of regal wonders from over 200 years before the common era. Xián is also home of the Terracotta Warriors, which were also a part of Emperor Qin´s post life protection plan along with the rivers of mercury purported to flow inside the massive mound. When we were back within the ancient city walls around the old part of the city, we spent much of our time in the Muslim Quarter. It was a cozy little town, but soon we were on our way to Beijing.

Beijing

I feel bad for the poor athletes in this year´s Olympic Games. Even if they make major strides in thinning out the smog in the city, it will still be dirty air. I often found myself out of breath at the top of the stairs and upon arriving in the city I fell ill and tossed and turned in my little hostel bed for an entire day. Unfortunately Mao was under repairs while we were in town as were some of the major sites of the city. I doubt there has ever been such a large scale renovation of a city as the one that the Chinese are attempting to pull off in these last few months. The highlight of the city for me was cruising the small side streets called hutongs and watching the assemblage of faces flowing past.

The Great Wall

We made our way 2 hours outside of Beijing to walk along an unrenovated section known as the ¨secret wall¨. The smog was still thick in the air, but we were able to get an idea of how massive the fortification is. The Mongol hordes were able to get through without any problems by bribing the lonely and unloved guards watching over remote sections, but what a wall. Our guide was a little old Chinese woman who hobbled along with surprising speed up and down the hills while regaling us with stories and history in Mandarin. We just smiled and nodded, making up our own translations and continuing along.

Shanghai

Beijing is the cultural center of China and Shanghai is the economic one. Perched along a major waterway dividing the city in two, the place reeks of capitalism. We cruised along the waterfront walkway (the Bund) to the old town. It is one giant shopping extravaganza. At dusk on our last night in town we found ourselves on the top floor of the Hyatt in a swanky bar sipping on over-sized and overpriced glasses of Hennessy V.S.O.P. watching the lights come on. Along the water the sightseeing ferries made lazy loops while deftly avoiding the massive cargo ships. I felt like a god.

Huangshan

The next few weeks were spent moving inland through more rural terrain beginning with Huangshan, the famous Yellow Mountain. We arrived in the evening after a long bus adventure and prepared ourselves for a day of climbing. Our plan was to climb to the summit of the mountain, stay the night, and then get up early for the sunrise. Unfortunately we found ourselves inside of a cloud for the entire 7 hours of climbing up stairs. Occasionally the clouds would part long enough to see the jagged and amazing peaks, but it was only a tease. This was the first real weather disappointment on the whole trip, but the images I´ve seen of the mountain and especially the sunrise from the top in clear weather, only make me upset. I was there but could only see about 20 feet ahead of me, but my legs are bulging muscles.

Three Gorges

The damming of the Yangtze river by the 3 Gorges Dam has caused the water levels to rise considerably and will ultimately force the displacement of around 4 million people, but the energy yield will be equivalent to about 18 nuclear power plants. Even though the dam has flooded the reservoir to within 30 meters of the final depth the gorges are still a breathtaking sight. We cruised along upstream for a little over 2 days and made side journeys through the Little Three Gorges and the Mini Three Gorges in increasingly smaller boats. It was a time of slow reflection and was the relaxing breath of fresh air I needed after the bustle of the cities and the rigorous climb at Huangshan.

Fenghuang

One of the places that I was most looking forward to visiting was Fenghuang along the quiet Tuojiang River. It is supposed to be one of the last vestiges of pre-modern China with little buildings hovering precariously over the water. The Fenghuang that we found, though, was in the midst of a major makeover. The river itself still has the amazing views and picturesque look, but the place is becoming a Chinese yuppie paradise. Chinese yuppification is yuppification in perhaps its most depressing form. The whole place is practically being rebuilt with cheap looking imitations to house the throngs of tourists that flood the town and every shop along every road is filled with the exact same useless and expensive shit that its neighbors are pushing. For now, though, the illusion of the past has been able to survive along the waterfront and that is where we spent most of our time.

Wulingyuan

We were not sure what to expect from Wulingyuan but decided to give it a try. I had never even heard of the place before randomly stumbling across the name and a brief allusion to the amazing scenery in our guide book. It is perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever been. The landscape is straight from a Dr. Seuss acid trip and walking in the shadows of 1000 foot tall sandstone chopsticks I felt like I was in a dream. The fog lifted towards the end of the afternoon and we decided to take a ride up the theme-park lift to take in the views from above. Looking down some several hundred feet through a forest of rock towers I tried to soak in everything before the sun crept out of site and we were left nearly stranded in the park.

Yangshuo

Yangshuo was a continuation of the natural wonders of the karst land. We took a bike ride several miles through the rice fields stopping often to turn circles and gawk at the landscape. I expected a dinosaur to emerge from behind the hills at any moment and the light rain kept the roads virtually empty. We got turned around several times in little outcrops of houses with narrow winding alley-ways but eventually made it safely back to town with sore asses and covered in mud. Yangshuo was one of the few places in China I could actually see myself living in for any amount of time, but my time was quickly coming to an end in Asia.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong made Shanghai look like the boonies. Never have I spent so much time in shopping malls trying to navigate the city on foot. The only way to get from point a to point b is through malls c, d, e and f. The building we were staying in was a constant source of interesting sights, though. It is called the Chung King Mansion, but it is really an 18 story dilapidated building filled with several thousand people occupying rooms barely large enough to fit beds. The first two floors look like the distopian amusement park from A.I. with flashing lights and cheap electronic gizmos for sale in every little nook and cranny. Every nation in the world must have a representative in the building and if an extraterrestrial being wanted to hide out in anonymity this would be their place. Jacob left for Southeast Asia and I had a few days left before my flight so I took in a number of movies at the Hong Kong Film Festival which happened to coincide with my visit perfectly. Then it was off to the airport and back to the U.S. of A. for a couple days.

China in my rear-view mirror

I was glad to have visited China and glad to leave it. It has a long way to go before it can become the country of the 21st Century. I was amazing that Mao, the man responsible for more human deaths than any other person in human history, still graces every note of currency. There is still a mess of poverty hiding under the rug and the slick gloss being put on everything in preparation for the Olympics cannot hide the reality of the place. The Tibetan protest and the subsequent military clampdown are only the precursors for more conflicts and continuing and increasingly more violent protests. It is not in such dire straits as India, which has a population bursting at the seams and no money to spare, but it China does not begin to loosen its stranglehold on its people, something is bound to give way. Buildings now being built in earthquake prone areas are made to sway and flex as the ground moves so they can absorb the energy and remain standing while the rigid structures all buckle and collapse.