A Whole New World

I couldn't get train tickets from Chengdu to Kunming like I had wanted. I contacted some of my Chinese friends and was invited to return to my friend Bei's home, so my traveling is looking a lot different than it did a few days ago.

I flew from Chengdu to Xi'an on Sunday. Flying in China, for me, is not preferable. Because China is so diverse, it is shocking to step off an airplane into what seems like another world. By train, I can watch the countryside change and I have a day or two to get used to the differences in the regions.

In fact, staying in Chengdu made me truly realize how diverse China is. Some example are the food, the spoken language, and the habits and customs of the people. When I first came to China, I liked the food, but it was so different that I didn't want to eat much. When I arrived in Sichuan, it was the same. The food is so different from the Lanzhou food I am used to that I didn't have much of an appetite for the first few days, even though the food was delicious. The spoken language in Chengdu was difficult to get used to as well. For instance, the "sh" sound is pronounced more like a simple "s" which caused much confusion for me. And, in Chengdu, the people are more relaxed and laid back. They are more wealthy than in Lanzhou, their city is more western, and they are more concerned with safety and sanitation. The differences between the provinces are enormous, and traveling is very eye-opening and educating.

As for Xi'An, I not only have been here before, but it is fairly similar to Lanzhou. It feels more like home! Going to Bei's home will be like home as well; when I first came to China, I stayed with Bei and her familiy. At that time, I was unable to verbally communicate with them. Now that I can speak Chinese, I will be able to truly express to them how grateful I am for their kindness to me.

...Still in Chengdu

I'm still in Chengdu, but I did go to Leshan and Emei Shan like I wanted.

When I arrived in Leshan, I met a high school girl who showed me a place to see the giant Buddha from the city. So I didn't go to the park. Suckers, haha.



I climbed part-way up Emei Shan and stayed overnight with a family who lives on the mountain. The mountain is full of bamboo, waterfalls, animals, and insects. The noise is almost deafening and the insects are huge. For example, the butterflies are as big as birds. The next morning, it was pouring rain. I was obviously soaked from head to toe as the climbed the mountain, but the worst part of the rain was that the monkeys didn't come out. I was pretty disappointed that I didn't get to see any. I even had a bamboo stick to hit them with in case they attacked me, which apparently is what they do to mountain climbers.

I came back to Chengdu hoping to immediately go to the city of Kunming, to the south of Chengdu. I found out that there are no train tickets to Kunming for ten days. I'm working on a plan involving air travel, but traveling by plane in China is no fun and is expensive.

Chengdu

I have been in Chengdu for a few days now. My first two days here were great. I walked around the city, ate Sichuan food, went to a tea house, visited a Buddhist monastery where I made friends with a monk, and hung out with the other students staying in the hostel I'm staying at. But on Monday I got really sick and couldn't even leave the hostel. So for the past few days I've been reading books. When I get better, I want to go to Leshan where I can see a giant Buddha statue, and then go to Emei. Emei is a holy Buddhist mountain that takes two or three days to climb. And there are monkeys there!

Independence Day

My plans with Dustin fell through. We were stopped by the police from going to our intended destination and had to return to Lanzhou.

It's Independence Day so I'm exercising my independence by traveling to Chengdu this afternoon.

Goodbye Lanzhou, goodbye friends, goodbye studying and classes... I'm on my own.

Almost a Plan

Here’s the closest thing to a plan that I have: I leave Lanzhou on Thursday with my friend Dustin. We’re not sure yet where we’re going. Dustin is meeting his brother back in Lanzhou after that, so from wherever we go, I’m going to travel by myself.

I don’t know where exactly, but I’ll go south first (Chengdu? Kunming?), then head east (Guangzhou?) and work my way up the coast. I’m avoiding Beijing, but will end up there in August. Dustin and another American friend, Ellen, are flying out of Beijing within a few days of when I do, so we’re planning to meet up and see each other off.

I know you’re probably thinking it’s not a good idea for me to travel alone, but I want to and I feel safe. Plus, I know I won’t be alone. Every foreign student in China will be traveling like me, so I’ll meet other westerners in the hostels, on the trains, and in the cities. And, wherever I go, I never have any problem meeting Chinese students.

Also, I’m going to keep in close contact with my Chinese friends. I hope to meet up with several of them, and their families all want me to stay with them for a few days.

I’m so excited to travel…