Today was the day we climbed Mt. Huashan. We're talking sheer cliffs, high humidity and lots of stairs to climb. This was seriously our route to getting to the begining of the hike to Mt. Huashan: Bus to Train Station, Train to Huashan, taxi to park entrance, mini bus to gondola, gondola to the mountainside.
This was quite a journey in itself. By the time we got to the gondola we were drenched in sweat. Mt Huashan is one of the 5 sacred mountains in China and is amazing. It reminds me of Yosemite but the mountain peaks are higher. There are old stone steps that wind up and around Mt Huashan. Leavitt and Nat went all the way to East and South Peak.
Remember the movie "Kung Fu Panda"? It's like that, but with more Asian tourists. Leavitt and Nat conquered the mountain by doing what only the bold can do-- walk the plank. Yep, there are these planks and sometimes carved out steps that wind around the sheer cliffs on the mountain face. It would be like walking a very thin walk way that wraps around El Capitan in Yosemite. One bad slip and you will be dropping a few thousand feet to the trees below. I thought Angel's Landing at Zions was wicked-nuts! You can buy a little harness that goes around you in case you do accidently make that slip. As they were walking the planks around the mountain, things got a little more intense when they had to pass people along the way. One dude didn't even have a harness (he had a death wish). My story was a little more tame.
I took my time heading up the mountain and ended up more in the shaded area. It's really unbelievable how many Asian tourists are there. What's worse is that I had more people approach me to take pictures with them than ever before. It got to the point where it was boring just standing there and smiling with them. So I usually whipped out a peace sign or a thumbs up and did some cheesey grin. They would put their arm around me as if we were good friends and just wanted to snap a photo with a white person. Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what they wanted, a soggy white person with unbelievably dirty shorts and a stupid look on their face.
There's no hiding ourselves, people are curious about us North Americans and it's impossible to avoid the constant stares. Which is a bummer, because you can't do anything that could be potentially embarrassing to yourself. So no picking your nose or adjusting your bra in public. Once the three of us met up again we made our way back to the railway station.
Leavitt said it best, "I feel like I'm wearing a wet diaper!" Our clothes were clinging to us and we had flies circling around us. What made us feel better was that we didn't attract nearly the same buggy attention as some of the locals (that would be an ewe factor of 10).
We waited for the train to finally get there after being delayed. Since we don't speak Chinese, everytime the railway lady got on the intercom we would jump up with absolute desperation to hop on to that train. Several times being turned down, we would walk back to our seats, defeated. She then called again for the 4th time, but we didn't want to get our hopes up, we were much to sweaty and tired for that. Then one guy said, "You go". Apparently everyone noticed our multiple rejections and made sure we knew when to get on the train. Our train ride back was interesting.
We met some people our age and somehow it ended up into a mini concert. I had my travel uke on me and so we started busting out jams. You can't beat a Chinese dude singing "Hey Jude" to a ukulele! We got a lot of curious stares and some smiles as well. I think the biggest hit was Surfin USA though-- Nat and I rocked that one.
We finished our night by eating a real chinese dinner. It consisted of noodles that looked like brains, some mushrooms, dumplings, rice and of course my chaser, a Coke. It was good, I love the dumplings and everything else was pretty tasty. Keep in mind, we did avoid the other foods on the menu: eel, chicken feet, duck tongues, abalone, pig tongue and tripe. We'll save that for another day.
Tomorrow is the Terracotta Warrior day and we take the overnight train to Beijing where we actually officially meet up with our group. Oddly enough, we met some girls here at the hostel who will also be taking the same tour (they're from Holland). It should be a lot of fun. These past few days have been so physically demanding with the intensity of the heat and all the running around that we've done.
At the end of the day, we've collapsed on our beds happy. One thing I will say for myself, I am so glad I can't smell very well because those city buses--- oooeee!
Emily the Mountaineer
P.S.Here are some phrases on people's shirts that were obviously poor translations:
"Jenni Girls Smile"
"Original Comfortablement"
"Everting You Want From a Detergent and More"
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
emLogs #04 - Hotter Than Hades
Our overnight train from Xian was something special. After hoping on Natalie's dubbed "C-Train" we got to the station and made a mad dash to our cabin. We slept on the hard beds which meant that they were less expensive and that would make a lot of sense for what it looked like...The cabins are very narrow and there are six beds. Top, middle, bottom and Leavitt and I took the middle bunks. There isn't much softness to the mattresses (I have yet to witness that here in China).
We were dog tired from the whole Shanghai running around tour. So we were absolutely beat.The bathrooms are um... well, lets just put it this way, hole in the ground with a broom off to the corner. The best way I can describe using one is like trying to do your business while riding a surf board. I decided to wait till we got to the hostel.Xian has been a great sight so far. The buildings are so old-- apparently there it used to be China's capital, very cool!
It's hot and humid here as well. When we got off the train I have never felt so gross and sweaty in my life. It got to the point where it didn't matter how sticky and hot I was, everyone was in the same boat as me!
We decided to skip Terracotta Warriors today since our train came in so late. We opted to go to the Muslim Quarter to see some cool mosque. After several hours of wandering the streets of Xian-- no luck finding it. Xian is a beautiful city with old architecture and hidden streets. Mix that with poor maps and you aren't going to find anything! We did the lunch thing and had dumplings, which were great. It was mostly an excuse to escape the heat. I would liken Xian to the hottest day of the year in New York City. High humidity coupled with hot vehicle exaust.
One thing I was excited about was the rickshaws. Those little bikes that can carry two passengers (or really, just one American). Leavitt and Nat decided to give the Muslim mosque a second try, but seeing as my feet completely quit on me, I opted to head back to the hostel. I ended up hoping in one of those rickshaws-- instead of a bike it was a scooter. The guy kept trying to get me to pay 20 yuan, I told him no way and it should be 10 yuan. I gave up and was a push over. At that point, I didn't care.
This heat is like nothing else, it's completely inescapable. Hopefully we will have better luck tomorrow, however they are still saying it will be a very hot day. And people wonder why I lose weight on my trips!
Tomorrow is Mt Huashan hike, I can only imagine what is in store for us tomorrow!
Em the Mayor of Sweatville
We were dog tired from the whole Shanghai running around tour. So we were absolutely beat.The bathrooms are um... well, lets just put it this way, hole in the ground with a broom off to the corner. The best way I can describe using one is like trying to do your business while riding a surf board. I decided to wait till we got to the hostel.Xian has been a great sight so far. The buildings are so old-- apparently there it used to be China's capital, very cool!
It's hot and humid here as well. When we got off the train I have never felt so gross and sweaty in my life. It got to the point where it didn't matter how sticky and hot I was, everyone was in the same boat as me!
We decided to skip Terracotta Warriors today since our train came in so late. We opted to go to the Muslim Quarter to see some cool mosque. After several hours of wandering the streets of Xian-- no luck finding it. Xian is a beautiful city with old architecture and hidden streets. Mix that with poor maps and you aren't going to find anything! We did the lunch thing and had dumplings, which were great. It was mostly an excuse to escape the heat. I would liken Xian to the hottest day of the year in New York City. High humidity coupled with hot vehicle exaust.
One thing I was excited about was the rickshaws. Those little bikes that can carry two passengers (or really, just one American). Leavitt and Nat decided to give the Muslim mosque a second try, but seeing as my feet completely quit on me, I opted to head back to the hostel. I ended up hoping in one of those rickshaws-- instead of a bike it was a scooter. The guy kept trying to get me to pay 20 yuan, I told him no way and it should be 10 yuan. I gave up and was a push over. At that point, I didn't care.
This heat is like nothing else, it's completely inescapable. Hopefully we will have better luck tomorrow, however they are still saying it will be a very hot day. And people wonder why I lose weight on my trips!
Tomorrow is Mt Huashan hike, I can only imagine what is in store for us tomorrow!
Em the Mayor of Sweatville
emLogs #03 - Over Population + High Humidity = Shanghai
What a hot, sweltering day. I am beyond needing a bath, especially since we'll be on a train to Xian tonight (no showers or luxuries like that). Leavitt and I had a surprisingly easy time adjusting to the jet lag-- mostly due to my friend Windy's recommendation to take No Jetlag pills (miracle pills).
Actually, we got a knock on our door last night and we were so dead asleep that we thought it was time to wake up and we would have been okay with it. Until we looked at the time and it was 1:30am. Some guy got his room wrong and knocked on ours. We walked EVERYWHERE around Shanghai and it got perpetually hotter, stickier and smellier. I'll be ready to get out of Shanghai tonight.
It was funny, I was standing at a corner getting some shots of the bustling city. When two guys in robe-like outfits looked at me and said, "Welcome to Shanghai" and I thanked them and shook their hands. He then took my wrist and started to slip on these Buddhist looking bead bracelet on my hand. I thanked him, but was mostly on the confused side. A policeman drove by and quickly pulled over yelling at the guy and demanding that the guys in robes open their bags. Was this a strict communist no no? I had no idea, I fled the scene.
I went over to Leavitt and Nat at the ATM. The two men in robes were surrounded by more policeman and I felt so bad for abandoning them. Eventually the police officer waved for me to come over and I was like, "Huh? What's going on?" Realizing I couldn't make a statement they waved me off. I know, not even 24 hours in the country and I've already managed to cause trouble. We hit up the markets in the downtown area and man haggling is exausting! It's not my favorite, I let Nat do all the work. I got a sweet chess set from 320 yuan to 100 yuan-- then I went and got ripped off on a pair of chopsticks (I didn't have Nat with me). I'm trying to keep purchases to a minimum since i have to pack it around for the next month in a wee backpack.
We took a break for lunch and Leavitt and I hit up the McDonald's. I can honestly say, it tastes the same. Fries to Big Mac, tis the same! Sure there is a McEggroll on the menu, but it's got the basics and no big shockers on there. As we made our way back to the hostel it was a tedious weaving in and out of streets and alley ways. The hot sticky smell from the rotting food on the pavement was something like a garbage dump.
Again, Shanghai is not our cup of Chinese tea. One hilarious thing we started to notice is how many people take pictures of us. I'm not even kidding you, Asian tourists (oh yes, they do exist here and in droves!) have been going nuts taking our pictures. Some have gotten so serious as to have us pose with them. I keep trying to pawn off Nat as Kelly Clarkson-- no go yet.
We'll be jumping on the night train to Xian soon. Tomorrow is Terracotta Warriors day. I hope we can leave this humidity behind, it's not my favorite by any means!
Talk to you all soon!
Em aka the problematic tourist
Friday, July 3, 2009
emLogs #02 - Fun and Games Till Someone Gets Puked On
Leavitt and I got all screwed up with our internal clocks. Even though it was a one our difference then normal we woke up to catch our bus before 7am (we didn't even have to wake up till 8am).
We get to the airport and it turned out there is a 3 our delay for our plane, so we had to hang out at the airport for 6 hours. Fortunately we've got the ukulele and some sleep to keep us occupied! Nat will be picking us up in Shanghai and the poor girl keeps getting mixed signals-- We may have told her to meet us at 5pm, then we realized it was 3pm and now our flight is delayed until 6pm. If I were her, I would let us figure out how to get to the hotel for being travel tarded! Our flight was um... interesting.
Once we got underway it was flying as usual. I didn't think 12 hours would be that bad-- boy was I wrong. I was so bored and what made it worse is the b-movies they showed on the flight. I was sitting across the aisle next to this kid. Out of no where the kid totally ralphed into the aisle. Yep, I got the tail end of that! Fortunately it hit my blanket that I wrapped around my legs (won't be taking that as a souvenier). Yeah, he made a nice little obstacle in the middle of the aisle with a smooth sour scent to it.
It wasn't until later in the flight when I learned two very valuable things while flying:
1. Make sure and seal your barf bag when full
2. Don't put your barf bag in the seat pocket in front of you-- your liable to kick it while sleeping (oh yes he did, all over himself)
It really wasn't the worst flight imaginable. It was more like a very, very long flight. Leavitt was completely oblivious to all these events, she was completely engrossed in her Genghis Khan novel. I found Ralphy McVomit more interesting than our inflight entertainment.
Once we landed they had us stay in our seats and they came by with these laser things and checked our temperatures. People in full on quarantine suits came through our cabin and checked us-- don't worry, I totally got pictures!
Nat was waiting for us dutifully at the airport with a sign saying: Welcome to China Shrek and Donkey! It was very cute. We're in our hostel here in Shanghai and it's surprisingly decent. It's really unbelievable that we're here-- that we're half way around the world!
Well I better get to sleep, I think we've been officially up for 24 hours and oddly enough I haven't hit that wall yet. Tomorrow were going to run around Shanghai and then catch our night train to Xian!
Talk to you all soon!
Emily aka the vomit victim
We get to the airport and it turned out there is a 3 our delay for our plane, so we had to hang out at the airport for 6 hours. Fortunately we've got the ukulele and some sleep to keep us occupied! Nat will be picking us up in Shanghai and the poor girl keeps getting mixed signals-- We may have told her to meet us at 5pm, then we realized it was 3pm and now our flight is delayed until 6pm. If I were her, I would let us figure out how to get to the hotel for being travel tarded! Our flight was um... interesting.
Once we got underway it was flying as usual. I didn't think 12 hours would be that bad-- boy was I wrong. I was so bored and what made it worse is the b-movies they showed on the flight. I was sitting across the aisle next to this kid. Out of no where the kid totally ralphed into the aisle. Yep, I got the tail end of that! Fortunately it hit my blanket that I wrapped around my legs (won't be taking that as a souvenier). Yeah, he made a nice little obstacle in the middle of the aisle with a smooth sour scent to it.
It wasn't until later in the flight when I learned two very valuable things while flying:
1. Make sure and seal your barf bag when full
2. Don't put your barf bag in the seat pocket in front of you-- your liable to kick it while sleeping (oh yes he did, all over himself)
It really wasn't the worst flight imaginable. It was more like a very, very long flight. Leavitt was completely oblivious to all these events, she was completely engrossed in her Genghis Khan novel. I found Ralphy McVomit more interesting than our inflight entertainment.
Once we landed they had us stay in our seats and they came by with these laser things and checked our temperatures. People in full on quarantine suits came through our cabin and checked us-- don't worry, I totally got pictures!
Nat was waiting for us dutifully at the airport with a sign saying: Welcome to China Shrek and Donkey! It was very cute. We're in our hostel here in Shanghai and it's surprisingly decent. It's really unbelievable that we're here-- that we're half way around the world!
Well I better get to sleep, I think we've been officially up for 24 hours and oddly enough I haven't hit that wall yet. Tomorrow were going to run around Shanghai and then catch our night train to Xian!
Talk to you all soon!
Emily aka the vomit victim
emLogs #01 - Capilano Bridge
We made it to Vancouver and was surprised to see sunny skies (Salt Lake has been throwing me off with all the rain). Then Vancouver did a very Vancouver thing and rained on us.
Leavitt and I dropped our stuff at the hotel and headed to Capilano bridge-- the largest suspension bridge of some sort. There is a lot to see there, but the most entertaining thing was watching this poor Asian woman weep and wail her way across the large suspension bridge. By the time you get to the middle it is swaying back and forth above a large gorge-- very Indiana Jones.
She death gripped the sides and her husband had to drag her forward the whole time. I did hear some kids start crying, but it was nothing like this lady. Hmm, I never did see if she made it back to the other side.
Capilano Suspension Bridge is an awesome place, it's the northern part with huge douglas firs and suspension bridge trails that weave through the treetops! I seriously expecting some ewoks to show up (or Cylons, vampires or MacGyver depending on how big of a nerd you are).
By the time we headed back to the ferry, Leavitt and I were pretty hungry. We went to this great Japanese restaurant and had the whole place to ourselves! We decided to do the seafood thing since we were in a seafood hot spot.
We had a great time running around downtown Vancouver. It's almost 9pm and we're already dead tired. Tomorrow we take off at noon and take our 12 hour flight to Shanghai. I hope that Asian lady won't be on the flight, we'll have to sedate her with alcohol!
- Em
Leavitt and I dropped our stuff at the hotel and headed to Capilano bridge-- the largest suspension bridge of some sort. There is a lot to see there, but the most entertaining thing was watching this poor Asian woman weep and wail her way across the large suspension bridge. By the time you get to the middle it is swaying back and forth above a large gorge-- very Indiana Jones.
She death gripped the sides and her husband had to drag her forward the whole time. I did hear some kids start crying, but it was nothing like this lady. Hmm, I never did see if she made it back to the other side.
Capilano Suspension Bridge is an awesome place, it's the northern part with huge douglas firs and suspension bridge trails that weave through the treetops! I seriously expecting some ewoks to show up (or Cylons, vampires or MacGyver depending on how big of a nerd you are).
By the time we headed back to the ferry, Leavitt and I were pretty hungry. We went to this great Japanese restaurant and had the whole place to ourselves! We decided to do the seafood thing since we were in a seafood hot spot.
We had a great time running around downtown Vancouver. It's almost 9pm and we're already dead tired. Tomorrow we take off at noon and take our 12 hour flight to Shanghai. I hope that Asian lady won't be on the flight, we'll have to sedate her with alcohol!
- Em
Saturday, June 20, 2009
emLogs #00 - Shut Up and Go Already
Hi!
As some of you may know (because I haven’t shut up about it for the last 9 months) We’re headed on the Transsiberian Railway-- Shanghai to St. Petersberg.
There is definitely a “we” to this group. My friend Leavitt and I were mission companions down in Argentina and after half a decade I’m not sure which one of us is crazier (my money is on the Canadian). Post-mission we never got in the habit of calling each other by our first names. If anything, she calls me Donkey-- as in Donkey from Shrek. It’s well deserved as in, I never shut up.
We’ll be meeting up with her sister Natalie in Shanghai who has been there for the past 4 months studying Asian massage. Once there, the journey through the orient begins!
I’ll do my best to keep everyone updated on our travels! Mental hugs :)
-Em
Friday, June 19, 2009
emLogs Transsiberian
Countdown begins and we'll be on our way on the Transsiberian Railway! I'll posting soon!
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