Tuesday: the day of the hike

We awoke at 7:15…or at least Grace and I did. We were getting a head start on the day. The day that lay ahead of us included hiking the through the mountains…and that’s about it! Aside from having realized the night before that I left my toothbrush in Kunming, all was well. Don’t worry; I bought one around 9am because I just couldn’t handle it!

After feeling pumped about the day ahead, we walked up Renmin Lu in search of some grub. We divided and conquered; Grace and I with our hot soy milk and baozi (veggie roll dumplings), Kim with her onion bread pancake thing, and Zach with his xiao juzi (or tangerines). We were off to a great start!

Around 10am, we had a van come pick us up from the hostel and take us up the mountain. The van looked brand new. Usually they’re somewhat dirty…or old looking. Nope! This one looked brand new! I wasn’t so sure though once I started smelling smoke as we slowly climbed the mountain. The engine didn’t sound so great either! I was just praying we wouldn’t all go up in flames!

We arrived at the take off point (cars can only go so far) and began our hike up the stairs (many) so that we could then get on the petrifying ski lift that would take us up…only about half way (the mountains were huge). I’m pretty sure that we were in the foothills of the Himalayas! As we hiked up the stairs, we were bombarded by people selling fruit and other goods. The fruit tasted so sweet. I’m pretty sure she must’ve done something to the fruit. I’ve never had strawberries so sweet! We gave in and bought a kilo of them and loaded them in the backpack. Then, the treacherous ride up the mountain began. I had to pull the window down just to get some fresh air. Ugh! I hate being that high up on a little cord that so easily seems like it could just snap! Somehow though, I’m not that afraid of flying. Maybe it’s being able to see my sudden death? I don’t know.

Good news! I’m still alive! We got off and had the privilege of hiking up too many stairs. My heart rate and body temperature increased simultaneously, that’s for sure. I was pleased when we finally reached the level that the path that would take us about 4-5 hours to walk and that was mostly flat…with no stairs! The sights were grand. Snow in some corners, and strong heat in others. The city spread out below us, and gondolas frequented the alcoves. We happened upon a little tented area (where it looked like people were temporarily living) and ate some fried noodles (or rice)…I can’t remember. BUT, I do remember that it was one of the best fried _____ I’ve ever had! Why was that lady cooking in the mountains? She could be making a fortune if she would hike down with her frying pan and chopping board!

After lunch, we continued on our way. Our final destination was about 13 km away from where we’d initially been dropped off at. That’s about 8 miles. We think we actually hiked a little more than that though…we’re going to say 10 miles! I had to use the bathroom or the “WC”—I guess they use the British phraseology (wow! That’s a word!). Unfortunately, the sweet little lady that cooked the “hao chi” food told me “mei you” (sounds like mayo and means don’t have). She pointed up a hill, as if to tell me, “Go squat up there behind the trees.” I declined and kept walking with my buds. After going around about two more mountains, I was certain, and so was Kim that we simply could not wait any longer! Kim and I began scouting out some place in the shrubbery to find solitude and privacy. It took some effort….like me climbing up off the nice paved sidewalk and grasping some branches (hoping I wasn’t touching anything poisonous) and at times using my hands to walk up the steep slope. At last, I had found the perfect spot! I’ll spare you the details…but I felt pretty proud of myself, as did Kim…a former brownie girl!

After a long day of walking, I was ready to just drop down and stay there for awhile! Grace and Zach kept us going though. We walked all the way from the foot of the mountain back to the ancient city. Remember that walk from day one? Yea…this one surpassed it. When we arrived at our hostel, I was excited to finally get a shower. I hadn’t had one since we’d left Kunming on Monday morning. Not too gross, but I was totally ready for one. Once I had, I was totally refreshed and ready for a night out on the town.

For dinner, we decided to walk in a different direction and wander until we found something that we’d all agree on. After wandering for about 20-30 minutes, we landed upon a rather noisy street (live bands and such) and figured that this hopping place would be fun. Well, it was fun…until Zach and I decided to go out and get drinks (they’re cheaper if you bring your own…and you’re totally allowed to do that). I found a store that didn’t have all the drinks we wanted, but I thought we’d make do, so I asked the lady, “duo shao qian,” and she told me 7 kuai for a little bottle of juice and for the water too! I usually pay 1 kuai for water and 3 kuai for juice! NO WAY JOSE! So I walked straight out of there…no shame…walked across the street and bought from the lady over there, who had clearly marked prices that were the norm. That lady wasn’t going to rip off this chica! Not today, hunny! Uh-uh.

We got back with the drinks and moved our table downstairs and inside…it was warmer and less noisy. Then we began a round of hearts. As our food came to the table, we ate and continued to play hearts. I got vegetable lasagna. I was expecting zucchini and some other kind of veggie (you know, the normal stuff)…but instead I got a Chinese veggie in my lasagna. Weird. Oh well, it wasn’t that bad…just a little stringy. The other three ordered Cheese Burgers. …Or so they thought. Haha. Out came their cheese sandwich, with fries on the side. It was goat cheese too. They all had a little hissy fit, because they were dead set on getting their burger, so they sent it back to the kitchen (after about 5 minutes of confusion). So, for Grace, when her plate came back out with the fries still on it (because she refused to touch the plate), she got cold fries and a little beef patty with an itty-bitty square piece of cheese on top. Glad I ordered lasagna!

After all that fun, we went shopping. Don’t worry, I didn’t buy anything (not that time at least). That lasted until all the shopkeepers started to put their old doors into the slots and closed up shop. We then ventured around to a massage place. The massage was good…but the window was open, and it was cold outside, so all of us were kind of shivering the whole time. No thanks! I’d pass on that one again. That is pretty much how night two concluded. That and I got to brush my teeth with a toothbrush, instead of my finger.

The Epic Journey begins...

The si ge (4) mei guo ren (American’s) expedition!

It all started on Monday, February 8, 2010 at 7:15am (what was supposed to be 7:15) at the entrance to Hu Pan Zhi Meng Xiaoqu (Hu Pan…neighborhood). (Are you excited about this epic story?) Afraid of not being able to find a taxi, I ran out to Guang Fu Lu (Guang Fu Road) and hailed one down. Just like that! Actually, not so much…I happened to be able to run quickly enough to hop in right after someone got out. I only had to stand out on Guang Fu Lu for about 30 seconds! Off to a great start, I’d say!

After showing the Taxi driver our destination (the West Bus Station), we were on our way. We arrived at the bus station, went through the security check and then scouted out the big waiting room for a place to plop down and start playing cards. Liverpool Rummy was the game of choice, however playing on top of all of our bags proved to be difficult. Another hindrance in our game was the guy who came through spraying bleach…which happened to get our cards and some of our bags wet. Thank you, sir!

I was anxious about getting on the bus, so I checked to see which gate and what bus we would need to get on. The lady that I walked up to proceeded to rip our tickets…even though we weren’t all ready to get on board. Zach and Kim made a pit stop right before departure, and then we were on our way. I was afraid of getting sick on the bus, so I was given the window seat (thanks, guys). China’s roads…especially through the mountains are not the best! I made it though…with a few cat naps in between Kunming and Dali. We stopped mid-way at a rest stop for five minutes. They had some fruit and some bread they were selling (kind of like the Florida Turnpike…we were on a toll road).

I had to use the bathroom though. Now, bathroom stories are very common amongst foreigners in China. It is an all new experience. This one includes a squatty (picture it with me, please). If you don’t know what a squatty is, please allow me to inform you. You do not have a seat. You literally squat down over a hole…that is porcelain (if you’re lucky). It’s really not that bad, once you get used to it. This was however my first experience of using the squatty with no door…and having other women look me in the eye as I was going. Not to mention that I was getting stared at because I’m a foreigner. Talk about uncomfortable! I was glad that I didn’t quite have to go through that again on the trip (there was one that was worse…but I’ll spare you the details).

Four hours after our departure from Kunming, we arrived in what we thought was the new city of Dali. Apparently, we weren’t quite there though. We got a cab and in all of our excitement, we forgot to check to see that the cab driver started the meter running. About 20 minutes later, we arrived near our destination (our hostel), and were forced to pay 50 kuai! We learned our lesson, and since have always made sure that the meter starts.

After being dropped off on Renmin Lu (there’s always a people’s street in every city), we walked down the cobblestone hill…for about 10 minutes until we had nearly reached the very end of it. At last, we had arrived at our hostel. It looked very eclectic, and I felt like a backpacker. The hostel had low couches and tables, with two computers and a bar area for serving various beverages. Lanterns hung from the ceiling and rugs lined the stone floor. When we walked into the quaint courtyard, there were benches made from tree logs,plants placed in no particular order and there was a ping pong table. A few bikes were parked inside the courtyard too. The three of us girls were on the second floor…a room to ourselves with bunk beds. Zach had his own room up on the roof, where the showers were.

We settled in, made our beds, and met downstairs to go scout out the place…and find somewhere to eat! We found a Chinese restaurant up the street from our hostel and after eating, began the shopping spree that lasted until dinnertime. Grace and I had fun shopping! Bargaining became a sport. First, you have to ask, “Duo shao qian?” (how much money), next you have to decide what you are willing to pay for the item. You state how much you will pay. Now, they tend to bust out the calculator for foreigners because they think that all of us can’t speak Chinese. After the calculator is whipped out, you need to punch in a price that is lower than what you’re willing to pay. Generally, you want to cut their price in half. Gradually, after much fuss and saying, “Tai gui le” (too much!), you go up…very slowly. If you think the vendor is not coming down like you’d like them to, walk out…or begin to walk out. They’ll usually run after you and grab your arm and in a grouchy mood say, “okay, okay.” Then, you have to make sure you don’t have 100 kuai to pay for a 40 kuai item! That always makes them mad. It’s quite addicting, I have to say. While Grace and I were playing this sport, Zach and Kim went off exploring. They climbed up on the old city wall and scouted out some places to eat.

Dinner was outside near a stream that ran down the middle of the pedestrian only street. It was a little chilly, so along with our live music for entertainment, there was also a little fire pit going. It was a really nice atmosphere. I felt like I was at home…only not. I was sitting on a slope that led up to the beautiful snow-peaked mountains. I was also listening to Chinese music. :-)

After dinner, it got a little chilly so we decided to move to our next spot: an indoor coffee shop. We proceeded to order a “pot of coffee” for all four of us. Little did we know that we’d get a shot of coffee…that didn’t even give all four of us a shot! We had to order two “pots.” We also ordered fries and a banana split. The ice cream here is not the same. Not at all! The fries had no salt. The salt shaker hadn’t been used in eons, so the salt was stuck to the bottom of the shaker. It was a typical night in a coffee shop in China.  Gotta love it! We did. We played hearts. That was our game for the rest of the trip. After staying at the coffee shop until after closing, we headed back to our hostel under the big bright stars, and the beautiful moon. Day 1 of our adventure had concluded: successful and relaxing. Mission accomplished!

What do you think?

Treating China as the enemy is a mistake
(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-11 07:55


George Gilder, founder of the Discovery Institute and author of The Israel Test, says there is no need for the United States to antagonize China. The two countries are highly interdependent, he writes in his Feb 5 opinion piece "Why Antagonize China?" in the Wall Street Journal. Excerpts follow:

While attempting to appease a long list of utterly unappeasable foes - Iran, North Korea, Hamas, Hezbollah, and even Hugo Chvez - today the US treats China, perhaps our most crucial economic partner, as an adversary because it defies us on global warming, dollar devaluation, and Internet policy.

It started last June in Beijing when US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner lectured Premier Wen Jiabao. Mr Geithner was haranguing the Chinese on two highly questionable themes, neither arguably in the interests of either country: the need to suppress energy output in the name of global warming - a subject on which Mr Geithner has no expertise - and the need for a Chinese dollar (the yuan) devaluation, on which one can scarcely imagine that he can persuade Chinese holders of a trillion dollars of reserves.

In a recent meeting with Senate Democrats, President Barack Obama continued to fret about the dollar being too strong against the yuan at a time when most of the world's investors fear that the Chinese will act on his words and crash the dollar.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the president's friends at Google are hectoring China on Internet policy. Although commanding twice as many Internet users as we do, China originates fewer viruses and scams than does the US, and with Taiwan produces comparable amounts of Internet gear. Protecting information on the Internet is a responsibility of US corporations and their security tools, not the State Department.

Sending them (Taiwan) $6 billion of new weapons is a needless provocation against China that does nothing valuable for the defense of the US or Taiwan. Yes, the Chinese have also spurned America's quixotic effort to herd the gangs of anti-Semitic, anti-American oil-dependent felines at the United Nations to undertake an effective program of economic sanctions against Iran.

A foreign policy of serious people at a time of crisis will recognize that the current Chinese regime is the best we can expect from that country. The Chinese revitalization of Asian capitalism remains the most important positive event in the world in the last 30 years.

With millions of Islamists on its borders and within them, China is nearly as threatened by radical Islam as we are. China has a huge stake in the global capitalist economy that Islamic terrorists aim to overthrow. And China, like the US, is so heavily dependent on Taiwanese manufacturing skills and so intertwined with Taiwan's industry that China's military threat to the island is mostly theater.

Although some Taiwanese politicians still dream of permanent independence, Taiwan's world-beating entrepreneurs have long since laid their bets on links to the mainland. Two-thirds of Taiwanese companies, some 10,000, have made significant investments in China over the last five years, totaling some $200 billion. Three quarters of a million Taiwanese reside in China for more than 180 days a year.

With Taiwan, greater China is the world's leading actual manufacturer and assembler of microchips, computers and network equipment on which the Internet subsists. Virtually all US advanced electronics, as eminent chemist Arthur Robinson reported last month in his newsletter "Access to Energy", are dependent on rare earth elements used to enhance the performance of microchips and held in a near global monopoly by the Chinese firm Baotou Steel Rare-Earth Hi-Tech Company in Inner Mongolia.

The US is as dependent on China for its economic and military health and economic growth as China is dependent on the US for its key markets, reserve finance, and global capitalist trading regime.

It is self-destructive folly to sacrifice this core synergy at the heart of global capitalism in order to gain concessions on global warming, dollar weakening, or Internet politics.

How many enemies do we need?

Hotel Wowza!

I know I'm real late. I should have seen this movie eeons ago. Hotel Rawanda anyone?

Got me thinking...

Are we ever stable? Can the U.S. government protect me? When is it right and not right to fight for justice? I thought I was taught to always stand up for what is right and true. Would I stand in front of enemy lines for someone I don't know? The U.S. sure hasn't. Sometimes I feel like a puppet. Midea covers what it wants to. Other than that, we're left in the dark about what is going on around the world. That is our source of information. Yes, it has improved dramatically since 1994, but...still! The government decides which battles we fight. Are we truly free, America? I think not! Not because the goverment does not tell us things. It is for our protection (thank you). I think we're in bondage and feel like puppets because we are told what to think in schools (among many other things). We're living in a Babylon: tons of information being thrown at us daily; falling into 'I am and there is no other' mentality; being succumbed to the life style of health, wealth and prosperity. Are we forgetting something? There are people around the world that are huddled together for warmth. There are people who didn't eat today. Many are hiding out in the bush. It makes me shaky. I get this way when things really affect my heart. It doesn't happen often, but when it does I can't shake it (literally). Among physical needs, there are those that are more important. The enemy has come to steal, kill and destroy. Are we letting him get away with it? Or are we going to take a stand and DO something? Why do we have to wait until a tradgedy?

Okay...getting off my soapbox. Thanks for sticking with me. If you haven't seen the movie, you should probably pick it up. It will make you think hard about your life. We need that!