I came, I saw, I conquered

I came, I saw, I conquered

4-29-13 Monday

I am very happy to report that today, when I woke up I felt much better than yesterday. Yeah, I’m still sick, I cough more often than not and my nose is so stuffy, most of the time. I can't taste the food I eat but I can function and I don't wish that I was laying in my grave. It’s all about improvement! I got up early this morning trying to decide what would be good to wear since we don't really know the weather here in Guilin. It’s really humid and warm but it’s supposed to rain... this Utah girl doesn't know the first thing about humidity so I was clueless and just took advice from the others in the group. Light weight capris with shorts underneath and a dark shirt in case I get wet I won't be see through and I won’t be too hot.... I hope. Mark, Sarah, Kristen, Andrea and I couldn't book our hostel for two nights so we checked out and took our backpacks into Andrea, Susan and Cindy's room and put it up on their bed. They had a 4 person mixed room so that means they had a random guy sleeping in their room when we left. We all rushed out and hopped into the taxi when it donned on me, this guy is going to wake up to a bed full of back packs. One contains a perfectly good MacBook pro... I’m. an. Idiot! Holy crap what is wrong with me?? my stomach sank a little when the though occurred to me how popular apple is here and how much people would be willing to pay for the iPhone let alone my laptop... *Gulp* not only that, but I have everything right here on this device, I’ve never really had much of a relationship with my laptop like I do with my car and phone. I have so much on my phone and adore my car but I guess I just took my computer for granted. We took a taxi to the Bus Station and started our 3 hour journey to the Rice terraces where I had all the time in the world to contemplate everything I have on Mackenzie (that's my laptops name) and how much I really do have stored on her. If I lost her I would lose all the pictures of me and Moe, good thing I have those saved on Cds at home. But then there goes all my essays, the movies I have made in my free time, my pictures from China so far, my iTunes creations and so on. I realized how much I really do rely on my little Mackenzie and hoped that when I got back I could have the chance to see her again and really show her how I feel... ;) oh geeze, look at me. Talking about my love for an inanimate object. I guess you could say I really am a true blue Mac lover. We drove for about an hour and a half and I prayed a million times in my heart that the integrity of the people at the Hostel would show mercy on me at least 10 times before we had to change busses and hop onto the next bus. I think the humidity here has had soothing powers on my throat because it was just fine. My nose? Not so much, I was still blowing more often than not and grossing myself out but I could take it. Anything but what I was feeling in Xi'an please! We got onto the second bus and was blown away by the beauty of my surroundings! I was in total shock. I really had no idea what to expect with the rice terraces, but from what was around me, I didn't really care what we did that day, my expectations were already met. I stepped of the bus on the side of a winding road in the middle of a canyon. Mountains towering over me ever where I looked, the only separation was created by a paved road traveled by buses and scooters driven by the locals. The pavement stopped at a cliff hidden by trees but revealed by a river running alongside of it. The seemingly gloomy weather provided the perfect temperature and mystical fog that rose from the river and gathered around the rare bridges providing an inviting option of direction to the driver. This place was straight out of a story book. This is fairytale towns name is Heping. Maybe I am just oblivious or ignorant when researching, but when looking at the rice terraces in Longsheng, no one ever warned me about Heping. Before I got here, I would close my eyes and imagine china with little old men holding large amounts on a stick thrown over their shoulders, kids running up and down dirt streets while their parents worked in shops or out in the fields. I knew that places like Bejing would be far from what I imagined but after two months of being in china I was beginning to think that the image that I had painted in my head with the homely, hardworking, traditional Chinese people was nonexistent. That was until I saw the people of Heping. Sitting in the front seat of the big yellow bus pulling up and taking the whole dirt road, climbing the hills of this town, I have never felt so out of place. I stared out the window I felt a new admiration grow in my heart for these hard working people so disconnected to the world but totally content with their lives. I don't know if any foreigner of this little community could ever adapt to their way of life. As we climbed higher and higher up the mountain and further into these peoples hidden world, I became more and more mesmerized by this new life I had gotten a glimpse of. We got into Longsheng which was no different than Heping by taking a one lane road lining the monstrous mountainside of the giants surrounding me. To my left was a  rock wall built by mother nature, meanwhile to my right was a cliff built by gravity and here I was, sitting on a full bus of ILP teachers and natives getting on and off at each stop, wide eyed with terror and awe. As we took each corner, snaking up the mountain, the bus driver would honk his horn, thinking to myself, it echoes no matter where you are dude.. I figured that out in first grade. That was until a car came up head on. HELLO! Bus, winding road, mountainside, cliff... oh my gosh think skinny!!! and we squeezed by just in time. Im telling ya, Terrified and astonished in every sense of the words.

We wound around mountain after mountain until we got up to the Rice Terraces. There were native people there walking around in traditional clothes including these cute little lady's with pinkish outfits and a black hat. We were in such a rush this morning we didn't get to eat so we were trying to find some food to eat and finally found a little shop that sold crackers and water bottles. We sat down and ate our crackers and drank our water and paid for our tickets and then we started up the path. We really had no idea how long things took or where to go, we were just proud that we got ourselves here and figured we could just figure things out as we started going.

We walked up the paved path until we got to a sign that had arrows pointing in two different directions and took Robert Frost's advice. It didn't matter which way we decided to go, there was no bad area or something not worth seeing. Everywhere you turned, there was labor and the fruits of it. These people don't do anything the easy way, anything done here is worked for and nothing is left to go to waste. I can’t help but admire their hard working lifestyle. We followed path after path playing eenie meanie minie moe at each cross road, walking through old village homes and shops until we were so far into the greenery the only signs of life were our pumping hearts, heavy breathing, sweaty bodies and photosynthesis taking place all around. We hiked up and around incline after incline,

our hearts were racing and the humidity was looming on every inch of our bodies, but the tree enclosed path, revealing hidden waterfalls and glimpses of the village below us was more than enough to keep us climbing. Occasionally we would hear the sound of hoofs and Chinese and before long we saw a horse or donkey loaded to their max capacity with noodles or vegetables and their owner or guide walking behind them. One guide specifically stood out to me when

he approached us standing on the path while taking a break and stopped his horse to tell us that he saw the 3 other people in our group who were ahead of us were up the path and around the corner a little bit. We told him thank you and kept going with the information we already knew. We made it to the very top of the mountain we unintentionally climbed driven by our curiosity and admiration of the beauty around us

sweaty and short of breath. But more than satisfied by the view. Picture after picture was taken but never able to capture the serenity of the summit. After taking time to sit and soak in the sight before us, we headed back down the mountain. Mark has an inhumanly fast pace no matter where he goes and somehow Kristen is able to keep up with it so they took off and the rest of us

started our decent. On our way down our lovely friend who was watching out for us and trying to make sure we had tabs on our friends ahead of us, was climbing back up the mountain with not one but two horses with shoes in hand. To think he does this all day everyday. He waved enthusiastically and said hello as he passed with our horses and bare feet. As we neared the bottom of the mountain the thunder started rolling and the rain started to sprinkle down. Taking cover under the tree's shelter, we made it down to the bottom of the mountain and under the porch roof of a small restaurant before the rain started really pouring. After this morning’s traveling and afternoon mountain hike, our bodies had well used up whatever nutrients we got from our crackers earlier this morning so we found it only logical to find a menu and order some fried rice while at the Rice Terraces in Youngshuo.
The rice was amazing. Whether it was from local farming or I was just starving, but it was really good rice.

By the time we got done eating, the rain had stopped and we started to head back to the entrance but not without stopping in the village and look in the shops. We were looking around when I noticed a post card of girls in the pink traditional clothes I mentioned seeing the ladies in before but their heads were tipped down as if they were bringing their hair out of the water from the stream they were standing in. the only strange part was that their hair was long enough to be touching their feet while standing straight up. I looked at the next post card and realized that the black looking hats on their heads were not hats... it was hair!!! they wrapped their hair around their head and then covered the back with a black wrap. What the heck? I found out their names are “ladies in red” so I need to research what that is all about!

After shopping and browsing around, we decided it was time to get back to the hostel so we could go to our next Hostel about 10min away from the one we stayed in the night before. So we headed to the parking lot and started looking for a bus or drivers who would take us back to Guilin. We started talking to guys offering to take us in a van for 50¥ but we had a card talking about a bus that would take you for 30¥. we were in the middle of bartering with these guys and trying to talk them down when a lady came over and tried to talk to us. We were about to give up when a third lady came up and pulled out her fanny pack with a card that looked just like the one we had that said Youngshuo → Guilin 30¥. no need to say more! We agreed and followed her to the very full bus. We sat down and I was out. Amidst the jerking up and down, back and forth, and honking by the drivers aggressive driving on the road we were taking yet again on the side of the cliff, I was able to find some sleep here and there but was startled by honking and harsh braking more often than not.

Finally, we entered the city after trading buses and seemed to be getting closer when I was told by Mark and Crista to look out the window to find another group of ILP teachers waving out their windows. Geoff was in the van that the other teachers were in and he knows ASL so I signed to him and turns out there were coming back from the rice terraces too! So funny that we were able to see them! We got off the bus and got taxis. There were 9 of us and we can fit 4 in a taxi so that would mean two taxis and one person walking... so we chose Kristen should walk so we got in our taxis and left her there ... jokes. No we got the driver to say he knew where he was going and before he knew it, crammed 4 in the back and 1 up front and then shut and locked the door. We knew what he was trying to tell us but we pretended we didn't and finally he just drove. When we saw he didn't start the meter we knew he was going to try something fishy. We pulled out 10¥ because that’s how much it cost us to get there in the morning and waited to get back to the hostel. We pulled up and got out and made him real mad when we wouldn't pay him 30¥ we pointed to the meter and then to our brains and said

“we know” Rachelle told them in Chinese and we walked off. They tried to follow us and wave us down but then gave up when we went into our hostel. Nice try buddy charging triple the price. I went into the room saying a little prayer before I opened the door and there was our stuff sitting there untouched waiting for their owners. Halleluiah. We walked out of the room and mark realized he left his ipad charger so he went back to our old room and just knocked on the door. A girl opened the door and told him it was still there, walked over and pulled it out of the wall and handed it to him. Wow I love the people in this hostel honesty is the best policy!

Unfortunately, we had to check out and move to another hostel but it was supposed to be only a few blocks down so we started walking. We decided to follow the river and look at the many land marks along the walk and then finally came to the conclusion that we were satisfied with looking over the river and we didn't need to pay to go see them so it was time to call a taxi and head to the new hostel. I am supposed to meet up with Sam and Crista here because they skipped going to Xi'an and went to some other city instead and hiked what’s called the “avatar mountains”

we got in the hostel and I connected to Wifi to see if Crista had messaged me and it showed she did 5 min prior to me connecting and got the message that she was there! So I went up to my room and met the two of them. I was really excited to see them but probably more so than they were to see me.  The group I just came with, Mark, Sarah, Kristen, Rachelle, and Andrea were planning on doing something while we were here so we hit the night market! We were getting ready and convinced Crista and Sam to come with us and found our bus. The first double decker bus I’ve ever been on! It was pretty cool. We went to the night market and started looking around. Rachelle was feeling... well, I don't know she wouldn't tell me so not herself? So Crista was talking to her and Sam and I were walking up and down checking things out and catching up/ filling each other in about the trips. Rachelle was feeling better, I guess, so I was standing next to her and walking with Sam Crista when I looked down at a booth and then looked up and they were all gone... great, here we go again. This time wasn't as scary but yet sort of at the same time. I knew how to get to the hostel I thought but then again I am in some random city not just Weighi. I stood there for a little bit trying to set a time limit on how long I will wait there until I just give up on them noticing that I am missing and head to the hostel. I decided ten more min. a few min passed of me awkwardly standing there next to what looked like a police officer, you know, in case someone decides to take a white girl standing there alone in the street. I looked over to my left after two min or so and saw Sam and Crista walking down towards me. Yes! They noticed I was gone! I walked back up to them and they said they thought I was with the other group until they found the other group and I wasn't there. Whatever, I’m found and I’m hungry let’s get some food. The group wanted to go to Mc Donalds and I was leaning towards more street food, something good but cheaper than Mc Donalds. So I tried this fully cooked. Chicken sandwich thing. It was actually pretty good. We headed into Mc Donalds to join the group and of course I couldn't go without ice cream so that was divine but half of us, including me, were ready to call it a night. Tomorrow we are supposed to take a bamboo raft to Youngshuo and stay there so when it started to rain we were a little nervous about not having an umbrella for the raft. We couldn't find any cheap enough for our stingy taste so we decided that tomorrow morning we will see if its still raining before we buy an umbrella. After our full day I was pooped. I took a nice warm shower, remembering what it feels like to be clean; I laid my head down and shut my eyes. And that’s all I can remember.