Summer Palace

Yesterday I got up. Ok, so I actually get up every day, but yesteray I got up with a plan.

I had breakfast. I will admit it was Western, but I really cannot stand Chinese breakfast and I needed the food. I waited for rush hour to pass and at 8 am I headed out and towards the bus. I had to wait fifteen minutes and then I was able to get on one of those nice long articulated busses. No air conditioning. I paid my 2 yuan to one of the three attendants in the bus and I was on my way.

Traffic was good. It still took forever to get where I was going, but because I had waited till rush hour was over it was quite bearable. Thank you to the girl at the hostel who told me when I would be in the clear to go. I was on the bus for one and a half hoursish. It was hot, but I had a window and it was open.

At a student price I found my way in the Summer Palace, and with some extreme haggling I found a very decent map in my hand for 5 yuan. I wanted the map because, like with the Forbidden City, there is a list of sights and in a specific order that a traveller can see them in one day.

I began wandering about and wanted to walk aroud the lake but it was blocked by construction. I changed my plans and started to follow my map. The Summer Palace just seems to me to be one big vacation property. It is nice, but not for me. There are a few too many altars and temples to pray for rain or good harvests, that seems a little unecessary, but, I guess they thought they needed them at the time. It is a beautiful location, and beautiful construction.

I was again confronted with the issue of seeing a site that is not real. It has been rebuilt time and again because of the wars that have destroyed it. At least this time I was rebuilt (in most cases) in the 1800's or early 1900's, but with the construction that blocked my path around the lake you can still see that it is ongoing and it is not being preserved as its original structure.

The other interesting thing is that there is a plaque in front of every building or structure. The plaque reads something like this:

"This [Insert Attraction Name Here] was originally called [Insert Original Name Here] and was used for [Insert Original Purpose Here]. The name was changed when the [Insert Attraction Name Here] was rebuilt after it was destroyed by the Allied Forces in 1860."

For those of you who have not been taught too much about Chinese history (I only know this because I took a course on it a month ago), in the Opium Wars in the 1800's China was a closed place. They believed they were still the strongest empire in the world (which was true at one point) and when the other countries wanted to trade and be diplomatic China would not play ball. It was then that the Western Powers made China realize that in its time from being cut off from the world it had lost its military power. It was in these Wars and these engagements that the Allied Forces (mainly Britain, France, and Germany I believe) destroyed the Summer Palace, and many other things.

Now here is where I stand.

Do I feel proud, because it was my ancestors that brought one of the greatest civilizations down to its knees?

Or, do I feel ashamed and sad because of the pain and destruction brought upon the Chinese people by my ancestors?

I do not have an answer, but it is interesting to think about.

Yesterday was the hottest day I have experienced in China. There is open water and shade at the Summer Palace which helped a great deal, but even with the constant drinking of cold water and with the eating of two ice cream cones my temperature was skyrocketing.

In the early afternoon I had seen all I wanted to (which was everything I could, just about) and I hopped back on the bus. On the bus I faded in and out of consciousness in that sleepy type way that can be found when you are trying to stay awake but can't. In that furnace I resolved to take a nap to try and cool down and catch up on lost sleep.

I got home. I stripped down. I hopped onto bed and... well... water was pouring off of me. The bed was getting wet, and there was no chance that I would find sleep.

At this point it was becoming evident that I had already been in the heat too long. I was feeling very weak and quite ill, this is on top of my sore throat and overproduction of mucus. I do not like staying inside, but I stayed in and watched a movie with some other travellers. In that way I was able to avoid the heat, but when it was over I decided to go back out.

The heat had not diminished.

My eyes burned. My lungs burned, and yet, I kept going. I walked to the snack street and ordered some snake, some sparrow, and some cat. They were all pretty gross. After I ordered some sugar coated strawberries. They were ok, but I was already sick.

I took a rickshaw home and hid until the sun was down.

Later I went out for supper with a traveller and ordered Peking Duck. Lots of it. It was good.

Home, late, I tried to sleep. I fear I kept up all of the eleven other people in my room. I was coughing, rolling, fevering, and I did not get even a hint of sleep until after I saw the sun rise.

That brings us pretty close to now. My throat is not sore but I am very very ill.

No matter.

Tonight I sleep on the Great Wall.

Nothing will stop me.

One More Thing...

I was sick before I came to China. Sore Throat. Runny Nose. General, "I'm gonna die feelings..." Well, I am getting sick again.

Fitting.

I made it into China, and Hong Kong, and Macau, and China, but when I go to Canada I am going to get quarantined.

Crap.

Let's hope I make it through, and let's hope I get better and not worse.

Time will tell.

More Adventures with Alexander and George

We were up early and at Tienanman Square. The queue to see Mao was enormous, but it was moving fast and we were up beat. We were asked for ID, and we both had it. We went into the security check and ran into a little issue. I threw my watch into the scanner and when I walked through I beeped, which I expected given the contents of my pockets... one Swiss Army Knife, one Camera, toilet paper, passport, four types of currency, and some admission tickets... All the security guard cared about was the camera. When she asked if I had one I fumbled over my words in trying not to lie but not to tell the truth. She felt my pocket and felt the passport, missing the camera. I was told to move on.

I saw George being escorted away.

I went into the Memorial and in a very fast rush of people we hustled in and like a great conveyor belt were hustled out. All the while our hats were off, flowers were dropped, and our respects were paid. Mao seemed at peace.

George met me on the way out. They had found his camera and no matter what he said they would not let him through. The queue was thining some so I offered to take his camera and wait for him. He quickly completed the circuit and we were off to our next destination.

I spent a few hours in the Forbidden City finishing off, and at 20 yuan I might add when full admission is 60. George and I split up as I went to look at a market and he finished off the City. We met up at the Hostel some hours later.

In the afternoon we went to the Temple of Heaven and just had time to see it all. The Temple of Heaven Park is enormous and this quickly became another great quest... Alexander and George in the Escape from the Temple of Heaven. Running on a timeframe, since his train left tonight/is leaving tonight, we grabbed a Taxi to take us to a park near the Forbidden City. We climbed a hill and were fortunate enough to get a view of the entire city. What a view it was. We snapped our photos and continued on our way.

Having re-grasped our bearings and re-evaluated out timeframe we hopped into a little local restaurant for supper. They brought us some dumpling things. They were great. Then we pointed at the meals of some other patrons and were brought more food. It was also great. We both ate for 25 yuan... like... $4.50 CAD, and that is with drinks.

Back on the move we were back in the Square where we were able to watch the Flag Ceremony. Every Sunrise and Sunset the soldiers come to raise and lower the flag in Tienanman Square. It was a great thing to see.

Then we were in a real hurry. We speed walked back to the Hostel and George got ready to go. He found some people taking the same train as him and decided to take a taxi with them.

We shook hands and parted ways. This shall be our greatest adventure yet.

George and Alexander Go Solo!

Alexander and George's Adventures!!!

We made it to the Night Market where they sell the strange foods. I was lucky that I met someone today on the Great Wall with my same intentions. We were able to make a dynamic duo that could cheer each other on, and that way we could split the costs and the food as well. There are also a few short movies that demonstrate the Adventures of Alexander and George. I will post them when I return to Canada.

We started by walking through the market. It is full of tourists and will be expensive, but it should fulfil my shopping needs. We found some overpriced slurpees which we had and enjoyed. It was then we settled on a stall to start our Adventures.

The first round included Scorpions(which are alive on the stick until they get deep-fried), and Dog. The Scorpions did not have much flavour, but their armour seems to get stuck in your teeth like popcorn cernals. The Dog was actually quite excellent. The flavour was good and the meat was tender.

Round Two: Sea Horse, Lizard, and Silk Worms. I had the treat of eating the Sea Horse's head and I really could have gone without that honour. But, because I had that honour, it was George who got to eat the Lizards head, so we were even there. Both were crunchy and both had distinct tastes. Sea Horse was definately fishey, and the Lizard, well, I do not know what that was. The Silk Worms were gross straight up. They were too soft to be crunchy and they just sort of crumbled in your mouth. Kind of like eating balls of sawdust. I made the mistake of eating one and looking inside... there was a myriad of gross colours like greens and browns. I tried not to think about it as I finished them off.

Round Three: Star Fish. That's it. Final round, largest piece of... meat. Like everything else, George and I split it. It was tough and it took a great teal of strength to break pieces off to eat. I ate two legs and decided that I had had enough. It was a very distinct flavour, and one I did not like. George however seemed to really enjoy it and he kept going. He ate almost all of it before we tossed the stick and bought some coconuts from another stall. They used a screwdriver to make a hole, stuck a straw in, and then we were able to wash some Starfish taste from our mouths.

Done there we went to the hostel. On the way by we saw the people draining from Tieneneman Square. We had just missed the flag ceremony which was too bad. Maybe I will see it tomorrow.

After checking with the hostel we went in search of Peking Duck. The search was more challenging that one might think, but we made it, and though it was expensive, the Duck was great. It was a wonderful ending to a wonderful day.

Back at the hostel we relaxed in the bar and then went to bed.

On a different note I have welts all over my back from Cupping. I sort of was warned by a friend, but I did not expect. Yesterday was the first time I had been in range of a mirror for a while, and wow. Even three days after the welts are still very vivid. They probably will be for a while.

That should make it very interesting for swimming in the Water Cube on Friday... Oh well...

Time to go. Mao awaits.

Beijing

After killing the afternoon in Xi'an I hopped on my train to Beijing. It left early, so it was a good thing I was at the train station early as there seems to be no warning for these things.

I have since decided that I will not be able to travel to Shanghai this trip. It would be possible to take a sleeper train there see the city for the day and take a sleeper train back, but after my ride to Beijing it is evident that my body cannot handle another train ride like that one.

I followed the directions e-mailed to me to my hostel and found it with little difficulty. My only difficulty came when I found that the street that the hostel was on was full of construction. Another traveller pointed me in the right direction and I did what I could to squeeze under the scaffolding and stay on the path so that I did not fall into the excavation.

The day was still young and my hostel is in an ideal location so I headed to Tieneneman Square. Mao's Memorial was closed so I continued through the Square towards the Forbidden City. The Square is quite enormous, and beautiful. There is a monument in the middle and a very stong police presence, you need to pass security clearance just to get there.

Onto the Forbidden City I was able to save more money with my student card as I got in. I was there for 4.5 hours and I still did not see it all. Part of the park closed early and I was forced to leave that section unexplored. I will return tomorrow to finish it off. It was amazing to see such a place and what it has really made me realize is that I am far to practical to be an Emperor. I could not imagine half of the rooms that they came up with, not to mention the rooms I did not see.

Somehow I managed to make it back to the hostel. I had forgotten my painkillers in my haste to leave and when I returned it was not too soon. It was a tough few hours, but after the painkillers kicked back in I was good to go.

I went out for supper and sat down at a random restaurant. I did not look at the menu but it was a little more than I would have like to have paid. It did not matter. I was not moving from that spot.

I had Donkey for supper and it was fantastic. It was a little expensive, but if I can I will go back there. The flavour was great and the service was quite decent for China.

Fantastic.

On the way home I stocked up on supplies, supplies that I used today as we hiked the Great Wall. We did not go to a tourist location, in fact we went to a location with no name that is just referred to as the "Secret Wall." The entire time we were there we saw only one other guide (the husband of our 73 year old guide) and only two other tourists. None of that segment of the wall has been restored at all. It truly was something to see.

I do wonder about the other segments of the wall that are so highly regarded, but this one was the right one for me.

After we were done at the wall we went down to their village and had a vegetarian lunch. I ate crackers and rice.

Tonight we are going to the night market. I fully intend to try some of every different kind of meat I can find. Scorpion here I come. Snake, aww yea. This will be great.

Hopefully I do not get sick.

Only one way to find out.

Hua Shan

I left checked my bag in and I checked myself out. I took the bus to the railway station where I was to take a bus to the sacred mountain of Hua Shan (sacred to the Taoists if anyone was wondering). Anyways, I got there, I found the bus and as I walked on the bus driver said no.

The bus was full.

It left and I had to wait nearly two hours until the next one was full. Eventually we were on the road and after two hours of driving we had reached the town of Hua Shan. We were dropped off at the West Gate of the park with much jibberish in Chinese. I spotted two travelers and went to see if they spoke English. They did. One of them was from the UK, and one was from Australia. From then on we went up the mountain together.

We entered a Taoist Temple and walked through it. Behind the temple was the path leading up the mountain. At the gate of the park we were all able to save some money with our student cards. From that point on the climbing got harder and harder. It started with a ramp that went on forever, and then when it got steeper it switched to stairs that went on foreverer. It is amazing that these people looked at these mountains of sheer cliff faces and said "I think we should make a path up here." We joked that the monks back in the day used to have contests to see who could build little shrines in the stupidest places. We saw some shrines where you would have to climb tracts of vertical rock to get there. Several times we had to ascend staircases where we relied very very heavily on the chain railings provided for us. It was however, incredible.

It was a cloudy day which made the view a little less spectacular, but it made the climb bearable. Almost.

After about two and a half hours we reached the North Peak (the lowest of them all). We could have spent the night there for 60 RMB, but we wanted to see the sun rise from the East Peak and did not want to have to hike in the dark. So, we continued on our way. We continued up Heaven's Ladder which is a vertical stretch more like a ladder than a staircase, then we went on the Blue Dragon Ridge. If you stepped out of the railings that must have been only one metre apart it would be a long long ride to the bottom. Continuing we made it to the Central Peak, and then further along towards the East Peak. There was another ladder called the Cloud Ladder which was way longer but not as sketchy as Heaven's Ladder, and then we were near the top. We found the Peak and then a while later we found the Hotel. Very basic accomodations for 100 RMB, and they would not negotiate. I guess that makes sense when you see that all of the resources and food and drinks are brought up manually by people carrying bundles with sticks.

We went to bed and it was a mediocre sleep at best. One interesting thing we learned is that the sheets are cleaned once every 10 days. You could also pay an extra 190 RMB to switch to a room where the sheets are cleaned every five. Great.

At 5 am we were on the East Peak waiting for the sun to rise. We did not see all of the glorious colours as one would expect since it took soo long for the sun to get over the layer of pollution, but when it did, it was beautiful.

For the next 5 hours we continued hiking. Down the East Peak and up the South Peak. I was able to ring a big mother of a bell and then we went across the Plank Path, which is just some planks hammered into the side of the mountain with a several hundred metre drop off the side. You are harnessed in, but I would not trust the safety system with my weight... I got photos. It was wild. The worst part was when we realized that we had to go back the way we came when people were coming the opposite direction. That was tricky indeed.

After that we made it to the top of the West Peak, and then back down through the Central Peak and to the North Peak. Once we made it there we were thoroughly exhausted. We took the cable car to the East Gate, and then by bus and taxi we made it to the bus. The bus of course left right when we got there so we had to wait for it to fill.

Eventually it did and two hours later we were back in Xi'an.

Now I am here. My train leaves in 5 hours.

Ye haw.

Chinese Medicine

Today I tried to hit as many site in Xi'an as possible. I made it to the Stone Tablet thing another site where I was refused by some old men, the Temple of the 8 Immortals,some huge park whose name I cannot remember, the 8th Army Headquarters, the Great Mosque, and the City God Temple. In there I also went to the train station to book my ticket to Beijing, and went to the Chinese Doctor... twice.

I would like to make note that my Shantou University Student Card has now probably saved me 250 RMB, or $50ish CAD. I expect it to save me much more before this trip is over. People have been having issues getting their student cards accepted (foreigners), but since mine is a Chinese card it has been pretty easy. I have had to really push it a few times thought to get their discount. This discount is quite substantial, as usually Students only pay 50% of the full rate. That is nice.

As for the sights, I did not see all that I wanted to, but that is some incentive to return. The 8th Army Headquarters was very interesting to see. That is Modern History for sure, and amazing to think of the role of the Xi'an office when the Communist Party was still fighting for control of the Country. Incredible.

Now onto Chinese Medicine. Yesterday the Doctor came to see me. Today I went to see the Doctor. He said that I should try for three treatments, a different one for each part of the spine. Today in his office I started by laying on a steamer thing. My back was thus thoroughly heated and spiced with herbs or something before I moved onto acupuncture. Acupuncture was painless again, which is so so nice, but to spice it up the Doctor connected some wires to the needles and sent a current through. That was... special.

After that there was something that I have never tried before and never heard of. It is called Cupping. In cupping the Doctor uses a glass jar and then creates a vaccuum inside it with the use of fire then sticks it to the skin. It will suck up the skin and make it look bruised. If it is pink that is ok, but if the skin is dark purple it shows toxicity and that the blood is stagnant. Of course my skin was dark purple. This can also be combined with acupuncture for a special painful treat. Then massage. Then I was done. That was this morning.

This afternoon was similar treatment, but without the steamer and with the focusing on a different area. I have now had my back cracked in more places then I knew I had, and for the first time in a very long time I am relatively confidant that all of my vertebrae can move freely of each other. So, I am hoping that this treatment will keep me going, or at least decrease my pain some until I can get stronger pain killers on my return to Canada, but for now my back is mush. There are swollen patches all over from Cupping, and the muscles have been demolished by massage. Gah.

Tomorrow I will climb the mountain, and then it is time to go to Beijing. I still do not know if I am going to Shanghai or not. I had better decide soon.

Anyways, for now, I am going to drown my sorrows in prune juice and rebuild my muscles with beef and mutton in kabobs.

Peace.

Catching Up...

This will still have to be brief as I am pressed for time, but it should help clear some things up.

After the Opera I rested for another restless sleep and was up early. I was passed through the custody of a number of people as I was sent from a car through Chengdu, and then passed off to a bus driver to take me to Chongqing. I have resolved to take no more busses in China if at all possible.

In Chongqing my contact was late and I was snatched up by a bus driver. Half an hour and 30 Yuan later I was where I needed to be and with my Chongqing contact. She had everything prepared for me. I must say I was relieved to finally meet her since she had my ticked for the Yangtze Cruise.

I had some spare time, so I was able to wander through Chongqing and see what the world's largest city has to offer. I went to a huge mall/tourist attraction/thing called the cave, and I went into the main square downtown with a large monument. The monument was a clock tower, and the clocks... Rolex.

That night I was on the boat, and the boat was on its way down the Yangtze. Over the next few days I followed a simple pattern of try to sleep, go see some sight on land, chill on the boat, see another sight, and try to sleep. The sleeping was actually ok, except when my roomates got up at 3 am and cracked out the cigarettes. I guess they were not that bad, they did sit near the window.

The sights were quite amazing, but heavily restored. My biggest issue was finding out when we were going to see the sights and what time we were supposed to be back on the boat since I was one of the only few people who spoke english. Somehow it worked out, but I later realized that I had some Guardian Angels on this trip. My tour guide (who only spoke Chinese) was always checking if I was on board before we set sail, but she did it very stealthily. The throughout the whole trip my Travel Agent in Chongqing, Vienna, seemed to be keeping tabs on me.

After we landed on the cruise I was ushered onto the right bus to get to Yichang, and then when the bus arrived I was met by another contact who had my train ticked to Zhengzhou. Again I had time to kill, so I was able to walk around and see some of the gardens and squares in Yichang.

The train ride to Zhengzhou was uneventful, except that it was my first overnight train ride, which I thought was exciting, but other than that... It was interesting though when I was woken up at 3 in the morning by the train lady trying to explain something to me in Chinese. Eventually I figured out that it was time for me to get off. I did.

Off the train at around 4 am, I then took the time to book my next ticket, to Xi'an, which took a while because of the language barrier. Then at about 5:15 am I wend to McDonalds to kill some time. I met someone who had been on my Cruise and who spoke english. We waited till breakfast was served at 6 am and then ate.

After I found my hostel, then headed back to the bus station to catch the bus south to the Shaolin Temple. This seems like a relatively easy task, but I have an issue where I do not know where to get off. Some times I get off too early and then walk the rest on foot, which is what I was going to do this time but... I saw a sight I wanted to see, thought I could not be far and I hopped off of the bus. Well, the sight was beautiful. It was a Pagoda atop an enormous staircase, but the difficult part was that I was now in the town of Dengfeng, which was still 15 km from the Shaolin Temple... Oops.

I read the Lonely Planet to try and save me and it told me to take the number 8 bus. I did... and then when I reached the end of the line without getting where I was supposed to I talked to some chinese people. They laughed some, but in the end they showed me where the right stop was, and then someone even waited with me until another bus came (because it was not at a stop and I was trying to walk away, the lady kept me there till the bus came). So, I got off of the number 8 bus, and then when the next bus came I got on it. It was also a number 8. Evidently they were not the same. That one took me to the Temple.

It was also an amazing site, but largely restored. The Temple had been razed several times, so most of the wooden structures are rebuilt. The stone ones however are largely originals. I was able to see a Wushu demonstration, which was interesting, and then I tried to find my way home. Which was quite difficult, because the bus I wanted no one had heard of. Eventually an English speaking tour guide pointed me in the right direction.

Two busses later I was at the Hotel. Then I was at a local restaurant eating a local dish. Noodles, but not just regular noodles, like 3 different kinds of noodles in the same soup... yeah... most were normal noodles, but there were some very strange clear ones with the consistancy of jello though they were a little tougher. They were gross.

The next morning I was on a train to Xi'an, and luckily it was the last stop because otherwise I would not know where to get off. It is interesting being in a Tourist city again, and much easier for traveling. I found some travellers immediately who knew where my hostel was. They took me there. That night we went to the fountain and light show at the Large Goose Pagoda. I did not go in the water, but hopefully got some decent pictures. Afterwards we went to the Bar in our Hostel and I Sharked at Foosball until 2 am. It has been months since I have done that, and it was nice.

The following day I was off to see the Terra Cotta Army. On the bus there I met two girls from Quebec who I travelled with for the rest of the day. We say the Army, and then we went to see the Qin Mauseoleum. When we made it back to Xi'an we were tired but we kept going. We went to the Muslim Quarter for supper, and then down the the Large Goose Pagoda for the Fountain and Light Show. This time we all went into the Fountains. That was definately one of the most amusing experiences I have had here since I had a bucket of revenge dumped on my head.

We exchanged e-mails and parted ways.

Yesterday morning I was up and on the wall. I rented a bike and went around the entire thing. It was fun, and it was a nice ride, but it was a little much for me. I gave up biking last year, and on my ride around the wall I was able to remember why. Unfortunately, but the time I realized that my body might not have been up to the challenge, I was already at the North Gate, and thus the furthest point from where I rented the bike. I had no choice but to continue.

I hopped off the wall, rushed back to the hostel, and met with a Chinese Doctor. The acupunctured me... if one can say that... and it was nice. Compared to IMS (Intramuscularstimulation) it felt great. No pain in Chinese Acupuncture. Then he gave me a massage with some kind of oil that made me smell kind of like a well marinated steak. Hopefully it will help. I am going back for a second round today, I am supposed to do three, but I will not have time.

After the Doctor I had a busy day. Large Goose Pagoda. Shaanxi Museum of History. Xi'an Museum. Small Goose Pagoda. Bell Tower. Drum Tower. Muslim Quarter. Wow. Very busy, but good. And in the Muslim Quarter I had sooo much good food. Nothing like glass after glass of cheap prune juice and then lamb on a stick. Yum.

Another rough sleep, and then this morning. Today I will hit up Xi'an for the sights I missed yesterday, and I will go to the Doctor again. Tomorrow I will ascent Hua Shan, possibly with an Austrian Traveller, and spend a night atop the mountain. I will then watch sunrise from the East Peak.

Today... I still need to by a train ticket to get me out of this town, and I need to find a place to stay in Beijing, and I need to decide if I am going to Shanghai or not. Hmm... It is good that it always seems to work out for me, or all of this stuff could get me worried. A good thing...

Made it to Xi'an... Somehow...

So... I'm here. Now what.

Hostel is a 10 minute walk from the Bell Tower. 15 from the Muslim Quarter.

Tonight we are going to see the Big Goose Pagoda...

Tomorrow... The Army...

Alive... In Zengzhou...

Somehow I am still kicking... Four days on a boat... Bus rides... Train rides... McDonalds at 5 in the morning in Zhengzhou... getting lost on the way to the Shaolin Temple... Getting lost on the way back from the Shaolin Temple... and FINALLY... to my extremely overpriced hotel... Gah...

I will elaborate on the rest later.

I need sleep. Train to Xi'an leave in less than 12 hours...

Sichuan Opera

So, today was my vacation. I did very little. I got up, ate, blogged, picasaed, and tried to sort out accommodation in Zhengzhou, which proved difficult and expensive. It is not a backpacker friendly city. Actually, I am burning through funds far beyond what I expected, but I guess when I think about it it makes sense. I have been doing a lot of travelling and paying to get into expensive things. After Zhengzhou that should ease up a bit... I hope. Either way, at least I am still within my budget. That is the beauty of not having one, you are always with its boundless limits.

Anyways. So, I was getting frustrated at not being able to find accommodation in Zhengzhou so I gave in and booked a hotel room. By that time it was nearly 7 pm. Since my whole day had vanished in various errands I wanted to see if I could go to the Sichuan Opera. The issue was that it was 7 pm and that 7 pm was probably too late.

I went to reception and asked. The trip for the Opera left at 7:15 pm. I booked my a VIP Ticket and returned at 7:15. Three of us went in a van and were taken to the Opera. By VIP they meant VIP. We were given seats in the first row, and in front of our seats there was a small table with tea and peanuts on it.

We were still early so we were able to walk around and look at the Opera Hall. There were lots of costumes on display and we even walked into the dressing room. All of the actors were there putting on their makeup and getting ready for the show. Continuing on our way we were in a set of shops. There they sold paintings, pottery, tea stuff, and something I had never seen before but thought was exquisite. We found Purple Jade. I would have purchased something none of the carvings caught my eye. The workmanship was incredible, as was the material. Purple Jade is Jadeite that has formed in layers with other colours of Jadeite. It is amazing to see the layers and the mingling of all of the different colours.

After we were done in the shops it was time for the show to begin.

We sat down, drank tea, ate the nuts, and enjoyed ourselves.

There was some Opera, Musical Solos, Puppetry, Shadow Puppets, Mask Changers, and Fire Breathers. All of it was incredible. I have photos of some of it, and the things that could not be expressed in photos I took video of. It seemed that all performers were Masters in their art. The Musicians used classical Chinese instruments and played them perfectly. I have never seen such Puppetry as tonight. The puppet was dancing, and grabbing things, and throwing things, and catching them again, and wow.

The Shadow Puppets were my favourite part of the show. I have most of the performance recorded, but I missed the beginning. I was expecting some regular shadows, but what I saw was the transformation of hands into scenes of nature silhouetted by the moon. He would start always the same, with his hands apart and showing five fingers on each... then they would blend together in fluid motions like he was washing them with invisible water. At once a shape would appear and we would be in awe. Then the shape would move and live and breath and be as alive as you or I. We saw birds flying, sitting, kissing and fighting. We saw a dog shaking his ears, and dangling his tongue out of his mouth. There were many more, like a spider, an owl, a horse, rabbits, and his grand finale of a dog eating a rabbit. R Rated and fantastic.

There was another Operatic performance and then the show with Mask Changers. I have never seen anything like that before, but right before your eyes you could watch their mask change, and even their entire outfit. This was all done with fire breathing tossed in to spice it up.

I thought I would not get to go to the Opera because I have been so busy, but I made it and it was worth every penny.

We came home again where I was able to have supper before the restaurant closed. Now I am writing this post. Soon I will be walking to the Bank to refill my coffers. Then I will hopefully get a chance to investigate how my infected toenail is coming along.

Tomorrow morning brings new horizons. Down to Chongqing and then onto a boat. I am glad I get sea legs quickly because if the water is rough getting those legs could be quite painful.

Time to go to the Bank. Here's to not getting mugged.

New Album and New Location for Old Album

Hi Everyone.

The Album containing the photos from the Shantou portion of my China Trip has been moved to (this means that the link of the left is now dead. I cannot fix it because of the firewall):

China 2009 - Shantou

Also, I have created an album containing the photos from the To Beijing portion of my China Trip and it can be found here:

China 2009 - To Beijing

Enjoy

Jiuzhaigou... More time to Post...

Other than that little bit of chaos about Jiuzhaigou I have not yet had time so adequately speak of the events of the past few days. Well, I have returned to Chengdu a day ahead of schedule and now have some time to fill you in...

Before I start. The final count of people on the Bus that lit on fire was 104. I do not know how that is split up between injuries and fatalities. Either way, if you have the time, take a moment for them for they have taken their last.

Morning came the night after seeing the Pandas and my alarm was set of go off obscenely early. In the end I did not need the alarm as my ability to sleep is diminishing and I spend the last hours in bed waiting for the alarm that never needed to come.

I was on my feet, through the door, checked out and on my way to the bus. I was on the bus and before I knew it we were on our way out of Chengdu. I am not meant to sit. Actually, whenever possible I am supposed to avoid sitting, but since I am travelling and since there are certain realities involved with that I sucked it up. We were on that bus for the better part of thirteen hours.

I will throw in a note here that I find interesting. I took the Public bus to Jiuzhaigou because foreigners are currently not allowed on the tour buses because they pass through sensitive areas regarding Tibet on the way to the park. I think on the Public bus no one checks is why it was still ok. I could also have flown... but the cost... gah. Public bus it was.

It was a beautiful ride. You can see the devastation of the earthquakes that have ripped apart Sichuan Province. There are broken bridge, houses, roads, and mountains all along the ride. Construction crews are everywhere trying to repair the damage and restore the road to a functional status. The two lanes of traffic are often confined to one lane since there are materials or workers using the other lane.

The scenery in itself was amazing. To see the mountains was one thing, but to see how the people lived as you moved further away from the cities. There we were able to see how people live in Rural China. That is how most of the people live, and it was a great privilege to see. There were people farming, and tending to animals. People carrying their harvested goods and their children in baskets on their backs. There were people herding their animals, in including the goats that blocked our bus on the road, and the donkeys that too blocked our path. The villages were filled with traditional buildings, traditional clothing, and traditional people. Chickens roamed free, and on the far side of the river fenced in only by the great hills were cows and horses. It was absolutely amazing. In some touristy ares one might think that the traditional clothing was for the sake of the tourists, but when you saw these people you knew that they did not care about the tourists. All they cared about were their families and their basic needs.

I was still very popular in these areas, as every time the bust stopped people would stare at me and shout out "Hello" but I was more thing of interest to be ignored then a celebrity as I have been on this trip.

This trip was meant to be an excruciating eleven hours long, but there was a traffic jam that held us up for two hours. We were able to get out of the bus and wander into one of the villages. The bus stopped at other locations where we could get out and take a look around, but not for long. There I had the extreme... pleasure... of seeing the most disgusting toilets of my life... Actually, they were just little half stalls over top of a sloped trough so that you could squat and Hakuna Matata.

On those stops there were often locals selling food by the side of the road. I did not get any, but when we were on the bus the guy next to me offered me some nuts he had bought. I refused, but he gave me the nuts anyways. Later he offered my an orange fruit of some kind. Again I refused, and again he gave me the fruit. Both the nuts and the fruit were amazing.

It was also on one of those stops that I was approached by a student. He spoke English and seemed to have a plan to visit Jiuzhaigou. I, having no plan, opted to stick with him and when we arrived there was now a group of us. They dropped me off at my hotel, and told me where to meet in the morning.

6:30 am rolled around and we met outside the hotels. We went to the park and paid outrageous fees to get in. We were on a bus and we spent the entire day journeying around this natural preserve. The final group we ended with was myself, the foreigner, the Student from Beijing (who can speak very broken English, this is important later), the PhD Student moving to Chicago for school (who can speak excellent English), and the old guy (60) (who spoke no English whatsoever). It was a good crowd and we were able to see many things.

At lunch I was given two steamed buns from a random Chinese Man who was sitting beside us. He thought the food I had looked like a snack and was not substantial enough to be a meal so he gave me the buns. I refused, but as we have already seen that did not matter. The PhD Student explained to me that my food was snack food, and if Chinese people see you eating that for a meal they will give you food because they do not feel you have enough.

That I thought was amazing.

We later went to a village in the park where we wanted to sleep for the night... sleeping in the park is not allowed, but sometimes you can rent a room at a villager's house. We did manage to get rooms sorted out, but not for the following evening. Sure... that would be fine.

We left the park and met for supper. On the bus we met someone who grew up in a nearby village. He said he would take us to his family's restaurant for Toasted Lamb. We arrived at the village early, but that was fine. Our friend from the village gave us a tour, which was absolutely amazing. He took us to their temple, and showed us around. The temple might have been closed, but when the monks saw that our guide was a local they did not might. It was incredible.

After the tour we went to his family's restaurant for supper. I did not know it at the time, but evidently they do a full cultural meal where they show you tons of cultural stuff. We paid a very reasonable fee and were told not to tell the other guests. We were treated like family.

When we arrived since we were still early they let us dress in their traditional clothing. All of the guys were in robes with one arm out, and they gave me a great big hat to wear. The PhD student was in a more feminine robe and was adorned with their traditional jewelry. The photos are hilarious, and I think me and the Old Guy enjoyed them the most.

After that we went in to wait for the rest of the guests. The room had skinny tables set up like the walls of a courtyard so that performances could go in the middle. We were off to the side in a table just for us. There were no knives or forks, and not even any chopsticks. In this Tibetan way of eating you use your hands, and only your hands. We were able to eat some snacks while we waited. There were some kind of vegetable/flower/thing, as well as cracked wheat, cracker things, and something like flour. There were peppers (hot hot hot) to put on everything, after all we were in Sichuan, and milk tea to go with it. The flour stuff could be put into the milk tea to make something like dough that you could eat. Normally it was done only in festivals, but since we were early they showed us how to do it. The Old Guy tried it later and made a huge hilarious mess.

We were also given cups of a yellow wine. This was the special wine and we were the only table to be given it. This wine has 54% alcohol, and most definitely can offer a little kick.

Everyone else arrived and regular black/red wine was brought for everyone (including us). The women explained something in Chinese, and then the Head of the Village came in. He toasted to us. We all stood, held our cups of wine (the crappy wine) above our heads, and then drank. This is not a little, take a sip... but a drink the full cup. Cup down. There were more toasts, and the father of the family also came out for a toast. In one of these the Old Guy grabbed his yellow wine and we toasted that. Wow. That was interesting.

Then there was food. I do not know what meat we had first, but we ate it with out hands. There was the singing and dancing of the three daughters and the son of the family. You can tell they were singing themselves, because when the power went out, which happened a lot, they were not hindered by a lack of microphone.

It was also interesting that if you did not drink your wine one of the daughters would come around to you with a shot of the yellow wine and make you drink it. I escaped that round.

They brought the Lamb around before carving to let us see. There were two Lambs, each cooked and laying on large cutting boards. Moments later, individual plates were brought to the tables.

As we ate the real games started.

They would bring people from the crowd up and make them dance or sing. More than once there would be a singing competition where one of the daughters would sing a love song and the participant was meant to counter with another song, and so on until the participant stumbled. Then they would drink and sit.

At one point they grabbed a bunch of people from the crowd. They grabbed five people, including the Old Guy. He looked at me and threw me in there in his place. First all of us, all of us guys actually, got in a line and faced away from the first guy. One of the daughters showed him a dance. Then the next guy, in this case me, turned around to face the first. The first tried to repeat the dance to me. Then I turned and tried to repeat it to the next guy. Like the telephone game this got worse and worse until the final guy was meant to perform. Good times were had. We were split up and they went though each guy for their own game. Some had to sing, some had to dance. No matter what they did, each guy would have to drink a shot... or more... of the yellow wine before being allowed to return to the crowd. For this activity I was last.

Before my turn the PhD Student send over the Student from Beijing. Let's get this straight. She speaks near perfect English, but she sent the other student because she thought it would be... and I quote "funnier." Great.

So we told the people a little about me in English and the loved it. No one knew what I was saying, but it was funny. In Chinese the Student from Beijing told them I was a student and I was from Canada. At least that is what I think he told them.

Before I knew what was happening one of the daughters grabbed the ends of my scarf (oh yeah, we were all given scarves on entry), and pulled me from the room. I waved and shouted "Bye" to the crowd and they cheered for me. On my way out I saw a bull made very similarly to a two person Chinese Dragon enter to keep the crowed entertained.

Behind the scenes I traded my runners for some Boots, and then was wrapped in a great cloak, and hatted like a Tibetan Herder. The bull came back and I burst out into the crowd. My foreigner gone Herder appearance brought great amusement among the people, and I was able to pose for them with many great stances. When they were satisfied with my poses and my photo was taken about a bazillion times the daughter returned to me. She asked me something in Chinese. Evidently she wanted me to go on the ground on all fours like a bull or cow or buck or something. I did. Then when she tried to sit on my I gave more of a bucking bronco approach to it. She screamed. Everyone laughed. At attempt number two I sat long enough for a photo. Back on my feet she said something to me again.

My translator said something indecipherable, but said that I should say 20. So I said 20, and he translated. Evidently she asked how many cows does my family have, and hers has one thousand. I was not looking good with only twenty. Then she asked me something else. My translator asked how many legs to bugs have (again... meaning cows)... I showed six on my fingers to much the hilarity of the crowd. They gave me a little bull that I could take with me as a memento for playing the came. The daughters said the stuff that they always said before toasting. They went on their knees, as is done by the women in such traditional circumstances. I looked at the goblet with the yellow wine in it, raised it high, and threw 'er back. Cheers all around. They wiped wine off my forehead, which they put there in the toasts, they then tried to wipe off my beard. I grabbed it and pulled to show them it wouldn't wipe off. The daughters shrieked and the crowd laughed.
This next part got interesting since my translator was clearly inadequate. The PhD student explained to me later. Evidently I appeared to be quite attractive as a husband and the daughter wanted to marry me. She tried to grab onto my back where I would then carry her away to her room. But, based on shoddy translation I could not figure out what she was trying to do, and because of my height she couldn't get a great grip so because this was not working quite right she just pushed me out of the room. I managed to look back and yell "Bye" and the crowed cheered. There I resumed my formally glorious appearance of World Traveller.

It was when I sat that the PhD student explained that it would be funnier if the Beijing Student translated, and she explained the rest. It was much funnier after I understood what was going on.

There were more songs and then we were told a fire was ready outside. We went out and were all able to dance around the fire as evidently they do. What an experience. It was an amazing night.

On a less good note, when the sticks in the fire burned they snapped in half and a pile fell from the brazier. I helped to throw them back in the fire and managed to burn myself slightly. There is where it gets less good. I did not actually notice that there were embers touching my skin until it started melting through the callus on my hand. I did not then notice that there was an ember on one of my fingers. I could not feel the pain until they started burning. This, as it would appear is one of the drawbacks of being on general pain killers. Sure, I cannot feel misquote bites, that is good, but then I cannot feel pain when I need it. That is bad. For example. Last night I discovered that I have an infected toe nail. I do not know when it started, or how, but only that I cannot feel it. Great thick puss poured from the infection, and yet, no pain. I can only feel my back. That is all the pain there is anymore. But, there is nothing I can do about it, so despite the pain I will continue on.

I will continue on, and I will enjoy every minute. That night, and since then. I have.

We were home and in bed, then up, then we bought bus tickets. Now we decided not to stay in the park but to go to the small city of Songpan to see some other historical stuff. We went to the park, and because we decided not to buy bus tickets (because they cost a lot) we had to walk in.

We walked in and we took the bus out. We got our stuff and after a very very fast lunch, which pissed me of we went to the bus station. I was pissed off at lunch because the PhD student asked if I could use chopsticks. I said yes, since I could use them before I left, and because I have been in China a while now. So the food came. I began to eat, and at least this time she did not tell me that I was using the wrong hand (as she had the night before). They were almost done, and I had barely eaten. They were talking about me, which was quite obvious. When they noticed that I noticed, the PhD student said that they were mentioning how much difficulty I was having with the chopsticks because they were almost done and I had only eaten a little. I was greatly irritated, because my ability to use chopsticks is fine thank you, but I prefer not to fill my face with heaps of second-rate noodles on a hurry... gah... The only other thing regarding my foreigness that has irritated me thus far on the trip is the signs in the Jiuzhai Village. Both of the hotels that I had seen have signs on their computers saying that Internet is free, but foreigners are not allowed. They must go to the Internet cafes outside. That pissed me off, and was one of the reasons I was glad for our group to break as we parted ways.

Waiting for the bus to go to Songpan a driver of a sedan came and spoke to us. He wanted to go to Chengdu that night and wanted passengers. The rate is the same of the bus, but the trip would be much much faster because he was a car. We would also stop when we wanted to see stuff and take photos. The group agreed.

It was a faster trip, but evidently some people do not know how to sit in a car. Three of us in the back seat, but there was on person on one half of the seat, and the other two of us on the other half. Which I made some adjustments on, but with my inability to spread out and inability to speak the language my pain shot through the roof.

We stopped at Songpan, and we stopped at many other villages. We stopped so we could get photos atop a cow, but other than that we drove on and we drove fast. Our driver was amazing, but it is amazing that I was not ill. Absolutely amazing.

As for the pain. 10. Pain at a 10 is something I have rarely experienced, but for the last hours of the trip it took all of my focus, and all of my praying to God that I might endure. My strength was completely devoted to not screaming out in agony, and my mind was devoted to infinite loop conversations. I would tell myself that we had already driven for so long and that there would not be much left. And then I would tell myself and one minute had passed when it had been ten. That two minutes has passed when it had been twenty. In such a way I could endure.

The PhD Student was asleep and the Beijing Student was awake beside me. He told me they would drop us off at the bus station. We were not dropped off at the bus station, and because of this I had to pay 20 yuan for a Taxi instead of 2 yuan for the number 28 bus. Because they had decided to come home early, I had to pay 120 yuan for a full hotel room, instead of the 50 yuan to stay with a villager in in Jiuzhaigou, or 60 for a hotel in Songpan. This pissed me off.

It was good though, as long as I can eat the expense that I am in Chengdu early. I can sort out my travels, and I am post my photos. I was able also to find the infected toenail so that I might address it sooner rather than later. It has been polysporined and bandaged for now, and I will bandage it again later.

Today. Today I am relaxing. I will get some more money, since the entry fee to Jiuzhaigou was several hundred more than I expected, and if I am lucky, I will go to the Sichuan Opera.

Photos will be posted today.


Written in Chengdu

Jiuzhaigou... No Time To Post!!!

No time to post.

I had no plans so I hopped on with some Chinese folk and stole their plans. Amazing. New plans for tomorrow. Leaving Jiuzhaigou early to see some other cool stuff.

Had wine for first time in a long time. The Head of the Village was toasting and Iｔｈｏｕｇｈｔ　ｉｔ　ｒｕｄｅ　ｎｏｔ　ｔｏ　ｐａｒｔａｋｅ．．．　ｏｆ　ｇｌａｓｓ　ｄｒｕｎｋ　ｌｉｋｅ　ａ　ｓｈｏｔ．．．　Ｉ　ｗａｓ　ｔｏｌｄ　ａｆｔｅｒ．．．　５４％　ａｌｃｏｈｏｌ．．．

Ｌａｔｅｒ　Ｉ　ｗａｓ　ｂｒｏｕｇｈｔ　ｕｐ　ａｎｄ　ｄｒｅｓｓｅｄ　ｕｐ　ｌｉｋｅ　ａ　Ｃｏｗ　Ｈｅｒｄｅｒ．．．　Ｉ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　Ｉam supposed to marry one of the girls there now... the translation was fuzzy... I will clarify later when I am not getting kicked out of the Internet place... Hopefully the night after tomorrow when I return to Chengdu.

Until then... Keep walking, and whenever possible eat Toasted Lamb with 54% rice wine in a very Traditional setting... I will try to send a photo of me and my companions...

Back to day one of "I don't drink"... again...

Pandas!

I woke yesterday in Macau with nothing to do. It was kind of strange so I decided to do something. I was out of the hostel and to the main square. Following the convienient signs all over the place I went from one Cathedral to another until I ended up back at the town square. I had noticed there was a fort/lighthouse at the highest point on the peninsula. I followed the roads upwards and made it to the top. Great view. Fantastic fort/lighthousething. Dehydration. There are no convienience stores in Macau that I have found so I booked it down the hill in the burning heat to McDonalds. McDonalds saved me.

After gathering my gear I hopped on a bus to the ferry terminal, and with a Romeo No. 3 in my pocket I hopped on a ferry and headed towards the mainland. As I was returning to mainland China I had the feeling of returning home. I do not like the rules of the developed cities, and instead I longed for the freedom of China. The ferry took me to the border and I cleared it with no issue. Then a bus, and then I was at the airport. Amazingly enough I did not get motionsick up to this point.

I prepped my bag for check-in and they threw it on the conveyor. No sooner did it dissapear from sight in the x-ray machine did all sorts of sirens and alarms turn on. Great. It was not a large issue as I have now adoped an enormous amount of calm, so when they tried to explain in broken english what was wrong I was not concerned. I began to empty my bag and then I remembered that my Magic Rocks were all together in a big clump. I reached in and pulled them out. Evidently magnets mess up the sensors, or at least that is what I think happens... the man was acting out some kind of something and that was my best interpretation. Bye Bye Maigic Rocks.

My bag went through the x-ray thing again and was gone. I hope my Magic Rocks go to the airport guy's kids.

That was a bummer, but it was ok. There goes 10 Yuan.

I next had to clear security. Coming up to the little booth thing I took off my watch... emptied my pockets... and even took off my belt. Thinking everything was good I went through the scanner thing. Naturally I set off that alarm. When scanned the guard found my wallet. It was hidden in a secret pocket so I had forgotten it. He frisked me with the metal detecting baton again and he found my camera... It was also in a hidden pocket and has escaped my notice when I cleared out my pants. Surely I would be good to go now. He scanned me again and his scanner picked up my money belt. I took it off as well. Now, thoroughly naked of all of my important belongings I was deemed safe and able to proceed. I did, and it did not escape my notice that the locals were laughing at my ness.

One other thing of note happened at the Shenzhen airport... I saw a 3D tv. I can guess how it was done but I do not know. Either way, when you watched the image it was 3D. That is totally amazing, especially since you do not need 3D glasses or anyhing to see the 3Dness.

Then I was on a plane. Then I was in Chendgu. My ride picked me up at the airport and then I was here. This hostel is enormous, with all sorts of stuff here. I was given a key and assigned a bed after a minor predicament about my booking, and then I went to the room. Everyone was already sleeping and there was someone in my bed... rather than hopping in with them I thought it best to speak to the conscierge. He came up and said I should sleep in another bed... other than lacking the ability to sleep everything went well.

I woke up earlyish because I could not take the pain and went downstairs to explore. The moment I showed up someone asked if I was on the Panda tour. I said no, but that I would love to be. In that way it was less than 15 minutes from being awake that I was on my way to the Panda conservation...

It took a long time to get there because of a tragic accident. A number 9 city bus lit on fire with over 70 people on board. 12 escaped uninjured. 44 were burned in some way or another. 24 were burned so severely that they were not identifiable. We drove passed the bus after the people had been removed. The entire thing was black and burned. Even the asphalt around the bus was black and charred. What a tragedy.

We did make it to the Panda conservatory, and it was great, but the whole time we continued hearing little rumours about the bus as the news leaked onto the radio.

Back here I have been booking the rest of my trip. I am on on my way to Jiuzhaigou tomorrow for two days, as was planned but now is booked, and on the 10th I catch my boat down the Yangtze. On arrival in Yichang I will take a train through the night to Zhengzhou... I will arrive at 3:48 am on the 14th... crap...

As for accomodation... well that is what I am going to sort out right now...

Let's hope this all works out...

Macau.

Left Hong Kong this morning.
Toured Macau allllllll day with an Australian.
Awesome.

Mostly modern buildings now, but there is a definite colonial influence. I is beautiful.

Off to Chengdu tomorrow via Shenzhen. Should be good. I just met a Canadian at this hostel who lives in Chengdu. She has offered to take me around town. That is awesome.

Everything is going well so far... except for the fact that after the next three days I have nothing booked... oh crap... Ima gonna get on that...

This is what I'm here for...

Using the Plot and Row numbers Faxed to me by the Assistant Manager of the Hong Kong Cemetery I managed to find Great Uncle Reg. That was one of the most powerful moments I have yet experienced on this trip.

When I first arrived at the cemetery I was confronted with a great plaque that told me of the sacrifice in defending Hong Kong. It mentioned the soldiers that fought and sacrificed their lives, even though they knew they could not win.

Inside the cemetery I was able to find the grave. It was beautiful. The tombstone itself is simple, and there are no great monuments nearby, but the simple terraces of graves are oddly serene in a way I cannot adequately explain.

I sat there for a time and wrote.

We was 35 when he died. When I read that I could see the faces of all of the people I love cycling through my mind. For that brief instant I felt as if I could begin to understand the meaning of his sacrifice, if only for a moment.

I never met Reginald Cooke, afterall his death is three times my own age away, but visiting that spot I felt a certain kind of pride in my name.

Too all of the people who fought for our freedom...


Thank you.

Transitting in Hong Kong

I must say that the transit system here is quite a bit more advanced than back home... then again there are 6 million more people to contribute tax dollars... nonetheless, it is impressive.

I have been all over this island and back again. I have been to the Peak, up and down the World's Longest Escalator, to the backside of the island, to the Temple St. Night Market, to the Symphony of Lights, to the Hong Kong Park, on the ferries, buses, trams, and my own two feet. What a wild time it has been, and I still have one more day.

On other interesting news, I went to the Hong Kong Cemetery and was unable to locate my Great Uncle. The Assistant Manager there said that he would check the rest of the local cemeteries when it was not a weekend (ie. today) and contact me at the hostel.

This post is dedicated to him. He held true to his word and I now have the location I am looking for. I will take the bus to the back side of the island tomorrow and visit the grave site in Stanley.

Thank you for that invaluable piece of help.

As for me, I am not sure what is going to happen. No doubt I will find stuff to fill the day with tomorrow... which does not include getting shived by the guy claiming to be a holy man whilst telling my fortune... he was not thrilled when I would not pay for his unwanted and unneeded services... my future will unfold on its own thanks... Hopefully I will get to book another hostel or two. I will try to find a better spot to do e-mail in Chengdu in a few days to try and post some photos to keep everyone up to date on my rugged appearance.

All for now.

Also... I hope not to be