Feet are Fish Food.

The long awaited two week vacation is finally here. I know it sounds like all I do is travel around China, but that's because that is what I do when I'm not teaching. Hard life, I know. We had been sorting out hostels, and flights, and guides, and entrance fees for ages and now the wait was over. A quick flight from Nanjing to Guilin, and I was more than ready to
 start our southern China adventures. Technically, the adventure really started on the plane because China plays these awesome game shows as flight entertainment, so there's that.


We first flew into Guilin at night, giving us the chance to explore the city in the daylight the next morning. There's really nothing more exciting then flying into a new city at night then seeing the streets when you wake up. The brightly neon characters that light up various stores and hotels are now eclipsed by the Dr. Seuss mountains that peak out between buildings. The streets were lined with late start vendors selling black tea eggs and steamed buns, while sleepy shops were yet to open. A walk over a bridge spanning to Li river opened up a view of iconic mountains that frame the city, but the Seven Star Scenic park situation at the end of the bridge was equally fantastic. A huge walkway lines with trees that were all brightly painted with different animals greeted you; everything from pandas, dragons, snails, sea horses, seals...you name it, and it was artfully painted directly onto the trees. We set out to wandering the whole park and found some surprises.

After deciding to head to the scenic outlook, we checked out a set of stairs to see why people were crowded around...the answer? Monkeys. Monkeys just chilling on railways, monkeys hanging out in trees, and monkeys who had claimed a Buddhist worship site in the mountainside as home. Other spectators tossed peanuts, letting the monkey's lazily catch them and shove them greedily in their mouths, while we opted to hand feed the munchie monkeys carrots and apples.  Within 5 minute or so the trees began to shake and more monkeys came out from the leafy forest. It went from cute to pretty frightening; those monkeys get aggressive when the sunflower seeds run out. 


Additional highlights from day one also included hiking around Elephant Trunk Hill, causing a crowd to form around a group of Americans who insisted on making elephant sounds in front of Elephant Trunk hill, and a fabulous lunch. I've realized that money can't buy happiness but food pretty much can. The streets outside the park were lined with vendors and tiny restaurants where you could sit on wooden stools and watch men play Chinese Chess or be mesmerized by the fruit vendors who artfully cut pineapple into intricately carved halves to be sold on sticks. I was playing it a bit safe by ordering what I thought were fried noodles like a chow mien but it ended up receiving long thin noodles in a smooth peanut sauce, topped with scallions. What a happy coincidence, because I could bathe in that peanut sauce and die happy.  A man at the table next to us was delicately folding dumplings with the most beautifully twisted top which soon became the second course while fresh half pineapple made the ideal dessert. Toss in the fact all this cost about 2$ US, and I'm a happy camper. There were *others* that were freaked out that the restaurant we ate at received a "C" grade rating for food safety or what-not, but considering what was eaten for dinner, that little fit becomes hilarious. 

Elephant Trunk Hill, and the Asian pose to match 

After leaving the park, we accidentally we found this market street where a very nice man named Robert wanted to show us his artwork which was gorgeous. I adore those calligraphy style prints of bamboos, rice terraces, and koi fish. The real treat was a little tea ceremony he graciously invited us to, where the Osmanthus tea specific to Guilin was the perfect appetizer to our dinner at the night markets. Robert then pointed us towards the foodie Mecca. The narrow side streets are crammed with stands selling meat on sticks, fried corn, vegetables swimming in spicy sauces, crawfish piled high onto platers, and bamboo steamers stacked too high were filled with every kind of dumpling you could imagine. Dinner was a smorgasbord of tasting anything I could get my hands on: spicy peanut and sesame seasoned potatoes, a crunchy and chewy pita bread liberally smeared with ketchup or some other tangy sweet sauce, and a container (or two) of golden potstickers. The atmosphere was so fun; handing over colorful bills and seeing your food being fried up right in front of your eyes while steam clouded your view of what the vendor across the way was making. The FDA takes all the fun out of food places like this, but I guess they had their reasons. I didn't get sick from anything I ate, but I could have done without seeing the well fed rats that scampered between piles of discarded skewers and styrofoam. Yum. 

This bamboo bridge said no more than 15 people so naturally entire tour groups traversed the shaky structure. 

Saturday was spent meandering the city, but Sunday we had more of a plan. We had signed up to go with a Chinese tour guide to the Longji rice terrance which was an excellent move because I can't understand any Chinese and our guide decided to serenade us partway through the two hour drive. Neat. I didn't need to speak Chinese to see the excessively green mountainsides blur past as the small shuttle hugged hairpin turns, letting scenes from village life whiz by: women washing vegetables from a metal bin and setting out cuts of meat straight on wooden tables to sit in the sun. 

From left to right: tea, fish, tea.

The scenery changes quickly here, with clouds of mist so think you can't see 20 feet in front of you that will suddenly shift to reveals a jaw dropping view in hues of green. We opted to ride the cable car up to the rice terraces which was the best decision of the day: the high viewpoint allowed us to see the sprawling stacks of rice terraces one on top of another. The large pavilion and walkway allowed a stationary view that was hard to really comprehend. The terraces go on seemingly forever which meant spending a lot of time on up of the mountain trying to take it all in. Luckily, a man sells whole passion fruits that are the ideal rice terrace snack. Additional vendors sell crystallized honey (complete with whole combs and buzzing bees) which is delightful when crumbled on the passion fruit. We did, however, have to budget our time because we opted to hike down the terraces to get a closer view. The ground was slippery but the views were stellar. 

(Unreal).

A very beautiful bus ride got us back to the city, where dinner was at our favorite food street. The rat sightings didn't dissuade us from those fried potatoes. Plus, the night's entertainment was just one stop over from the food stands. Dubbed "kissing fish", putting your feet into a tank of fish that are frantically trying to suck the dead skin off your toes is a bit daunting. While cultural, this is not for the ticklish.  There was lots of squirming and squealing because fish were eating the skin off your feet! A mere $3 gets you 20 full minutes of uncomfortable nibbling, though the parlor's sign advertised that "kissing fish will bring you joy, happiness and peace". Ironic. 

To top the night off, be sure to snag a whole mango sliced into long strips before walking the boardwalk to see the Sun and Moon Pagodas...It helps you take your mind off the kissing fish. 

Saffron Corridors

After a long day of adventuring around West Lake, I slept surprisingly well considering the hotel situation picked out for our Chinese Holiday in Hangzhou...Did I not mention the 5 of us shoved the 2 beds together and all slumbered in some sort of franken-megabed? It gets funnier and funnier the longer I think about it especially when you also include the fact the wall was missing from our hallway. That hotel .... Hannah has a life theory about fun that is extremely applicable in this situation; she concludes there are two types of fun in life. Type 1 fun is fun in the moment, the sort of activity that makes you smile when you remember it years later. Type 2 fun is not in the least bit enjoyable but makes a fabulous story worth telling for years. This hotel was definitely a type 2 situation combined with a lesson in humility and gratitude. Though the room wasn't my cup of tea, it was dry, which isn't something everyone can say about where they slept last night. 

The downpour of rain hadn't really let up from last night, meaning it was off to try and dry out at the Silk Museum via city bus Sunday morning. We should have taken the bus ride as a omen. As we were happily whizzing around the streets of Hangzhou, our bus hit a tree when pulling into a stop. Considering the situation, our driver was rather calm about the whole ordeal.  He got out of the bus, checked the damage and we were off again. Just a few moments later, we arrived at the museum to find out it would reopen in July. Time for Plan B. We braved another city bus and got the Lingyin temple for a truly magical afternoon that ended up being way cooler than anticipated. 

Grottoes are my jam. 

The grounds were more like a lush forest made infinitely more beautiful by the dripping rain. What really was unexpected was the network of grottoes dotted with Buddhist carvings dating back from the Tang Dynasty. It was eerie to be in these damp caves seeking shelter from the still leaking clouds, staring at carvings that had seen hundreds of years' worth of history. After seeing the carvings on the inner walls of the caves, we opted to see the ones on the outer rim of the cave which led us up to a viewpoint where you could see the Lingyin temple peeking out from the  greenery. The climb up was made both gorgeous  and treacherous by the rain and twisting vines that obstructed the path. At one point the stairway up creating a mini waterfall due to all the rain. It was magical. 

Lunch was next on our cold and wet agenda- a little ramen spot caught my eye in the sopping food court area down from the mountain. This girl loves noodles and has yet to find a bowl she didn't like. Due to wet socks and shoes, something indoors seemed to be the the vote  but our weathered guide book indicated an early closing time, leading us to explore the temple itself. It meant more time in the rain, but exploring the empty halls of the Buddhist temple was my favorite part of the day. The rain had let up somewhat letting us explore with both hands unimpeded by umbrella. A sloping hill led us to the entrance, where the rainy afternoon had deterred the hordes of tourists, letting Hannah and myself clamor up the windy stone steps to the grand halls. In the hall of the 500 Buddhas in the shape of a svastika, we spent the afternoon picking out which statues most truly reflected each other (and the others in our group). There was a haunting sense of reverence as the temple emptied of the few remaining tourists while the spicy smoke of the incense still burned in the cauldrons below. In a matter of a couple minutes, the only people we could see on the sprawling complex was Hannah and myself. Just as the guards were whistling to close the entrance doors, a group of monks in their tangerine robes made their way up the mossy steps as the gong reverberated the wet saffron colored corridors.

Saffron corridors. 

As a note, be sure to get into the slower moving line when catching the bus. We got in line to board the buses, not sure exactly which line to get in so naturally we chose the fasted moving one. Funnily enough, they have 2 lines for the same bus: one standing line and one sitting line. Here's how it all works: The empty bus pulls up, the sitting line moves forward 25 people or so, depending on how many seats there are on the vehicles. Then the standing line surges ahead, cramming 60 people in at the front. As if that wasn't enough,  the middle bus door comically opens and 12 or so more people are shoved into every possible crevice. Needless to say, it was a stuffy type 2 ride back to the hotel. 

Can you spot the American?  

A Holiday in Hangzhou

The train to Hangzhou was  quick, just a touch over an hour or so through some gorgeous scenery. Monday was a Chinese holiday, meaning we could make the most of a jaunt down south to the scenic city for a long weekend. Also, it being spring, China is in bloom, particularly with these yellow plants that grow in blankets all over the countryside. It really made me want to see more spring, specifically at a lake side city. Most of the train ride from Nanjing to Hangzhou was rather scenic, with little pockets of river towns where you can see fisherman wading through the canals with white houses and black shingled roofs in the background.  China is really beautiful. 

Boats and blooms. 

Turns out hordes of China also had the same idea to see areas of beautiful China...After wading through the crowds in the metro station, we caught a bustling train to West Lake where thousands of people were enjoying the picturesque scene. Part of being in China is handling crowds, so I learned to embrace it early on in the trip because the lake front is magical and is not to be distracted from by crowds of people. A man was writing characters in water with a sponge brush while tourists dressed up in anciently traditional costume to pose by the lake (Hannah being one of theme) while the willows drooped bright green strands of leaves over the pathways, and oriole birds chirped wildly. It's gorgeous. Lunch was picturesque too; I hated to leave the lakeside just to eat so corn-on-the-cob (China is obsessed with corn, they even juice it. I'll try to bring back some corn juice for those interested) and those strange banana leaf pyramids that are filled with a very sticky seasoned rice made up the afternoon meal.

I also knew I wanted to ride bikes around the lake today, which meant finding an alleyway for someone who did private bike rentals for the day. With an exchange of some yuan, and no identification check, no helmets, no insurance and we were off. China, am I right? I had the idea of riding around the lake on the cool little pathways, but that's not allowed. As it turns out you can only ride on certain pathways ringing the lake meaning you needed to maneuver the main road until you got to those sections. When in China, be sure to join the chaotic cacophony of traffic that includes willy nilly taxis, buses that will stop to let off hordes of people in the middle of the "bike" lane and motorbikes piled high with people who beep their way through the masses. Toss in some Americans riding wobbly to unknown locations and it's a fun time. Really though, it seems like a crazy idea to let someone with little directional ability in a country where traffic laws seem obsolete and let them bike around town.

My face is priceless that but that's only because I couldn't capture the look of terror on the passerbys as I biked past. 

In all honestly, it was only terrifying for the few first minutes then you learn how to handle the traffic. The most upsetting part was the throngs of all of China that descended on the lake area today. It really was a reminder that China has a population of a billion people because I think about half of the country was in Hangzhou that day. 

We stopped at a few places  around the lake but were concerned about returning our bikes in time so we didn't stay too long. I did love seeing a pond filled with vibrantly bright orange fish and blitzing passed the Leifang Pagoda  but the definite highlight was biking through the causeway crowds. The trick was to get right behind the tourist golf carts; if you missed your window you were stuck ringing your weak sauce bike bell at the crowds, trying to get through. The causeways were gorgeous though and worth the fight. The weather made the lake really hazy and foggy but you could still see narrow rose boats row lazily under bridges as you biked by.

West Lake bridges 

Miraculously, we found the bike return on time and made it out alive; a man met us on the corner and ran us over to an underground parking structure where we returned the bikes. Luckily there was a Muslim noodle house that made the ideal dinner then watched tai chi by the lake till the bats came out.  Next up was Wushan street where the clothes and knock off wallets weren't stellar, but I loved seeing the wares of the food vendors. Trays of oysters on the half shell, bins of seasoned crawfish or cream colored tiny and tall mushrooms wrapped in beef were ready to slapped on a grill made for quite the scene. 

China eats it all. 

Tired and ready for bed, our adventure in Hangzhou was not over yet. It was pouring rain on the walk from the metro to the hotel, thunder clapping and lightning flashing kinda rain. I made a joke about our hotel being on the left in a haphazard construction zone...but it turns out I was right. After wading through puddles and climbing over rubble, a mattress, and pools of mud, hearing dogs bark in the distance and dodging people who were transporting strange cargo, we made it to the Lotour 99 Inn. A hotel with sheets on the stairs, curling wallpaper and my personal favorite: the lack of a wall on the 3rd floor. Yes, the wall outside of our hallway was still under construction. To make it better, the five of us pushed the 2 beds together and snuggled up close, stuffing all 5 of us onto some haphazardly made king bed. Welcome to the gem of the east.