Canals of Suzhou

It stopped raining so I went for a walk in the morning to check out the canals and the rest of the waterways. During my walk I decided I would leave and head towards Ningbo. I still feel very frail and weak so I splurged and took cabs instead of public local buses.

The bus ride to Ningbo took 4 plus hours of which I slept most of the way. When I got to Ningbo terminal it was already sundown. There was confusion in the communication with the youth hostel staff. It took awhile to figure out the directions they were giving me was for a different long distance bus terminal. They gave instructions without street names but with landmarks. But the landmarks were not significant it was labeled under as ”the tall building”. Well, tall buildings were everywhere. When it was all sorted that we were not talking about the same bus terminal I took a cab.

The first cab driver wanted to meter me without telling me how much it would cost and when I inquired into it he refused my service. I got onto another cab for 15 yuan. I was no where near walking distance like the person on the phone at the hostel instructed.

I checked into the hostel and I was placed in a room directly above the dinning area where the TV was being blasted on some Chinese tear, jerking, drama. I turned the heater on to warm up the very cold room and left it running and went to the connecting café bar. I sat there and asked the bar for hot water. I was not told I would be charged for hot water until I got up to leave. It was the first for me experience getting charged for hot water. The server said I should known of such a rule. I walked out of there feeling weird.

I continued to stroll around the water and ended up at a nearby park where a group of 50 people were all doing jazzercise. They were all women and was being led by a man who was very much into arm movements that are liken to Japanese style. It was fun to watch them move. Then another small group was getting started as the jazzercise group ended. This group was being led by a female who was into aerobic dance and concentrated on floor travel. It was fun to watch them too.

When I returned to the room totally tired and ready to rest I noticed how my room did not warm up. I asked for the reception to come and check my heater. I told her it would shut down automatically after 2 minutes and confronted her that she must have known this already. I questioned why she would lie to me and put me in a room without a working heater. I must have looked really sad and helpless because she told me not to look at her in such a vulnerable way. I was so tired, I was on the verge of tears. She ended up putting me in a different room with a working heater. However, I found out later that the window in this room didn’t shut.

In fact the whole place looked great but had major flaws in architecture design. The windows were designed in ways that didn’t shut. The restroom doors were too big that it would jam into the wall. Overall, it just looked like someone skimped on the building of this place.

Humble is an Understatement

I woke up early to meditate before we all head out as a trio to do our final parting. My bus was later than their trains. But I wanted to part together so I got up early and left with the guys. It was a good thing because it took time for the public local bus to get to the long distance bus terminal.

I got onto the 9:55am bus to Suzhou. The brief two hours on the road felt twice as long in my weakened body. After arriving at the Suzhou long distance bus terminal, I took another local bus to the Youth Hostel. I checked in and dropped my bags off and inquired about the local sights to see. I had decided that I would go and see the Humble Garden in the rain anyways in my fatigue and all. I just didn’t want to spend another day in a bunk bed that’s all.

At the Zhou Zhen Yuan, I thought to myself that I could handle living here. It was very nicely laid out with beautiful landscaping. Everything was balanced and harmonious. Walking in the rain was not the best thing for me, I got pretty wet and grew a headache. I found myself physically keeling over from fatigue and decided to exit the grounds. I stopped at a porridge shop and ordered porridge.

Although I was very tired, I wanted to walk the streets. Suzhou is very cute with its waterways like LiJiang, like Venice. There are lots of Korean restaurants here and in Hangzhou there were lots of western restaurants.

I spent the rest of the evening laughing my way through Shrek II and Sky High at the hostel. I must have stank from all the barfing because the staff at the hostel all kept their distance with me.

Roasted Sweet Potato

I had two bananas for breakfast and the guys had hand pulled noodles. I actually ordered noodles myself but mine came with onions when I asked for none. It also came with meat broth when I asked for none. I just couldn’t eat it. The guys ate it instead. Joe can’t live without noodles and Hiyohe can’t live without rice each meal and I can’t live without vegetables.

We took the bus to Ling Yan Si where JiGong was ordained. We did a quick run and as out of there really fast. We got onto another bus to the Historical Street for lunch. We had a late lunch at a restaurant. I passed on food and just drank tea. Both the guys were feeling very sorry for me at this point. I must have looked really pathetic. Joe bought a roasted sweet potato from a street vendor for me to eat. All of us ate it. It was really good. It was the first solid food I was able to eat. It made both of them very happy to see me eat something.

On the touristy Historical Street one of our main attractions was to visit a Chinese Medicine Museum. It was interesting. We also watched people perform pouring of tea Beijing style.

We strolled around West Lake some more just to have something to do. But the cold wind arrived yesterday for the official on set of winter and it was cold. We were so cold that we decided to go find a coffee shop to sit and hangout. Well, we ended up in KFC because we wanted to be left alone once we sat down. We really just needed a warm place to hang out.

Then we stopped by a market to pack for our journey tomorrow. Joe had a long train ride back to Hong Kong. Hiyohe was heading north to meet up with his friends to head off to Korea together. So they both ended up packing the same kind of food for the road. I picked up nori and more fruits for my bus ride to SuZhou tomorrow.

When we returned to our room another bunk mate moved in. He was asleep. I looked at this older man and listened to his breath which was heavy and in distress. His body was in tension from anger and frustration. I felt sorry for him. What he brought to the room and the air was a kind of stinky, slimy, intoxicating, thickness. He had drank earlier before bed.

The three of us packed at night so that we would not have to rush the next day.

Barf! Barf! Barf!

I woke up this morning at 3:45am in pain and rushed to the toilet to throw up. I continued to do so for the next 11 hours. I kept track of the number of times I threw up until the 15th time then I lost track after that. It was all very gross and a terrible thing to have to go through. It really takes so much energy to throw up, I would just crawled back into bed. I was sweating hard without a fever. My back burned as my kundalini kicked in to help with the healing process.

When I first threw up I thought about the people who do this regularly to stay thin on purpose. I just can’t imagine anyone wanting to do this on purpose. I was sad that Princess Di lived this way for years on a daily basis.

In the afternoon toward the end of my endless barfing sessions, something was ripped out of my chest. Whatever it was, it was very old, and it clung onto me for lifetimes. I think all this barfing had to do with that. It was purging all the toxic poison that was buried so deep and long in my chest. It was a good thing. My digestive track did not agree it was a good thing though.

I can’t believe what had just happened in the last 24 hours. I can only recall two times in my life that I threw up. Once was when I was 4 or 5 and I was on the verge of exploding with Chicken Pox. The other was in 5th grade when I had a fever of 103 plus.

The guys did West Lake together on bikes. I had done my West Lake tour yesterday. They checked in to see how I was doing. I was feeling better in the evening and we went on a cheap internet café search. We came across one that was right next to a fruit shop. I bought fruit to replenish the many losses of the past 20 hours.

Strolling Around West Lake

It didn’t rain this morning. I got up late to recite and meditate. I didn’t officially roll off bed till 11am. I went for food at the Historical Street and checked it out in day light. It was Sunday and all the locals showed up as well. It was quite a fair and fun to watch people.

I really like the steamed pastry with red beans in the middle. I also liked up for hand pulled Silky Candied Caramel. I took photo of the workers making it. One of them assumed I was a journalist. The candy when eaten fresh was crispy, flaky, and fun.

I went to walk West Lake. It was overcastted and grey on the verge of rain again. While walking I slipped on mud. Something I normally don’t do especially with the camera on me. When I fell, the camera on my neck hit the ground too. I think that hurt more than my body. The odd thing was, earlier I even had trouble with the camera itself.

I walked the West Lake, all around. I think this is not the season to see it. I hear spring is really gorgeous. Most people who do the whole circle do it on bikes. I decided I could see more on foot. It’s really easy to miss things when going on wheels. There is a very relaxing quality to the whole feel of the place. I can see why people of the past wrote infinite poems on West Lake or while they were hanging out here not wanting to return to their home land. I walked around looking for a good spot for tea but I didn’t locate anything to my liking with a proper view so I passed.

After returning from my walk, I met my new bunk mate Hiyohe who is from Tokyo. He went to Canada for college. He is traveling searching for inspiration. Hiyohe wants to write philosophy books and change the world that way. His is a Leo and says he can’t live without having rice in every meal. His thing in China, is stir-fry rice with an egg. The other new bunk mate was Joe from Hong Kong. He is on vacation for a weekend. He works at a copier center. The two guys are from different islands but they are similar in manner, tone, and in general all over. The three of us hit it off alright. We all have similar bed time habits, which was to read and write before we rolled in to sleep.

Teresa Tang Karaoke

Knowing when the morning ceremony for the monastery was I got up earlier than that to do my own ceremony so that I can be done in time to join the monastery one. As I headed out the door to join the monastery ceremony, I noticed the grandmas were all up sitting in their bed tucked in the blanket reciting their own ceremony. Everyone was vigorous and dedicated. It was something they did every day. Not for show, not for anyone else. It was a beautiful sight to see.

I joined the morning ceremony in the main hall, and realized I was the only one in my room who did; I quickly noticed the residents all paid special attention to the morning ceremony because there were guests in the nunnery whom they thought would partake. They were disappointed when only I showed up after putting out their best for the chanting.

During the chanting I realized the style the ladies chanted in were in Shan Ge style. Sung like mountain songs were sung in China, with a high nasal pitch strong enough to break through valleys, mountain, hills, and then rolling back in echoes. I am not used to this sound at all.

I inhaled breakfast, it was a bowl of porridge. I was going to pass on breakfast fearing I would miss the first shuttle down to the gate where I can catch the bus to Tunxi, Xidi, HungCun but the residents wouldn’t have it my way. They like the fact I joined in on their ceremony and was a self starter kind of a person. Well I am much younger than the grandmas and I have been in monasteries so I have a little bit of experience. Well, I didn’t want to miss my bus for the day so I ran after breakfast in hopes that I would nit get sick from all this rushing.

The bus ride out was amazingly beautiful with the mountains of Huang Shan as the backdrop and old farm lands with wooden barns to set the scene, it was a place for an artist to stop and do some art. It was beautiful, as beautiful as nature inhabited by humans with modern convenience could offer.

It was raining outside and I contemplated on whether or not I would visit HungCun where Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was filmed. I saw the sign for it on the road and the bus driver did not stop where I was suppose to get off. He forgot and I wasn’t sure enough to call out for him to stop. So there went that possible plan that I was still working on. Just like that it was decided without any deciding.

The bus was ride was a joyful one with beautiful scenery on the outside and Teresa Tang’s karaoke being played on the bus. We all sang the classics. We were like little children on a school bus out on a field trip. It was fun.

When I made it back to the bus terminal at Tunxi where my backs were in the Youth Hostel, I passed by a bus that was heading directly to HangZhou and it was leaving in half and hour. At that moment I made a convenient connection and decided to head straight to HangZhou and be done with AnHui.

I ran to pick up my pack and ran back to the bus terminal barely in the nick of time. As I approached the bus, another driver pulled me over and said his bus was the right bus and I was boarding the wrong bus. I was confused. In fact all the other bus drivers were lobbying for their bus. Then a female ticket taker flagged me down and asked me what bus did I really want to get on. I told her the express non-stop bus to HangZhou by means of the highway. She instructed me on how to get the right bus ticket at the counter by giving them the code for the bus. I mean, who know the code off hand? It’s not even listed anywhere. The people at the ticketing counter are not usually the most helpful. They are merely functional and don’t have the time for questions.

I think the ticket taker lady really saved the day. It was a good thing because I afterwards while on the bus, in the parking lot, I saw how others got snagged and was on the other bus to Hangzhou that was not the express and would not take the highway. What did that really mean? It meant it will drive for hours picking up riders until the bus was full at all times, all the way to Hangzhou. Being on the highway means you can’t just stop to pull over to pick up a rider. Plus there wouldn’t be pedestrians on the highway.

The express bus was new, clean, and heated. I had peaked at the other buses, they were old, stinky, and dirty. After getting on the right bus with the right ticket in my hand I asked to sit in the front seat and was approved by my neighbor. I quickly dumped my packs off and ran to the empty back seat while the bus rolled off. I looked to the right, I looked to the left, I looked to the front, I looked to the back and double check for visual clearance for privacy because I needed to take off layers of stinky wool shirts that I had been wearing for the past week. It was the only place I could change on the bus. The bus was heated and it would be much warmer in Hangzhou than Huang Shan was at 5 degrees and dropping each day.

I arrived in Hangzhou in the evening. I must have looked really tired because everyone who I came across handled me with extra care. Either that or people are gentler and nicer here. Hangzhou is known for its leisure and culture.

I was able to finally check into the Youth Hostel off West Lake after walking in the fog and rain. It took me a long time to figure out the entrance to the hostel is through an alley, a back alley.

I met three English teachers from Wen Zhou college who had a Thanksgiving buffet for 100 yuan in Hangzhou. Tonight, their mission is to find Mexican food in Hangzhou. I passed on their invitation to join. I decided to wash up first and check out the Historical Cultural Street.

The Pureland Grandmas

After finally getting dropped off at the gate I dashed up to Rou Shen Dian where there the hall of flesh body masters of the past are kept. I wanted to bow to it. It was dark and I asked for housing at this monastery. I was told that I could pay for a hotel room that is in the hotel that is in the monastery. Something didn’t feel right and I proceeded to leave.

Upon exiting I saw a group of grandmas from Henan and asked them where they were staying for the night. They told me they were staying at the Pureland Nunnery for 10 yuan a bed a night. Sun had set, it was drizzling, and the fog had rolled in. Many of the elders were still up the monastery. I decided to head up to light their path for their way down because they didn’t have flash light to see where they were going. The grounds were dark by now, wet and slippery. I guess I was suppose to be there to light their path.

On the way out of the monastery to where we were staying I showed them the cut away that they didn’t know about. They had come from the back of the mountain from a day of pilgrimage and didn’t know their way to the nunnery in the dark and rain. I showed them the way since I had just come from the front gate and did cut through the open play ground and could make out where the fence openings were even in the fog..

Upon entering the nunnery an old nun was bowing the Ten Thousand Buddhas Repentance. She consulted me on identifying a character. I was least of all possible qualified people she could consult. But looking around I realized I was the most literate of all in the place. The characters were in standard form not the current modern simplified form the main land Chinese were raised on the last 50 years. I can tell the texts were printed in Taiwan. It was nice to see someone taking the time to bow to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Repentance.

The room was simple with beds covering the room. All the women somehow let me have a bed all to myself. Their explanation was it would be warmer for them if they curled together. I think they were just being polite. But really, I was the young one and I should be yielding to them. But for some reason they were all yielding to me as if I was the senior elderly in the room.

There was hot shower water in the nunnery. I could not believe it. I was so happy to have a place to sleep for the night in a monastery, and on top of it all, a hot shower! What a gift, all for 10 yuan.

I could see the residents of the nunnery were really intent on being disgruntle about the presence of the guests. Wanting to make sure we understood how much of a trouble we were and how much we were taxing them and that we should know better how to serve ourselves and not the other way around. Well, I can understand all of it. First of all, we really didn’t know where things were and how to get to where so we needed to be guided and ask silly simple questions repeatedly, especially from a group of grandmas who had a short memory and was hard of hearing, and moved very slowly. And if guests are too much of a hassle then guests should not have been invited in, the door should not have been open for overnight stays.

In the evening I recited while everyone else chatted in the room and watched me recite. Then I meditated with my ear plugs on for an hour and half. It was a good thing to meditate before going to bed.

I Could Fly?

I woke up this morning feeling joyful and physically light. I decided it would be the day to dash down the mountain. Chen had two female roommates who moved in with her last night and they teamed up to head down the mountain together.

People had different takes on how long it would take to get down the mountain. I wasn’t sure at all. After two days of seclusion in meditation, I felt I could fly. In fact, I ran down the mountain in just two hours. I had no idea how fast I was going until I was down in the valley at the main gate and checked the time.

While running down the mountain a passed a young man who decided to be competitive and run too. On the way down I saw lots of people who were hiking up that looked like they were in pain. It’s a difficult hike I my opinion and they should have taken the cable car up and then hike downward.

The trail from the main gate up to the central mountain is rigorous. And then from the central area through the Western Sea trail up to top valley is more intense. It is best to start from Eastern Gate up to the Swam Peak, go west to do Western Sea Trail down to Central area then back down into main gate.

I took the main gate shuttle to the bus terminal where I bought a ticket heading toward Jiu Hua Shan “Nine Flower Mountain”. I had missed the direct bus to Jiu Hua Shan. There was only one per day at 6:20am. Being intent on being in Jiu Hua Shan tonight I decided to find ways to make transfer buses that will get me there. It was only 11:30am what else am I going to do?

I was dropped off at the nearest intersection for Jiu Hua Shan by the bus driver who called for a cab to pick me up to drop me off at Jiu Hua Shan gates. This way I would save myself an hour of extra detour to Tai Ping where the bus was headed. It was arranged that I would only need to pay 10 yuan for this cab ride.

As I approached the cab I noticed there was a driver and another man sitting in the shotgun seat. The driver was under the command of the man in the shotgun seat. It turns out this man was an owner of a hotel in town not on Jiu Hua Shan. He wanted my business for the night. He spent his time trying to convince me how I don’t need to visit the mountain. All I have to do is go to this one monastery and it would be good enough. In fact, said he, that most of his clients do this upon his recommendation. He continued to teach me his form of Buddhism that involved offering money here and there and then burning pyramids of incense here and there. Why? Because he also has a connection to an incense shop. Maybe he gets commissions or something. Maybe he owns the shop. He insisted that I need to buy incense and it is cheaper at this shop he recommends.

The man continue to try to derail me from going into Jiu Hua Shan. He took me to a monastery outside of the gates that was working on expansion. He instructed me to make an offering of any amount. The monk at the desk was ready to write my name on the merit and virtue sign in book to log me in when I pulled out the nearest money I had and it was 5 yuan. Seeing my sum, the monk stopped me from signing my name on the booklet. I guess it wasn’t really any amount that was all good. I guess only certain amount was considered meritorious.

Outside this monastery one can pay a sum to have a, no joke, incense bundled in the form of a 6X5 feet pyramid tower outside. I passed on such an activity and the man told me how as a Buddhist I know nothing about Buddhism, blah, blah, blah….. Afterwards, I continued to keep up with my determination to not get derailed by his business intentions through using the name of Buddhism.

Wet Dogs and Cats

I got up at 6:30am and checked out the weather conditions outside. It was still dark grey and misty full of precipitation. The trails were very wet from all the rain. So I decided that I would stay for another day.

People who hiked up yesterday all looked like wet dogs and cats who have been in the cold rain for hours lost. Lots of people got ill. Today is not too bad of a day to head down compared to yesterday. It may snow, but the temperature has to drop to cold snow temperature then the sun will come out. I think will wait and see what will come. I have my EarthWare shoes on because all the national parks in China have stone steps everywhere. There is no dirt trails so I left my hiking shoes with the rest of my stuff.

I used to the hot water heater to steam up some warmth in the room. It is my only method of heating up the room without a real heater. I spent the rest of the day meditating. It was my own little seclusion space. The cold really makes it quite ideal for meditation.

In the evening I went back to the hotel restaurant and by then the staff knew about my order. I made it very simple for them by getting the same dish every meal so they wouldn’t be confused and will be able to learn to make my order catered to my exact instructions. It is eggplant and bell pepper with bok choy. Simple huh! You’d be surprised on how people can get it wrong by adding lard, msg, pieces of meat, onion, garlic, chives, leeks, shallots, or wine to it.

Tonight two Shandong ladies were my new bunk mates. They were very nice ladies who work at a factory. One of them insisted on having the TV on all night to dry her socks. I really didn’t like that or wanted to agree to it. But who wants to hike in wet socks?

Black Snake

Last night went to bed at 12:30am, I was flat out tired. After turning off the lights for the night, the room was pitch dark. Even in the dark I saw a black snake. Yup black on black and I could even tell. I was too tired to bother and soon after I learned it was a mistake to not take care of the matter because I was not going to get any quality peaceful sleep that way. I had to get up and take care of the matter and I didn’t enjoy it at all. But better my way than its way.

Dreaming of Pumpkin Pies

I am dreaming of pumpkin pies, mashed potato, corn bread, and cranberries for Thanksgiving. I got up early like the rest of the people in the room at 6:30am for a view of the sunrise with their tour group. Well, it was still pouring outside, I doubt it’s going to go according to plans. The women from XingJiang told me to go back to bed and stay out of the rain.

I tried to call Chen to cancel our scheduled breakfast at 7:15am to decide if we would head down the mountain or not but her cell phone was off and I just stayed in bed. She came and found me in bed. I told her I didn’t want to walk in the rain but if her schedule was tight and she needed to head down the mountain then we would part here. Plus she’s paying three times more than I am per night so her expense is more. Chen convinced me to accompany her to breakfast only to sit through hearing her talk about how fat she’s going to get by eating. She’s like a size zero in the U.S. She’s not even fat by Chinese standards.

I returned to my room and meditated. I really like meditating on Huang Shan with the sounds of the rain outside. I really enjoyed a day of down time in rest and meditation.

Five Degrees

Today I met a guy named Xiao Xi from Gansu. He was traveling alone and does regular backpacking activities. He handed me his China park pass. In U.S. it would be similar to a Golden Eagle pass for the National Parks. Here his card allowed free entrance on some places and discounts on others and then there are no perks for some too. He did the west trail ascending the harder way, I was going the opposite direction, descending the easier route. We planned to meet later in the Youth Hostel where my packs were.

It was fun to trek 13 hours for both days. But I was ready for a good rest and getting myself properly cleaned up after 5 hours of train ride to ShaoGuan, then another 20 hours of train ride to Anhui, 13 plus hours of hiking, and 4 days later.

At the White Cloud Hotel that is located in Central Huang Shan, I was able to check into my 40 yuan dorm bed thanks to the travel agent. I could not have gotten that rate or the bed without his consent by cell phone through the front desk of the hotel. He and his tour group had already made it down the mountain and was on a bus to SuZhou.

My room was set up youth hostel style with bunks. It had a TV and a water heater. The sink and toilet were shared detached outside the room. There was no access to shower with this rate of accommodation. It is cheaper than last night’s, the window here closes, the blankets weren’t damp and mildewy, and I don’t have to exit the building to use the toilet.

Chen’s place was in another hotel nearby. Her room had heater, TV, personal shower, toilet with running hot water, and the beds were still bunk style. It was for 120 yuana night, pre-registered through her travel agent in Fujian. It normally ran higher than that on a walk in or direct call without travel agent arrangement. Chen recommended that I stay with her. But there was no availability at that rate so she let me use her showers.

My bunkmates for the night were from XingJiang. They recommend I see it in September after the nut and fruit harvest after the heat and before the cold. They shared their food with me. But I passed on their dry bread and dried meat links.

It is 5 degrees celsius here in the mountain. There are rumors that it may drop below zero and have first of the snow for this year. I wonder if I would catch the first glimpse of snow for the year while I am here. What an amazing sight it would make here.

Where the Immortals Dwell

The tour group that I just helped myself to left this morning at 5:30am to see the sunrise. Knowing how the weather was like last night, there would not be enough clearing to see sunrise at all. I stayed in bed until it was time to meet up with Chen to pair up together to hike the Western Sea Trail at 8am.

Chen came to find me earlier than our scheduled time. We headed for breakfast. We ate a lot knowing it would be our meal. The western trail is unpopular due to the difficulty in hiking it. So there isn’t enough incentive for vendor to have stands there. I packed my “man-toe” and stuffed it with pickled vegetables for the road.

Hiking up the eastern trail to connect with the western trail from here means going mostly downhill this way. This was the way to do it and not the other way around. The experience is full of surprise, mystery, imagination, beauty, and joy. I found myself turning my head around a lot making sure I got glimpse of this turn and that corner. You just don’t know what nature will reveal to you in a flash. Every moment is different and if you missed it you missed it.

This is where the scrolls of ink brush paintings come from. This is what the poets go off on for inspiration. This is where backdrops for stories on immortals and “kong fu” legends.

I went through some caves and at the entrance, it would be pitch dark and then after the turn it would be light but foggy and misty, feels like a holy somebody would be waiting there. And holy music would be played and sung in the background as I approached. There is quite a lot of room for imagination. I really felt like I was in a heaven or something, definitely not in a human realm.

Most people take an average of 3 to 5 hours to do this trail, Chen and I took 7 hours with our long breaks of, “ooooooo, ah………..” lost in amazement and majestic beauty.

Naked Trees

I met a man named Chio, “Autumn” who was a biology teacher and had a distinct scar from surgery on his face. It looked like the marking after a tobacco gum disease surgery. He was hiking alone because his friends preferred the cable car ride up. We paired up to do the East Trail up and hiked for 3 hours in the fog.

I really enjoyed the fog as a back drop to the winter trees, highlighting the forms, lines, details. I found it to be very beautiful this way. With the fog moving in and out it appeared as if each tree was being moved in and out to be showcased. On this trip I have grown an appreciation for the beauty of winter in what it can provide. I have also appreciate what winter can reveal while hidden during other seasons. It is hard to imagine the form, line, structure of the tree when it if fully clothes in leaves. Now in winter naked, I can fully appreciate the patterns, textures, colors, form on the bare tree.

The locals all warned me about the fog that it isn’t the best time to see Huang Shan. But it is the exact reason why I came to see Huang Shan hoping to catch it in misty, drifting, fog. The fog brings it an added element of fluidity. It is playful and dances around the mountain, dressing it however it liked.

I made it up to White Goose or Swan Peak and at that moment the clouds dispersed and a bit of the sun came through. It was an amazing sight. I snapped away. Each second was a different presentation of the mountain by the sea of clouds promenading around the mountains. Within 5 minutes the mountain was covered and had disappeared until the next showing. This progressed throughout the rest of the time here.

My trekking took a halt after 3:30pm when the thick rain clouds moved in. It started to drizzle, although it was only later afternoon, it was dark in the thick fog. It was no longer safe to travel because under this kind of condition, even a flash light won’t get you far.

I checked into the hotel along with someone else’s tour group. The tour guide was kind to just pick me up without charge. He set me up with a bed in a room for 50 yuan a night. The room however had a window that didn’t fully shut. I covered it with newspaper. I went to a different room to find another blanket to keep me warm for the night. The restroom was in the lobby of the hotel. This dorm room like set up was not a part of the hotel but a prepaid place paid for by tour agencies all year around. The money goes to the agency not the hotel.

I also me a lady named Chen from Fujian where Xiamen is . She is a CPA accountant who is traveling alone. She too is a vegetarian. She became a vegetarian for health reasons. She discovered this year that she had an incurable immune system disease that went away after becoming a vegetarian.

Crooked Karma

Although I was extremely tired from the lack of proper rest last night, I was also excited about hiking Huang Shan and decided to dash out to hit the trails without anymore delays. I got on a bus for Huang Shan National Park it took 1-2 hours on the public bus. I had missed the youth hostel bus shuttle to Huang Shan by 20 minutes.

Upon approaching the park area, a couple and a man had gotten off at an intersection for Huang Shan where the main gate was, they both looked at me as if I should be getting off too. I looked at the bus driver and he said he would take me closer to the gate and not to follow the couple who is entering at a different spot.

The bus rolled a few yards forward and stopped in front of a hotel. The door opened and a lady from the hotel greeted me as if she knew I was coming. The bus driver told me to get off here. I said, “this is not the Huang Shan front gate entrance.” Mean while,the hotel lady told me it was too late to enter the park that I should stay at her hotel and take shorter sight seeing spots instead. It was like 8:30 am, I'd call that morning, not early, not late, but plan old morning. The bus driver then said this bus does not go to the Huang Shan gate entrance and I would have to get off here to catch a cab to the entrance. This was totally not what he just said to me earlier a few yards away when the couple got off. The bus driver kicked me off the bus.

I reluctantly got off the bus knowing clearly at that moment I was tricked by the bus driver who had business with this particular hotel. That I should have gotten off at the other spot where the three got off. As the bus zoomed off, the hotel lady continued to try to convince me to enter her hotel. Well, I didn’t buy her sales pitch and I was quite irritated at this point. The hotel lady refused to help me since I refused her business. I don’t have a problem considering staying at her place later but I just don’t like it when other’s try to confuse me by lying to me all to benefit them in total disregard to my plans.

I was stuck on the road again, all alone middle of nowhere, after getting dumped off by the driver. It’s been my karma of getting dropped off somewhere else other than my destination after paying for my fare, after the driver promised he was going where I was going. I stood there on the street trying to clear my head of all that just happened within 5 minutes of verbal exchange wondering how I keep finding myself in this kind of situation.

I stood there wondering whether or not I have been a crook for many lifetimes and dealt this kind of business without integrity. What can I do but have a sense of humor and adventure about it. It’s my karma and it’s my harvest to reap.

I started to walk just because I needed to do something else other than stand and be a sitting duck. I should at least look like I know what I am doing and I am heading somewhere. Then I saw a cab pulled up and three people were quickly trying to get in. I ran towards them and asked if they too are going to the gate. They acknowledged and agreed to let me squeeze with them. The driver didn’t mind at all because he was getting more money with me as the additional rider. I agreed to paying 10 yuan for my ride. There was a free shuttle that ran from the main gate to the other gates. But I missed that didn't I.

This group I carpooled with turned out to be the people I needed to be with because through them and their tour guide, I was able to get the special tour group rate for a dorm bed at 40 yuan a bed on Huang Shan. Everything else was 120 yuan to 400 plus yuan and at these prices it did not necessarily include heater for your room.

So maybe the driver was really my guide who was in the process of helping me connect the right people. I have found this to be true throughout my trip. Whatever seems like an interruption, whatever that seemed like things are not going according to plan, it seemed to always work out for the better, the other better plan.

Visiting Lovers

Yesterday I got to the train station and took the train to Huang Shan Train stop. I didn't get a sleeper berth. I got a seat ticket. The sleeper berths were unavailable. When I got onto cart number 6 exactly what my ticket was numbered for, I decided to head into cart number 5 to check out the other availabilities. I found a row of three empty seats for my 20 hour ride to AnHui, and laid all my stuff down to reserve it for the evening as a bed to rest. It's quite hard to sleep this way. My hips hurt no matter which way I laid. I think my hips are still very tender from the car crash. I can't quite put so much pressure on it.

On the train, I hung out with lots of people and had a great time chatting with the locals. Hey, twenty hours of a bummy train ride, might as well spend it in joy as much as one could on a train. Time flew by as I hung out with the other young people who all happen to be my neighbors. We all ended up sitting together for convenience of conversation, sharing food, and singing songs.

I met an 18 year old girl who just finished high school and is visiting her boyfriend who is on a business trip. Their common dream together is to open a sports shoes shop. She showed me her prized new tennis shoes that she has yet to wear but is keeping in the box it came when she bought it. You can really tell, she’s really into athletic shoes. She and I hit if off quite well and she sat across from the whole trip. I met a 27 year old lady who is visiting her boyfriend also in AnHui who is an accountant. She didn’t open up to me as much and kept switching seats from row to row. She ended back to our area because it was more fun with us. Then there was a guy who was from Huang Shan who is a software game installer, I can’t recall his name so I decided to just call him Leo since his sun sign was Leo. The one thing all three had in common were they were all visiting their lovers.

It was fun sitting with everyone. Time just flew by easily this way. Leo and I inquired into their love lives like inquisitors. Leo would tell us stories and jokes. We would all sing, well it was more like they would all sing current hit pop songs. They spent the whole time trying to figure out where I was from. Leo was even going to trade 5 bedtime stories if I told him where I was from. I fell asleep before he could tell them to me.

Leo and I landed in the train station 7am in the morning. It was actually late somehow by half an hour. Leo walked me to the youth hostel with his girlfriend who stood in the cold for an hour waiting to receiving him. They both walked me to the youth hostel that was on their way to his place. He made sure I made it into the youth hostel and checked in alright before parting with me. That was very nice of him. I dropped my bags at the Youth Hostel for safe keeping at the counter. It's not that safe since they didn't put it in the storage or may be they will later.

Nan Hua Si

Last night, a gentle mosquitoes flew about in the room while the storm poured outside in thunder and all. I said to it, “you can bit me tomorrow if you’d like. But tonight, lets share this room that will shelter both of us from the rain and thunder. And try not to fly near my ear because I can’t sleep that way.” It worked.

I got up early for breakfast. I like monastic food. I like the simplicity of clean rice. It taste sweet and smells fragrant. Afterward I went back to rest because the door for the halls did not officially open till 8am. Plus my lower back was locked and I was in a lot of pain.

When the doors opened I told Han I knew she was reciting last night and I felt the healing through the walls. I told her I have affinities with the Vajra Sutra and I have yet to properly explore this in my life. I thanked her for her practice that I benefited so much from last night. She quickly disappeared and came back with wafers for me to take for the road.

I went to bow to the flesh body of Ven. Hui Neng and left the monastery to catch the right bus in order to catch the only train out of Shaoguan to Anhui, Huangshan. I had to hurry because if I missed the bus the next one would be fifty minutes later and I may miss the only train for the day.

The bus ride only took half an hour, it was a direct shuttle bus unlike the public bus that stopped everywhere to pick up passengers and also the connecting bus that I would have to take on top of that.

Dim Sum For Seven Hours

This morning we were late in getting into the Dim Sum House for breakfast with Chang and her husband. It was scheduled for 8am but we didn’t get there till 9am. On the ride over on the cab the driver attempted to take detours on the road as to rack up more money on the meter. Mrs. Liang threatened to get off the cab if the driver does not know where he was going. It was only then that the driver behaved and started to drive towards the restaurant.

Chang’s husband wanted to check me out so that he can approve his wife’s travel with in to PuTuoShan. He was a thin man who is from ShanDong but looked more Cantonese than any Cantonese I know. He smoked the whole time. He left shortly after checking me out. I spent the rest of the 7 hours at the Dim Sum House talking to my two female GuangDong friends. It's amazing we can just keep chatting. Dim Sum House is one of those places where the food just keep getting carted in front of you hot and delicious and the Pu Rh tea just keep getting poured. We ate and chatted from breakfast to lunch to afternoon tea.

The husbands all wanted to know what traumatic experiences I had come across in my life to become a vegetarian and to get into Buddhism. The wives wanted to know what my pilgrimage, trip was about having visited so many Buddhist Holy places. I said in general it was about gratitude. It was difficult to explain on my part because it was just that simple and nothing more, it was difficult for them to understand because it was so simple and difficult to grasp all in the same time.

Mrs. Liang wanted to know why I was leaving so soon. She wanted to know if she had done something wrong as a host etc… I told her I wanted to get going to head up to Huang Shan in Anhui before my visa expired in China and make it all the way to Shanghai to see my friends there.

On the way to the train station on the cab, Chang asked me about meditation and wanted a quick crash course in our entire 7 minute cab ride over. I told her if she really wanted to learn about meditation I would stay longer to work with her. I was serious about it and was committed to it. But she wasn’t or maybe she was but all the energy that was obstructing her wasn’t in agreement to the new found liberation from the practices of meditation. She pursued the topic some more while we were in line to get my train ticket on the terminal. I told her the train terminal really isn’t the most ideal place to have a crash course on meditation.

Buddhists Are Nice People

I had planned on Saturday to leave at 9:14am on the train but I ended up getting on the 4:35pm train to Nan Hua Shi due to the long hours spent quickly at the tea house.

It was already sun down when I arrived in Shaoguan. I took a bus and had to get off at a local bus stop to get onto another bus that would drop me off the front gate of the monastery. The last direct bus from the train terminal to the monastery front gates was at 4pm. At the bus stop waiting for my second bus, a drunk approached me and kept talking to. He stank of alcohol and his tongue slurred as he spoke while leaning to one side and still managing to stay on his feet. He told me the gates close at 5:30pm and that no one would let me in. I told him I had already called the monastery on the train and told them I would be late and the nice monk on the phone told me how to get into the monastery on after hours that I was all set and arranged. That I was okay, everything was fine and that he would not have to worry for me or try to make arrangement on my behalf.

I made it on to the right connecting bus. It was full as people were getting off of work and school. Two college men got off their seats and offered it to me. I was glad actually because I was quite tired. They told me stories of when they used to just hang out on the grounds of the monastery and play.

Other people on the bus told me it was over rated and that such a place was not that great, blah, blah……

The ticket collector was female who worked from 6am-10pm. Those were long hours. She said, “Buddhists are nice people.” That was nice to hear.

I made it to the monastery at night. I have an affinity to enter monasteries at night somehow. People were really nice on the phone and in person. I did what I was instructed to do go through the vehicle entrance gate and check in with the officers there. The officers did not have my name on their list and would not let me in. I told them I called earlier and stated I would be late due to transportation reasons and I was instructed to enter this way with clearance from the monk inside at the guest prefect. I was finally given clearance to enter.

I walked in the dark while the air filled with drizzles. I forgot to ask where I should go on the grounds since everything was closed and I didn’t know where to go to find the guest prefect office. It took me a long time to figure things out in the dark. I finally came across a courtyard and a monk of some sort peaked out as I knocked on a door. He was not properly dressed and was most likely not expecting a girl to knock on his door late at night. For whatever reason he invited me into his room not fully robed in my opinion. I told him that I could wait for the guest prefect at the guest prefect office and that if he pointed me to the right direction that I would surely find it on my own. That I was not interested in waiting in his room for while someone fetched the guest prefect for me.

I found the guest prefect office. I sat and waited. It was already after 8:30pm. No one came. I finally decided to stand outside the office and waited for a passerby. A security guard came and asked why I was standing there. I told him no one came and I have been waiting for almost an hour and that I needed to be assigned to a women’s dorm room. I asked for his help. He told me it was after hours and getting the right person to help me at this time was slim. Even so he and I both agreed that it was not ideal for me to be just standing there in the hall. He connected me with a resident volunteer named Han who was waiting for a group of tourist meeting in a room with a lay dharma teacher of some sort to end their session so that she can lock up.

The evening lights out drums and bells had been struck and it was time for all the lights to go out. This particular group was from GuangDong and had come all this way to meet with this teacher who they worshiped because he was able to respond to their regular family life troubles. I tried to refrain from any judgments because Dharma Teachings are rare in China to being with. What is right? What is wrong? The fact that there is any is worth celebrating for.

It was interesting for me to watch how this teacher encouraged public announcements of vows to save other people especially their family members. But saved from what and how? It was interesting, this part felt very Christian. It reminded me of days at church where people were encourage to make vows of so and so much percent of their income was to be set aside each month to the church.

Han told me due to the large influx of tourist today that they are overbooked and being so late already that it would be difficult to locate someone who can set me up with housing. She asked if I didn’t mind staying at volunteer residence with her. She said the accommodation was marginal and she would try to help me find hot water to wash up for the night.

I roomed next Han in number Rm#12. The room was dusty and tattered. It hadn’t been used or cleaned in awhile. It was a humble abode. Han did her best to make me feel comfortable and well taken cared of with proper blankets and hot water. I learned how to wash myself from a bucket of 2 gallons of water. I was shocked to see how both genders used the same restroom with no partitions from the male toilets. I questioned out of shock and the male monk told me I could not use the restroom if I was so disturbed. I wasn’t disturbed with sharing the restroom but the lack of privacy for monks who were using the restroom too.

While I got ready to rest, room number 14 resident volunteers were also reciting the Eighty Eight Buddhas ceremony in their room. I really enjoy that one. It felt really good as I listened in through the paper thin walls. Then in room number 12 Han was reciting the Vajra Sutra. The vibrations coming through the walls were nice. I felt a calm realignment through me. I felt really comfortably sandwiched between two rooms of practitioners and their recitations. I didn't have to meditate or recite myself. I just loafed off their good chi.

Dark Alcohol Spirits

Liangs own two apartment complexes one above the other. They let me use the whole apartment flat all to myself, three bedroom and two bathrooms. I only needed one bed. But it was nice to just have the space to have the whole place to myself.
Even so, I was not alone and I was made to be aware of this. So last night I slept with my Guan Yin Bodhisattva Pendant.

There are dark spirits in this apartment who do not welcome me. They are alcohol ghosts. They came with the many bottles of expensive imported alcohol sitting like trophies on the living room shelf like prized decoration. There is also the factor of my hosts wanting to eat the fresh crabs while they are fresh instead of when they are dead. I am clear of this factor also.

So I talked to the spirits who regularly inhabit this particular apartment, stating my case. I told them that they are not to interfere with my rest and healing. I am a guest of the Liangs. The sooner I feel rested and accomplish what I came here to do the sooner I am out of here. And that they are to be clear of this so that we both can get what we want in an efficient manner and time. They are clear that I am aware that they have been working hard on giving me terrible head aches and body pains. I reminded them this was an example of inefficiency.

Doggy Nanny

This morning I did Tai Chi and White Crane while on the roof top garden while the dogs played around me. It was very nice to get back into doing this. I really liked it. While I did my standing meditation, the Surangama Mantra ran through my mind automatically as if I had already memorized the 550+ lines. Is there a part of me that is all knowing and functioning at all times?

The Liangs have two 1+ year old golden retrievers. These two dogs are so cute. They are about 40-50 pounds. It's like taking care of kids except you don't need to watch them when you are away for work. The Liangs have a doggy nanny for the dogs. On their recent 1 year old birthday, all the dogs of the same litter from the same parents had a one year old party bash and also a reunion. The photos were quite something. All the dogs looked healthy and happy. Even the dogs had cake that day. Today I am the stand in doggy nanny, I though I'd work for my food and lodging.

Liangs have a personal chef and cooked me home grown vegetables for meals. I was just content with fresh vegetables. They have lettuce here, lots, I will have leafy green lettuce. In fact, I can eat lettuce all day. I haven't had salad in awhile.

Mrs.Liang helped me do laundry yesterday, normally she doesn't do laundry, her housekeeper does it. She really didn’t have to do my laundry for me but she was trying to be a good host. She’s a very kind sweet lady.

Salon Session With the Ladies

I watched Liang do business for a few hours and as nice as everyone is even the clients etc.... I really think the business world is tough.

We went out for a salon session. I got my hair washed, entire upper body massaged. They spend half and hour on my head, just washing and conditioning etc.... It was nice and I desperately needed a massage. Then I had my hair trimmed and styled. I was so overdue for one. The stylist told me I was not from around there because I was not fussy or wordy or difficult. I was clear with my instructions, it was short and simple. He was nice and funny. He really took his time and cutting my hair with care. I liked that.

Guang Xiao Si, Was the Flag Moving or the Mind Moving

We also met up with the other lady on WuTai who is her friend and her name is Chang. We went to a vegetarian restaurant and had lunch there. I realized most of American Chinese food is more in alignment with Cantonese food. Because it really doesn't taste like the rest of China not even Sichuan or Huanan advertised food taste like the Sichuan or Hunan food here. The Sichuan, Hunan food here is much better.

We all went to Guang Xiao Si: Light Filial Monastery. It was called something else before. It was where Ven. Hui Neng first appeared when he came out of hiding and talked about the flag moving or mind moving. This is also where he officially shaved his head.

There was a Bodhi tree, which they said he spoke dharma under that tree. I don't know if it is the original tree or not. There was a pagoda that commemorated his head shaving ceremony next to it.

Both Liang and Chang are very nice people who are Buddhist but really doesn't know where to start or how to go about it. They have faith. They like most people I've met in china treat things like body medicine. This is for this and that is for that. This Buddha only responds to this and that Bodhisattva only responds to that. It's quite specific and limiting. People don't get it when I tell them, they don't get to where they are by being so inflexible and unresponsive. But people can't hear it.

Chang saw a interview on TV of a monk saying women can't enter this Chan hall because women are more karmically obstructed and etc..... She was really disturbed and felt sinned or something and was determined she was a bad person. I told her the Surangama Sutra of the story of the prostitute jumping into 3rd stage Arhatship and the Dragon Girl becoming enlightened and Guan Yin Bodhisattva in as Mao Shan princess etc.... She couldn't hear it because some monk on TV said so. So I ended up bowing and praying for them to realize all the potentials within and not just into self created jail cells of the mind

Crab Fest Party Pooper

Yesterday I took a bus from YangSho and got onto a sleeper train to GuangZhou. I paid 207 yuan and found it to be pricy. But then when I got onto the train I noticed it was the new German train that runs the Tibetan line. I was like, Okay money well spent. It's new, comfortable and the line of service is more like first class. They are all different in service depending on the train company and lines.

Mrs Liang picked me up with her driver at the train station. Previously my two GaungDong friends debriefed me on travels in GuangDong how dangerous it can be and theft is a common things. And that if you only get away with just theft that’s the least of the possible thing harm you can come across and worry about. They told me about kidnappings, people getting sold and locked away etc…. So they were very aware on safety and keeping me safe during my stay in GuangDong.

She and her husband own a sewing machine compartment parts shop and company. When I showed up at the shop, some of their friends had just delivered fresh caught crabs as gifts for them for their dinner. They being very sensitive to my vegetarian presence decided to postpone their crab fest until later time. They would keep the crabs alive and refrigerated till then. I guess I ended up being the crab fest party pooper without knowing it ahead of time.

Moon Hill

I went up to Moon Hill myself while Danica opted out of hiking. She went for a massage and more shopping. The whole thing wasn't all that spectacular in my opinion. But the view down was nice in to the farm valley with the Guilin mountain in the background. On the trail I saw lots of beautiful butterflies of different shapes and colors. They are so beautiful. On Emei Shan I saw lots of butterflies and giant moths that are intricate in texture and color. At the Banyan Tree area, I saw beautiful red dragon flies, they were really delicate looking and the green ones were bigger. All these insects are cool to me because well, I don't get to see them often and when they show up it's like magic or locating a pot of gold, a nice brief surprise.

Wonder Women

There were ladies trying to sell us costume rental for 10 yuan each. I called for 5 yuan, and it was a deal. Danica was big and tall, and in China they make her get men's wear even the XXXXL does not fit her. She was convinced there is nothing in China that fits her. But this lady did have a costume that fitted her. We dressed up as tribal women. I wanted a cape and so did Danica. The costume fitting lady insisted that there was no cape that would fit Danica. I told the lady that short capes were fine that Danica did not mind. Danica thought it looked cool and I wanted to be wear it like an Asian Wonder Woman. Because we both insisted on having capes on we decided that for the fun of it we should at least strick poses like we were action figure heroes. It was fun.

Banyan Trees

Then we went to see very old Banyan trees, not as old as the ones in India but still really cool see. I learned that Banyan trees grow another truck out of the branch and then the trunk grows roots all to support the branch. What an interesting system. This model really makes a good corporation expansion example I think.

Black Pearl

I woke up after getting very little rest last night. One of the guys was packing for a long time late last night. Being in a room that consisted with mostly men, the snoring was immense. My ear plugs did little to block out the noises.

Danica got up too and vowed that she would not go shopping that day. After that we were ready to head out for breakfast on a street stand. During the meal, a grandma showed up with wreathed flowers and was selling for 5 yuan each. I went for 2 yuan and she agreed. I convinced Danica to get one. As for me, I went for two for my head. She looked really hippy like a flower child. She said I looked Hawaiian. We got photos of ourselves. Danica handed this flower selling grandma more money than the selling price because it of her age and she just wanted to give this old woman more money as she would have if it was her grandma.

We went to a local village area for tourist visit and checked out a bit of their culture etc... In this cultural visitor sight, there were performances and songs from this particular tribe. We got to see their costume and the kind of craft work they did.

This particular tribe is known for their dark tanned skin. The name that is given to the most beautiful female is, “Black Pearl”.

Agent Haggle Was My Other Identity

I checked into the hostel at 25 yuan a bed. There are better deals around but I really didn’t want to shop, I was tired and wanted to drop my bag off and have dinner. I ended up in a room of 10 with it’s own restroom shower. I discovered Danica was also in the room too.

After dropping off my bag I walked all over to check out shops and know the way around things. I had purple sweet potato and yellow corn. I also came across a vegetarian restaurant tea shop. I sat down happily and spent a 46 yuan for a meal. This was the most I spent on a meal so far. It has only been like 6 yuan for a meal which was under a dollar. I was really excited over the two vegetarian dishes I ordered but when it arrived on my table the excitement went away. I was severely disappointed. It looked better than it tasted. Well, I did like the atmosphere of the place as it was decorated beautifully in wood set for drinking tea.

I met a Polish girls who was staying at Lisa’s for 20 yuan a bed and had the whole room to herself. She invited me to switch out of the over crowded youth hostel. This same Polish girl I had met back in Guilin at the same youth hostel whose Lonely Planet book flew out of her hands while she was on a public bus in Guilin. She cried profusely and I saw her walking in tears while I was window shopping on the main strip in Guilin. I walked with her to look for her lonely planet book with her. She was devastated to go without her security blanket of the Lonely Planet guide. I told her I have traveling all over China without one and it has worked out for me and that in any case it is also accessible online. And if she really needed to have one in her hand, she could always buy another one at a bookstore. It really didn’t do much to comfort her at the moment. But today when I saw her again in Yangsho on West Street, she looked great without her Lonely Planet guide. She was no longer afraid

Danica talked me into going shopping with her and at this point I had already done the walking I wanted. She promised it would only be a sec. I don’t know why I believed her. It turned out to be a three hour ordeal. She wanted me to go with her to haggle prices for her. I was her personal haggling agent. I enjoy her company so I didn’t mind until she could not walk and kept wanting sit on the sidewalk. This reminded me of the time on Wulingyuan. Where she could no longer walk anymore and had to stay with us at Xiao Lao Shr’s. I told her early on that if she was going to drag me with her to shop then she better be able to walk all the way back. We ended up eating dumpling and taking a break off our feet.

Danica and I agreed to pair up for tomorrow’s day trips on one term which is no shopping together. And that if she wanted to shop she would do it on her own time. Otherwise I would take off without her on my own.

Price Haggling in China

I made it onto the dock and headed for the Youth Hostel. Along the way I saw North Face and other outdoor gear. I went into all of them to check out the prices and on which ones I wanted. I really only wanted to spend 50 yuan or 60 yuan. Shop keepers were calling prices out for 150 to 280 yuan for the same exact pack. I kept testing shop after shop to see how low can the shop keepers go and the lowest I was able find was 100 yuan. I knew the actual sale price that is possible is 80 yuan and this was the local price. How to go about getting this price? Well, I’ve had practice and I planned to use my practice of negotiation to end up paying 80 yuan and not 280 yuan.

In the last shop on West Street I went in to see the pack that I wanted hanging high up towards the ceiling and asked for the price, it was 240 yuan. I proceeded to walk out of the shop and was stopped by the keeper. The shop lady blocked me and said I shouldn’t walk out without checking out the pack personally. I said I could not afford to check out the pack because I could not afford the price. I told her that I was only set on paying 70 yuan for a pack and her pack did not fall into my price range so I didn’t want to waste her time and get disappointed myself of not being able to buy it. She started to tell me how no one on the street will go for that price etc… so I continued to move my feet out the door and reminded her that this was why I didn’t want to touch the bag. She stopped again and said, “100 yuan”. I kept moving forward and then she called out, “95 yuan”. I kept walking can she grabbed my arm and said, “what’s your top price?” I said, “OK, 80 yuan”. Sold!

I walked out of there with a North Face pack for 80 yuan. Back home it would cost a lot more than $11., which was about what I paid for. It was green like my internal pack and I didn’t mind the color because it matched. But no one seemed to like that color in the shop and recommend that I get a different cooler color. I asked for pink, that was my first choice of cool color.


Haggling in China, you have to be willing to let it go and walk out when the price is not right. But you also have to be willing to buy when the price is right after negotiation. It’s a part of the silent code of haggling honor to not make a fool of shop keeper. But you also have to silently know what the local price is in order to haggle. If you don’t, they know and they won’t negotiate with you because they know they will win and you will cave in at their price. It goes like this, if there are not price tags then it is usually fifty percent off and then another 20 yuan off after that. This is the local price.

Alien Caves on the Li JIang River Cruise

I was picked up at the hostel by the van that would drive me to the wharf. We were there with plenty of time to spare. We were dropped off in the waiting room that was also conveniently the jade and crystal showcase sales room. People could only wait there. How interesting it was all scheduled this way. In fact all the people waiting for their cruise had to wait in this big sales room.

I sat by the restroom where the only seat were available in the room. The entire place was made for standing, shopping, looking over the glass counters showcasing things you can buy. I didn’t mind sitting by the restroom because I just wanted to meditate a bit. The place was bouncing with energy in no particular order. It was too much for me. I put on my ear plugs and recited. It was amazing that I was able to make separation with all of it.

An hour later we got our cruise tickets. There was an option to get on a tour bus afterwards for 110 yuan to see Moon Hill and old Banyon Groves and then a bus ride back into Guilin all included. I decided to pass. I didn’t know how well I would do on the cruise and may need to just rest afterwards.

I got the window seat and was happy to sit by the window. I sat next to a couple from Hei Long Jiang. The woman knew I was a vegetarian when lunch came around and I only had plain rice and gourd with salt. She was self conscious about eating freshly killed seafood in front of me so she would turn her back to me while she ate. Then she insisted on trying to convince me that I was malnourished because I was a vegetarian. I asked her to take another good look at me and questioned why she thought I looked malnourished. She said picky eaters like me tend to be malnourished and fat. So she decided to call me “Pang Gu Nang” fat girl the rest of the cruise ride.

The cruise ride was amazing. I highly recommend anyone wanting to check out Guilin to not miss this cruise ride. All the best views are along this river and the best ones are not at the end where YangSho is where you can skip the cruise but take the bamboo raft for a cheaper price. This cruise only does one direction travel which is down river. Up river it does not take passengers.

We passed by a cave and legend has it that aliens once lived there. In fact stories of aliens in China are well known and documented. Only locals are granted access to the cave today.

Vegetarian Means Islamic?

I got up at 9:35am this morning and missed the boat cruises for the day. So I paid for a Li Jiang River Cruise for tomorrow that ends up in Yang Sho and because of the low water elevation this time of the year, the boat started lower in the river and traveled slow. My laundry also did not dry so I had to wait another day anyways.

I spent the day walking the streets checking out everything. I hung out with the workers at the youth hostel and attempted to shoot pool with them and watch Korean dramas in the TV room. Whenever I asked for vegetarian food, people here assumed I am Islamic. Very interesting, not Buddhist as assumed since being Asia people will just assume it is so. Or like back in California, vegetarian translates into “healthy”, people will often say, “oh, into healthy foods huh”. But here, Islamic, somehow, I’m not sure why this is the case. Maybe it is the only other group that has a dietary preference.

I met a young man named Tomishi from Tokyo who is in the field of animation. He enjoys his work and is taking two years off from the work force for his two year world travel tour. He is heading off to Vietnam and Thailand via border of China.

People here tell me the rice noodles here are world famous. I had them and came to the conclusion that Vietnamese rice noodles of the same type is done better in Vietnam. But I didn’t share this with anybody.. In fact the best ones are made by Yong at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery. Can’t even buy it, just gotta be there when she makes an offering of serving them.

Strategy For Those Stuck With a Standing Train Ticket on a China Train

I took the bus to ChangSha. I got the back row right end window seat again and sat right above the exhaust pipe where it was hot and loud and more motion. The bus was more expensive because it was new and a new quality system of service. The driver was really nice and ethical. The bus had trash cans on the isle so people can have a place to dump trash. Bottled water was passed out complimentary. All our luggage was tagged so no one can take other people's bag by mistake or on purpose.


The bus driver was very nice, before he opened the door to let us out he instructed us on how to survive the sharks and thieves that will be swarming the parking lot. I was glad of his instructions but all in the same time I was afraid after his instruction. Was ignorance bliss? Well, until ignorance gets you into trouble I guess.

When I got to the ChangSha long distance bus station I had to take a local bus to the train station. There are lots of trains going to Guilin like one an hour all coming from different places. So there were no seats, beds, only standing ticket for all the times. So there was no use getting on a later train.

I along with 250 other people, not exaggerating, all got standing tickets. We where all cued up at the ticketing gate to embark on to the boarding dock. I asked a lady behind me how a standing ticket worked since I have never done this before and was in need of a strategy because there were 200 other people like me without a seat on heading onto the same train at the same time. She said, first come first serve, sit to it and stick to it and that was all there was to it to a standing ticket.

It was a mad dash for the masses to the cart door. Fortunately there were station workers at each door to do a bit of traffic control. I really haven't seen something like this since Italy. Since, I've had experience in Italy I knew what to do. Get to the front somehow and then squeeze and cut in like everyone else all at once. Since I had a pack on front and back and on my body, I had full body maneuvering control. This is why backpacks are good for train and bus travel. It was quite a site. Since I had so much on me, no one could squeeze me out because I took up the space of the door. Although it would have been very easy to knock me over since I was so loaded with backpacks but no one dared.

I finally made it on to the train cart and then it was the quick dash for any available seat. I saw when I entered that there were no open seats. As I rushed down the isle, I saw a seat taken by a luggage and asked to sit there and have the luggage moved up to the luggage compartment. The people reluctantly did it. With all the people getting on, there was no way they were going be able to take up any other seat, other than the one their butts were on so why not let it be me.

Glad I was approved. I got to sit down. I passed out candy and fruit. People warmed up to me and really took cared of me throughout the whole train ride and I became a part of their family, watched out for each other’s things and seats when we got up to stretch or use the toilet and that was nice. I was glad to have a seat, can't imagine myself having to stand the whole 9 hours to Guilin.

People were nice and offered to carry my bag for me out the station but really, it was unnecessary. Upon exiting the station, I rushed through all the hotel, cab sharks. These people were not so aggressive. They all commented how quick I can move with all my stuff at 1am in the morning. I walked quickly to the hostel which was 3 minute walk across from the train station, very convenient. I checked into the hostel, did my laundry, while I waited for my laundry I wanted to call US since I had time to kill and it was the right match in terms of time zone difference but there was no phone booth in the hostel, only for dialing phone card. In truth it was too late to be standing out in the street middle of the night at a phone booth in my night gown to make calls. So I decided to call it a night at 2:23am in the morning.

Adventures of Escaping Possible Violent Breakouts

After Huang Long Dong I stood outside on the street to wait for a bus but the buses were all heading the other direction. Finally I had to split a minivan to get to a bus station to get back up to Wulingyuan entrance where my luggage was being stored. I was dropped off at a local town bus stop to get on to a bus. This bus was parked and was waiting for it’s time to roll off.

As I entered the bus I sensed a great deal of tension on the bus. A man had been smoking on the bus and refused to put out his light. A girl behind him was allergic and threw up behind him over the window continuously over and again even when she ran out of stuff to throw up on. On top of it all her eyes where swollen full of water and red. Still this man out of pride refused to put out his light.

After watching such a sight everyone on the bus felt for the girl and demanded the bus driver to take action to kick him off the bus. The bus driver did. This man did not go quietly or apologize. He cursed and cursed. He looked scary like a gangster.

I kept my eyes wide open and had hands on the packs just in case violence breaks out and I can get out of the vehicle by the door or jump out of the window. I had my escape plan all worked out. That I would chuck my things out the window first and then somehow get out myself and then run somewhere forward on the open road.

I was on the alert. Why, because this man was a local town person and this was his town. He got all the people in town that was standing by the bus stand to take his side some how. I think they were on his side out of solidarity more than anything else. Either way, it was risky and anything can happen when someone is in a rage and encourages others to rack up more rage.

I was praying, and reciting hoping the driver will just start the engine and get out of that jam before more tension escalated into physical action. Finally the driver rolled off after the passengers all encouraged him to do so.

I was dropped off at another spot to wait to transfer onto another bus to get into the gate of the park. At this time there was no bus. A minivan stopped to offer a ride for a price and I took it. On the way to the entrance I saw two buses stopped with all the passengers out on the road. Looks like another conflict to be dealt with. The road was blocked by this event. I watched and realized I would have to get pass this one on the way out since there was only one road. What a night, a night of conflicts and potential break out of violence.

Finally I was able to pick up my luggage at the park entrance and attempted to head for GuiLing train. But I missed my train because there was a bus strike on the road. The bus company or drivers decided to strike to object to the increase in toll fee, so all last 6 buses were stuck along with all of its passengers.

We waited for an hour and then a college group decided to flag down a car, negotiated price and it had 11 seats. I asked for one but when the car showed up. All the passengers tried to squeeze in like there's no tomorrow, like refugees fleeing a bomb infested site. Then the driver decided to stop the engine. All the extra people got off and even the ones crowding around left. I ended up with a seat and headed for the train station. I missed the trains and even the last one by 20 minutes and headed back to the town and attempted to locate the youth hostel.

Got onto a bus, whose bus driver told me he'd drop me off at the right place. Not! Got dropped off on the road somewhere pointed to a direction and said walk a little that way. It was all too familiar, this thing of getting dropped off somewhere and told to walk a little that way.

I flagged a cab because I did not know where I was and it was on the outskirts of the town. The driver attempted to be confused and drove me to the wrong place and pretended he didn't know the road. He also pretend he didn't know really how to drive by stopping and pulling up at the curb here and there all to stall and make more money off me when the drive only took 3 minutes, all to make a little more money off of me by lying. I was tired, hungry and upset. Finally made it to the hostel and got the whole room to myself.

Huang Long Dong

Afterwards I went to Huang Long Dong. This is a cave full of natural earth sculptures made through years and years of water dripping through and the earth softening to form sculptures. It was lit with colored lights. It was a beautiful way to show case the natural sculptures. One of the formation was made though 200,000 years of daily dripping. It takes awhile since drips are slow and tiny. We also got to take a boat ride through a section of the cave. I found the whole experience really cool. I've never been through a cave that big and like that. I felt like I was in a movie set and Indiana Jones should be popping out anytime.