My Ass is a'Dragon

After seven months of traveling together, we were thrilled to have Mike's mom along for the journey from Hong Kong to Beijing. She's an intrepid and irrepressible companion, and we miss her company already. Here's her time with us, in her words and pictures.

Guest Blogger, Judi Breen:

Coming out of customs at the Hong Kong airport, I was absolutely delighted to see two smiling and familiar faces, my guides to China, Mike and Susannah! They both look healthy and happy and of course are full of stories about their experiences.

On the bus ride to our guest house, I got a great view of the city at night- huge and modern, futuristic skyscrapers to rival any other. As expected the streets are busy, noisy, and crowded with people. Unexpected was the mix of cultures: Noodle shops around the corner from KFC, Mom and Pop stores covered with Chinese characters across the way from Gucci and Armani, teens in a mix of eastern and western fashion. I was just beginning my journey through cultural overload.

After a cloudy day, both weather wise and brain wise, we left Hong Kong by ferry to hop an overnight train west to Guilin. Being a timid sort, I insisted on booking the "soft sleeper", which turned out to be very nice, if not particularly soft. In fact it seemed a little elegant to me, like the Orient Express, which Susannah reminded me, was pretty much what we were on!

From Guilin, we took a cruise down the beautiful and mystical Li River, which is surrounded by karsks, limestone pillars left from when the area was under the sea. We ended in Yangshou, a small town on the river. We were immediately beseiged by shop keepers, rickshaw drivers, cab drivers, hoteliers, and tourist guides. There were lots of small booths with wares for the tourist, each shopkeeper vying for our attention. It was, once again, a bit overwhelming.

We spent several days exploring the area. Susannah and I went to the local market one morning, a warehouse type building filled with individual vendors selling fruits, vegetables, herbs, teas, eggs, chickens...

We saw old men and woman squatting behind their wares, vendor's children roaming around, people with poles across their shoulders holding baskets loaded with produce to sell on the street. And in the middle of all that was a young women dressed in a business suit, sitting on a stool and talking on her cell phone while she supervised the purchase of her vegetables.

In the nearby park, we saw several small groups of people seated around tables, chatting and playing cards or Mah Johng. We were to observe this in all the areas we visited.

On a cloudy and not too promising day, we decided to explore the area the traditional way- by bike. We saw farmers in the fields, a woman with a pet monkey, and a nursing water buffalo. Of course it started to rain, so we decided to stop for tea. After warming up and haggling over postcards, we headed out again. Unsure of which way to head, the sales woman hopped on her bike and in the rain happily led us to the area we were looking for.

After viewing an ancient tree, a peacock, water wheel, and sales people in traditional costume, we decided to ride along the Yulong River and back to town. We rode along clay covered roads into a magical land. Fields and scattered homes were the only evidence of civilization; the towering karsks were shrouded in mist and clouds; the earth was deep green and trees were in bloom. Except for the mud splashing up on our backs and the rain hitting our heads, it was silent.

On our return to the hotel, we revived ourselves with showers and the traditional Chinese combination of instant apple cider and Jack Daniels.

One morning Mike treated me to a Tai Chi class which was fun, if humbling. We also attended a show along the river, produced by the man who is putting on the opening show for the Olympics. I was expecting something fairly hokey, but it was a spectacular event with hundreds of people, dozens of boats, and beautiful lighting.

In the evening we watched an elderly man fish with cormorants. The birds throats were obstructed by twine, and as they fished the handler would pull them out of the water, turn them upside down so the birds would drop the fish into his basket. It was fascinating. The gentleman was in his 80's and said his father and grandfather had fished in the river in the same way. When I asked if his son fished too, he said that no, his son owned hotels.

One day this type of fishing will only exist for the tourists. I wonder if that's a good thing?

Next we went to Suzhou, a small city with beautiful parks and gardens. And Dumplings. And an Irish Pub with good food and Guiness. At one park we watched a variety of traditional performers who acted, sang, and played instruments. Each perfomance was in a different area and lasted only a few minutes each, which most of the time was a blessing. The costumes, especially those used for opera, were stunning, but the music was that ear piercing, discordant type that I have never learned to appreciate. So it was a fairly quick and painless overview of China's performance culture!

We spent an afternoon in Tongli. On a boat ride along the well known canals, our pilot was a young woman with stillettos who did a mean spit! A variation on the gondaliers in Venice.

About the spitting- everyone in China spits! It's pretty disgusting. Of course the air quality is poor, they smoke, and probably all have chronic bronchitis. (I can't help it, I've been a respiratory therapist too long!) Anyway the spitting was rampant and never ceased to cause a shiver to run down my spine. And it was very important to watch where you walked!

We stayed several days in Hangzhou, a beautiful city on a large lake. Around most of the lake, there was a public walkway with museums, pagodas, and tea houses. One day we got up at 6:00 am to explore. After coffee and scones at Starbucks, we walked halfway around the lake. Groups of people were everywhere, walking vigorously- their leaders carrying big flags- and performing tai chi. We came across a group of women dancing with fans. It seemed to be a class and it captured our attention for a little while.

Another day, beautiful weather, we set out on bikes . We stopped in a modern pagoda, complete with elevators, and in a Buddist temple where the robed monks could be seen with cell phones. Everywhere in China the traditional pushes against the modern in confusing, amusing and concerning ways.

We set out on overnight train to Shanghai, passing the time by playing our usual game of portable Scrabble. Since we were taking a train to Beijing that afternoon, we stored our bags at the station. With only a half day available, we decided to take a harbor cruise to get a feel for the city. We took a taxi through heavy traffic to the port area. After finding a ticket booth, Susannah tried to get specific information about the boat tours, but it was difficult. We bought the tickets and then were ignored. After several minutes a woman beckoned to us to go with her, and so we did. Then she deposited us on a van and disappeared. More people got on the van and we determined it would take us to the boat. After a ride on the highway, the van stopped and we were sent off the bus. Again we were ignored for several minutes until a man beckoned for us to go with him. He led us past several decent looking cruise boats and then pointed at what looked like an old and tired pirate ship. He indicated that here was our boat!

As we climbed aboard, we noticed the VIP section up front where we could sit with a great view for only a small extra price. Drinks were included and so it was an easy decision. Our server arrived with a menu of drinks and snacks. I ordered a rum and coke, M&S ordered beer.

Several minutes later the server returned to tell me they had no rum. So I changed my order to my usual vodka and tonic and asked for some popcorn. Eventually my drink arrived, but it seems they didn't have popcorn. So we decided to go for the peanuts. Many more minutes passed and she returned once again to tell us there were no peanuts. The poor girl- we started laughing so hard, she must have thought we were laughing at her. Having exhausted the entire snack menu we had to go without. Then they charged us for the drinks!

The thing is, this type of thing happened frequently at restaurants. We would get a 3 page menu and then be told they only had 3 or 4 of the items listed. Just a China thing I guess.

We did manage to get a good view of Shanghai with its ultramodern buildings.

At some point Mike casually asked about our tickets to Beijing which was when we realized that the train was leaving from a different station than where we had arrived- and stored our bags. China is growing so quickly that it seems that a new train station had gone up since the printing of the guide book. So after the cruise was over and we were driven back to the starting point we decided we should take the metro back to our bags. By then it was rush hour. They really do have people who push you so you can fit on the subway! In the end we made it, bags in hand,on time for our next departure.

Beijing: a city undergoing a huge and disconcerting transition. Construction is everywhere and constant, especially with the Olympics pending in August. On top of the pollution, the air is filled with construction dusts, and I'm told, the desert dusts that blow in at springtime.

We made our way to Tianemen Square and paid homage to the very pickled Chairman Mao. I state here and now, very publicly, I want to be cremated. DO NOT preserve me on ice and put me out for display- it is very, very unattractive! Surpising were the huge piles of flowers placed at the tomb by clearly emotional Chinese citizens.

We visited the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, both beautiful. These areas, like all of Beijing, were in the middle of renovation, with fresh paint and repairs for the expected increase in tourism.

Susannah and I took a train ride to an area known for its shopping, especially traditional Chinese goods and antiques or "curios." Again the guide book was not up to date and we found this train station had also been moved. We decided a motorized rickshaw would be a fun experience and we were right. Quickly, we realized the driver did not know how to reach our destination, and in true Chinese style, a committee was formed. A group of drivers gathered to look at the maps, ask questions, and discuss the best way to get this rickshaw driver his fare. Because we were now in the rickshaw we were going for a ride! Which we did- across several lanes of heavy traffic, heading the wrong way down one way streets filled with moving cars, Susannah and I laughing and covering our eyes! It was crazy and fun and typical of the driving in China. Crossing a street was endangering your life!

We arrived safe and sound and managed to find a few items at a good price, assured by the haggling shopkeepers that our purchases came from the Ming dynasty. What a fun day we had- thanks Susannah!

Again we mounted bikes and headed out to find some areas that Susannah had frequented when she was a student living in the city, 12 years before. Again the guide book failed us. Old neighborhoods were being torn down to make way for the needs of the Olympics. Shops that had been opened for generations were closed or covered in plastic. Huge sections of housing, hidden by fences, were being destroyed. At the time I wasn't aware that a lot of the residents were simply being told to move. Chinese citizens can not own land.

The residents of this street in Beijing seem to be excited by these changes, as noted by the Olympic slogan "One World, One Dream"

In one of the rebuilt areas, there was a lakeside park where groups gathered to play hackeysack and, in the evening, dance. It had a wonderful community feel to it. Just adjacent were modern reaturants and clubs with outside tables and inside torch singers. Our last night we went there for supper and a drink. Despite a complete bar, I was unable to make the server understand that I did not want the wine or beer that was listed on the menu. And the dinner menu was extensive and exotic. During the entire trip, I had been very timid about the food, sure that I would get deathly ill or aquire a parasite. So I did not order the duck tongue, chicken feet, dog, pig elbows etc that were offerred. The telling part of the menu was that many of the descriptions included the term "wikipedia"; as in "lake snails wikipedia." In the hurry to appeal to expected hordes of international tourists, they rushed through the translations.

And that was how China, and in particular Beijing, seemed to me, rapidly running toward modernization without clearly being sure of where they wanted to be or what they might leave behind forever. Wanting so much to be western,their billboards and mannequins showed western not Asian models. I found it all bewildering and sad.

And then there was the Great Wall. We were lucky enough to not get on the bus and instead found a driver to take us to an area of the wall that is less visited. We took a cable car part way up and then started up the steep steps to the wall. Along the way some farmers took pity on me, an old and unfit tourist, and kindly took my arm to help me on my climb. They continued to stay with us, gentle folks that they were, worried about my ability to make it on my own. Finally Susannah asked them what they wanted in order to be left alone. So we bought a book and a t-shirt ( "I climbed the Great Wall of China"). Reassured that I was capable of surviving, they settled back to play cards.

It was worth the trip. Absolutely amazing and full of incredible views. Mike says it was not a particularly effective tactical endeavor, but I am grateful it was built. The Chinese villagers say it was built of the bones of the laborers, and indeed many must have died in the construction. It is indeed a wonder and a highlight of my life to have seen it.

So China was fun, exhausting, overwhelming, and quickly changing. Many thanks to my guides. Susannah spent so much time planning and arranging. Because of her excellent translation skills we were able to make it through unscathed. She bore the burden of all the small decisions and ticket purchases and price haggling and she did it with good humor. Mike bravely protected me from wild shop keepers and he schlepped my suitcase cheerfully like the gentleman he is.

I was honored to be a part of the Eurasian Invasion.