Mid-March was the tomb sweeping holiday, otherwise known as QingMing. To teh Chinese it means going back to their ancestors' graves and and clearing them off. To foreigners, it means three days off of work. Myself and two friends decided to go to HuangShan, or Yellow Mountain (in fact, a range of mountains). Unfortunately, we dropped the ball on buying train tickets which guarantees disaster whenever trying to travel when the rest of the country is also trying to travel. [The traveling done by the Chinese population during Chinese New Year is the largest human migration on Earth.] So we tried throwing out any city name we could think of in China to the booking agent, but he kept replying 没有 'méiyǒu, méiyǒu!' meaning WE DON'T HAVE ANY! What he did have were trains to Beijing which he kindly suggested but all of us have already been there. We finally settled on Nanjing, the former capital of the PRC.
On Thursday morning we took a leisurely 1 hour fast train to Nanjing. The nice weather helped, but Nanjing is itself a very pretty city. It isn't so built up (though still huge!) and there were trees lining the streets, wide promenades, and many parks to choose from. The first evening, we went to a Confucius Temple, tried out some street food snacks, and ran into a free lantern festival. We discovered quickly that no one in Nanjing could understand our Chinese. I don't know if we had Shanghai accents or they just weren't used to foreigners trying to speak Chinese, but communication proved difficult throughout the entire trip.
The next day we first went to Purple Mountain (Zijin Shan) where there is a mausoleum for the founder of the PRC, Sun Yat-Sen. There wasn't much hiking to be had and plenty of people on the steps up the mausoleum, but it was still an enjoyable time outdoors. Later, we went to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, a museum dedicated to the Nanjing Massacre. Also known as the Rape of Nanjing, it was a mass murder (300,000) and war rape that occurred during the six-week period following the Japanese capture of the city on December 13, 1937 during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Heavy, but the museum was very well done and informative, if not just a little bit biased.
The next day, our last day, we went out of the city to a hot springs resort. Surrounded by forest, we sat in hot springs infused with bags of coffee, red wine, green tea, herbs, flowers, coconut, and even fish! We sipped tea, read our books, and refreshed ourselves. That night we headed back into the bustle of Shanghai.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Spring is coming to China! (Strawberry Picking and Painting)
It's April! Finally, the bitter central-heating-less winter is over. Now just moody weather, pollution, H7N9 (bird flu), and H1N1 (swine flu). I guess, coming from Oregon, I should be used to moody spring weather. At least there aren't unexpected hail storms here. But it doesn't mean I like stepping out of the metro and realizing that it's raining.
At the end of March, we lucked out with a nice day on Easter and hopped on the company bus headed to Qingpu, a suburb (read: another large neighboring city) of Shanghai. There, about 25 of us first visited a Painter's Village. Everyone in the area painted and the scenery was enjoyable to walk around the stream and gardens. They even gave us some paints and stencils to try our hand. Quite unusual, they gave us panda stencils yet did not provide black paint. Oh well, like our own students, we loved the chance to get creative. After painting and lunch, we went strawberry picking! We headed into rows of greenhouses and plucked the ripest strawberries off the stems. Each of us took a nice big boxful home to enjoy.
Another weekend, a few of us decided to take a break from running errands, eating, sleeping, and teaching and go drink wine and paint. I had heard of 'Sip-N-Paint' in America and was excited to find the same thing here. The studio was located in an alley off of a popular road of restaurants and bars. We were provided canvases, paint, instruction, and some inspiration and left to create masterpieces. Oh and we ordered some sangria to sip. I scrambled 'Starry Night' with a desolate road scene and realized that I loved oil paints. I got really into the thick globbing of paint that covered any mistakes or shaky lines. At the end, we left our paintings outside and grabbed a drink at one of our favorite bars. Then we carefully transported our very wet masterpieces home (with a few paint transfers to clothes and taxis).
It's only a few weeks left until I leave China and am very much enjoying experiences out of the classroom. We have a few holidays to visit other areas and I fully intend to take advantage of them.
At the end of March, we lucked out with a nice day on Easter and hopped on the company bus headed to Qingpu, a suburb (read: another large neighboring city) of Shanghai. There, about 25 of us first visited a Painter's Village. Everyone in the area painted and the scenery was enjoyable to walk around the stream and gardens. They even gave us some paints and stencils to try our hand. Quite unusual, they gave us panda stencils yet did not provide black paint. Oh well, like our own students, we loved the chance to get creative. After painting and lunch, we went strawberry picking! We headed into rows of greenhouses and plucked the ripest strawberries off the stems. Each of us took a nice big boxful home to enjoy.
Another weekend, a few of us decided to take a break from running errands, eating, sleeping, and teaching and go drink wine and paint. I had heard of 'Sip-N-Paint' in America and was excited to find the same thing here. The studio was located in an alley off of a popular road of restaurants and bars. We were provided canvases, paint, instruction, and some inspiration and left to create masterpieces. Oh and we ordered some sangria to sip. I scrambled 'Starry Night' with a desolate road scene and realized that I loved oil paints. I got really into the thick globbing of paint that covered any mistakes or shaky lines. At the end, we left our paintings outside and grabbed a drink at one of our favorite bars. Then we carefully transported our very wet masterpieces home (with a few paint transfers to clothes and taxis).
It's only a few weeks left until I leave China and am very much enjoying experiences out of the classroom. We have a few holidays to visit other areas and I fully intend to take advantage of them.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Last stop! Hanoi/Halong Bay
Back in Vientiane, I prepped to head over to Vietnam.
The flight was easy and a recognized a friend from Luang Prabang. Everyone is traveling on similar routes in SE Asia so it is very common to see people again. This guy was from Pennsylvania which was a great connecting thread between us.
I first went to the ATM and not having researched the currency very well, took out 200,000 dong. I realized later that it wouldn't get me far. That equaled about $10.
I mistakingly realized too late that similar to Chinese New Year, the Vietnamese shut down for their New Year as well ('Tet'). The usually bustling town was dark and shops were closed up. It was the last official day and I hoped things would improve for the rest of my time. They did not and Tet became an increasing annoyance.
Regardless, that night my friend and I found a street corner and ordered the two pho options. Vietnam street "restaurants" are a funny sight as they use stools and tables typically found in a kindergarden classroom. The soup and noodles were yummy and we walked around the town a bit before returning to the hostel.
That night, the soup revolted, upwards, again and again. I spent about 10 hours alternating the toilet and curled in fetal position on my bed. It was absolutely horrible and by the time morning came around, I was weak and exhausted. My one full day in Hanoi was spent laying in bed after trying to walk the city and being absolutely too weak to continue for long.
The next day however, I planned to go to Halong Bay (Gulf of Tonkin). I had a great time on the boat with a group of Welsh travelers from my hostel. We stopped at a UNESCO cave and also did some kayaking. It was misty and chilly, but that added to the mysterious feeling of history looming over the bay.
Coming back to the hostel, I found that my rented towel had been taken by housekeeping and because of the new year, the hostel had run out and their laundry service was still on holiday.
The next morning I headed back to Shanghai just a little bit stinky, but happy.
The flight was easy and a recognized a friend from Luang Prabang. Everyone is traveling on similar routes in SE Asia so it is very common to see people again. This guy was from Pennsylvania which was a great connecting thread between us.
I first went to the ATM and not having researched the currency very well, took out 200,000 dong. I realized later that it wouldn't get me far. That equaled about $10.
I mistakingly realized too late that similar to Chinese New Year, the Vietnamese shut down for their New Year as well ('Tet'). The usually bustling town was dark and shops were closed up. It was the last official day and I hoped things would improve for the rest of my time. They did not and Tet became an increasing annoyance.
Regardless, that night my friend and I found a street corner and ordered the two pho options. Vietnam street "restaurants" are a funny sight as they use stools and tables typically found in a kindergarden classroom. The soup and noodles were yummy and we walked around the town a bit before returning to the hostel.
That night, the soup revolted, upwards, again and again. I spent about 10 hours alternating the toilet and curled in fetal position on my bed. It was absolutely horrible and by the time morning came around, I was weak and exhausted. My one full day in Hanoi was spent laying in bed after trying to walk the city and being absolutely too weak to continue for long.
The next day however, I planned to go to Halong Bay (Gulf of Tonkin). I had a great time on the boat with a group of Welsh travelers from my hostel. We stopped at a UNESCO cave and also did some kayaking. It was misty and chilly, but that added to the mysterious feeling of history looming over the bay.
Coming back to the hostel, I found that my rented towel had been taken by housekeeping and because of the new year, the hostel had run out and their laundry service was still on holiday.
The next morning I headed back to Shanghai just a little bit stinky, but happy.
Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng, formerly known as the drunk tubing destination with riverside bars, has chilled out quite a bit.
You can still rent tubes and alcohol is plentiful, but the town offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in Laos. This is what I was after.
I only had two quick days there and really wish I had allotted more. All the cafes are open lounge style with platform 'beds' to recline on and watch never ending Friends or Family Guy reruns.
My first day I hopped on the back of a guy's scooter and visited a waterfall outside of town. We went swimming in one of the pools and little fish nibbled at my legs. Tourists pay for this in major towns and here I was getting an exfoliation for free!
Laos is beautiful jungle and I relished being surrounded by green and running water.
I admit I got sucked into one of the cafes for a bit. My accommodation was a very simple wooden hut with a fan. It's amazing how much I've realized I don't need to be comfortable and I am thankful for that realization.
The next day I hiked out to some caves, passing by the river and old Soviet bridges. There were other bridges too that I declined to try: pieces of bamboo lashed together high above shallow streams.
I wish I had time to rent a bike and go out to the lake, but alas, I quickly had to turn around and go back to Vientiane.
You can still rent tubes and alcohol is plentiful, but the town offers some of the most beautiful landscapes in Laos. This is what I was after.
I only had two quick days there and really wish I had allotted more. All the cafes are open lounge style with platform 'beds' to recline on and watch never ending Friends or Family Guy reruns.
My first day I hopped on the back of a guy's scooter and visited a waterfall outside of town. We went swimming in one of the pools and little fish nibbled at my legs. Tourists pay for this in major towns and here I was getting an exfoliation for free!
Laos is beautiful jungle and I relished being surrounded by green and running water.
I admit I got sucked into one of the cafes for a bit. My accommodation was a very simple wooden hut with a fan. It's amazing how much I've realized I don't need to be comfortable and I am thankful for that realization.
The next day I hiked out to some caves, passing by the river and old Soviet bridges. There were other bridges too that I declined to try: pieces of bamboo lashed together high above shallow streams.
I wish I had time to rent a bike and go out to the lake, but alas, I quickly had to turn around and go back to Vientiane.
A quickie on Vientiane, the capital
Vientiane.
There's not much around. Really. Some expensive museums, unimpressive wats, and an 11pm curfew.
Fortunately I ran into two separate girls that I had met earlier and we enjoyed each others company.
The best part about Vientiane was actually 45minutes outside of the city at the Buddha Park. Just statue upon statue of different representations of Buddha.
Additionally, I got hit with some bad news. Because of mass travel for Chinese and Vietnamese New Year, all buses were booked to Hanoi, Vietnam until past my travel time frame. Well, flying it is. I had to get over there since my flight was leaving in 5 days time from there back to China.
I booked a flight leaving in a few days and then had to decide on what to do in the meantime. Lounge around Vientiane or retrace my steps and go to the town I skipped over between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. It would be a whirlwind trip, but I decided to go for it.
Off to Vang Vieng..
There's not much around. Really. Some expensive museums, unimpressive wats, and an 11pm curfew.
Fortunately I ran into two separate girls that I had met earlier and we enjoyed each others company.
The best part about Vientiane was actually 45minutes outside of the city at the Buddha Park. Just statue upon statue of different representations of Buddha.
Additionally, I got hit with some bad news. Because of mass travel for Chinese and Vietnamese New Year, all buses were booked to Hanoi, Vietnam until past my travel time frame. Well, flying it is. I had to get over there since my flight was leaving in 5 days time from there back to China.
I booked a flight leaving in a few days and then had to decide on what to do in the meantime. Lounge around Vientiane or retrace my steps and go to the town I skipped over between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. It would be a whirlwind trip, but I decided to go for it.
Off to Vang Vieng..
Lao Cooking
Oops, I'm quite behind on posting about my trip. Being back in Shanghai has been an adjustment going back to work and taking care of the apartment.
I will try to catch up. I still have 2 more cities in Laos and one in Vietnam to recount.
I was disappointed that I missed out on a cooking class in Thailand so I signed up for one in Luang Prabang.
Early morning a group of us met and our chef/teacher, Chai, took us to a local market. He pointed out spices and different herbs. I stomached going through the butchering section. The Lao people eat all parts of the animal and it was all out for display. I thought about taking pictures, but then realized no one would really like to see them anyways. So you're welcome for saving you from that sight. Then we left the city to the beautiful location of the company's cooking class.
We cooked outside surrounded by herb gardens and colorful fresh ingredients. Here's what we made:
eggplant, chili pepper, onion, and garlic salsa (Jeow Mak Keua)
steamed fish and herbs (Mok Pa)
chicken and herbs stuffed in lemongrass (Oua Si Khai)
minced buffalo with tripe and herbs (Koy)
dessert: coconut purple sticky rice plus mangosteen, banana, ...(Khao Gam)
I will try to catch up. I still have 2 more cities in Laos and one in Vietnam to recount.
I was disappointed that I missed out on a cooking class in Thailand so I signed up for one in Luang Prabang.
Early morning a group of us met and our chef/teacher, Chai, took us to a local market. He pointed out spices and different herbs. I stomached going through the butchering section. The Lao people eat all parts of the animal and it was all out for display. I thought about taking pictures, but then realized no one would really like to see them anyways. So you're welcome for saving you from that sight. Then we left the city to the beautiful location of the company's cooking class.
We cooked outside surrounded by herb gardens and colorful fresh ingredients. Here's what we made:
eggplant, chili pepper, onion, and garlic salsa (Jeow Mak Keua)
steamed fish and herbs (Mok Pa)
chicken and herbs stuffed in lemongrass (Oua Si Khai)
minced buffalo with tripe and herbs (Koy)
dessert: coconut purple sticky rice plus mangosteen, banana, ...(Khao Gam)
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