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!