Qingcheng Shan Day 1
I spent the night before last in the hostel having drinks with the Scots and Irish again. I think they may be a tad homophobic? They only made one gay crack but they're so friendly it's too tough to tell what they might think about it. Either way, I haven't come out to them because they haven't asked any questions where I could give a casual answer like "boyfriend". The Scots invited me to climb Qingcheng Shan with them yesterday, but we stayed up drinking until 2:00 a.m. and I couldn't do it on 3 hours of sleep.
Instead, I went to the post office and sent some packages, then walked south to the opposite side of the city moat for Indian food at Cacaja restaurant and followed it up with a drink from Dave's Oasis. Dave, the proprietor, tells me that tea stores are distributed throughout the city and there is no "tea street" as such. I believe it! I gave in and bought Conor a gaiwan set and some Zhu Ye Qing. Few stores here have any interesting pu'er, so that's the end of my tea shopping in Chengdu, I think. Any green tea I bought for myself would go stale waiting for me to arrive home.
I sat at Dave's Oasis for a while, mostly feeling sad at my progress so far. While I'm having a great time in Chengdu and a good time in China overall, I don't feel any closer to...whatever I hope to discover about myself and my life. I want a revelation or even some small "eureka!" I was also feeling upset about not making good friends that I can keep after I return, and for not having had great group experiences. But I realize that I'm here to find myself, not for a group vacation, and not to seek/find validation from a group. Secondly, the Scots and Irish seem to like me enough even if they relate better to one another for sharing a British background. I am meeting people, like Pedro, and even if they're not going to be a lifelong friend, the experience is no less significant and I'm no less grateful for it.
I miss home but I press on. Mountains await! Qingcheng Shan today and tomorrow, and then Le Shan, Emei Shan, and maybe trekking in the mountains in Songpan.
Last night after Dave's, I should add, I had dinner with Gary and Larry, the two Irish, at a local hotpot joint that served a terrible silkie chicken hotpot that had 3 chicken heads in it. From there we headed back to Dave's for another watery drink and a game of cards (we played a game called "shithead"), then headed to Hemp House for another drink. At midnight I said my goodbyes to them, wished them well on their travels in case we didn't meet again. I had to get enough sleep for Qingcheng Shan, which I climbed today.
PIC: View from Qingcheng Shan
A rainforested mountain with long steep stone-stepped paths and raw wooden and tiled structures all covered in cloud and mist, Qingcheng Shan emanates an ethereal beauty. Walking along ridges I stared into walls of white mist to see only gray silhouettes of peaks and trees. I met two nice Chinese during the ascent, a woman who spoke good English and then a man who spoke almost none. The latter guided me to the peak. Walking through clouds, rain, and dripping trees soaked me by the time I reserved my room for the night. I booked a private room at Shanqing Gong, a Taoist temple just below the peak with good food and electric blankets and moths and spiders. It's cozy.
PIC (above): Gate at Qingcheng Shan
PIC (below): Guesthouse and Monk's Quarters, Shanqing Gong, Qingcheng Shan
The statues so far look the same as those at other Chengdu temples, but the "old China" feel combined with the aura of "mystic China" made for a surreal and wonderful experience. The one good statue for its large size was the enormous statue of Lao Ze on his buffalo. Walking up to the statue I saw an incredible bird, about the size of a large crow, but decorated with white and black feathers. Startled into flight as I approached it, I saw the bird's yellow and red belly and underwing feathers. I was alone and the bird, mist, and raw wood pagoda made it overwhelmingly beautiful to experience. What a place!
PIC: Temple Eave, Qingcheng Shan
Finally I've successfully learned the proper techniques to use squat toilets. They make me feel like an animal when I hear the sound of excrement on ceramic while squatting. I can see why porcelain toilets are so comfortable for us; using them is a very physical way of reinforcing our "humanity."
PICS: Pathway on Qingcheng Shan
I turned on the electric blanket on the second bed and put my wet clothes on it to dry overnight, then headed out to the pavilion above Shanqing to drink tea. I drank some Zhu Ye Qing grown on the mountain--much less subtle stuff than I'd previously tasted, so possibly less fresh, but it infused endlessly. The highlight of the experience was not the tea, but instead meeting the woman who served it. I drank most of my infusions in silence watching the mist and rain roll over the buildings and trees outside and disappear, waves of mist appearing and disappearing. Eventually I became curious about the other teas they served, so I asked to see them. This turned into a Chinese lesson, and finally I found myself having dinner with her, her husband, and her daughter. We managed to have a "conversation" through my hit-and-miss understanding of their Chinese and lots of gesturing. We ate several small spicy dishes, rice, and a main course of pork fat, lotus root, soybean, ginger, and something that turned it all black-blue in color. I liked it all, and loved having so many positive experiences with Chinese people on the mountain. Just sitting, having tea, watching the clouds roll and listening to the rain was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon. The dinner and people I met were just sauce!
PIC: Yinyang and Bagua, Qingcheng Shan
I thought of going out later to stargaze but the temperature is too cold and I haven't a flashlight. Now, I'm snuggled up in my bed listening to raucous Taoist monks yell over cards and chess, happy to have this electric blanket. Tomorrow I explore the other side of the mountain before heading back to Chengdu.
I hear what sounds like fireworks...?
PIC (above): Rooftops and trees, Qingcheng Shan
PIC (below): We all have a burden to carry...some larger than others, and some up 1200 meters of stairs...
MISC PICS: Qingcheng Shan main gate, temple staircase, wooden gate, grave markers, temple through the trees, enormous bee (2 inches long, an inch or so wide!)
Instead, I went to the post office and sent some packages, then walked south to the opposite side of the city moat for Indian food at Cacaja restaurant and followed it up with a drink from Dave's Oasis. Dave, the proprietor, tells me that tea stores are distributed throughout the city and there is no "tea street" as such. I believe it! I gave in and bought Conor a gaiwan set and some Zhu Ye Qing. Few stores here have any interesting pu'er, so that's the end of my tea shopping in Chengdu, I think. Any green tea I bought for myself would go stale waiting for me to arrive home.
I sat at Dave's Oasis for a while, mostly feeling sad at my progress so far. While I'm having a great time in Chengdu and a good time in China overall, I don't feel any closer to...whatever I hope to discover about myself and my life. I want a revelation or even some small "eureka!" I was also feeling upset about not making good friends that I can keep after I return, and for not having had great group experiences. But I realize that I'm here to find myself, not for a group vacation, and not to seek/find validation from a group. Secondly, the Scots and Irish seem to like me enough even if they relate better to one another for sharing a British background. I am meeting people, like Pedro, and even if they're not going to be a lifelong friend, the experience is no less significant and I'm no less grateful for it.
I miss home but I press on. Mountains await! Qingcheng Shan today and tomorrow, and then Le Shan, Emei Shan, and maybe trekking in the mountains in Songpan.
Last night after Dave's, I should add, I had dinner with Gary and Larry, the two Irish, at a local hotpot joint that served a terrible silkie chicken hotpot that had 3 chicken heads in it. From there we headed back to Dave's for another watery drink and a game of cards (we played a game called "shithead"), then headed to Hemp House for another drink. At midnight I said my goodbyes to them, wished them well on their travels in case we didn't meet again. I had to get enough sleep for Qingcheng Shan, which I climbed today.
PIC: View from Qingcheng Shan
A rainforested mountain with long steep stone-stepped paths and raw wooden and tiled structures all covered in cloud and mist, Qingcheng Shan emanates an ethereal beauty. Walking along ridges I stared into walls of white mist to see only gray silhouettes of peaks and trees. I met two nice Chinese during the ascent, a woman who spoke good English and then a man who spoke almost none. The latter guided me to the peak. Walking through clouds, rain, and dripping trees soaked me by the time I reserved my room for the night. I booked a private room at Shanqing Gong, a Taoist temple just below the peak with good food and electric blankets and moths and spiders. It's cozy.
PIC (above): Gate at Qingcheng Shan
PIC (below): Guesthouse and Monk's Quarters, Shanqing Gong, Qingcheng Shan
The statues so far look the same as those at other Chengdu temples, but the "old China" feel combined with the aura of "mystic China" made for a surreal and wonderful experience. The one good statue for its large size was the enormous statue of Lao Ze on his buffalo. Walking up to the statue I saw an incredible bird, about the size of a large crow, but decorated with white and black feathers. Startled into flight as I approached it, I saw the bird's yellow and red belly and underwing feathers. I was alone and the bird, mist, and raw wood pagoda made it overwhelmingly beautiful to experience. What a place!
PIC: Temple Eave, Qingcheng Shan
Finally I've successfully learned the proper techniques to use squat toilets. They make me feel like an animal when I hear the sound of excrement on ceramic while squatting. I can see why porcelain toilets are so comfortable for us; using them is a very physical way of reinforcing our "humanity."
PICS: Pathway on Qingcheng Shan
I turned on the electric blanket on the second bed and put my wet clothes on it to dry overnight, then headed out to the pavilion above Shanqing to drink tea. I drank some Zhu Ye Qing grown on the mountain--much less subtle stuff than I'd previously tasted, so possibly less fresh, but it infused endlessly. The highlight of the experience was not the tea, but instead meeting the woman who served it. I drank most of my infusions in silence watching the mist and rain roll over the buildings and trees outside and disappear, waves of mist appearing and disappearing. Eventually I became curious about the other teas they served, so I asked to see them. This turned into a Chinese lesson, and finally I found myself having dinner with her, her husband, and her daughter. We managed to have a "conversation" through my hit-and-miss understanding of their Chinese and lots of gesturing. We ate several small spicy dishes, rice, and a main course of pork fat, lotus root, soybean, ginger, and something that turned it all black-blue in color. I liked it all, and loved having so many positive experiences with Chinese people on the mountain. Just sitting, having tea, watching the clouds roll and listening to the rain was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon. The dinner and people I met were just sauce!
PIC: Yinyang and Bagua, Qingcheng Shan
I thought of going out later to stargaze but the temperature is too cold and I haven't a flashlight. Now, I'm snuggled up in my bed listening to raucous Taoist monks yell over cards and chess, happy to have this electric blanket. Tomorrow I explore the other side of the mountain before heading back to Chengdu.
I hear what sounds like fireworks...?
PIC (above): Rooftops and trees, Qingcheng Shan
PIC (below): We all have a burden to carry...some larger than others, and some up 1200 meters of stairs...
MISC PICS: Qingcheng Shan main gate, temple staircase, wooden gate, grave markers, temple through the trees, enormous bee (2 inches long, an inch or so wide!)