The Magic Slope

Just outside of the city of Shenyang is a “magic slope” which, as you could probably guess, is not magic. But of course, I had to go check it out.

Everyone I talked to about it in Shenyang described it as an anti-gravity hill in which you effortlessly go up, but going down you must work as if you were going up. I was picturing a road on a grassy hill, but was bracing myself for another Chinese-ified tourist attraction.

As I neared the entrance gate to the magic slope, I was pleased to note that I was in a hilly, grassy region that smelled like summer in Ohio. But actually at the magic slope I found a flat track only about 20 meters long. They had bicycles to use, but the first time through the track I walked.

I didn’t notice anything.

On the bike, half of the way I had to pedal, the last half it felt like I was rolling down a hill. Not only did I not have to pedal, I was gaining speed.

So I guess it was pretty cool, but it was not a slope whatsoever. And I never for a second imagined it to be magic.

Hotels

I arrived in Tongliao by train at 4:30 a.m. on July 31st. I found a run-of-the-mill, cheap hotel near the train station and immediately took a nap in my room. I woke up, did some laundry in the sink of the community bathroom, checked to see if there was a shower (none), hung up my clothes to dry in my room, and went out to discover what Tongliao was all about.

I came back to my room in the afternoon to grab a few things. I checked my drying clothes, and that’s when I noticed the cockroaches coming out from the door frame.

Alarming? Not to me anymore. I’m used to this. It’s just a normal Chinese budget hotel.

I came back to my room at night. As I was brushing my teeth, several people were trying to wash large planks of some sort in the sink next to mine. They stared at me because I’m a foreigner, but they were the ones washing two-by-fours in a little sink, not me.

Luckily, it was hot in my room so I didn’t have to use the unwashed comforter provided for me. In fact, I even wanted the fan blowing on me (there was a fan!!!). After I got in bed, I realized there was no light switch in the room.

It was in the hallway.

I woke up in the middle of the night. Half a minute later, I heard several loud Chinese men yelling in the hall. And I noticed my fan was not working. The power had gone out.

In the morning, I used the light of my cell phone to make my way to my door. Out in the hallway, I hit the light switch. I had forgotten about there being no electricity.

So, I used my cell phone to get ready and to pack up my bag. I took a train to Shenyang and arrived that afternoon. I splurged and spent Y40 on a hotel with a shower. A community shower. But it was worth it.

Travel Update

It's hard to get online while traveling! Here's a quick update of what I've been up to and where I plan to go:

After staying with my friend Bei, I took a bus to Yulin where there is a cool section of the Great Wall as well as some rock gorges that have Buddhist temples in them. From Yulin I took a bus to Taiyuan where my friend Lei lives. We visited the ancient city of Pingyao together.

From Taiyuan I took a train to Datong and saw the "hanging temples" on a mountainside as well as more Buddhist caves. I arrived in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, where I am currently, by train from Datong yesterday afternoon.

This afternoon I'm taking a train to Baotou, also in Inner Mongolia. From Baotou I would like to take a train overnight to Tongliao, then on to Shenyang, and then to Dandong. Dandong is on the border with North Korea and seems like a very interesting city. After Dandong, I plan to go to Beijing and stay for a few days before flying home!

Based on the past few weeks of traveling, I'm sure these plans will change!