written/non-written things by me (from 2005-2008)

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

PICTURES ELSEWHERE

It takes so long to upload these pictures, but I can't embed them in the narrative right now. I am too tired. But please, look at them on my FLICKR GALLERY.

The Situ

Not until now, for some reason, are these stinky loud, drunk male teenage ridden internet bars letting me not only connect to blogger, myspace, and flickr, BUT I also get to use my USB cable, thus I get to slowly upload my photos and tell my tales. Although I haven't really gotten any emails from anybody, so I guess no one was worried. Although, maybe you should be a little. This was a hardcore mountain China week of unknown turns and grimy, misty, grummy, decripit, but bustling, and lively, and other not so bad things. Its only these little pit-stop mountain cities that make me feel like I am in a real other-world. The countryside, despite being the most beautiful and most-cultivated and trechorous I have ever seen, is comfortably familiar, maybe because I have seen it in pictures. But it has been a week of just crawling up mountains and inching somewhere between 10-20 miles a day, and that's cycling for 5-6 hours!

Feb 27: Congjiang
That is until today. That's not to say that it was flat, but the hills were manageable. I didn't have to walk my bike up one. I made some real milage by cycling 84 km, and all of it really really pleasant. I would pay for this ride, I guess that's why its included in the Bike Asia itinerary that I am now kinda following. I rode along a somewhat wide clean river in the vally of some high hills. Perched along the road and the sides of the river were the villages of the Dong minority. These people carry everything on their backs, or donkeys, or in little sampans in the river. There timber homes are on stilts and the women all wear traditional smocks and head-wraps. So it was 40 or so miles of these lovely villages, they are so much cleaner looking than the Han chinese dwellings along the road. It's really getting unbearable here, and I am exhausted, so I will finish all this at some other point. Tomorrow I am on the bike going up to a remote village, I think there are hairpin turns or something. Eek.

Feb 27: Rongjiang

Taking the bus from Sandu to Rongjiang was so unbelieavably a good idea. I had written down the bus adventure in my journal last night while waiting for a women to stir-fry my vegetables in this little open air garage type restuarant. But alas, I forgot to bring it. The most important part is the that the roads were moderately trafficked with busses and motorcycles, plus they were slippery with constant drizzle, plus they was broken pavement with intermittant tumblings from the mountainsides. It took 3 hours to get about 34 km, although one of those was spent in the bus station waiting for the bus to fill up, they won't leave until it does. The bus stopped along the way picking up people and their dirty bindles. It was fun! And I never hurt so much from needing to pee that bad in my life. I was never before so relieved to see the absolutely revolting trough, they call the bus station restroom.

Feb 26:Sandu

I will type a little about today. But I faced some serious mountain roads. The roads themselves were in fine condition, not trafficked. But the ascents and descents were massive. And on slippery roads. I was crawling up and inching down. At the pace I was going it was almost intervention that I blew a flat, and that my air pump broke and that I could not just fix it and continue. My flat occurred on the up hill of a extremely steep road. I just decided then and there that I was going to flag down a passenger bus or a someone to give me a lift to Danzhai, the town that I assumed was only 2 mioles away. A small-town police man drove by and he stopped I explained and we were on our way. As it turns out just over the mountatin that I stopped on were the most scary twisty turny up and down roads ever. And they were like this for 30 minutes in the car before we reached the city. But he asked if I wanted to go to the town further, Sandu because their he has a friend that speaks English. Sandu was my destination for 2 days from now. But I saw from the car that I probably wouldn't have made it. I was falling asleep in the passenger seat as we bobbed and weaved through these beautiful canyons filled with terraced-yellow flowers and green vegetable fields. It was Miao and Shui minority country. So often we would pass women in strange beaded headdress walking behind a donkey cart. When we arrived his 2 english teacher friends greeted us and they immediately handed my tire to a local, who insisted on replacing the tube, instead of me doing it myself. The teachers took care of me and walked to a nearby hotel and made my arrangements for the night and for tomorrow when I will depart on a bus. Its clear that this region is impermissible on bike. It would be absurd to continue. I am only creeping along by 10 miles a day. So tomorrow I head to Rongjiang, where the BikeAsia itinerary I am following officially begins. Now I see why they bused it from Guiyang to Rongjiang. I am glad I tried these roads, its been a whole-hearted attempt.

Feb 25: Duyun

Woke up with a headache and a sore shoulder from yesterday's fall. I could've rode today, but no way would I have made it to Duyun, too far and too hilly. I asked a young employee at my hotel for directions to the long-distance bus station and instead of giving me directions. He walked me to the station, waited 20 minutes with me for the bus to arrive, and arranged for my bike to be put in the trunk and me in the front seat. In situations like these, which are occurring on a daily basis, I am at lack to express my appreciation, I just say thank you over and over and in a sincere tone.
Duyun is cleaned-up city and I found a super nice, reasonably priced hotel within 1 minute of asking. After dropping off my stuff, I spent the afternoon meandering around the lake which bisects the city and admiring the old men that have slew of activities including fishing, birdcage watching, sitting, making nets, selling sets, and playing flutes. I took some photos of a flute player and soon I was asking to play the flutes. He had me try out all the flutes he had. When I asked how much he handed me three flutes and said "gifts". Confused I said "No!" then a small crowd drew a another man explained to me, though still in Chinese, that the old man wants me to have them because I came to china in a plane, or something like that. Again, this generosity is a unparalleled to anything that I have experienced before. It's a like a friendly-zone.

Anyways, hours later I went back and found that next door to my hotel was a nice bike shop. The next day. I got fenders for mud-defense, new break pads for my rear wheel, and a helmet. (I forgot to by one in Beijing). Now, I am so very much safer, for real.

Feb 24: Guiding

I awoke to a morning that was delightfully grey, cool, and recently wetted by night-time showers. The steep hills persisted while leaving Longli, but again it's a happy trade to pass through old villages with white blossomed trees and valleys filled, just bursting, with yellow flowers. I came upon a village that was crowded with kids and elderly people. The men were gutting a immense hog on the porch. I stopped and took out my camera and everyone started to laugh. Soon I was sitting in there cement floor living room with about 30 kids surrounding me on a wooden bench. I was expected to eat, so I ate. With the villages single policeman and a few of his jolly silly smiley friends. They brought out a gritty old wok stuffed with stirred fried stuff, then placed it infront of us on the coal-burning oven that was central to the room. It was good food and the whole family was crowded around me and the men as we ate laughing at various things that I did, that I guess where humorous. They brought out the regional rice wine and poured me a sufficient sip. I told them I didn't want to get drunk, and they agreed that I shouldn't. One of the women, my favorite of the bunch, asked me to "bu zuo" don't go and sleep in their village. It was tempting, but….but, but, but….I had a long way to go. I thanked them to the best of my ability and went on my way, just beaming for miles.

About mid-day I realized that I would get not very far on the hilly two lane road and at the first (and only) opportunity I crawed over a freeway divider and hoisted my bike and junk onto the expressway. It had a wide shoulder and it was more flat and still offered a great view. The only thing was that at moments the shoulder was coated in a bunch of oily sludge. At one point on a bridge I was stopping (with inadequate back breaks) and I skidded out and fell, I was generally okay, but I sprained my shoulder and now it is really tender and I have limited range of motion. It makes getting on my loaded bike a little precarious.

After arriving in Guiding, another grey, drizzly, grimy town I was walked to the local hotel and settled in. I asked around for a good restaurant. Was given a name, which I told the motorcycle taxi driver and he delivered me to a shimmering gaudy restaurant called Huan Dao. There were chandliers and the smallest table seated 10, at which I sat by myself and ordered 3 dishes plus rice. They had two muzak systems going on at once. And I in my muddy boots and dusty pants sat in an embroidered white laquer high-back chaise and ate steamed broccoli and sautéed potatoes with purple, gold tipped chopsticks. After the elegance, the super nice maitre'd asked the hotel's driver to drive me to an internet café. He did but it was full, so then he drove me to my hotel, my OTHER hotel. He refused my tip. I am greeted with generosity and helpfulness at every small inquiry.

Feb 23: Longli

"Mo zhong qiu" is the charming boy I met tonight in the Longli KTV/lounge/restaurant. I am sleeping in a KTV (karaoke bar) tonight, but the room is pretty fantastic, in weird fantastic kind of way. One wall is ceiling to floor windows, and my view is the Longli's grimy yet personable city center, decorated with a inflatable dragon-archway...

The day was remarkably long and advetnture-filled. First, I spent 9am-12pm "getting helped" from the maitre'd from my hotel. I had 2 questions: How do I get to route 320 and where can I get some air for my tires. I was pretty confidant that I could have managed those on my own, by just asking people on the street. He was extremely helpful, if not overly so, he walked me up and down asking little shop owners if they knew of someone with an airpump. I kept asking him where a gas station was (to use a gauged air pump for car tires), but I guess I wasn't saying it right. Well eventually we found a pump, but I had to buy it. That was fine, except that it was a piece of crap and kept breaking even as the shop keeper was pumping up my tire. I threw it away in the next town.

It was the map advice that was really interesting. The road I took was quintessential high road and the old road. It exited the town, not like most roads which skirt obstacles like mountains, but by actually going up and over them. I pedaled on my lowest gear up an incline that was just laughable, indeed I was laughed at, by the locals on the road. I ended up walking most of the steep hills, that is to say, most of the day. But in fact, this road took me through two provincial forests, one which was at the pine tree line of a lonely mountain ridge. I passed through many little decrepit villages, that seem charred with coal dust, from making coal caked I presume. While cycling though I spotted a little corridor packed with people and paper flowers, bedazzled with other items and lots of colorful Spring Festival Deocrations, I haven't seen in Beijing. This was the countryside's Spring Festival, and it was really traditional, with chanting in a megaphone, gongs, Chinese trumpets, and firecrackers lit not for their arousal, but to relinquish bad spirits.
\n\n \nEvery time I stopped for a bit, I ended up in a little conversation. Later down the road. A well-to-do young professional driving a new Honda hatchback stopped in front of me. I pulled up and we chatted for a while in English. He was nice enough, he reminded me of my adult students of the same age. He wished me luck and when I went to shake his hand. He said awww and opened his arms for a hug. So I hugged him, but as he limply hugged me he kissed or licked (?!?) my neck a little. It was weird! It was awkward! I said "uhh…I am sweaty." He says "No, you are cool.! So that was that. Then 20 minutes later when I was in the pine forest descending down an empty road. I looked back and noticed a mini-SUV trailing me. I watched from my periphery as it trailed for another 15 minutes. Then I stopped to "take a picture" and he passed slowly. I looked at him, another young professional, playing lite-pop music. He was grinning and giving me a goofy thumbs-up. I don't really feel nervous about these encounters, as I believe that I represent some kind of encounter with Foreigner Yuppie ExxXtreme-sports culture that hasn't yet surfaced here, but still intrigues the Chinese Yuppies. It's innocent curiosity.\n\n \nThe little grey and gritty city of Longli is barely featured on the map. It seems abandoned, at least in the buildings, but at the same time it is teeming with people. Everyone was out on the streets for Spring Festival. And street fruit vendors were everyway and villagers were pedaling there bushels of cabbage and green sprouts in baskets loaded on either side of a bamboo stick, which they place across the back of their shoulders.\n",1]
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Every time I stopped for a bit, I ended up in a little conversation. Later down the road. A well-to-do young professional driving a new Honda hatchback stopped in front of me. I pulled up and we chatted for a while in English. He was nice enough, he reminded me of my adult students of the same age. He wished me luck and when I went to shake his hand. He said awww and opened his arms for a hug. So I hugged him, but as he limply hugged me he kissed or licked (?!?) my neck a little. It was weird! It was awkward! I said "uhh…I am sweaty." He says "No, you are cool.! So that was that. Then 20 minutes later when I was in the pine forest descending down an empty road. I looked back and noticed a mini-SUV trailing me. I watched from my periphery as it trailed for another 15 minutes. Then I stopped to "take a picture" and he passed slowly. I looked at him, another young professional, playing lite-pop music. He was grinning and giving me a goofy thumbs-up. I don't really feel nervous about these encounters, as I believe that I represent some kind of encounter with Foreigner Yuppie ExxXtreme-sports culture that hasn't yet surfaced here, but still intrigues the Chinese Yuppies. It's innocent curiosity.

The little grey and gritty city of Longli is barely featured on the map. It seems abandoned, at least in the buildings, but at the same time it is teeming with people. Everyone was out on the streets for Spring Festival. And street fruit vendors were everyway and villagers were pedaling there bushels of cabbage and green sprouts in baskets loaded on either side of a bamboo stick, which they place across the back of their shoulders.
\n \nSo back to my KTV Hotel and Mo Zhoung Qiu. I was entering the lounge below my room and I was greeted, as of often happens, by a "Hello" from somewhere in the room. I replied hello back to the mystery person and sat down. 1 minute later the 9 year old boy showed up and we talked (in chinese) for good while as I waited for my food. His English was marginal but he had a English teacher, so I wrote a simple letter that said "Hello, My name is Hannah. I live in \nBeijing. I am an English teacher. Mo Zhong Qiu is a good boy. He speaks English well. (signed me)" He folded up nice and small (really small) and told me he would give it to his English teacher to translate. So then he asked me to light fireworks, and I was all "Yes, Yeah!" So after dinner the 2 of us scampered up to the roof of the KTV (joined by his Mom and Dad) and we lit fireworks for about an hour. Watching him play with his fireworks, in that authoritatively playful way that young boys have, was highly pleasant. His parents and I stood as adults in the wise observation of this youthfulness.\n",1]
);
//-->


So back to my KTV Hotel and Mo Zhoung Qiu. I was entering the lounge below my room and I was greeted, as of often happens, by a "Hello" from somewhere in the room. I replied hello back to the mystery person and sat down. 1 minute later the 9 year old boy showed up and we talked (in chinese) for good while as I waited for my food. His English was marginal but he had a English teacher, so I wrote a simple letter that said "Hello, My name is Hannah. I live in Beijing. I am an English teacher. Mo Zhong Qiu is a good boy. He speaks English well. (signed me)" He folded up nice and small (really small) and told me he would give it to his English teacher to translate. So then he asked me to light fireworks, and I was all "Yes, Yeah!" So after dinner the 2 of us scampered up to the roof of the KTV (joined by his Mom and Dad) and we lit fireworks for about an hour. Watching him play with his fireworks, in that authoritatively playful way that young boys have, was highly pleasant. His parents and I stood as adults in the wise observation of this youthfulness.

Guiyang

Capital city of Guizhou Province.

Made it to Guiyang via Air China smoothly, despite losing my cell phone day of departure. Do I really need it? It was crowded at the Beijing Airport and some asking around eventually got me in the right place. Amazingly, I needn’t pay a fee for my bike as additionally weight. Amazingly, it wasn’t an issue at all. Air China flight was great. I swapped seats on two occasions with passengers that wanted to sit with their family members. As it happened I was in a window seat, which was useless at 9pm. But as it worked out with all the switchings, like a beneficial rubic’s cube, I was eventually toggled to an aisle. The only reason I am writing about this flight is that it was unique in the since that I am gusessing that more than half of the passengers were first timers. I have never scene so many people actually pay attention to the flight safety demonstration. You could have dropped a pin. Would have made a funny photo, all those heads and wide-eyes leaning in the aisle.


When we were flying into Guiyang there was not a light in sight. Indication, I thought, of the level of development of the city. Turns out thought I was wrong, the airport was just 30 minutes from the city center. We exited the aircraft like presidents do, on the tarmac, in the wind, walking down a roll-away staircase. We all, one hundred of us, stood in the dark waiting for the shuttle bus. After that, nothing too strange. I managed to get my bags together and move through the small airport and out to the front where there were a bevy of unlit cabs. That’s the most I can say about the airport, there were hardly any lights. The cabby and I chatted on the way to the city. And it seems that the Guizhou accent isn’t too heavy for me to comprehend. I told him a not expensive, but good hotel. And he delivered. It was typically Chinese hotel in the San Diego-reminiscent downtown. 24 hour noodle shop next door. I bought 2 bowls at 2 am, one for breakfast the next morning, one for right then and there.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

"Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles" + 600 give or take



A little more than 24 hours left in Beijing. I am scrambling to get myself together, despite having thought about this trip for over a year. I recall almost one year ago Haiyan and I watched the beautiful film "Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles" about a famous ancient play from Yunnan of the same name. I wrote about it here in this blog and mentioned my early aspirations for going to Yunnan. To quote the most overquoted English quote that CHinese people know "Where there is a will there is a way" So, I guess I have a will.

Well, here is a map I took hours making on google earth. I designed a route using this man's extensive notes of the region and bit of help from Bike Asia-a touring group based out of the small town of Yangshuo. I've been in contact with them for a while and they know that I will be dropping by sometime soon. So that's a little piece of mind. These maps are a tentative guide, but I am sure my plans will deviate necessarily at times. At least I hope so. But when starting its something to work with. Total journey should be about 1600 miles over the course of 80 days. My first cycling day being Friday February 23rd. I leave plenty of time for meanderings and explorations. I will talk more about the geographic/cultural situations that I encounter in on-the-road posts, but basically I will be going from rice paddies and karst limestone pinnacles, to Himalayan foothills and high plateaus, back down to subtropical jungles and hill regions. Culturally, this is the seat of minority culture in China: Dai, Miao, Naxi, etc. From an economic standpoint, I will pass through tourist villages and "working" "authentive"villages. I will see a cross-section of Buddhist practices, from Tibetan monestaries to the Burmese and Thai Stupas that typify southeast Asian Buddhism. Poltically, I will negotiate through communist-state controlled regions, localized village political systems and skirt along the militarized border of the closed authoritarian governed country of Myanmar(Burma) and along the undeveloped poorer nation of Laos. I've chosen these three provinces because of their climate, landscape, culture, and political variety. And I think I will come out of this changed for the better. The duration of riding for this amount of time will be tough, yes. But the big personal challenge
will hover around that key word in the title of the film, "Alone." I think I have readied myself, that is I am ready for myself. Wish me luck.



Monday, February 19, 2007

The way its done.


originally uploaded by gofeetgo.


What: Chinese Lunar New Year

Funtion: Pigs + Gold = 2007

Proof: From the culture that invented them you would expect nothing less than extravagance. Of course there are more than billion people in this country, but just within our 5 square miles tens of thousands of people were all doing the same thing, and the results were surreal. "Fireflowers" were ignited anywhere one might walk, as evidenced by the omnidirectional layer of red paper shrapnel and empty canisters. We "popped" our own, lighting only mere babies, but all around us was the innocuous thunder and reverberating crackles of what everyone kept likening to a "WARzone." Yeah, a fantastical warzone on a planet where battles are fought with only sparkles and sprinkles and kabooms that don't hurt!? But the real spectacle was situated 14 floors up amidst the canyon of apartment towers. Eye-level with the explosions, sparks tapping against the glass, we clustered near the windows, like puppies in a kennel, positively squealing. Later, I meandered hither and thither in the darker places and just closed my eyes and listened.












Here in a little shop I watched some of the "Most Watched TV Show on Earth," The Lunar New Year state-TV spectacular. The lady said that this guy was really good singing gospel-style in Chinese.







Saturday, February 17, 2007

"In" this moment.


, originally uploaded by gofeetgo.

These are some of the photos taken today. And after which I had a conversation with some friends, something about "living in the moment" and what is the right balance to be struck when using moment-recording/destroying technologies such as cameras, recorders, etc. Reminded me of my favorite Benjamin Walker podcast on the same subject (incidentally, it also features an interview with Muzi Mei, the most notorious Chinese blogger). One of BW's arguement's is that "most moments suck"; or are at least most are just mundane and not worth deep in-the-moment absorption. His guests argue that maybe we are truly "there" when we are uncomfortable, lonely, or undergoing some kind of pain.

I don't no about that, but as for mediating the moments with my camera... I know that I am rarely interested in taking pictures at parties and special events or even when I am in a text-book beautiful place. I do, but its not really fun and I don't really care about having those moments captured so much. In fact, the act of taking photos (always alone and separated) for me creates surprising "moments" that would otherwise be blah'd and whatever'd into the inextraordinary background of daily life. For instance, I took this while waiting to meet Haiyan today.

Took these two while walking down the street.

(hint: motorcycle)


And this while my friends where in the shop next door.

The first photo was taken when I passed a Muslim restaurant and accidentally side-glanced the magnificent wallpaper from the outside. I would have never gone in for any reason. But impelled to instigate whatever "a moment", I walked into the jovial arrangement of odd patterns, paintings and nice owners, who after being asked, we're delighted to have their picture taken. I was so "in". For me there is no other way to be.

Friday, February 16, 2007

Don't Touch.


Mao sacks of meat, originally uploaded by gofeetgo.

I pass and pass and forget. Today I returned to a square block that's been pleading for my attention. I'm glad I got these shots before I am gone. (Click the above photo to see the entire set) I think these are some of my favorite I've ever taken because they are so much about my quiet amusements as I make my way about this life. Junk and colors. Finding a place for things. I sense the roving hands in all these arrangements that seem so perfectly careless, and eventually tender.















We have this "Bar"


originally uploaded by gofeetgo.

This bar is not quite a bar, but originally a tea house that my boss and cohorts have reinvigorated with our very vigor. Tonight, we had a 'going away' party for Lily, Matt, and I (even though I'm just going on a long vacation). Here's a taste of the nights more photogenic moments:





Anyone that knows Jackie will understand this photo is a portrait of her essence. But if you don't: Jackie has hair flowing long past her butt, she wraps it up into a big bun on her head. So, you get it?






Chen Xa did a good job of following my directions while taking this photo. I'm pleased.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Subway

Beijing subway stations are a true delight of unfashionable color schemes and alternating textures. Its the aesthetic dating back to the era of beige colored computers and green screens. And by the way, I think computer colors are the perfect relative dating tool of the last 25 years.









And incidentally there's this:

Monday, February 12, 2007

Flicker On

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gofeetgo/

I'm again on flickr one can, if they were so inclined, view 200 of my photos in a single un-narrated gulp. I'm now in the photo zeitgeist.

Friday, February 09, 2007

Preparations.



This man sets up a little shoe repair shop on the corner of my street. I took a little homemade daypack that I was making. He masterfully sewed it up using his hand-cranking sewing machine and metal shoe wire and charged me only 5 RMB. I doubled it.





This is the nice little bike shop that I've been spying for a while, it's an oddity. It's like a typical shop back home but everything was coated in a layer of dust. Few people here use bike shops, opting instead for street-side repairs. I played with the dog YouYou while a man spent 30 minutes truing up my wheels and adjusting my brakes. After all that, he didn't even charge me and refused my payment when I insisted.



I'm leaving for South China in 2 weeks. I have no doubt that my 3 month bike ride will go just as smoothly as these preparations.

My name is Hannah Pierce-Carlson