My China Journal
Finally have some time to post this...
TL;DR version
Full photo set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29314661@N02/sets/72157630892932986/
THE PLACES: Really neat, culturally. We went to Beijing, Deng Feng/Shaolin, Wudang Mountain, and Xi'an. I saw Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, part of the Great Wall, Shaolin Temple (and got to join morning prayers there), Mount Song and Da Mo's cave, the stone buddhas of Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple, Wudang's Temples (Purple Cloud, Golden, Cliffside, Fuzhen), Xi'an's City Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, The Great Mosque of Xi'an, and Big Goose Pagoda.
THE FOOD: A Big disappointment. Very little of it felt authentic, and most of it was very Westernized (orange chicken, french fries, sweet and sour), with the exception of Wudang Mountain, which was the best tasting by far. I didn't try any street food because I wasn't up to date on my shots, and I was already having gastric issues. Food stores were EXACTLY like Ranch 99/Generic Asian Supermarket.
THE KUNG FU: The workouts were strenuous but very good, and left me feeling good. I learned 3 sets, and might even remember parts of two of them, with a little prodding and practice. I came back feeling a little less flabby due to all the walking/working out/sweating, and it apparently showed, as I got a few compliments.
THE PEOPLE: The Chinese were exceedingly friendly, and loved to wave and say HALLOO! They were tickled pink every time you replied with "Ni Hao!" The street vendors were everywhere and super annoying, but I got used to them by Shaolin/Deng Feng. Beijing and Xi'an were 'shining' examples of BIG CITY LIFE, which I can do without.
For those who like reading, here's the journal in full.
FOREWARD: I apologize for the negativity in this journal. I started out by having some pretty serious holes punched in my preconceptions, as well as still dealing with my ongoing depression issues. As a result, my impression of things tended to be very skewed. My memories of things are far brighter in my head than I put down in my journal. Maybe that's just the nature of things. I don't want to give the impression that I didn't enjoy it; I did.
7/10-7/11
Woke up with the sun. Couldn't sleep, wracked by the usual pre-travel anxieties. Got up, took out the trash, packed up last minute items, then tried to kill time before heading to the old kwoon, then to the train station from there.
The Caltrain ride was uneventful but long. Getting into SFO, we waited for the rest of the tour group before checking in, but they never showed, so we got breakfast instead. Mmm, breakfast. We eventually checked in and entered the terminal and found everyone there already. A lot of faces and names I've forgotten already, about 30 people total. Nice folks though, even some big people, and so I find myself worrying a bit less about being fat. I took two sad attempts at pictures. C'mon, Rev, take some pictures with feeling.
First leg of the flight was long (about 11h, if I recall) but uneventful. Watched The Lorax (okay), Wrath of the Titans (okay), Ghost Rider 2 (bad). Read a tiny bit. Korea Air is a really nice airline, with lots of snack, drinks, and food. The food itself was good, but tiny. I didn't have much time for reflection as I spent most of the time trying in vain to sleep. I've never been able to sleep comfortably sitting up.
Second leg of the flight was rushed. The plane debarked at 5:30. Board time for next flight was also 5:30!! Also, we had to go through ANOTHER security check point before getting to the transfer terminal, where we finally boarded, just on time.
The flight was short and sweet (about 1:40), and yet another tasty, tiny meal, some sort of beef and noodle dish. I read a bit and again tried to sleep.
Arrival in Beijing was no-nonsense. Immigration was easy, customs was super fast (no line; it was very late), then we all got on a giant tour bus and met our guide for the next two days. He introduced himself as Nicholas (Nick) and explained to us about water quality (in short, don't drink anything that doesn't come out of a sealed bottle), the prevalence of counterfeit money, and the necessity of keeping our passports safe. After a 40 minute bus ride through 10pm Beijing rush hour, we got to our super posh hotel room, then wandered down the street to get bottles of water. We got back, I sent some "I'm Fine" emails on the free Internet (!!), and went to bed.
7/12
No sleep. Tossed and turned in the miserable heat and rock hard bed and eventually gave up and read. Alarm finally went off and we were up and about and down to get a weird breakfast of pseudo westernish stuff like baked beans, pizza, fruit, naan-ike flapjacks, fried noodles, and tea eggs. The coffee was good, and I drank too much of it.
Next I tried to change my traveller's checks. Uh, no dice. The hotel exchange doesn't accept them. They tried to recommend the bank across the street, but they were closed. We talked to Nick, and he said that the Bank of China was pretty much the only place to exchange travelers checks, and that it was 'complicated'. The Hotel ATM was also busted, so I changed the $25 in American Dollars I had (I actually had $35, but one of the $10s had been counterfeit pen'd, and the exchange desk refused it for some stupid reason) and left extremely frustrated.
Tiananmen Square was…big and full full FULL of people. The buildings were neat, but I wasn't struck by anything spectacular except the seething mass of humanity and the scale of everything. The Communists like to make things big. The Forbidden city was much the same, old, run-down, hot, and thronging with the sweaty masses and random street vendors trying to sell you everything from paper fans to popsicles to water to photos printed on the spot (I shit you not, they carried portable photo printers in satchels). There weren't even tons of dragons. Again, I was struck by the sheer amount of humanity rushing through the place. This doesn't mean it didn't have it's charm, as the architecture and designs of the buildings was pretty spiffy, and the culture involved was very deep. It was just overshadowed.
Lunch was "Traditional Lum" and by that I mean it tasted like cheap Chinese crap I get in California. No Napkins or AC either, so it was extra hard to enjoy as we sat packed around too-small tables and sweated to death.
Next was pearl shopping. That was a waste of time for me, but the Bermudans loved it. After that we went to the Summer Palace, which turned out to be another Tourist Trap. Yes, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace are all tourist traps, roiling with the worst humanity has to offer. Pushy people with no space, people shoving things in your face and shouting "5 YUAN! 5 YUAN!", and all the look of a poorly-kept amusement park. Again, the place DID have a certain cultural charm, but there were just too many people.
Dinner was again like cheap stuff you get in the Bay Area. But at least this time there was AC, so it was marginally enjoyable. About this time I realized that I also had preconceptions about the food, and I came to accept that I was only going to get more disappointed if I held on to them too tightly.
There have been no deep insights yet, no new thoughts as a result of dragging myself out of my comfort zone. Beijing itself is a seething pile of BIG CITY (and I hate big cities), and it won't be a place I miss when we leave it. If any place felt like the fall (or ultimate evolution) of humanity, this place is it.
I go to bed tonight realizing that I must have had too many preconceptions about what this trip was going to be. There was a vision in my head, and this wasn't it.
7/13
Today was better, if more strenuous. Breakfast was the same, but I'm getting used to it. I love it when they put out the noodles. I love fried noodles. We started out very slow, as a good portion of our group is very, uh, unmotivated, and seemed unhurried about leaving their rooms and the breakfast buffet on time. We finally got going and visited a silk factory which was neat but ultimately a waste for me (I have no need for silk, and what was I going to buy with $25 in yuan, anyway?!). Lunch was more of the mediocrity I've been getting used to. Maybe Beijing just has crappy food. (In retrospect, I believe this is the case; as the site of the 2008 Olympics, I think many of the large restaurants went Western to cater to unadventurous pallets) We finally got to the Great Wall, where I, perhaps unwisely, embarked on a rather strenous hike along a section of the Great Wall of China. Pretty impressive place, but once again full of vendors and tourists. It felt like less of a trap, though. The hike was rough, composed of many large steps, and my legs hurt like hell. I knew I was going to pay for the hike when we got to Shaolin, but what's done is done.
After sweating my balls off, we went back into Beijing and went to a tea shop called Dr. Tea, where they sold us tea. It was pretty delicious. And the saleslady made many jokes with a perfectly straight face, like not to hold your pinky out when drinking tea because it made you a sissy, and how they had a special clay man to test water temperature called a PeePee Boy. Then we rushed to a really mediocre dinner, then to the airport, where we got on THE HOTTEST 737 ever. The AC was super anemic. I slept, but woke up pouring sweat every time I started to nod off. The subsequent bus ride was somewhat terrifying as the bus transmission seemed on the verge of detonation.
And now here we are at Shaolin proper, and all I can focus on is how ghetto this hotel room is. Mouse poop on the floor, a wall-mounted on-demand hot water heater, paint peeling off the walls and ceiling, and the view of a ditch out the back window. I hope I feel better in the morning.
7/14
Typical Chinese breakfast (noodles, bao, tea eggs, a few other things), then 4 hours of Shaolin training and I feel like I've been hit by a bus. It's a good kind of being hit by a bus, but a bus nonetheless. Still no massive epiphanies though. Maybe I was letting too much ride on that expectation. No, I definitely was. Still, I'm feeling good.
Practice itself was 30-40 minutes of hard core conditioning (led, oddly enough, but Oliver, rather than a monk), and then 1.5 hours of training a set. First practice was from 9 to 11, followed by lunch at noon, then a second practice from 2 to 4, same format.
Tonight, Shaolin demo, dinner, and blind masseuse, then possibly an early night.
The Shaolin demonstration was neat but very wushu. A lot of flips and jumping and wobbly tinfoil weapons. Still very neat. The massage ended up being a normal massage (not blind) but very painful. Will not go again. I guess that's the nature of a Chinese medicinal massage, though. They really beat the crap out of you!
7/15
Breakfast, then morning training again, same format. Set is getting more complex, and I'm getting the usual brain farts. Should have done beginner class, maybe, instead of intermediate? No, their set looks plenty complicated, too.
Went to the Bank of China at lunch, but no traveller's check cashing because it's Sunday. Very frustrating! However, I took money out of the ATM instead, which actually worked. Finally have cash and can stop mooching!
Afternoon training session was frustrating. Same brain farts. After training we showered and rested and went to a kung fu school for a tour. Then we went shopping along a strip of street that was nearly all weapons and gear stores, but they didn't have anything that called out to me. Then off to a very Westernized dinner, then to a supermarket that was just like Ranch 99 (a local asian supermarket), but more compact.
Came back, practiced the set with Kannik under a lamp to the ever-present sound of cicadas, did bachelor laundry (showered with my clothes on then hung them up to dry), then went to bed.
7/16
Day 3 of Shaolin Wushu Guan. Practice went okay. Did solo practice for the monk and did alright. We finished the first set (8 Star Fist, I think) and started learning Set Number 2: Continuous Boxing Fist.
Went shopping for beads, saw some nice ones but made no decisions yet. Went to the front of Shaolin Temple. Neat but touristy again, and packed with people. I'm getting used to it, though, and to the vendors ("5 yuan! 5 yuan!"). Went to Pagoda Forest next, right next to Shaolin Temple, which had lots of stone memorial pagodas and more tourists. Walked back to the hotel, bought some new kung fu shoes on the way, had some dinner, and went to bed feeling sickish.
7/17
Day 4 training went well. Individual testing again, and I managed to muddle through. The new set is better/more fun (and less esoteric) than the first. Still feeling pretty sick.
Hot water died in the shower. Time for a cold one. This is going to be great for my feeling sick. Then buying some beads for real and then lunch. Will skip afternoon class so I have energy for the long hike to Da Mo's (Bodhidharma) cave. Dinner at Westernized Chinese food again tonight. I think I got sick off them the other night, in addition to you other sick feeling.
Got some incense-scented black beads. They have a nice color to them. To me, I think they'll signify a personal commitment to staying present. I ended up NOT skipping afternoon training. I was just feeling too good. I muddled through the forms once again.
The hike to Da Mo's cave was grueling. It was like taking a walk up stairs for 60 minutes in the Chinese humidity. We even passed several vendor stands in the high hills, which is amazing since they have to carry all their goods up there each and every day. I almost gave up the hike several times, but I made it to the cave, and I kowtowed at the shrine to Da Mo, then enjoyed the usual feeling of elation after an arduous hike. I didn't quite make it to the top, and the statue of Da Mo, but IMO, I think I got close enough, and my goal was only to make it to the cave anyway. The trip back was uneventful and fast (down steps is much faster than up!), and spent talking about the concept of the passage of time vs being present with Oliver. Afterward, we went to that Westernized dinner again, then hit the supermarket once more to stock up for our impending trip to Wudang Mountain.
7/18
Slept badly due to horrible diarrhea. Woke up at 4:30am to get ready to visit Shaolin Temple. Wasn't sure I'd make it, but Immodium saved my ass big time. Here's to you, Immodium!
Got to Shaolin Temple on time. Quiet, serene, no tourists. We quietly made our way to the Grand Hall at the center, and there we actually JOINED in morning prayer! It was mind-blowing. They brought out extra benches and cushions and seemed more than accommodating to us Western interlopers. It lasted a long time, roughly an hour, and even some of the monks were yawning, but it was so worth it. Afterward, they locked up the Grand Hall and we wandered the temple grounds, taking pictures and otherwise lost in our own little worlds.
We made our way back, where I skipped breakfast and ate a cliff bar due to paranoia about my bowels, then went to our final training session. I had absolutely no energy left to give, and after a thankfully short conditioning warmup, we took some pictures with our masters, then practiced our sets for a short while, before finally ending early. Amusingly, I think Monk Zhang Yong (our instructor) took as many pictures of us as we took of him. He show'd a lot of youth and humanity, which amused me, because of the image of Shaolin Monks being harassed, elite badasses. The Bermudans also presented a plaque to both the monks training us, and to Sifu Lam, thanking them for all their time and effort.
Afterward, I did a bit more shopping: bought a fan, bought some beads for Kiteless, and bought a little jade laughing buddha for dad. Then we went to Longmen Grotto, a horrid, hot place full of more tourists. There were sooooooooo many stone buddhas though, from 2cm to 17.4cm tall. Alas, I was in the bathroom during the 17.4m viewing, but my diarrhea problems, lack of food, dehydration, and lack of sleep made it hard for me to care. After Longmen, we went to White Horse Temple, so named for the horses that carried the original Buddhist texts to China for translation. It was a simple place, and would have been more pleasant if not for my mood and the pervasive heat. We eventually headed to dinner at Dragon and Phoenix, at which I ate only white rice and plain boa due to my stomach. Bed came easily.
7/19
Woke up because I was cold. COLD! The AC was working for once!
We checked out early and ate breakfast, then piled on the bus for the 6-hour ride to Wudang Shan. Jackied Chen provided us with asian pears and bananas, and we were still supplied from the super-market stop 2 nights prior. I didn't eat much, either at breakfast or on the bus, for fear of my bowels acting up again. I spent most of the bus ride reading, with little spurts of poor sleep, all of this interspersed with stops at identical-seeming truck stops, complete with vile-smelling bathrooms and a small, well-stocked quickie mart.
After approximately 6 hours we stopped to meet our new tour guide and for a tasty lunch at a place in the Wudang Mountain Area, then piled our luggage into two terrifyingly small cargo trucks, and got onto another bus for Wudang. After a hair-raising ride on a bus, we stopped at an area with a kung fu demo that was already in progress. We watched that until it was over, then headed back to the bus area.
Several buses later we made it to our hotel with out new guide, Helen. Jackie is still around, somewhere. After a quick stop for some photos (long distance) of Cliffside Palace, we went to the hotel and unpacked and relaxed before having a tasty dinner, then an early sleep. (Wudang would prove to have the best food of the trip, likely because they were so out of the way, they weren't terribly influenced by super-westernization)
7/20
Woke up early as usual. Waited for the alarm, then headed down to breakfast, typical fare, but with more noodles. After breakfast, we changed and met in front of the hotel. It turns out the one of the training options was to be a straight sword set, so Oliver and I rushed across the street and bought 70 yuan swords, which was roughly $10. In retrospect, I should have stuck with the hand set (due to the insane complexity of the sword set), but it's all good.
We piled into a bus and headed to Purple Cloud Temple, where, after watching Monk Wang De-Ming demo the sets, we proceeded to be rapidly taught a sword form. 2 hours flew by, and after training (amidst some off filming and fire drills by giggling temple monks), we hopped back on the bus with our Master, and headed back to the hotel where we had a delicious lunch. Wudang food is so much better!
We were given some time to rest before heading out to view the GOlden Palace. It was built on top of Wudang by Imperial order, and 300k people had to carry all the pieces up to build it. We took 2 buses to get to the cable cars, and by this time we were already in the clouds. The cable cars took us up to the temple proper, where we ascended 9 long flights of steps to reach the summit and the shrine to the black dragon water god of Northern China. After resting and taking pictures (and some shopping) we headed back down the steps and down the cable cars. After a little shopping (okay, a long while shopping), we took a bus back to the hotel with a short tea-tasting (and shopping) break on the way back. Kannik and I did a little stall shopping, but only bought water from a nice guy who gave us mung bean popsicles in thanks for spending money at his booth. Dinner was good and afterward the group headed to the lobby to practice bagua, while I returned to my room to relax and record the day's activities.
7/21
Breakfast was good but short. I took a lovely little nap right afterward.
The sword set continues. As expected, I began to get stuck on the new movements, as they were very rushed and esoteric. I muddled through, but I don't have much hope for tomorrow. (Stay present, dammit!) After training I showered, rested a bit, then had lunch. After lunch, I napped again, then we headed to watch the Wudang Kung Fu Demo again in its entirety, near Monkey Valley. I took lots of pictures. We would have explored Monkey Valley, but the monkeys apparently don't like little children, and we had a couple with the group.
After the demo we went to Fuzhen Palace with a very small group of people still interested in seeing the sights. It was a quiet, contemplative place, a 1500 year old temple to a scholarly god. After sweating a lot, and exploring a bit, we headed back for dinner and then downtime, where I read and relaxed and wrote in my journal.
7/22
Woke up at the usual time for breakfast, then prepped for our final training session with the Wudang Master, this time in the rain. We TORE through what remained of the set. I eventually dropped out and just took pictures because I couldn't keep up. The remaining group eventually finished the whole set, while I snapped shots of them practicing.
We rested a bit, then had lunch, then rested again and headed to Purple Cloud Temple a second time. I loaned Kannik 300 Yuan to buy a huge singing bowl, which we had been unable to find up to that point. It was funny, as he lusted over a large one, the vendor busted out an even LARGER one, which he ended up buying. We headed back and then walked the short distance to the Cliffside Palace and the Stone Temple (Nanyan Gong) within. This is the temple with the incense burner from the new Karate Kid movie. After wandering around a bit, taking pictures and hearing stories of the place's legends and origins we headed back for dinner and packing of luggage, as we are leaving in the morning for Xi'an.
7/23
Long but uneventful ride to Xi'an. Lunch wasn't bad. The hotel is nice, but on a grungy strip, but in sight of the City Wall, that's neat. The City Wall is a 14km, square wall around the inner city. It has 4 Gates, as well as an associated Drum and Bell Tower.
Dinner was terrible. We went to a buffet-style, pseudo Western place. It was a tourist trap full of fake geisha-like hairdos and Chinese ladies in gaudy makeup. Even some of the less adventurous eaters were disappointed, but the kids loved it.
Early sleep, busy day tomorrow.
7/24
Woke up early for breakfast. Typical buffet-style, the usual suspects to eat. The coffee was good but STRONG.
First thing we headed to was the City Wall. We got a crash course on Feng Shui and then they immediately tried to sell us Jade Feng Shui animals. It worked. :P
After that, we spent 40RMB and rented bikes and rode around the top of the 9 mile City Wall. A really neat trip on a single speed bike. Lots of neat architecture, and a nice breeze all throughout, though I found myself wishing I'd worn my synthetic shirt instead of a cotton tee.
Then we went to the Terracotta Warrior "Factory" where they make high quality replicas of the Terracotta Warriors and, of course, sell them. So we spent a LONG time there before we went to lunch at a decent place where I spent 20RMB and got a decent bowl of hand pulled noodles. Of course, it happened to be connected to a silk shop, but luckily we rushed through that part, as most of the group had already had their fill of silk goods in Beijing.
We finally ended up at the Terracotta warriors proper, which are mind numbing in their age, over 2000 years old. We wandered around there, and I took many pictures, before we were shuffled off to an even worse Western buffet. Bleh. I spent 15 RMB on a whole bottle of beer for myself. It was warm. :P
Early bed once again, but a fitful sleep.
7/25
Big Goose pagoda in the morning. Another neat and very old Buddhist temple Most of the time was spent in the calligraphy room for people to buy things, and then in the gift shop.
Lunch at a half decent place.
After lunch we went to the Great Moslem Temple, a sad little Chinese-style Moslem mosque in the middle of Xian. It was cramped, but it was quiet and almost serene. The areas leading up to it were FULL of little stalls selling all manner of tchochke. Afterward we headed back to the hotel. Oliver and I wandered a bit downtown on a quest for jade, but it was too hot and I hurt in too many places, so I asked to head back.
I'm ready to go home, I think.
Dinner was the same as lunch, because I opted out of hot pot, which, in retrospect, was a bad idea. I also regret not taking the new guide (Ivy) up on her offer of arranging a Dumpling Feast, which is apparently a local custom in Xi'an.
7/26
Up early to get to the airport. No hitches. Jackie arranged to have the hotel pack us a breakfast, which was nice. Xian airport was okay, but the flight got stuck on the tarmac in shitty heat, so we were all sweat bags from the get go. Over an hour later the flight took off, and was blessedly short.
Beijing Airport was okay. We had a long layover, around 6 hours, before we could even check in at ticket counter. A long check-in time due to 33 people ate the 3 hours until our flight, along with a big mix-up involving whether or not Bermudans need an American visa (they don't), and the guards deciding whether swords were illegal to check in baggage or not (they're apparently not legal, but if your baggage is oversized, it slips through somehow!). Next, security, which was reasonably hassle free. I wandered around the terminal and ended up buying a set of nice dragonny chopsticks with the last of my Yuan, as well as an overpriced tub of ice cream and a "Foreign Extra" Guinness. We finally boarded the plane, which was stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours, so long that they served us our in-flight meal right there on the ground, as well as refreshment. Finally, we got into the air, and after a blessedly short flight, we landed in Seoul Incheon, where we were to spend the next FIFTEEN HOURS.
Since it was so late, and we'd so far been traveling for 17 hours, the first thing we tried to do was get a little shut eye. We weren't the only ones, as Incheon was littered with people passed out anywhere you could find space to pass out in. We eventually broke into smaller groups and got a little sleep, before Oliver and I 'showered' in the bathroom, then went to get some breakfast at Bibimbap place. We loafed around the terminal, taking more sparse naps and reading and otherwise shopping and wasting time for the next 10 hours or so, only to find that the plane was delayed for an hour. So by the time we actually boarded, we were in transit for around 32 hours. The plane, of course, got stuck on the tarmac for an hour or so, and we finally made it into the air. I tossed and turned next to some broad-shouldered gal who took up more than her fair share of space, ended up dozing through John Carter, watched about 10 minutes of 21 Jump Street before I wanted to stab myself, vaguely enjoyed The DaVinci Code, and then quietly suffered through a mediocre Hunger Games, all interspersed with a little reading and even less sleeping.
We finally, finally, finally got back to SFO after about a 10 hour flight, for a total of 43 hours of transit. Spent another 30-45 in line for immigration, breezed through customs, and then gathered up our luggage and headed home. Of course, the first thing I did was laundry, and then I went to pick up Bean, getting a great big crack in my Mustang's window in the process, a Welcome Home from a dump truck on 280 South. Of course, by Monday, an hour into reading my email, I was ready for another vacation…
CONCLUSION: I had a good time. It wasn't all the things I thought it was going to be, I didn't have any special revelations by taking myself so far out of my comfort zone, and in fact, things are so sanitized for "Western Tours", it felt like I never actually strayed that far out of my comfort zone. It was like any sweaty, active vacation you've ever taken, with the exception that most of the people there didn't speak the same language. An adventure, to be sure, but not the one I was expecting. Perhaps that's a lesson in and of itself. All that said, the culture in China is amazing. There's SOO MUCH there that's so deep, and old, and amazing in its longevity. The people were mostly really nice, and as much as I hated the humidity, I think it did me some good, physically. My favorite parts were Shaolin, especially joining the morning prayers, and then Wudang, which was just beyond beautiful, but as a whole, given the chance, I would do it again (despite my dislike of Beijing).
TL;DR version
Full photo set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29314661@N02/sets/72157630892932986/
THE PLACES: Really neat, culturally. We went to Beijing, Deng Feng/Shaolin, Wudang Mountain, and Xi'an. I saw Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, part of the Great Wall, Shaolin Temple (and got to join morning prayers there), Mount Song and Da Mo's cave, the stone buddhas of Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple, Wudang's Temples (Purple Cloud, Golden, Cliffside, Fuzhen), Xi'an's City Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, The Great Mosque of Xi'an, and Big Goose Pagoda.
THE FOOD: A Big disappointment. Very little of it felt authentic, and most of it was very Westernized (orange chicken, french fries, sweet and sour), with the exception of Wudang Mountain, which was the best tasting by far. I didn't try any street food because I wasn't up to date on my shots, and I was already having gastric issues. Food stores were EXACTLY like Ranch 99/Generic Asian Supermarket.
THE KUNG FU: The workouts were strenuous but very good, and left me feeling good. I learned 3 sets, and might even remember parts of two of them, with a little prodding and practice. I came back feeling a little less flabby due to all the walking/working out/sweating, and it apparently showed, as I got a few compliments.
THE PEOPLE: The Chinese were exceedingly friendly, and loved to wave and say HALLOO! They were tickled pink every time you replied with "Ni Hao!" The street vendors were everywhere and super annoying, but I got used to them by Shaolin/Deng Feng. Beijing and Xi'an were 'shining' examples of BIG CITY LIFE, which I can do without.
For those who like reading, here's the journal in full.
FOREWARD: I apologize for the negativity in this journal. I started out by having some pretty serious holes punched in my preconceptions, as well as still dealing with my ongoing depression issues. As a result, my impression of things tended to be very skewed. My memories of things are far brighter in my head than I put down in my journal. Maybe that's just the nature of things. I don't want to give the impression that I didn't enjoy it; I did.
7/10-7/11
Woke up with the sun. Couldn't sleep, wracked by the usual pre-travel anxieties. Got up, took out the trash, packed up last minute items, then tried to kill time before heading to the old kwoon, then to the train station from there.
The Caltrain ride was uneventful but long. Getting into SFO, we waited for the rest of the tour group before checking in, but they never showed, so we got breakfast instead. Mmm, breakfast. We eventually checked in and entered the terminal and found everyone there already. A lot of faces and names I've forgotten already, about 30 people total. Nice folks though, even some big people, and so I find myself worrying a bit less about being fat. I took two sad attempts at pictures. C'mon, Rev, take some pictures with feeling.
First leg of the flight was long (about 11h, if I recall) but uneventful. Watched The Lorax (okay), Wrath of the Titans (okay), Ghost Rider 2 (bad). Read a tiny bit. Korea Air is a really nice airline, with lots of snack, drinks, and food. The food itself was good, but tiny. I didn't have much time for reflection as I spent most of the time trying in vain to sleep. I've never been able to sleep comfortably sitting up.
Second leg of the flight was rushed. The plane debarked at 5:30. Board time for next flight was also 5:30!! Also, we had to go through ANOTHER security check point before getting to the transfer terminal, where we finally boarded, just on time.
The flight was short and sweet (about 1:40), and yet another tasty, tiny meal, some sort of beef and noodle dish. I read a bit and again tried to sleep.
Arrival in Beijing was no-nonsense. Immigration was easy, customs was super fast (no line; it was very late), then we all got on a giant tour bus and met our guide for the next two days. He introduced himself as Nicholas (Nick) and explained to us about water quality (in short, don't drink anything that doesn't come out of a sealed bottle), the prevalence of counterfeit money, and the necessity of keeping our passports safe. After a 40 minute bus ride through 10pm Beijing rush hour, we got to our super posh hotel room, then wandered down the street to get bottles of water. We got back, I sent some "I'm Fine" emails on the free Internet (!!), and went to bed.
7/12
No sleep. Tossed and turned in the miserable heat and rock hard bed and eventually gave up and read. Alarm finally went off and we were up and about and down to get a weird breakfast of pseudo westernish stuff like baked beans, pizza, fruit, naan-ike flapjacks, fried noodles, and tea eggs. The coffee was good, and I drank too much of it.
Next I tried to change my traveller's checks. Uh, no dice. The hotel exchange doesn't accept them. They tried to recommend the bank across the street, but they were closed. We talked to Nick, and he said that the Bank of China was pretty much the only place to exchange travelers checks, and that it was 'complicated'. The Hotel ATM was also busted, so I changed the $25 in American Dollars I had (I actually had $35, but one of the $10s had been counterfeit pen'd, and the exchange desk refused it for some stupid reason) and left extremely frustrated.
Tiananmen Square was…big and full full FULL of people. The buildings were neat, but I wasn't struck by anything spectacular except the seething mass of humanity and the scale of everything. The Communists like to make things big. The Forbidden city was much the same, old, run-down, hot, and thronging with the sweaty masses and random street vendors trying to sell you everything from paper fans to popsicles to water to photos printed on the spot (I shit you not, they carried portable photo printers in satchels). There weren't even tons of dragons. Again, I was struck by the sheer amount of humanity rushing through the place. This doesn't mean it didn't have it's charm, as the architecture and designs of the buildings was pretty spiffy, and the culture involved was very deep. It was just overshadowed.
Lunch was "Traditional Lum" and by that I mean it tasted like cheap Chinese crap I get in California. No Napkins or AC either, so it was extra hard to enjoy as we sat packed around too-small tables and sweated to death.
Next was pearl shopping. That was a waste of time for me, but the Bermudans loved it. After that we went to the Summer Palace, which turned out to be another Tourist Trap. Yes, Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace are all tourist traps, roiling with the worst humanity has to offer. Pushy people with no space, people shoving things in your face and shouting "5 YUAN! 5 YUAN!", and all the look of a poorly-kept amusement park. Again, the place DID have a certain cultural charm, but there were just too many people.
Dinner was again like cheap stuff you get in the Bay Area. But at least this time there was AC, so it was marginally enjoyable. About this time I realized that I also had preconceptions about the food, and I came to accept that I was only going to get more disappointed if I held on to them too tightly.
There have been no deep insights yet, no new thoughts as a result of dragging myself out of my comfort zone. Beijing itself is a seething pile of BIG CITY (and I hate big cities), and it won't be a place I miss when we leave it. If any place felt like the fall (or ultimate evolution) of humanity, this place is it.
I go to bed tonight realizing that I must have had too many preconceptions about what this trip was going to be. There was a vision in my head, and this wasn't it.
7/13
Today was better, if more strenuous. Breakfast was the same, but I'm getting used to it. I love it when they put out the noodles. I love fried noodles. We started out very slow, as a good portion of our group is very, uh, unmotivated, and seemed unhurried about leaving their rooms and the breakfast buffet on time. We finally got going and visited a silk factory which was neat but ultimately a waste for me (I have no need for silk, and what was I going to buy with $25 in yuan, anyway?!). Lunch was more of the mediocrity I've been getting used to. Maybe Beijing just has crappy food. (In retrospect, I believe this is the case; as the site of the 2008 Olympics, I think many of the large restaurants went Western to cater to unadventurous pallets) We finally got to the Great Wall, where I, perhaps unwisely, embarked on a rather strenous hike along a section of the Great Wall of China. Pretty impressive place, but once again full of vendors and tourists. It felt like less of a trap, though. The hike was rough, composed of many large steps, and my legs hurt like hell. I knew I was going to pay for the hike when we got to Shaolin, but what's done is done.
After sweating my balls off, we went back into Beijing and went to a tea shop called Dr. Tea, where they sold us tea. It was pretty delicious. And the saleslady made many jokes with a perfectly straight face, like not to hold your pinky out when drinking tea because it made you a sissy, and how they had a special clay man to test water temperature called a PeePee Boy. Then we rushed to a really mediocre dinner, then to the airport, where we got on THE HOTTEST 737 ever. The AC was super anemic. I slept, but woke up pouring sweat every time I started to nod off. The subsequent bus ride was somewhat terrifying as the bus transmission seemed on the verge of detonation.
And now here we are at Shaolin proper, and all I can focus on is how ghetto this hotel room is. Mouse poop on the floor, a wall-mounted on-demand hot water heater, paint peeling off the walls and ceiling, and the view of a ditch out the back window. I hope I feel better in the morning.
7/14
Typical Chinese breakfast (noodles, bao, tea eggs, a few other things), then 4 hours of Shaolin training and I feel like I've been hit by a bus. It's a good kind of being hit by a bus, but a bus nonetheless. Still no massive epiphanies though. Maybe I was letting too much ride on that expectation. No, I definitely was. Still, I'm feeling good.
Practice itself was 30-40 minutes of hard core conditioning (led, oddly enough, but Oliver, rather than a monk), and then 1.5 hours of training a set. First practice was from 9 to 11, followed by lunch at noon, then a second practice from 2 to 4, same format.
Tonight, Shaolin demo, dinner, and blind masseuse, then possibly an early night.
The Shaolin demonstration was neat but very wushu. A lot of flips and jumping and wobbly tinfoil weapons. Still very neat. The massage ended up being a normal massage (not blind) but very painful. Will not go again. I guess that's the nature of a Chinese medicinal massage, though. They really beat the crap out of you!
7/15
Breakfast, then morning training again, same format. Set is getting more complex, and I'm getting the usual brain farts. Should have done beginner class, maybe, instead of intermediate? No, their set looks plenty complicated, too.
Went to the Bank of China at lunch, but no traveller's check cashing because it's Sunday. Very frustrating! However, I took money out of the ATM instead, which actually worked. Finally have cash and can stop mooching!
Afternoon training session was frustrating. Same brain farts. After training we showered and rested and went to a kung fu school for a tour. Then we went shopping along a strip of street that was nearly all weapons and gear stores, but they didn't have anything that called out to me. Then off to a very Westernized dinner, then to a supermarket that was just like Ranch 99 (a local asian supermarket), but more compact.
Came back, practiced the set with Kannik under a lamp to the ever-present sound of cicadas, did bachelor laundry (showered with my clothes on then hung them up to dry), then went to bed.
7/16
Day 3 of Shaolin Wushu Guan. Practice went okay. Did solo practice for the monk and did alright. We finished the first set (8 Star Fist, I think) and started learning Set Number 2: Continuous Boxing Fist.
Went shopping for beads, saw some nice ones but made no decisions yet. Went to the front of Shaolin Temple. Neat but touristy again, and packed with people. I'm getting used to it, though, and to the vendors ("5 yuan! 5 yuan!"). Went to Pagoda Forest next, right next to Shaolin Temple, which had lots of stone memorial pagodas and more tourists. Walked back to the hotel, bought some new kung fu shoes on the way, had some dinner, and went to bed feeling sickish.
7/17
Day 4 training went well. Individual testing again, and I managed to muddle through. The new set is better/more fun (and less esoteric) than the first. Still feeling pretty sick.
Hot water died in the shower. Time for a cold one. This is going to be great for my feeling sick. Then buying some beads for real and then lunch. Will skip afternoon class so I have energy for the long hike to Da Mo's (Bodhidharma) cave. Dinner at Westernized Chinese food again tonight. I think I got sick off them the other night, in addition to you other sick feeling.
Got some incense-scented black beads. They have a nice color to them. To me, I think they'll signify a personal commitment to staying present. I ended up NOT skipping afternoon training. I was just feeling too good. I muddled through the forms once again.
The hike to Da Mo's cave was grueling. It was like taking a walk up stairs for 60 minutes in the Chinese humidity. We even passed several vendor stands in the high hills, which is amazing since they have to carry all their goods up there each and every day. I almost gave up the hike several times, but I made it to the cave, and I kowtowed at the shrine to Da Mo, then enjoyed the usual feeling of elation after an arduous hike. I didn't quite make it to the top, and the statue of Da Mo, but IMO, I think I got close enough, and my goal was only to make it to the cave anyway. The trip back was uneventful and fast (down steps is much faster than up!), and spent talking about the concept of the passage of time vs being present with Oliver. Afterward, we went to that Westernized dinner again, then hit the supermarket once more to stock up for our impending trip to Wudang Mountain.
7/18
Slept badly due to horrible diarrhea. Woke up at 4:30am to get ready to visit Shaolin Temple. Wasn't sure I'd make it, but Immodium saved my ass big time. Here's to you, Immodium!
Got to Shaolin Temple on time. Quiet, serene, no tourists. We quietly made our way to the Grand Hall at the center, and there we actually JOINED in morning prayer! It was mind-blowing. They brought out extra benches and cushions and seemed more than accommodating to us Western interlopers. It lasted a long time, roughly an hour, and even some of the monks were yawning, but it was so worth it. Afterward, they locked up the Grand Hall and we wandered the temple grounds, taking pictures and otherwise lost in our own little worlds.
We made our way back, where I skipped breakfast and ate a cliff bar due to paranoia about my bowels, then went to our final training session. I had absolutely no energy left to give, and after a thankfully short conditioning warmup, we took some pictures with our masters, then practiced our sets for a short while, before finally ending early. Amusingly, I think Monk Zhang Yong (our instructor) took as many pictures of us as we took of him. He show'd a lot of youth and humanity, which amused me, because of the image of Shaolin Monks being harassed, elite badasses. The Bermudans also presented a plaque to both the monks training us, and to Sifu Lam, thanking them for all their time and effort.
Afterward, I did a bit more shopping: bought a fan, bought some beads for Kiteless, and bought a little jade laughing buddha for dad. Then we went to Longmen Grotto, a horrid, hot place full of more tourists. There were sooooooooo many stone buddhas though, from 2cm to 17.4cm tall. Alas, I was in the bathroom during the 17.4m viewing, but my diarrhea problems, lack of food, dehydration, and lack of sleep made it hard for me to care. After Longmen, we went to White Horse Temple, so named for the horses that carried the original Buddhist texts to China for translation. It was a simple place, and would have been more pleasant if not for my mood and the pervasive heat. We eventually headed to dinner at Dragon and Phoenix, at which I ate only white rice and plain boa due to my stomach. Bed came easily.
7/19
Woke up because I was cold. COLD! The AC was working for once!
We checked out early and ate breakfast, then piled on the bus for the 6-hour ride to Wudang Shan. Jackied Chen provided us with asian pears and bananas, and we were still supplied from the super-market stop 2 nights prior. I didn't eat much, either at breakfast or on the bus, for fear of my bowels acting up again. I spent most of the bus ride reading, with little spurts of poor sleep, all of this interspersed with stops at identical-seeming truck stops, complete with vile-smelling bathrooms and a small, well-stocked quickie mart.
After approximately 6 hours we stopped to meet our new tour guide and for a tasty lunch at a place in the Wudang Mountain Area, then piled our luggage into two terrifyingly small cargo trucks, and got onto another bus for Wudang. After a hair-raising ride on a bus, we stopped at an area with a kung fu demo that was already in progress. We watched that until it was over, then headed back to the bus area.
Several buses later we made it to our hotel with out new guide, Helen. Jackie is still around, somewhere. After a quick stop for some photos (long distance) of Cliffside Palace, we went to the hotel and unpacked and relaxed before having a tasty dinner, then an early sleep. (Wudang would prove to have the best food of the trip, likely because they were so out of the way, they weren't terribly influenced by super-westernization)
7/20
Woke up early as usual. Waited for the alarm, then headed down to breakfast, typical fare, but with more noodles. After breakfast, we changed and met in front of the hotel. It turns out the one of the training options was to be a straight sword set, so Oliver and I rushed across the street and bought 70 yuan swords, which was roughly $10. In retrospect, I should have stuck with the hand set (due to the insane complexity of the sword set), but it's all good.
We piled into a bus and headed to Purple Cloud Temple, where, after watching Monk Wang De-Ming demo the sets, we proceeded to be rapidly taught a sword form. 2 hours flew by, and after training (amidst some off filming and fire drills by giggling temple monks), we hopped back on the bus with our Master, and headed back to the hotel where we had a delicious lunch. Wudang food is so much better!
We were given some time to rest before heading out to view the GOlden Palace. It was built on top of Wudang by Imperial order, and 300k people had to carry all the pieces up to build it. We took 2 buses to get to the cable cars, and by this time we were already in the clouds. The cable cars took us up to the temple proper, where we ascended 9 long flights of steps to reach the summit and the shrine to the black dragon water god of Northern China. After resting and taking pictures (and some shopping) we headed back down the steps and down the cable cars. After a little shopping (okay, a long while shopping), we took a bus back to the hotel with a short tea-tasting (and shopping) break on the way back. Kannik and I did a little stall shopping, but only bought water from a nice guy who gave us mung bean popsicles in thanks for spending money at his booth. Dinner was good and afterward the group headed to the lobby to practice bagua, while I returned to my room to relax and record the day's activities.
7/21
Breakfast was good but short. I took a lovely little nap right afterward.
The sword set continues. As expected, I began to get stuck on the new movements, as they were very rushed and esoteric. I muddled through, but I don't have much hope for tomorrow. (Stay present, dammit!) After training I showered, rested a bit, then had lunch. After lunch, I napped again, then we headed to watch the Wudang Kung Fu Demo again in its entirety, near Monkey Valley. I took lots of pictures. We would have explored Monkey Valley, but the monkeys apparently don't like little children, and we had a couple with the group.
After the demo we went to Fuzhen Palace with a very small group of people still interested in seeing the sights. It was a quiet, contemplative place, a 1500 year old temple to a scholarly god. After sweating a lot, and exploring a bit, we headed back for dinner and then downtime, where I read and relaxed and wrote in my journal.
7/22
Woke up at the usual time for breakfast, then prepped for our final training session with the Wudang Master, this time in the rain. We TORE through what remained of the set. I eventually dropped out and just took pictures because I couldn't keep up. The remaining group eventually finished the whole set, while I snapped shots of them practicing.
We rested a bit, then had lunch, then rested again and headed to Purple Cloud Temple a second time. I loaned Kannik 300 Yuan to buy a huge singing bowl, which we had been unable to find up to that point. It was funny, as he lusted over a large one, the vendor busted out an even LARGER one, which he ended up buying. We headed back and then walked the short distance to the Cliffside Palace and the Stone Temple (Nanyan Gong) within. This is the temple with the incense burner from the new Karate Kid movie. After wandering around a bit, taking pictures and hearing stories of the place's legends and origins we headed back for dinner and packing of luggage, as we are leaving in the morning for Xi'an.
7/23
Long but uneventful ride to Xi'an. Lunch wasn't bad. The hotel is nice, but on a grungy strip, but in sight of the City Wall, that's neat. The City Wall is a 14km, square wall around the inner city. It has 4 Gates, as well as an associated Drum and Bell Tower.
Dinner was terrible. We went to a buffet-style, pseudo Western place. It was a tourist trap full of fake geisha-like hairdos and Chinese ladies in gaudy makeup. Even some of the less adventurous eaters were disappointed, but the kids loved it.
Early sleep, busy day tomorrow.
7/24
Woke up early for breakfast. Typical buffet-style, the usual suspects to eat. The coffee was good but STRONG.
First thing we headed to was the City Wall. We got a crash course on Feng Shui and then they immediately tried to sell us Jade Feng Shui animals. It worked. :P
After that, we spent 40RMB and rented bikes and rode around the top of the 9 mile City Wall. A really neat trip on a single speed bike. Lots of neat architecture, and a nice breeze all throughout, though I found myself wishing I'd worn my synthetic shirt instead of a cotton tee.
Then we went to the Terracotta Warrior "Factory" where they make high quality replicas of the Terracotta Warriors and, of course, sell them. So we spent a LONG time there before we went to lunch at a decent place where I spent 20RMB and got a decent bowl of hand pulled noodles. Of course, it happened to be connected to a silk shop, but luckily we rushed through that part, as most of the group had already had their fill of silk goods in Beijing.
We finally ended up at the Terracotta warriors proper, which are mind numbing in their age, over 2000 years old. We wandered around there, and I took many pictures, before we were shuffled off to an even worse Western buffet. Bleh. I spent 15 RMB on a whole bottle of beer for myself. It was warm. :P
Early bed once again, but a fitful sleep.
7/25
Big Goose pagoda in the morning. Another neat and very old Buddhist temple Most of the time was spent in the calligraphy room for people to buy things, and then in the gift shop.
Lunch at a half decent place.
After lunch we went to the Great Moslem Temple, a sad little Chinese-style Moslem mosque in the middle of Xian. It was cramped, but it was quiet and almost serene. The areas leading up to it were FULL of little stalls selling all manner of tchochke. Afterward we headed back to the hotel. Oliver and I wandered a bit downtown on a quest for jade, but it was too hot and I hurt in too many places, so I asked to head back.
I'm ready to go home, I think.
Dinner was the same as lunch, because I opted out of hot pot, which, in retrospect, was a bad idea. I also regret not taking the new guide (Ivy) up on her offer of arranging a Dumpling Feast, which is apparently a local custom in Xi'an.
7/26
Up early to get to the airport. No hitches. Jackie arranged to have the hotel pack us a breakfast, which was nice. Xian airport was okay, but the flight got stuck on the tarmac in shitty heat, so we were all sweat bags from the get go. Over an hour later the flight took off, and was blessedly short.
Beijing Airport was okay. We had a long layover, around 6 hours, before we could even check in at ticket counter. A long check-in time due to 33 people ate the 3 hours until our flight, along with a big mix-up involving whether or not Bermudans need an American visa (they don't), and the guards deciding whether swords were illegal to check in baggage or not (they're apparently not legal, but if your baggage is oversized, it slips through somehow!). Next, security, which was reasonably hassle free. I wandered around the terminal and ended up buying a set of nice dragonny chopsticks with the last of my Yuan, as well as an overpriced tub of ice cream and a "Foreign Extra" Guinness. We finally boarded the plane, which was stuck on the tarmac for 2 hours, so long that they served us our in-flight meal right there on the ground, as well as refreshment. Finally, we got into the air, and after a blessedly short flight, we landed in Seoul Incheon, where we were to spend the next FIFTEEN HOURS.
Since it was so late, and we'd so far been traveling for 17 hours, the first thing we tried to do was get a little shut eye. We weren't the only ones, as Incheon was littered with people passed out anywhere you could find space to pass out in. We eventually broke into smaller groups and got a little sleep, before Oliver and I 'showered' in the bathroom, then went to get some breakfast at Bibimbap place. We loafed around the terminal, taking more sparse naps and reading and otherwise shopping and wasting time for the next 10 hours or so, only to find that the plane was delayed for an hour. So by the time we actually boarded, we were in transit for around 32 hours. The plane, of course, got stuck on the tarmac for an hour or so, and we finally made it into the air. I tossed and turned next to some broad-shouldered gal who took up more than her fair share of space, ended up dozing through John Carter, watched about 10 minutes of 21 Jump Street before I wanted to stab myself, vaguely enjoyed The DaVinci Code, and then quietly suffered through a mediocre Hunger Games, all interspersed with a little reading and even less sleeping.
We finally, finally, finally got back to SFO after about a 10 hour flight, for a total of 43 hours of transit. Spent another 30-45 in line for immigration, breezed through customs, and then gathered up our luggage and headed home. Of course, the first thing I did was laundry, and then I went to pick up Bean, getting a great big crack in my Mustang's window in the process, a Welcome Home from a dump truck on 280 South. Of course, by Monday, an hour into reading my email, I was ready for another vacation…
CONCLUSION: I had a good time. It wasn't all the things I thought it was going to be, I didn't have any special revelations by taking myself so far out of my comfort zone, and in fact, things are so sanitized for "Western Tours", it felt like I never actually strayed that far out of my comfort zone. It was like any sweaty, active vacation you've ever taken, with the exception that most of the people there didn't speak the same language. An adventure, to be sure, but not the one I was expecting. Perhaps that's a lesson in and of itself. All that said, the culture in China is amazing. There's SOO MUCH there that's so deep, and old, and amazing in its longevity. The people were mostly really nice, and as much as I hated the humidity, I think it did me some good, physically. My favorite parts were Shaolin, especially joining the morning prayers, and then Wudang, which was just beyond beautiful, but as a whole, given the chance, I would do it again (despite my dislike of Beijing).