Ni Hao from China

My desire to travel and explore is finally being satisfied. Well, I actually don't think the addiction can ever be fully quenched. However, I write you all from Wuhan, Hubei Province China - I'm in the heart of a rooster, if you could turn the map of China into a drawing. Honestly, China wasn't at the top of my list of places to visit in the next 10 years but when your closest friend moves back to China, you haven't seen her for a year, and she's near fluent in Mandarin Chinese, you've gotta take advantage of that! So the mere fact that I've made it this far in a country where I am no doubt a minority in height, dress, skin tone, language, and inability to do a proper Chinese squat is kind of remarkable. Of course, I am doing my best to fit in - I can dodge traffic, pick up small, slippery little suckers like peanuts and cucumbers, and count my Chinese numbers with the best of them. But really I would not have been able to leave the Beijing airport two weeks ago had it not been for my dear friend Ally. In total, Ally's been in China for two years and thank goodness because she's not only an expert in Chinese but also highly skilled in the art of bargaining, getting a taxi, and ordering the best eggplant and 'hot pot' (a Sichuan restaurant tradition) dishes in the mainland. I have to be careful not to take her valuable skills for granted.

I don't have my time right now to detail my travels but here's a quick summary of the geography covered so far.
BEIJING: In the three days in Beijing we met some awesome travel buddies, stayed in a lovely hostel, did a 4 hour hike on the Great Wall, saw Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City, and did our best to bargain at the Pearl Market.

CHENGDU: From Beijing we flew south to Chengdu where we once again stayed in an awesome international hostel, saw the famous pandas, went to a two temples- Daoist and Buddhist-, took a side trip to Leshan where I saw the largest Buddha in the world, and sweated more than I ever thought possible when eating in a restaurant - that's the hot pot I mentioned above. In a group, you sit around a table that has a hole where a pot of oil sits over a gas flame. The pot is usually split in half dividing between regular oil and really spicy oil. then you order a bunch of uncooked dishes like tofu, beans, noodles, pumpkins, radish, lettuce, mushrooms (and all sorts of meats for nonvegetarians). Then you throw it into the pot and wait for the goodness to boil. I thought Mexican spice was intense but this kind of spice numbs your entire mouth, lips, and chin and all the heat moves through your entire body. Now, what the local Chinese men do is strip their shirts off - oh if only that was appropriate!

CHONGQING: took a bus to this town - apparently one of the largest cities in the world with 32 million people...who knew? we didn't have time to explore because it was at this town that we boarded a 4 star cruise ship to make our way down the Yangtze River from Sunday evening to Wednesday afternoon. Don't have exact names at this moment, but we did pass through the famous big gorges. They were absolutely incredible and unlike anything I've every seen before. I was surprised to see beautifully terraced lands along side the water (I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as I'm back in the states). What was most fascinating though was to see what land is on its way to destruction by the flooding of the waters as a result of the new 3 Gorges damn, started in 1992. Along the river are meter markers showing how high the water will raise by 2008 when the dam should be finished. Already, 1.2 million people have been displaced from their homes and villages and relocated to 'new' towns, relocation towns they are called. These towns look more like cities near the water with high rise apartment buildings that give the area the look of a ghost town. I'll try not to get riled (sp?) up right now but it was interesting to listen to the cruise tour guide, who was Chinese but speaking English. - She makes it sound like the majority of people are satisfied with the change to these new relocation cities - they are given new jobs, she said, are able to have televisions, and overall have more opportunities....hmm....interesting. I understand that cities provide more opportunities but the relocation also alters a way of life that had been established for hundreds of years and generations and generations. Found out that ultimately the dam should provide up to 2-3% of the countries power. That is a good amount but I was expecting more.

Anyways, here's another observation from going down the river - lots and lots of shoes. What? yes shoes. Crazy right? It makes it seem like people as well as land were destroyed by the flooding, which is quite creepy really. Anyways, I have some other interesting and somewhat disturbing experiences occured while on this boat but overall I was awed by the beauty, beauty that may not be there in just one year.

WUHAN: Now, here I am second day in Wuhan, after crazy, wicked hot bus ride from our end destination on the boat. We're stayin in an air conditioned spacious apartment of a friend of Charissas. I've been lazier here than anytime this year...lounging around, chatting, making good food, and actually....sad to say it...watching t.v.! This is because there really isn't too much to see in Wuhan and it's probably in the high 90s with the thickest air I've ever experienced - near impossible to function in when you're drenched within 5 minutes of leaving the apartment. I will begin my productive travels tomorrow morning when we leave by plane for Hong Kong. I'll be there most likely until the 10th seeing some Emma Willard students who live there, taking a side trip to Macau (the Portuguese island), and trying not to blow my funds in such an expensive city! Then we'll fly to Bangkok, Thailand.

Hope to send updates from there! Zai jian! (good bye!)