tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37696544265578959592024-03-14T06:37:52.592-07:00Avant-gardicaPeace Corps Volunteer serving in Wanzhou, Chongqing Province, China. On "Water."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-66372393080669111162015-08-11T12:51:00.000-07:002015-08-11T12:51:15.697-07:00Exit COS Trip: Thailand<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Onset of Dengue Fever in Climbing Transport, Chiang Mai</span></div>
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After the Philippines Libby and I flew from Manila to Bangkok, Thailand. In Asia's, perhaps, most dense concentration of vice and tranquility, we met Gabby, my Peace Corps site mate from last year. Our intent was to have an extravagant climbing trip in both northern and southern Thailand, trying regional foods and drawing distinctions between climate and culture. To our demise, Libby and I both got Dengue Fever, spoiling most efforts and energy for adventure. Although we were bedridden for the bulk of our trip (especially me), travel is not about what you do but who you do it with, strangers or friends. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ao Nang</span> </div>
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Arriving in Bangkok was reliving. Despite the azures, pinks, emeralds, violets, and golds of the Philippine sky and sea, it was hot. Not as physically disastrous as Chongqing, but the entire absence of AC meant no breaks from the heat and sweat. Bangkok was cooler and our penitentiary-esque hostel, Smile Society, had arctic qualities. Libby was bedridden for our entire time in Bangkok, surviving alone as Gabby and I went out to explore the Red Light District (RLD). </div>
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As cities go Bangkok is the strangest I have encountered. Nothing opens until 11am, and on the weekends the local store owners will push it to 2pm. When things open, there are restaurants, markets, mango slice sellers, fried plantain stalls, Chinese snack vendors, hot dogs, McDonalds, Starbucks, sushi, streetside coffee stands, and light and fresh Thai style rice noodles, and can't forget fried chicken with squeezed lime. It is difficult to tell whether Thai sincerity is genuine or not because of the fact that their country has been entirely retrofitted for tourism, but regardless, there is clearly a deeply spiritual and kind quality to Thai people that I have not seen anywhere else in the world. </div>
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I have met two people who have done world tours, have traveled to every country you can think of and more (takes two years), they have no relation to each other, and both people said Thailand was their favorite country in the world. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ao Nang Beach in the South</span></div>
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We stayed in the heart of the RLD. At night the district is entirely transformed, from a deeply polite place, full of quiet entrapuners, city goers, and cute children to a steamy sewer pit of ratty tattooed men soliciting prostitution, 'sex shows,' and 'pong shows.' There are done-up women sitting in uniformed clusters outside of red and green neon light massage parlors. Cat calls. Drunk, fat, sweaty, and smoking white men answering with English, sometimes accented, sometimes recognizably American without shame. Bangkok does not hide anything at night, everything crawls to and out of the darkness of humanity and into the neon lighting. </div>
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In Bangkok we met some of our good Chinese friends from Wanzhou. There are so many Chinese tourists in Thailand, South East Asia really, but Thailand is the hottest and easiest destination for Chinese travelers. Funny part is most Chinese travelers can't speak English or Thai, and Thai people can't speak Chinese, but have minimal English skills. Both Thai and Filipino people asked me why most Chinese travelers can't speak any English. I just told them it is complicated. </div>
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After day two we were scheduled to leave for Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and we were ready to leave by then. It has become clear to the three of us that we are not fit for the standard tourist thing: seeing temples, walking, sitting, eating, moving on to see the next site, then the beach, stuff like that. We flew to Chiang Mai in the afternoon. We stayed at Green Tiger Vegetarian House, which is probably one of the nicest hostels in the world. The price is high but every penny is worth it. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Swing Over Water in Ao Nang</span></div>
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To our good fortune one of our best PC China friends, Kayla and her friend from home, were staying at the same hostel at the exact same time. Thailand is the climbing Mecca of Asia, and Chiang Mai is the Kaaba. The next morning we were super stoked to finally get on the infamous Crazy Horse crag, an hour outside of the city. We arrived at the crag early in the morning. We picked an easy route to warm-up on. Dizzily, I led the route, realizing at the last bolt to the top that I was not aware of what I was doing, where my feet were being placed and the distribution of my weight. My mind was empty, yet my head was pounding. </div>
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After finishing the route I needed to lie down, so I picked a semi-inclined yellow slab of limestone to lie down on. Pulled my hood over my eyes to guard my face from mosquitos. I sat there and attempted to fall asleep. Ants were crawling all over and around me, mosquitos buzzing in my ear just outside of my hood. Thankfully it was cooler and overcast with a breeze high on the rock or I would have been boiling. </div>
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After eating a pre-packed pad thai lunch, in a hot festering delirium, I went down the mountain to lie down in the climbing transport. My heartbeat was in my frontal lobe, and frontal lobe and face on fire. A deep pressure induced pain formed behind my eyes, releasing a galvanized pain when I moved them from the straight-forward position. My lower back began to hurt. Then the sweat came in buckets. I was so out of it I couldn't tell how much time was passing, I was burning up, the sweat, arctic chills, the humidity from the rain, the light becoming unbearably bright, the incessantly irksome mosquitos, no sleeping, and the strangest part was that other than my lower back my body felt fine, so I didn't feel the need to leave the transport. </div>
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Four hours passed. Libby and Gabby came down from Crazy Horse and we left for Chiang Mai proper. When I got back to the hostel all I could think to do was sleep. I crawled into bed. My heart was pounding too hard for sleep, then the sweat came again. Thankfully, Kayla is brilliant and she brought PC issued thermometers. When I took my temperature the first time it was 102F. You must understand I have had the flu once in my life, get colds twice a year, but other than that I have never been sick, not a broken bone, nothing. A combination of my mental state and my lack of history with sickness, I did not understand what was going on. </div>
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My temp was 102F for two hours. I sweated out my fever in that time and I thought things would get better from there. I eventually fell asleep and woke up at 3:00am to the most unbearable chills, but in reality uncontrollable convulsions. They lasted 20 minutes. Until then I had never experienced being out of control of my body. At 4:30am I woke up to another fever. My temperature was 103.5F. At 104F your brain starts turning into scrambled eggs. </div>
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I waited for 40 minutes to see if my temperature would drop and it did. Finally understanding this were serious I woke up Gabby for counsel because she is far more knowledgeable about this stuff than I am and she said we should go to the hospital. We walked to the hospital early in the morning. They ran blood tests and did a check up. The nurses were so nice I would need love poems to express my gratitude to them. </div>
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In the waiting room of the ER I fell asleep across some chairs and was woken up by some nurses pulling me up. They brought me to a hospital bed in the hallway of the ER where I passed out. Another fever had taken me, rising to 103F. When I woke up I was not in the hallway, but in a room with a very charming and austere doctor in front of me, nurses staring and smiling down a me. Despite him clearly being at the end of his night shift he was attentive and careful of my condition. </div>
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I had tested negative for dengue fever, but all of my symptoms matched, so they retested my blood along with some additional tests. At this point I was alert, my fever had broken, and I could tell I would be fine for at least half a day. I went back to the ER waiting room and the nurses were so nice to keep me company. They kept me entertained, asked questions about me, wanted to see photos of my family, and showed me the cafeteria on the 3rd floor, which had terrible food and wifi but some of the best coffee I have had in the past two years, there was also Muay Thai boxing on TV. </div>
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The hospital opened and I was ushered into the main wing. There Kayla came to sit with me. She is so nice. I had to come back two days later for test results. I tested positive for Type #2 Dengue Fever. There are four types of dengue fever. It is transferred to humans by the nasty white tiger striped mosquitos which are rampant in hot and humid equatorial areas of the world. Dengue Fever is on part with Malaria as a world issue. There is no vaccine, treatment, or medicine for it, you just have to drink water suffer through it. </div>
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It is likely that Libby and I picked it up when we were in the Philippines visiting the volunteers on their island. The rash on my arms I thought was heat rash, was likely a common rash you get right before dengue reveals itself. The good news is that since I have survived Type #2 Dengue Fever I am now immune to Type #2. The bad news is that if I get a different type of dengue, like the more common Type #1, the fever will hit me harder next time, and be very serious. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">High Tide at Tonsai</span></div>
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The doctor was so nice. He said in a tranquil, polite, and austere voice, "We want to make sure you are safe. We think you should get blood tests every two days to make sure your platelet levels are ok. Here are some places you can go to in Karabi (our next destination, in the south) to get your blood tested. We hope you stay safe and are comfortable." Honestly, nicest people. </div>
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As I found out most dengue deaths are not caused by the fevers, but by bleeding out. Dengue attacks your platelets and liver. The liver is usually fine in the end, but the platelets are troublesome. In short, most people who die from dengue do not keep track of their platelet levels and the levels drop super low to the point where your blood will not clot, get some injury, mostly internal, and they bleed out inside without knowing it. It is scary because the only thing you can do to prevent this is drink water, make sure you don't get cut or injured, and hope your platelet levels rise. </div>
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Although we suffered for two weeks, Libby and I are both fine now. </div>
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We flew to Karabi in the south after four days in Chiang Mai. We stayed in Ao Nang where there was a clinic to give me blood tests. Our plan was to take a boat to the mostly secluded Tonsai Beach. At Tonsai, just around the corner from the popular and expensive Railay Beach, there are tons of developed crags. Tonsai is another climbers Kaaba. After I was finally cleared by the doctor we left for the beach. There we met climbers from all over the world. The atmosphere is unique to the climbing community, and expected. Everybody is friendly, chill, there is beer and other substances. Everybody is highly supportive and encouraging of your climbing, providing insight. </div>
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Throughout the Thailand trip I was super tired, and even now, writing days later I am still fatigued from the dengue, but as a consequence of my fatigue I barely took any pictures during the trip. I regret not having the energy. Tonsai Beach is brown and sandy, with jungle foliage, the beach bounded by high rusty orange and white crags. It is really a remarkable place. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Caught in a monsoon on the water from Tonsai to Ao Nang, it was a little scary</span></div>
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Libby and Gabby climbed. I was too tired to do much, but I still had a great time because of the company. One thing I forgot to mention is that it was monsoon season while we were there. Randomly there would be huge gusts of wind followed by insane amounts of rain at blowing at crazy speeds. Everything is upturned and left destroyed. Amazingly, there was a large section of overhung rock on the beach that covers a large area of sand. We worked on a route with other climbers (a very very difficult route), had a fire, some beer, hung out, and watch the terrible power of the rain blow all around us. It was something magical. </div>
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Even though the Thailand climbing trip did not work out as I had imagined, it was still a great trip. I learned things I wouldn't have learned if I hadn't gone. Mostly importantly I experienced it with good company, moments I would not trade for anything. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ugh. . . Dengue, Finally Over</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-49044899591559318212015-07-30T01:37:00.000-07:002015-07-30T01:38:45.729-07:00Exit COS Trip: Philippines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">5:30am at Siquijor </span></div>
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For our exit Peace Corps China trip Libby and I decided to head to the Philippines for our first stop. We set out on July 12th from Chengdu and arrived on the small south central island of Siquijor, Philippines the next day. There we visited a few PC Philippines volunteers to reflect on and draw differences and similarities between our services. Discovering the real challenges other volunteers face set some lingering tensions about our service to rest. I highly recommend COSing volunteers to visit active PCVs in other countries at their sites. A visit answers a lot of questions many volunteers are likely to develop about service in other countries while at site. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoRWHhytPpKkCYRNR3bUeceGeHzNuwpOaG9Q0jL0j_xdnmY2JV6wOFliy77ITqK3smFeKUnpZnU6a9b84VamZZFBnDixYuGLFm78vs0clo6RmZsQx-9EgAZk3eP1U6pS-z96CNbxQM3x8/s1600/DSC_0044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoRWHhytPpKkCYRNR3bUeceGeHzNuwpOaG9Q0jL0j_xdnmY2JV6wOFliy77ITqK3smFeKUnpZnU6a9b84VamZZFBnDixYuGLFm78vs0clo6RmZsQx-9EgAZk3eP1U6pS-z96CNbxQM3x8/s400/DSC_0044.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">First Mate unloading our kayaks from the bunka boat in El Nido</span></div>
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After Siquijor we headed for a small developing tourist town at the north end of Palawan island, El Nido. We did many touristy things, making us uncomfortable for most of the time: kayak island hopping boat tour, kayaking, tons of snorkeling, tons of motor bike riding, white sandy beaches with coconuts, and although not very touristy I snorkeled out to a deep, coral barren area and did a pinch of deep water soloing (climbing over water with only climbing shoes). </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Philippine sunrises are just spectacular</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWDLM7WQrQQQdQh1TUYPwNq97uxtahuScGF5-b4dN9KuLMvqI6NaxnMtzNdE8pfIbPDShbRNRlRGnYp_IK-hvDib-vSTgijO1WfdJUhv0D90b2Qujcjd03-B0T7BYdCQ9eY9P36kTy4nR/s1600/11696013_10153596884255555_8143336709237389476_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWDLM7WQrQQQdQh1TUYPwNq97uxtahuScGF5-b4dN9KuLMvqI6NaxnMtzNdE8pfIbPDShbRNRlRGnYp_IK-hvDib-vSTgijO1WfdJUhv0D90b2Qujcjd03-B0T7BYdCQ9eY9P36kTy4nR/s400/11696013_10153596884255555_8143336709237389476_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nerd Alert!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Leaving Beijing:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvtzKtt_NK3WSEdWIib_A3EsqXfMJqmWY_bTxCE8OEycdrCteLXEmJ8-2C8WHFRROTdzVKX30ubDc9nOnw3IWWkQPhu-wmO5M1-i10U1-2rp8vsyDqBt_letot4tKC9hhbDSkwdOp1lPT/s1600/DSC_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtvtzKtt_NK3WSEdWIib_A3EsqXfMJqmWY_bTxCE8OEycdrCteLXEmJ8-2C8WHFRROTdzVKX30ubDc9nOnw3IWWkQPhu-wmO5M1-i10U1-2rp8vsyDqBt_letot4tKC9hhbDSkwdOp1lPT/s640/DSC_0019.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Leaving China, Bye Bye from Beijing</span></div>
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We flew from Chengdu to Beijing to Manila to Cebu City, then a bus to the end of Cebu Island, then a ferry to Sibulan, then a trike ride (three-wheeled motorcycle, sort of) to Dumaguete Port, and then another ferry to Siquijor. Long travel, even with a daylong delay in Beijing, but Siquijor was worth every second of it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqw4wVpbjLKRjVw88I1AaT7rX1M22hv9C2WIhaW5ngDECmmFS6OCR59CpfanHmEl4RwlF6hWYbKqZ5Ui5DV6fS2YU-dMaYRaJEilID6SLnX19g5qQiyAjiOZbwx-vihl6X3XkRckfbICb/s1600/DSC_0021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaqw4wVpbjLKRjVw88I1AaT7rX1M22hv9C2WIhaW5ngDECmmFS6OCR59CpfanHmEl4RwlF6hWYbKqZ5Ui5DV6fS2YU-dMaYRaJEilID6SLnX19g5qQiyAjiOZbwx-vihl6X3XkRckfbICb/s640/DSC_0021.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hard to explain this view, but we are in the air at twilight</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Siquijor Island:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_sSy_4vfPki8Dy-pWqDmUTdgxa8TYg4mAFwt2wwwuqhQRXG_sHpKzCIZ2eOH0AP5x5mjvreMKrX4JKzESiMhsxVvuUuxrAL4iMKZDKiA6f9avaL98gVL4V1LXruR7zyXAf02LCGQ5523/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_sSy_4vfPki8Dy-pWqDmUTdgxa8TYg4mAFwt2wwwuqhQRXG_sHpKzCIZ2eOH0AP5x5mjvreMKrX4JKzESiMhsxVvuUuxrAL4iMKZDKiA6f9avaL98gVL4V1LXruR7zyXAf02LCGQ5523/s640/DSC_0050.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ferry to Sibulan hit rough headwinds </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mYrQYDI2p4yektMcfoiOVSPzJV_Az_VHF-UOmWqNP1KHDZC7G-p3eeV5_xSf6e-a2OikNeFQ6_7FMkARAIEKbwC97cX3uttAXjgvnYzFVpue7j_8WHivXDsxj7-rY0XV7jlbmsrWsh0d/s1600/DSC_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mYrQYDI2p4yektMcfoiOVSPzJV_Az_VHF-UOmWqNP1KHDZC7G-p3eeV5_xSf6e-a2OikNeFQ6_7FMkARAIEKbwC97cX3uttAXjgvnYzFVpue7j_8WHivXDsxj7-rY0XV7jlbmsrWsh0d/s640/DSC_0037.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Unspeakably Beautiful Philippines</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Libby (and myself not pictured) skeptical about our first trike ride</span></div>
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There are three ways to travel on land on smaller islands in the Philippines. There are public buses, trikes, and jeepney. The public buses on the smaller islands can be rented out by locals, for a birthday party or something, and as a consequence, they bus might not show up to the stop on that particular day. Trikes (pictured above) are motorcycles that have been welded to a thin metal sidecar structure. We were told they are of Russian design and the designs are different on every island. Jeepney, is a private small-bus, likely owned by the driver. The coolest thing about jeepney and the trikes is that they all have custom paint jobs and metal work, themes ranging from Christian saints to anime characters. The last trike we rode was Batman themed. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGhSdk0k02Jz-3YtRD90uFV5JBvx6r8H3Tfc441vlwj2te6yVzsI1G9IdWFIZwllOgQ6B0KOqmi1y7TF46cYyA0aYVUklLl9y2T-Bk5lOhGAVpZLmKdD1wqB5LGI4cG-IYhEvBOVaYp7i/s1600/DSC_0055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGhSdk0k02Jz-3YtRD90uFV5JBvx6r8H3Tfc441vlwj2te6yVzsI1G9IdWFIZwllOgQ6B0KOqmi1y7TF46cYyA0aYVUklLl9y2T-Bk5lOhGAVpZLmKdD1wqB5LGI4cG-IYhEvBOVaYp7i/s640/DSC_0055.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The treehouse we slept in</span></div>
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To arrange the offhand site-visit, I contacted our kind and magnanimously generous host, Sandra, through the PC Couchsurf Facebook group. In the group I looked for active PCVs in the region I was interested in traveling to and sent FB messages to all of the volunteers. Only one responded, so I recommend this strategy when your try a PC couchsurf.</div>
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When Libby and I arrived at Siquijor we were greeted by four volunteers. As volunteers come they were amiable, highly informative, passionate, cool, and a little nerdy. Unlike China, where we all teach English, I believe the four were broken into three different sectors: youth development, ________, and environment . Immediately we were lifted into Tagalog, dialects, food, habits, education, environment, economics, and weather. Hyper specific things that living on the island outside of the PC would be difficult to learn, for many reasons of perspective and intention. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9D3VvR9n8qNU4fmZMM_fqiV0bsxJ4kuB9cAaKAPoDdfgOK1Lnz4CJNiNPPqLVF884jYyVc_3f7nm7jY4MBncoGE4IFamHenneHWovKhh44R0eiXIyjyQa8TVeFD3xGQ7HePet1jhL7C9/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9D3VvR9n8qNU4fmZMM_fqiV0bsxJ4kuB9cAaKAPoDdfgOK1Lnz4CJNiNPPqLVF884jYyVc_3f7nm7jY4MBncoGE4IFamHenneHWovKhh44R0eiXIyjyQa8TVeFD3xGQ7HePet1jhL7C9/s640/DSC_0068.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWWv9TqfSEVHx3oiNV0WPWTG4mc_J8BYo9Ik6Q8GA76V3nO2MvfjakNBgiW2pPMwOuS5J9ETs51Zi9Mb6VXsX0BadnjVwrWaRyZ_wM3VjjTQGUC5szAL69whOyCE1iKPiHUuU6AZBNNIe/s1600/DSC_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWWv9TqfSEVHx3oiNV0WPWTG4mc_J8BYo9Ik6Q8GA76V3nO2MvfjakNBgiW2pPMwOuS5J9ETs51Zi9Mb6VXsX0BadnjVwrWaRyZ_wM3VjjTQGUC5szAL69whOyCE1iKPiHUuU6AZBNNIe/s640/DSC_0074.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Old Church made of coral</span></div>
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On Siquijor all of the volunteers lived with host families. Sandra's family opened their doors to us. Gave us meals and shelter, which ended up being the new tree house they had built recently. Their wooden house sits on a hill above the ocean. Chickens cluck and cheep with snorting pigs and marauding dogs patrolling the lush property. A farm is one word for the place, but the well pruned bushes, mowed lawn, and clean sunlight reflecting off of every leaf and flower certainly detract from the grave images I have developed of farms in China. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Inside the coral church</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapa6seox75UNK8Od38mXfRCQx_8kYFHls6UGNO3KQLgcICPN5f1MlgrPB1lpa9_MSkj1ROJC1OTRuZ9COUKrfPus2WGfTSoYXx7udoWg4Pbk_wr42n3MOg7yhmS8Pa7IX986AbES2_P-a/s1600/DSC_0077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapa6seox75UNK8Od38mXfRCQx_8kYFHls6UGNO3KQLgcICPN5f1MlgrPB1lpa9_MSkj1ROJC1OTRuZ9COUKrfPus2WGfTSoYXx7udoWg4Pbk_wr42n3MOg7yhmS8Pa7IX986AbES2_P-a/s640/DSC_0077.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">At the waterhole with coconuts</span></div>
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Keeping this short, on Siquijor two volunteers have coral gardening as part of their PC projects. Not long ago a typhoon swept the island clean of 94 percent of its coral, desiccating life in the reefs surrounding the island. Peer at the ground within a few hundred feet of the coast and you will probably see skeletons coral strewn by the typhoon. As part of their larger PC project, the volunteers dive, in real diving gear and plant coral, with the intention of regrowing the population, and possibly bringing the reef back to an equilibrium with the ocean. You might be pulling your hair out right now at the thought of their project, and you should be. Despite the reality of this project being underwater labor, there is no way you cannot make their project sound badass. Good people doing good things.</div>
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On the other side, despite the volunteers living in an imagined island paradise working one of the coolest jobs you could not think of, there are setbacks and challenges. I will not discuss my observations, but like China and every other PC country, there are highly complex cultural challenges that take significant time to even realize. The point being, at points, we all think we got it bad in the PC, many think service would be better somewhere else, but challenges in one place will still be challenges in the next. </div>
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Libby and I got lucky with timing and came during the weekend of 'fiesta' in the county we were staying in. Sandra, being a great host, got us all tickets to the beauty pageant. I knew Filipinos loved Pacquiao like Job loved god, but I wasn't aware of the staunch affection for beauty pageants. A culture bound by beauty pageants is a culture I don't understand, for sure. Regardless, hundreds of people filled the auditorium, cheering at contestants' references to the Lord and developing tourism in the county. </div>
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In the image above, there is a boy flying off a swing made of vine. This area is a popular swimming spot for locals and the little tourism that has touched the island. One great thing about the Philippines is all the water you would swim in, from rivers to sea, is hot. You never have that temperature adjustment period, it is always perfect. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">That time we rode on top of jeepney</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Host brother</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">On the trail to the beach</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fisherman</span></div>
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For our last two days at Siquijor we went with some friends of the volunteers to a beach only known by locals in the area. It was discovered by locals after the typhoon that killed all the coral. Our plan was to snorkel, hang out in the sun, make a bonfire, and camp on the beach. </div>
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At the beach I spoke with some of the local fisherman that came ashore. I asked them if there are less fish now than there was before the typhoon. They said the fish they catch now a re significantly small than they were before, but I am not sure this has to do with the typhoon. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My first shot at night photography. Got lots of work to do. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Light work</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Light painting</span></div>
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We woke up at 5:30am for the sunrise. It was one of the most beautiful I have seen in my life. These photos have very little editing. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Passed out on the beach after the sunrise</span></div>
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We had a great time on Siquijor. The beauty of the island was perhaps less important than us visiting other volunteers at their site. We are super grateful to all the volunteers and the family who hosted us.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> EL Nido, Palawan </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bay near our hotel</span></div>
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Next we traveled to El Nido, Palawan. Palawan is known as the 'last frontier' in the Philippine archipelago. I am not sure what classifies it as 'undeveloped,' because it seemed just as developed as Siquijor. Regardless of its development status, El Nido was rated the number one tourist destination and island in the world by a handful of reputable travel companies, such as Tripadvisor and Conde Nast, and after going it is hard to argue with them. </div>
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El Nido bay is where most of the hotels, hostels, and restaurants are located, where everything happens pretty much. What makes El Nido so great are its the white sandy beaches scattered throughout the small islands not far out of the bay. It is very much paradise, with coral and great snorkeling. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sunrise from our hostel</span></div>
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My only critique of the Philippines is of the food. Even though the flavors are highly complex, there is very little diversity by way of substance. Most meals are just meat and white rice (Adobo, pictured above). There are vegetables at restaurants, but they come in very small portions, some places don't even have them on the menu. My other issue is that if it is not meat and rice, it is sweet. Pretty much everything has sugar in it, painfully so. The lack of vegetables and I forgot to mention fruit is likely due to the archipelago status, but after talking to some locals about agriculture, they saw no reason why they shouldn't be able to grow vegetables on Palawan. I was told all produce comes from Manila, by ship, and if there is a storm and the ship gets delayed all of the produce rots on the ship and the island is left with no produce for a week. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">On our way to a waterfall. And men ride water buffalo in Palawan. </span></div>
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Libby and I spent most of our time at El Nido riding motorbikes, snorkeling (7 times), on beaches, and kayaking. We have never done the average tourist thing before, and it was weird, so strange that I am pretty convinced we will never do it again. </div>
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The only non-tourist thing we did was deep water soloing, and we barely did it. The only reason we went to El Nido was because I had read about a couple of climbers developing some deep water soling in El Nido in 2014. The idea is that you kayak out to the rock faces on the islands and then climb without a rope. When you are too tired to continue or slip you drop into the sea below. After kayaking out to the crags, we realized this whole thing was kind of ridiculous. When you get there your hands are super pruney and you are tired and sunburnt. The worst part is the rock. The rock in El Nido is extremely sharp. I did one route twice and left with a pretty nasty puncture in my hand. I asked the workers at our hotel about people DWSing in El Nido, and he said people have come before and tried to rent a bunka boat, even for crazy high prices, but bunka captain would take the risk. Unless you are a very very hardcore climber, I am positive a DWS trip it El Nido is currently unrealistic. To developers, there are a bunch of crags in El Nido bay that need developing. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dark red crabs live in the waterfall</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtILPAADYqBFRXze84FqXNMIoj16p0oqbpajsfio84x5H8Rwjq1eP7hFoXI3nMxQQMXRavWxMmbhpcrobdDbHcGc71nR3Gcj2sSplKsQWyO6zAvY-utpNSk3Ahevc8nsnXg16oSQGpoCZ/s1600/DSC_0022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtILPAADYqBFRXze84FqXNMIoj16p0oqbpajsfio84x5H8Rwjq1eP7hFoXI3nMxQQMXRavWxMmbhpcrobdDbHcGc71nR3Gcj2sSplKsQWyO6zAvY-utpNSk3Ahevc8nsnXg16oSQGpoCZ/s640/DSC_0022.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">We biked around the main part of the El Nido one day. It took over three hours but we saw the countryside</span></div>
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I haven't mentioned how hot it was in the Philippines. Not that we couldn't escape the heat in the shade, but we spent almost all of our time on the water, motorbiking, or in the sun pretty much. We didn't have one cloudy day in the Philippines, perfect weather, all sun and puffy white clouds, but after five days we were praying for storms. We were destroyed by the sun. We had to spend a day inside to recover. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">You just got to go. It is that beautiful</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh93Nr0GYcr1YTRcT7eZfNWXgwr9xE8szdmIxobDyGpNFxEMjUHXyZSEbuy86PGU42p4KgDdaco2qMWWqbSR5BYRBVuuut5hSkppN8bZr4RZw6KdygNAVtv-yYeDDjz0FSyvwILlQ7n6HN/s1600/DSC_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh93Nr0GYcr1YTRcT7eZfNWXgwr9xE8szdmIxobDyGpNFxEMjUHXyZSEbuy86PGU42p4KgDdaco2qMWWqbSR5BYRBVuuut5hSkppN8bZr4RZw6KdygNAVtv-yYeDDjz0FSyvwILlQ7n6HN/s640/DSC_0003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I got a flat. Luckily the mechanic was close</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pRNcIpgkd_sa9bfnJWV7XYxQI0Pp6PUoPghmjkaNGUn73Wuk9ckH0F_4uZ_uDxs6RYpyxJbN_kapFeV0dVjUIDO87phDPBBki7nHSR7u2-L-MAm8WyvdS0r7mpyWjuKFZ6ODYKljCrX3/s1600/DSC_0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pRNcIpgkd_sa9bfnJWV7XYxQI0Pp6PUoPghmjkaNGUn73Wuk9ckH0F_4uZ_uDxs6RYpyxJbN_kapFeV0dVjUIDO87phDPBBki7nHSR7u2-L-MAm8WyvdS0r7mpyWjuKFZ6ODYKljCrX3/s640/DSC_0315.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Even though beaches aren't really our thing, Nacpan Beach is extremely nice. Eat at Prince's Restaurant. The food is very affordable, and possibly the best food I had in the Philippines. The waiter there is unlike any other waiter. "The code of Palawan is: Smile everyday, everyday be happy."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUVz8xusD8q5hOqUJgrJ4Z4vgcY8qJCLMbTHtRy2n0Ot-MTMNDHLtNGQXYcPCj5JFi8gMfx-E4hBgBUuPEHcGHmPHuTlIO6Pltk_zzV2q7uUF-iHCLVOoe54broWNgLVLDXOksd8lclho/s1600/DSC_0328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUVz8xusD8q5hOqUJgrJ4Z4vgcY8qJCLMbTHtRy2n0Ot-MTMNDHLtNGQXYcPCj5JFi8gMfx-E4hBgBUuPEHcGHmPHuTlIO6Pltk_zzV2q7uUF-iHCLVOoe54broWNgLVLDXOksd8lclho/s640/DSC_0328.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bunka boats</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">So much sunburn</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a pretty common view in Palawan</span></div>
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Mentioning how Libby and I aren't comfortable with the whole tourist thing, we dug deeper and ended up getting a private kayak island hopping overnight tour. There was a three member bunka crew for the two of us. We would kayak between islands, snorkel, and then the boat would drive us long legs. Because we booked the tour through our hotel at El Gordo's Adventures, the crew has designed a trip that runs separately from all of the other tour boats. When you book a standard tour in El Nido, you are carted around with all of the other tourists, sitting on the beaches with all of them, but our boat hits all the spots when the boats aren't there, so it is very peaceful and you feel like less of a tourist. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">We camped on the beach. Sunrise. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FMapFR0I5b4xQCQ2owBMuzZJza6xuDmqAKWc48fjyGs7BkCzf3AvgVWRN42IcpTitMiV5_IZbZ4ELEpSnOuND46iF3DhLU0heut7rcu4F8lgiQEjWXTDd9-IBzMYrHUGSB2L79pVKGVg/s1600/DSC_0151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_FMapFR0I5b4xQCQ2owBMuzZJza6xuDmqAKWc48fjyGs7BkCzf3AvgVWRN42IcpTitMiV5_IZbZ4ELEpSnOuND46iF3DhLU0heut7rcu4F8lgiQEjWXTDd9-IBzMYrHUGSB2L79pVKGVg/s640/DSC_0151.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We kayaked through lagoons only accessible by kayak. When we were leaving tons of tourists started arriving. All the noise ruins the peace of the sanctuary. It is filled with sea urchins. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Captain grilling a fish for us</span></div>
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One of the most amusing things about or trip was the question: 'Is she your wife?' Might be an Asia thing, but a guy and a girl can't travel together without the assumption of marriage. People would wait for Libby to leave and then pop the question. But, only when she was gone. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The deck hand was very cool, I think his name is Muka</span></div>
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The las thing I want to express about the Philippines is my affection for the people. First, I must say the beauty gods favor the people of their country. But, more importantly they are super nice and they are always smiling. So many times in a nonchalant friendly way people walked up to me to just find out what I was doing. Hopefully I'll be able to return one day. All in all it was a great trip. Now for Thailand.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-50492227995939173572015-07-15T10:05:00.000-07:002015-09-06T03:17:48.967-07:00Two Years in Peace Corps China<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I want to acknowledge how special every friend I have made
in the Peace Corps is to me, especially my site mate, city mates, and traveling
partners who have made my time in the PC so great. I will miss all of my batshit
students who made me laugh every second with their antics, fighting, and
tomfoolery. I will miss all the loud-as-fuck people in my community who are
never shy of showing they can be as crazy as they are kind. I will miss the old
ladies dancing in the square at dusk to Russian club influenced pop-techno
through a crackling rusty speaker. I will miss my students screaming at me in
Chongqing dialect as they pound three times the amount of food as me yet remain
three bodies smaller than me. I will miss my students being genuinely wrong
about everything. I will miss bf/gf and ‘What should I do, teacher?’ talk with
my students. I will miss my boy students showing me their new tattoos. I will
miss sleeping on my couch (for 1.5 years), or in my tent on my bed when the
mosquitos come. I will miss the old men slapping me on the back with leathered hands, pushing me into a parlay of beer and cheers. I will miss the lady teachers in my department
drinking the men under the table. I will miss my environment being more
threatening than the people. I will miss hiking or mountain biking into the
countryside with the only intention of making friends and discovering new
places. I will miss discovering different dynamics in friendships, exposing new
proximities of closeness, new levels of caring. I will miss walking like a
zombie because it is SO HOT outside, then spending 90 percent of my words on the heat. I will miss spicy food being the only food, like the
devil kissed Chongqing cuisine. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I love Wanzhou. Service was more than I expected. I will not
forget it and will do all that I can to repay the kindness I have received from
the people of this place. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Some memories: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(NOTE: many of these photos are out of chronological order, also many photos were not taken by me and I thank the takers of the photos for their efforts :)) </div>
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Host Father and Son fishing </div>
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Young China 19</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Music with Ryan during our blistering summer at PST</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Picking rapeseed with Raines and Sean in the freezing cold for the Winter Pilot Project</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Joss Sticks and Man at Liangping Temple near Wanzhou </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Camping at Enshi Grand Canyon </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Students Building Showers at EcoCamp</div>
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Learning about grey water purifiers at EcoCamp </div>
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:)</div>
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Nature art at EcoCamp </div>
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With Gabby on Maivy's secret rock during Hiking Club </div>
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Timeout in the countryside </div>
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Deep into Wanzhou countryside on mountain bike</div>
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Camping and sunrise at Peace Mountain </div>
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Building machinery warehouse </div>
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Gansu people at traffic jam in Western Sichuan</div>
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Tibet</div>
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Family photo at Everest</div>
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Outside of Chengdu </div>
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Western Sichuan</div>
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Family Reunion in Guangdong Province</div>
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Monastery Friends in Western Sichuan</div>
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Stoopin ladies in Guangdong Province</div>
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Bouldering at Prestige's home in Wulong Countryside</div>
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CQ Summer Project hiking</div>
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CQ Welcome Party</div>
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On top of Derrick's building </div>
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That day my jiaozi restaurant (tent) burned down</div>
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Wanzhou host family</div>
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Crazy student during military training</div>
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Birthdays </div>
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Halloween</div>
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Pomello Picking with English and Math depts. </div>
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Wanzhou Crew </div>
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Wanzhou Docks and Shrine </div>
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Mountain Shrine under Banyan </div>
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A van's mirror is bent - downtown Wanzhou becomes entirely inundated </div>
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Jason, my closest friend in my community</div>
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Old men swimming in Kaixian</div>
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Heavy Machinery Drill Bit Sharpening Shop</div>
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English Department</div>
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Basketball at Wanzhou Special Education Center</div>
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Fish Destroyer at Morning Market</div>
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Frozen Cat</div>
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Guzheng at IST</div>
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BAM!</div>
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Project Development Workshop </div>
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Wrote a song for IST</div>
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Basketball Tournament </div>
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Dinners with students</div>
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Babawu (square dancing)</div>
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Crossing the River in Getu, Guizhou Province</div>
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When my students make profile pictures for me... 'Meiyou' means, don't have. My students say I don't love them because I will not date them... Welcome to my school. </div>
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Three generations of Three Gorges Vocational College volunteers shining</div>
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Wanzhou Crew going away party </div>
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Speech Competitions</div>
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Yading, Western Sichuan</div>
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Singing Green Day at guitar shop during summer project</div>
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Summer Project full</div>
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Mural Project at SEC</div>
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Rollin Tortillas </div>
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Strawberry picking with teachers</div>
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Summer Project</div>
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Waterwall/River hiking in Hong Kong</div>
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Skywalk in Yunyang</div>
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English Association Christmas Card</div>
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Baoyang</div>
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Music and dancing in the park everyday</div>
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Jiaozi making with students</div>
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Teaching my students how to play Ruan</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
My school</div>
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My students are really something else. There were 10 more ducks in a box below the desk. </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Hot Pot and Chinese flute with students</div>
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Wanzhou Crew 2</div>
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Lantern Lighting </div>
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CQ 19s Going Away Party</div>
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These stickerd pictures are common. This on is my favorite. Lunch with Kiki. </div>
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Friends</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
My school</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
I had 25 students see me off to the train station. Then they all sent me the same photo minutes after I left ;)</div>
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At first, two years feels like the sweeping of an instant, an
opaque gale, like I just arrived in Chengdu with my bags packed tight with
books and shoes, another day. After recollecting the vast corpus of friends,
conversations, trips, photos, songs, sights, sounds, agonies, and arcana and
how they all connect, I have now, a collection of experiences that I can take
with me into the future, a collection of experiences so full of love my caring
voice is muted. My service in Peace Corps China was everything I wanted it to
be.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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One thing still taps my shoulder, like Poe’s looming black
dog, the question I came to Peace Corps with the intention of answering or
deciphering: what is courage? I have spent close to five years ruminating,
researching this topic: close textual analysis of philosophical theories big
and small, in religion, in literature, in the experiences, actions, and opinions
I encounter in the world. From what I have covered so far, one idea sticks out
boldly, a question I formed two years ago: have you ever felt brave? Have you
ever truly felt courageous? If the feeling of courage exists, is it as strong
as the feeling of love? Have you felt bravery like you have felt love? I believe
the answer to what courage is lies in this basic question.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Briefly, remove all notions and connotations of battlefield
or military courage from your thoughts. I am not concerned with this topic
because most people in the world do not experience battle and war in their
daily lives. I am concerned with non-warring livelihoods. Also, drop all
academic and Hollywood generated analysis. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So, how does one identify the feeling of bravery? I don’t
know, yet. Maybe you know. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But I do believe I have made ground. Without explaining my reasoning
or justification for my claim, I believe the feeling of courage can be felt
though dropping everything: leaving your life rooted in conditions, expelling
your planned future, dropping financial security, selling your home, grinding
your intrinsic beliefs, rejecting your culture, leaving love in the past, and just
go, go do, live, live to live, living. . . life in a new place. Take command of
your own time in this world. And, if you argue this can be achieved though
books and movies, you will be left with the stories of others. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Nietzsche described it as taking a boat to a faraway land
and never looking back. The Daoists say move to a thatched hut by yourself and
reject all culture in the world. I believe joining Peace Corps is one way. At
the end of my service I believe I achieved a courageous act for myself, I
believe I felt brave. After thinking about the feeling for sometime, I have
come up with an accurate description: <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A nervous lightness of achieving something you
couldn’t predict.</span><!--EndFragment--><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-65964668443797231962015-04-06T23:59:00.001-07:002015-04-07T00:08:12.595-07:00Tomb Sweeping Festival: Climbing in Yangshuo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_BehDVQ5xgmMy5qst-Ys7b9MFsGWhTLCcjupxrpEIbUZnDHZp31XaTdyrx8-PASU_Kl0vWyQ5zjPeoVbLyINb4CBUb7me4qwOqu2jeiGTNaplr1udQbStli1p8QXb2Bchwjdh2ESs70j/s1600/DSC_0056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ_BehDVQ5xgmMy5qst-Ys7b9MFsGWhTLCcjupxrpEIbUZnDHZp31XaTdyrx8-PASU_Kl0vWyQ5zjPeoVbLyINb4CBUb7me4qwOqu2jeiGTNaplr1udQbStli1p8QXb2Bchwjdh2ESs70j/s1600/DSC_0056.JPG" height="230" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A Field In Yangshuo</span></div>
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2015's Tomb Sweeping Festival was a brief three-day weekend, but a chance to leave site, to see new things, and make new friends. For the holiday Libby, her Australian friend Abby, and I went to Yangshuo to climb. We set out on Friday night to climb through two tropically hot and humid days, then to leave on an overcast and temperate Monday. This was my third time in Yangshuo and each time the scenery has only become more majestic. </div>
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Even though this trip was significantly short in duration, I must say I learned more about the climbing community in these two days than I have during my whole year and a half climbing. At Climber's Inn we spoke with and traded ideas and info with climbers from all over the world. At the crags, we, being experienced, but not nearly experts observed and took note as far better climbers instructed, aided, and climbed. Prior to this trip I had only climbed next to and spoken to climbers who were not my friends one time, a year ago, before I really understood what I was doing. Yangshuo is likely the second biggest climbing destination is Asia, following a site in Thailand, and truly an international zone. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSplW-HV-VAM1pLv1vs4NMdna7nU9gewpyz0Y_Lh4S_y5KVbAHDcgOBpf90CgjP32q7ocVMk-4nADhBUEbtzW0m_TCGlqpTD5ryuxFhChE8iMAUOhHaBMMnM7LtPOVv-VbpDF4rjcJvDj/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSplW-HV-VAM1pLv1vs4NMdna7nU9gewpyz0Y_Lh4S_y5KVbAHDcgOBpf90CgjP32q7ocVMk-4nADhBUEbtzW0m_TCGlqpTD5ryuxFhChE8iMAUOhHaBMMnM7LtPOVv-VbpDF4rjcJvDj/s1600/DSC_0004.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Libby at Swiss Cheese Crag with Climbing Tour Groups</span></div>
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Yangshuo is the third most visited tourist destination in mainland China, and with the recent explosion of sport climbing all over the world (it is currently the fastest growing sports industry), I would not be surprised if Yangshuo became the most climbed place in Asia in the next decade, partially because China is projected to be the most traveled country by 2020 (but mostly traveled by its own citizens). At the crag in the picture above I spoke with two 1st-year college students from Hong Kong, and they were telling me for a mere 200 kuai (30USD) you could spend the whole day being bused around Yangshuo, with ropes in place when you get to the crags, guides to help you with route beta (info), gear that fits and works properly, and provisions all included. This is a great deal if you are not a 'climber.' In the picture above there are foreign and Chinese led climbing tour groups. Even though they do not yet clog the crags, I fear the climbing community will be pushed out of the more popular crags in the coming years, perhaps not by business, but by a withering desire. It is fortunate that there are still many crags to be developed in Yangshuo. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmqvmgWIfFwi4__pLGy8IRQYAC-_IjoJoQeXgu1pqFLeEYinV9LYtE8pfukbmbnB9bYMmL595DS5PwDuP4eivDonmsKMp6EuwhYqgHL8nwgRWb2kz4jPWmc9FtjCduR2HiLGMSKj5TlQG/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmqvmgWIfFwi4__pLGy8IRQYAC-_IjoJoQeXgu1pqFLeEYinV9LYtE8pfukbmbnB9bYMmL595DS5PwDuP4eivDonmsKMp6EuwhYqgHL8nwgRWb2kz4jPWmc9FtjCduR2HiLGMSKj5TlQG/s1600/DSC_0016.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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Per day, this was the most expensive trip I have taken to Yangshuo. Each time around the cost of food and transportation rose, not steeply, but enough to make another trip questionable, especially on a PC volunteers' budget. One thing that has not changed is the landscape. Each time I go I am thrilled and pacified by the natural majesty of the Karst mountains and lush verdure that roll together against the azure. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bKA3qJlNTrVd99Mt46jS40vixgIOWH9kN_e96V438LuH8WxlFrzD13dR0XKnU6aK77nkYShkLIflZ_C0z44bvHf6Il_dKKSZgeTtZV1fN9ENo3g20-R7bWgLdjfY1ItnLobG2AacCT5M/s1600/DSC_0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bKA3qJlNTrVd99Mt46jS40vixgIOWH9kN_e96V438LuH8WxlFrzD13dR0XKnU6aK77nkYShkLIflZ_C0z44bvHf6Il_dKKSZgeTtZV1fN9ENo3g20-R7bWgLdjfY1ItnLobG2AacCT5M/s1600/DSC_0009.jpg" height="640" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Abby Leading at Swiss Cheese Crag</span></div>
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We spent our first day climbing in the shade of the bamboo forest at Swiss Cheese Crag. At the crag there is a left and right section. We started on the right where all the tour groups set up, and then moved to the left side for quiet and new routes. On the left face the routes are obviously more difficult. I suspect the left face of Swiss Cheese will stay clear of tour groups for many years. After an hour or so of fumbling up an extremely difficult route we couldn't finish, the better climbers started coming over. Really, many of them were amazing. We pulled a couple aphorisms from them: 1) 'Two small steps are always better than one big step' and 2), 'When grabbing a hold, imagine where your body should be placed to make the best use of the hold'. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lady Climbs High on SCC</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Village below Baby Frog Buttress</span></div>
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On the second day of climbing we went to Baby Frog Buttress. As soon as we arrived on our bikes we were bombarded by mosquitos. They were not quite as vicious as last year, but I did run down to the village to buy a green colored and mentholated mosquito spray. As were were told by the boss lady at Lily at Climber's Inn, around 1pm the crag gets extremely hot, and in the humidity your energy saps in minutes, but to my amazement we held strong and climbed until we left. </div>
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When I was climbing the route pictured above, in one spot, I jammed four fingers into a left pocket a foot above my head. About a second after my fingers were fixed, what felt like leaves and dirt started falling in between my fingers. Seeing a little tree on a ledge a couple feet above my hand I thought, 'Hmm, that would make sense why there is dirt in this hold. . . but after it being climbed so many times in Yangshuo?. . . unlikely, something is wrong.' So I wriggled my fingers at the dirt and leaves to have them slide out past my fingers, but the dirt and leaves wriggled back rapidly. I pulled my hand out of the pocket as quickly as I could. A huntsman spider the SIZE OF MY HAND sat on the rim of the pocket fuming. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Abby leading a detached wall route at Frog Buttress</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Me trying to finish a long lead route</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Biking back from Frog Buttress</span></div>
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Biking in Yangshuo is one of my favorite things to do in China. Even during the high season for tourism, when the roads are packed, you can still ride out to remote areas of the countryside for solitude and scenery. The Karst-scapes are incomparably majestic. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Wine Bottle Crag</span></div>
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I can't remember who, but Libby or Abby came up with the brilliant idea of waking up at 5:30am to climb before we would leave for our flight at 8:00am on Monday. Sunday night we arranged the drivers and our gear. A climber in our hostel overheard our plans and he commented, 'Yeah. . . You have a serious addiction.' Come 5:30 we were out in the darkness. When we got to Wine Bottle it was still pitch black. As we set up our gear the darkness slowly lifted from the valley. We only got one route in before we had to leave, but it was well worth it. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Libby and I at Wine Bottle Crag</span></div>
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As always I had a great time climbing and biking in Yangshuo. Not only did I learn a lot about the climbing community and industry this trip, but I also made new friends. I recognize have been fortunate to spend so much time with such intelligent and talented people in the Peace Corps, always learning new and highly specific things: Libby is a chemist by trade and Abby a mining engineer (both are clearly badasses). I hope to continue to have such great trips, in such beautiful places, with such amazing people. I couldn't imagine a better final semester for myself in the PC. </div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-60299470446186669342015-03-26T03:18:00.001-07:002015-03-26T03:24:22.138-07:00Spring in Wanzhou: Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Like most other places on the planet, Spring is a period of change and rebirth in Wanzhou. Except, Spring only lasts about two weeks here. The joke is Chongqing only experiences two seasons: Winter and Summer. This is less of a joke and more of a truth. But these two weeks are absolutely beautiful in Wanzhou. The locals know it, my students know it, I know it, so we all spend as much time as we can outside. This post covers some of the changes I have observed, or some stuff I have done a little differently. </div>
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In the picture above I am playing my new<i> Zhong Ruan,</i> or Medium Ruan. It is a traditional Chinese instrument, and commonly employed in Chinese operas and orchestras. It sounds a little like a cross between a guitar and a banjo. The major difference is structural and as a consequence ergonomics: the frets rise about 2cm off the fret board, meaning slides, bar chords, and finger placements must be precise. Traditionally it is played with a large boxy pick called a plectrum (new word for me), but I use the finger picking technique for celerity and dexterity, which levels the general sound to something more round and hollow, like an old electric bass from the 70s. </div>
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Since the Ruan is similar to other stringed instruments I have played I have gotten pretty good at it already, especially when in DADA tuning. Old men play old Communist songs on it in the park and I can learn these standards in a few minutes. Funny enough, many of these old Communist songs share similar structure with many metalcore songs. I have lost interest in learning them. Currently I am trying to learn banjo finger picking techniques for Ruan :)</div>
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Like last year, with Spring comes mosquitos. Chongqing has a terrible mosquito problem. My apartment fills with mosquitos at night and I am forced to sleep in my tent. As you can see I have my sleeping pad to offset the hardness of my bed. The mosquitos cleared out after two weeks last year. I am hoping for this again. </div>
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The last of the winter hotpot sessions has begun. Hotpot is the pride of Chongqing. Other provinces have variations of hotpot, but the best spicy pot is in CQ. It is essentially a pot with fire below it. Throw lots of spicy oil inside and then all the ingredients presented before you. Additives range from potatoes to cow tendons to sheep brain. Genghis Khan claimed to have invented it, but ehh. Usually lots of beer is consumed at hotpot, leaving one well full and soused. See, in my opinion, hotpot is nice in the winter, you get to huddle up around a fire with food and beer and your friends, but in the summer it is like sitting in front of a fire in 100F weather. </div>
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Above is Kiki. I have been tutoring her for over half a year now. When I first met her, I asked her, confidently, "So, are you in your second to last or last year of high school?" I got a fluster of giggles in response. As it turns out she is over a decade older than me. She is studying English to help her daughter with exams. </div>
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We had a taco night. Everything was freshly made. As I always say, I am extremely fortunate to be in a city with such great friends who happen to be amazing cooks as well. </div>
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I took a couple students hiking to Peace Mountain on a nice day. We spent the entire afternoon sitting atop the mountain cooking in the sun. After being blanketed by gloomy stratus for a month it is amazing what the sun can do to rejuvenate your spirits. It is a truth, living in China for over a year does force you to appreciate a clean natural environment much more than you thought possible. </div>
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I have used the shot above before, but I wanted to get a better quality image. No smoking smokestacks in this one, but it still starkly illustrates so many prominent conundrums and quandaries facing China today. </div>
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If you can see the the circle created by the framing of the mountain in the picture, this is South Longbao, the district I have been living in for 1.5 years. My district is known best for the train station, car dealerships, wood storehouses, and my school. </div>
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Maivy, our English friend Becky, and I have been volunteering at the Wanzhou Special Education Center almost every Saturday morning since last semester. <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of the children at SEC are deaf and mute, or have slight mental disabilities. Ages range from 8-18. There are about 2000 students, which is very small for a Chinese school. The school is a compound, meaning the children rarely leave unless their families live inside the Wanzhou city limits. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of the children come from impoverished families in the countryside, which is really rough living, so as repulsive as the conditions are at this school, it is a very good deal for them. Since Confucian times Chinese attitudes toward mental or physical disabilities has been to make fun of it or express disgust. Attitudes had been nearly unchanged until Deng Xiaoping came to power, when his handicapped brother (who was paralyzed after jumping out of a window to escape persecution from the Red Guard during the Cultural Revolution) decided to use his influence to change policy. Attitudes are towards disabilities are changing in China, but there is still much to be done.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> </span></div>
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One of my friends in the fashion industry in Shanghai decided to make some donations to SEC. At first, winter clothes were to be donated, then the seasons changed faster than anticipated (we were slow), so now SEC has tons of new school supplies and books. Packages are still arriving as I am told. What makes me happiest is that there is some Hemingway stashed in that pile of books. </div>
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We started a mural project last weekend at SEC. Maivy the visionary, proposed that we paint American landmarks, geographically accurate, from West to East. Without any leverage, for I have never had any talent or skill in the fine arts, I agreed, without descent. Really I am trying my best to not destroy Maivy's mural. I hope we can get it done in three weeks. </div>
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This week I gave an impromptu lesson on ethics. I didn't feel like teaching them vocalb and stuff, so we worked on something more beneficial, some basic ethical questions and ideas. Since the segment was off the dome, drawing back on knowledge I learned in college over two years ago, if what is typed above is not exact to the model, you must understand. For low level English speakers my lesson worked really well. They were all into it, especially when I substituted the lever for the 'fat man.' The trick to keeping them interested is to not use words like, Utilitarian, it distracts them and makes them nervous because the fun has become didactic. I have taught ideas from Daoism and Existentialism before and tried to teach them closely enough as to fuse them. My students love learning about the nature of things in the Daoist sense, fatalism, and self-actualization, all nearly to a blinding point. I never use anything technical, always imagery, analogy, and metaphor. </div>
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I led a speech competition the other day, officially as the QUESTION MASTER. My students comprise fifty percent of the winners, all pictured above. I am extremely proud of them, but next week we are going to learn how to smile for a picture haha </div>
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Life is pretty awesome in the Spring in Wanzhou. When I am not working or with friends I do this. Go to the roof, read, sit in the sun, maybe talk to the old ladies who come up to tend to their gardens. I can never understand anything they say, but I smile. </div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-43053784452909718252015-03-02T04:11:00.000-08:002015-03-02T05:06:56.465-08:00Climbing in China: Getu Redux<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvoLv-_fDOgm0FKB4BOFzS8urSR5PnFY0YHtWFssLZZbhpiqIlXO7ARF9klteDIY6YokpIHeHEXZ7gERmyee0QIH945mKvVYUL0mhH5Jo5tvSM1eaXtBwYbySA5IIWLSocb2pRG7ncY5_/s1600/DSC_0465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvoLv-_fDOgm0FKB4BOFzS8urSR5PnFY0YHtWFssLZZbhpiqIlXO7ARF9klteDIY6YokpIHeHEXZ7gERmyee0QIH945mKvVYUL0mhH5Jo5tvSM1eaXtBwYbySA5IIWLSocb2pRG7ncY5_/s1600/DSC_0465.JPG" height="253" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bouldering Miao's Razor at Bianse Lake</span></div>
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After Peace Corps China's annual two week In-Service Training, Carl, Libby, and myself set out for a 23 day climbing trip in Getu, Guizhou Province (Feb 1st-23rd, 2015). Last year during this time Libby and I came to Getu to climb, but for a mere five days. This year we added caving, hiking, and camping to our itinerary, but most importantly we intended to explore the Getu Valley. I had never been on a trip this length, and upon reflection have taken it as a great learning experience. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Getu Valley from a Summit</span></div>
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Being our second time at Getu, Libby and I were 1) prepared for travel and 2) super excited to see the friends we had made during last year's trip. Getu is composed of a few small settlements along a road that leads into Getu National Park. Most, if not all of the people living in the region are Miao ethnic minority. The Miao are spread all over SW China, but only compose less than one percent of China's total population. What makes them distinct from other minority groups are their traditions. Although the Miao have done comparatively well at conserving tradition, they still face the challenges that come with materialism and modernization, especially the younger, just as the Tibetan minority faces. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Libby Crushing a Boulder</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Carl and his Stash at Pussa Yan Crag</span></div>
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23 days is a long time and difficult to conceptualize, let alone sew together in a nice bundle, but I will stick to my normal chronological blogging format. I have divided our trip into events marking significant changes. I will try to stay light on the words and remain picture intensive. I hope you enjoy this post and visit Getu!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Cold Beginnings:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">CDMI Wall Shrouded in Clouds</span></div>
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When we arrived in Getu our worst fears had materialized. The weather was super cold and everything was damp. The sky was as overcast as apathy. Dark patches and wet underbrush showed all the signs of recent and frequent light rains. As one will conclude, these terrible portents cast poor climbing conditions. We checked into the Petzel Hotel, or 'Grape Hotel' in Chinese, and we could see our breath at every exhalation. For the first week and a half went wore all of our clothes, in our sleeping bags and out. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hot Chips</span></div>
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Briefly, these hot chips were brought from Anshun and finished soon after our arrival. They are my favorite food in Guizhou and I envy all of the volunteers who have access to them. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lazy Dragon's Cave</span></div>
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Despite the gloom we managed to haul out from our hotel into the cold every day around 11am. A thick stratus blanketed every inch of the sky, often pelting us with dots of rain. On day one climbing was out of the question. Hands blanched and numb after seconds on rock. So, we hiked and looked for boulders.</div>
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I do not know from where the Getu River comes nor do I know how long it runs, but I know that it drains into Lazy Dragon's Cave. They say a dragon lies sleeping in the interior caverns. Beware: if you get caught, splashing in the mouth of the cave, it will be the last light you ever see.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gods of the Cave</span></div>
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But seriously, the current of the river is too strong to swim against at the mouth. Getu River drains into a vast complex of underground rivers converging below Getu Valley. There is a small map on a wall in town. It is hand drawn. With a railroad fashioned line and ticks that show many of the underground rivers and where they flow. This map also shows the location of various caves, roads, and trails. </div>
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Scar on the Face of Getu</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Wind Cave</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Libby on Boulder</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jack on Boulder</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lZPSR-eG0atfhUQfjJdAPdASTKiIcMyrwQkxfRgXEY-jlFe-DkXtKT_8ospbRm0c1RkxmFXg2Lc4Z_-i4tEjU2TEwQULBuoJ1FOqbwoYNQNaalD3p2eeQDqfGAhyphenhyphenIn-XZiWjeDWxfeYr/s1600/DSC_0103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lZPSR-eG0atfhUQfjJdAPdASTKiIcMyrwQkxfRgXEY-jlFe-DkXtKT_8ospbRm0c1RkxmFXg2Lc4Z_-i4tEjU2TEwQULBuoJ1FOqbwoYNQNaalD3p2eeQDqfGAhyphenhyphenIn-XZiWjeDWxfeYr/s1600/DSC_0103.JPG" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Fire at White Crag</span></div>
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A few days into our trip it got so cold I decided to build a fire below White Crag. The way the rock wall is angled much of the landing zone stays protected from the rain. There are tons of twigs and dry debris laying around ready to burn. To the safety and ethicality of building a fire at a crag in Getu, the peasants build fires below all of the crags running parallel to roads of paths. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pussa Yan Crag at Dawn</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Carl anchoring into Oliver's Crag</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Cave Village:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Road to Deep Country</span></div>
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Last year a local boy spoke with us for three dinners. He shared his stories, his life, and eventually befreinded us. On the third night he asked us if we would follow him to a village near a cave the following day. In a serpentine pitch, it would only cost us 100 kuai. Feeling that our golden bonds of trust had been violated, we refused his offer with repulsion. Soon after we returned from Getu an article about a village in a cave in the Getu countryside went viral on the Chinese internet. Realizing the opportunity our friend had offered, and we so arrogantly rejected, I beat myself up on the inside. If I had known what he was offering to show us I would have gladly paid four times that amount. </div>
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This year I came to Getu determined to find the village. After a week of gathering information from various places, we believed we could find the mythical Cave Village. As far as I could tell none of the locals had been there before, but had heard of it. One lady said it was only 15 minutes away. Our only resource was the map, which narrowed our direction. </div>
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We set out just after noon. We crossed the river by boat, hiked uphill for an hour until we reached a village. The village was tucked away into a small rocky and terraced valley dotted with clusters traditional Miao houses made of wood (a scarce building material in China) with laid white stone foundations. A group of workmen were hewing logs with some clunky machine you might find in a rustic Soviet era setting. There were two boys passing on a motorcycle through the village. I pulled them over to ask where we were and if they had heard of the cave. One boy did all the talking. Instantly I recognized him. By all the colors of the cosmos, he was the boy, looking much less callow and darker skinned, who had tried to guide us to the cave last year for a price. Clearly our recognition was mutual, but neither of us mentioned anything. </div>
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For every three Chinese words he inserted an English word that threw the logic of the sentence and its meaning. With his dialect, I would say generally sounding much smoother than Chongqing dialect made it impossible to pull any sizable information from his words. I listened carefully and could only understand, 'keep following this road and turn at the big path.' He got back in the passanger's position of his friend's motorcycle and they sped off. </div>
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In a note, I teach a lesson called, 'Teach Me Something About China.' The purpose is in intuitive: my students teach me something very specific about China, using English in a presentation format. If I already know roughly a tenth of the information presented they must start over. One group of students did a powerpoint presentation on the differences between Miao and Tujia (another ethic minority) traditional home architecture. They said that many Miao homes are built lower and only one floor, while Tujia houses are traditionally built on the banks of flooding rivers, demanding that the houses are built higher or even on stilts, also some homes have a second floor. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I Hate Goats</span></div>
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This year some genius business man decided to stock the Ziyun region with airsoft rifles. Only these are not American standard airsoft rifles, they are perfect replicas of advanced American military grade sniper rifles. They are full size, or near it, so the rifles are twice the length of the children weilding them. As we passed through the village we were sighted by three children weilding these massive rifles. Their vantage point was from an elevated courtyard. Clearly they were giggling and eyeing us down. I gave them the death stare and they turned away. </div>
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We walked down the road searching for the 'big path.' At a bend in the road we saw some people walking a path through the trees a few hundred yards away leading into a valley. We followed the path with our eyes and realized we had had just passed the exit to the road. We decided that we would take this path and if it led to nothing then we would resume course. Halfway into the valley we looked up and there was an stone arch at the top of a mountain in the distance. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Summit Arch (the tiny yellow dot at the bottom is a person)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cave Village Portal</span></div>
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After passing through Summit Arch we only walked a little ways and to our surprise found the opening to Cave Village. The trees at the entrance surreptitiously block your view of the development inside, ominously, but after hiking 2.5 hours you can't retreat. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">View from entrance to interior</span></div>
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When we entered the cave it was clear that we were outsiders. Not one person welcomed us, which is rare for small establishments in China. The only person that spoke to us was an old lady who invited us in for lunch (rice porridge), but how can one take a gift from someone with so little. We strolled though the cave. There was a hostel built inside the cave with English signs hanging off the sides but there was no evidence that foreigners had ever come to this village. Most, if not all visitors are Chinese. I will not claim that we are the first foreigners to visit this village, but we are certainly in an early batch of foreign visitors. Honestly, if your Chinese is not mediocre enough to ask for directions or someone physically brings you to the village, you will not find it. We, somehow, by the grace of the heavens, were extremely lucky and did not take one wrong turn, of which their are a myriad, on our hike to the village.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Left side opening</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">From center to front</span></div>
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Cave Village has been around for a long time. I can't remember the exact number, but at least one century. It is one of the last two villages in caves in China. The other is somewhere in Yunnan Province. Not more than twenty years ago there were roughly 400 inhabitants living in the cave, but since China's economic rise, villagers have been slowly leaving for work. Right now the cave still houses about 100 inhabitants, but as we observed most of that number is comprised of small children. </div>
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Before the exodus the village was prosperous and had many facilities in full order. There was a school house and basketball court. Now much of the place is dilapidated. One interesting feature of the village is that many of its structures do not have roofs, or recently installed them. One thing that they will never be able to hide from visitors is the difficultly of living 1) in a village and 2) in a cave. </div>
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After our many discussions on economics, policy, society, morality, government, science, and humanity during our trip one thing really stuck out, and that is that people simply don't want to live in caves (there is a Plato knock in there). To think about their situation as having benefits, perhaps romanticize it, would we a terrible crime. Life for these people is extremely hard, and I am guessing that none of them really want to be there. People don't want to live in caves, so we work to stay out of them. I learned a lot from this experience. The next time I catch myself complaining about something trivial I will think of the people who are still living there, in perpetual smokey, dank, soggy, coldness. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Basketball Court</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Massive Heap of Stalagmite</span></div>
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Below Cave Village there are structures so big that I couldn't photograph them. The Stalagmite above is one of them. Only a quarter of it is pictured. There is also another giant arch that leads to a gorgeous emerald river way at the bottom of a valley. There are also tons of boulders in the area, did not see to the quality of their holds, but if you make it out to this area bring your rock shoes. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Climbing in the Great Arch:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Great Arch</span></div>
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Seeing the Great Arch is worth a trip to Getu by itself. At dusk, when the sun is setting over the mountains the arch ignites, emitting yellows, golds, and rusty reds off of the crags. Last year, we were stopped halfway up the stairs to the arch buy a local guard. The park workers, which we later learned are sourced from the surrounding area, were building something inside the arch. This year we hiked right on up, step after repetitive step with our climbing gear. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">River Crossing</span></div>
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In order to get to the arch from the town you must cross this gorgeous river on river boat. There are no bridges on this river, so the boat is the only way. Most of the crossers are commuting by motorcycle. There is a system: the motorcyclists wait in a line along the dirt banks, they drive down into the boat, after crossing people help them haul up the opposite bank if their engine can't power up the incline. After you cross from the town side of the river to the side of the arch there are no more paved roads, and you immediately plunge deep into the countryside. </div>
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After a long discussion, we are still unsure how the Great Arch was hollowed. Perhaps, I could look it up, or do some research if necessary, but I am fine with our conjecture: like most places in SW China, all of this limestone was once underwater, saltwater, and slowly, as the water receded a river bore this whole, with the rock on the inside of the arch once being weaker than the rock on the outside. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Libby Rapelling </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Carl on Lead</span></div>
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The park people are still doing construction on the inside of the arch and in different locations within the park. We met a few contractors and developers from various provinces throughout our stay. I can't tell how much work there is left to be done, but to those posting opprobriums on Western internet, haranguing the park leaders for building eyesores, shattering the integrity of nature, I say most of the locals are in favor of the economy generated. Eat more or eat less. Guizhou is the poorest province in China, and holds twice as much provincial debt as runner-up. You can't lame them for trying. </div>
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On another note, on the backside of the arch it looks like Jurrasic Park. There are walkways leading you through dense jungle with a wide array of biodiversity. There are species of bamboo back there that does not really look like bamboo, but likely a spiky monster. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cow Friend</span></div>
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Not to think of this guy as food, but there is an interesting gastronomic concept of <i>tu</i> (土), or earthy, in China that I would like to expound. The most common instance of this concept that I have encountered is with chicken, so <i>tuji</i> (土鸡), earth chicken. You can translate <i>tu</i> to free-range, but there are hippie-dippie liberal connotations packed into free-range that compromise it as an accurate translation. Essentially, <i>tu</i>, in the livestock context, means an animal that was raised on worms, bugs, and plants all grown naturally in nature, the animal hunted at will, without a goad. What is the antipode? Chickens that feed on garbage in the street, which are equivalent to farm raised chickens. In Chongqing a normal chicken costs around 24 kuai, and a <i>tuji</i> roughly 100 kuai. Can you tell the difference in taste? Yes. There is no comparison. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Resupply Trips to Ziyun:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Pig Head in Plastic Bag on Main Street</span></div>
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There are only a few convenient stores in all of Getu, all the food available is either cooked in homes or in restaurants, so if you are planning on having lunch at the crags or on a hike you will need to stock provisions. Ziyun has everything you need. Most of our money was spent on fruit, since surprisingly, there is no fruit available in Getu during the winter. Ziyun offers oranges, apples, bananas, and pears, all of which come out of boxes, signifying that the region doesn't produce fruit in this season, unlike Chongqing :)</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cave of Ziyun</span></div>
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We caught a glimpse of a local soccer game. The field is made of compacted dirt. Above the field, you can see the Cave of Ziyun. Carl and I went inside during our first trip. Although, as we learned, it is a bit of a hideout for local teens to drink and frolic, there are deep multi-level caverns that are filled with heat vents which produce steam in the winter. We did not explore all of them for they are seemingly endless. What makes this cave different than others I have been to in China is that there are no lights. You need a flashlight. You can rent a dinky head lamp that barely emits a spark for 5 kuai (ours was free), but I recommend using something more powerful, since the caverns are wet and the walls and floor totally saturated. The entrance fee is 1 kuai, if you can believe it. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ziyun Cityscape</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Zongza</span></div>
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This Hot Pocket-esque wrap of all things heavenly and beautiful, as I discovered, has many names, two of which are Zongza and Baba. It is glutenous rice wrapped around either a salty refried bean like filling or filled with a sweet black sesame seed concoction, then toasted on coals (pictued in backgroud). Last year we bought them from a resturant and they were super spicy, like habanero spicy, but none this year. Each Baba is 2 kuai, or around 0.40 USD. I could eat these everyday. They make it into my top 5 favorite foods in China. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Development on the Outskirts</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Temple in a Cave</span></div>
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On one resupply trip we when to visit the Ziyun Cave Temple, the actual name, which eludes me, is unattractive and does not let you know there is a temple in a cave. Right now the workers, which consist of elderly women are developing infrastructure for tourist traffic at the base. The new Ziyun Long Distance Bus Station is visible and within walking distance. Admission is 5 kuai per head</div>
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When we entered the temple we were alone, as were we when we left. The only soul was a the Lady Warden. She is in her 60s and had been working and living in the temple for two months. She is a Ziyun native. She invited us into her room and offered us heat from a coal fire and fruit, we could not refuse these gestures. She said that that temple is between 600 and 800 years old. When I was at Everest I went into an underground temple dating prior to 1000AD, which shows its age through its carbon burns, this temple showed less but all the same signs. Before we left we asked her to teach us how to make the ritualized tribute, the prostrations, to Buddha, and then left. </div>
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We ate dinner at the same restaurant everyday. Usually we had four dishes: seasonal greens, Tomato-Egg, Spicy Dried Tofu, and a rando. After one of our trips we were surprised to find that it was the birthday of the bosses daughter who was home from school for the holiday. We had cake. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Valley Warming:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lady Miao on River</span></div>
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Halfway through our trip the weather instantly instantly improved. One day it was cold and overcast and the next the sun was radiant, blue sky forever, and clouds drifting with a light breeze. There is a little preserved Miao Village a 30 minute walk away from the Great Arch. Casting its phallic shadow over the village is the bolted, Sword of Miao. It is a hollowed feature of the village enveloped in myth. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sword of Miao (this is the bolted face)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bianse Hu</i> (Color Changing Lake)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Libby being a scientist once again</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Climb On</span></div>
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When the weather turned up so did our spirits. We were instantly climbing more routes daily and upping the difficulty, challenging ourselves. I am proud to say that I have never climbed on a rope in a gym before, and after a year of climbing I still haven't. But the downside is that it is hard to train outside, so perhaps my strength and technique have been limited to my time climbing outside. Although I have gotten much better at climbing since last year I still have a couple years of climbing to get to where I want to be. It was great to have Libby and Carl with me on this trip, not only because they are outstanding and exemplary people but because they are so knowledgeable of gear, safety precautions and measures, and different climbing operations. I learned a few new things on this trip, but namely self-belaying. Now I can photograph people climbing from a perched position. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Spring Festival and Final Week:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In a Field with Friends</span></div>
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Last year Libby and I were in Getu for Spring Festival. We had an amazing time. Part of the reason we stayed so long this time around was so we could hang out with the locals during their holiday. Spring Festival is the Chinese New Year. To Americans it is essentially Christmas (or your variety) and New Year combined. But for many Chinese it is often the only time they see their family that year because of migratory work. So, as you can expect it is a super happy time, with strong spirits shifting everywhere. There are constant fireworks displays, special foods, and drink. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Steaming Rice for Baba (people use rice cookers now)</span></div>
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Above, is, as was explained to me, an older method of steaming rice that is not really done anymore. Maybe phased out in the past 20 years. The advantage to this method of steaming is only that you can steam tons of rice at one time. This rice was used to make glutenous rice for the rice cakes. These cakes are special for Spring Festival.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Smoked Tofu and Meat</span><br />
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I must say something about the smoked tofu and meat above. You can get it in Getu year round, but they break out the best of the batch during the holiday. You can eat all of it with out cooking, but to be safe everything is thrown into a boiling pot of water placed in front of you with spicy peppers, tomatoes, and vegetables. Some of the smoked tofu balls have cured pork packed into them. All of the food in Getu is so good you'll never want to stop eating it. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ladies flattening glutenous rice cake wrap</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Miao lady in garb buying flat rice noodles for the day</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rice Noodle Lunch</span></div>
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In the bowl above is what we ate every time we had lunch. The rice noodles are cooked in boiling water and then strained out. If you have tried to cook rice noodles you will know that they take twice as long to cook as normal wheat based noodles, especially when dehydrated. Added ingredients are chopped green onions, ground pork, spicy red peppers, cilantro, pickled tomatoes, pickled greens, dehydrated wandou beans, soy sauce, and vinegar. So many flavors, if you can imagine. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Spring Festival Dinner with Hotel Family</span></div>
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Like Christmas Eve dinner, there is a Spring Festival dinner. Usually families have a huge dinner, some then light fireworks, drink lots of booze, play boardgames, smoke cigarettes, gossip, and then watch the annual Spring Festival programming. This year 700 million people tuned in. That's almost twice the population of the US. </div>
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During the day we went on a hike into the countryside after a bit of climbing. During our hike we were invited in to join the family of just about every house we passed. There were many houses. We had already committed to two dinner and did not want to forsake our friends. The first dinner was with the family of our hotel. They had amazing cured pork, possibly the best I will ever eat. The old man with the clay jug in his hand (see above) poured Carl and I large bowls of the urine looking liquid. It is called <i>mijiu</i>, white rice wine, when translated directly, but inaccurate, more like Countryside Moonshine. Carl and I were prepared for the amount of booze we were going to have to drink, so as you can see, I have my power pink thermos filled with coffee on the table. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">SF Dinner with our Restaurant Family</span></div>
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Eating with our restaurant family was something I was looking forward to since day one. After 21 days of eating at their establishment and talking with them, we knew each other fairly well. Again, the dinner was amazing. I don't know what it is called, nor can I really describe the dish, but it is a variation of sweet cured pork. It is in the top five best dishes I have ever had. I am so grateful to have gotten to know this family. </div>
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Their restaurant is open year round but they did not have an English menu. Libby took it upon herself to translate a menu for them. It contains dishes that are regularly available. We put more effort than expected into making the dishes sound appetizing. For instance, when you translate the dish <i>baicai</i>, it means 'white cabbage,' but this is not accurate, so we translated it to 'Seasonal Greens.' </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Restaurant Family's Restaurant, 'Spider Man Restaurant'</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Heading deep into the countryside</span></div>
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I will leave this post here. I could attach a story to each image but they might be better as is. Although we did not end up going camping due to fatigue or caving, we still explored, talked to locals, found new things, learned new things, and climbed. It was an amazing trip and I hope I can continue to have such deep, yet privileged experiences in the future. Always great company. Love Peace Corps. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Crossroads and Mountain Pass</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-91610532654123295662014-10-07T04:43:00.002-07:002014-10-16T07:03:23.276-07:00Camping in China: Enshi Grand Canyon and Wanzhou<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bouldering downriver from our campsite</span></div>
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From October 1-7 China observes National Holiday. The new middle class and higher use the spare time to travel, while migrant workers, if lucky enough to get time off, will use the time to return home for a few days. But National Holiday was not always so long. Sometime in the early 2000s the government declared to extend the holiday from a couple days to seven, in effort to boost spending in China, like the creation of Valentine's Day in the U.S.. With a couple good friends and city mates, our plan was the common plan of the rising Chinese middle class during Golden Week: travel--but not too far from home because we have to get back to work soon and flying is too expensive.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Campsite and Enshi light show igniting the crags</span></div>
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Other than our general plan we didn't really have much of a plan. We knew that we wanted to camp. Last year one of my city mates, Maivy, heard about Enshi from some Chinese people and after telling us, we have all wanted to go since. Enshi is a two hour train west of Wanzhou, located in Hubei Province. The Chinese say that Enshi Grand Canyon is comparable to the U.S. Grand Canyon, which I have been to a couple times, and they are right when measuring the awe-factor, but wrong in every other way. To compare a rusty desert to a lush mountainous region with a river at every turn is a senseless competition. September 2013 a few world famous pro-climbers took a trip to Enshi and trad climbed one of the famous stacks, or free standing phallic rock formations, which are the mark of Enshi, and put Enshi on the map of the West. Libby, my climbing friend, contacted some contract English teachers living in Enshi to see if couch surfing was an option for five bodies in their small place. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Large rock in the river</span></div>
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They consented and dealt with our tardiness. They are an amazing couple, our age, from Arkansas, chilling in China until they decide to go to grad school. We wanted local food and they brought us to a restaurant with the most complex flavors I have had in China. Also homemade brownies and scones. . . . Even though Enshi is only an hour from the Chongqing Province border, the dialect resembles that of Chongqing, but the food is entirely different. Most of Chongqing only has one flavor, spicy, while what we experienced in Enshi was salty and sweet, with maybe a little fresh-sour. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Enshi canyon landscape</span></div>
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The next day we left for the Grand Canyon, which is about a two hour bus ride from the city. We bought tons of snacks, water, and fruit before getting on the bus. Our plan was to get to the Canyon, hike out to a village area, make our camp, and well. . . . stuff.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sam skewering pork for the grill in Wanzhou</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Camping at </span><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">Enshi, Hubei Province: </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Kayla, Maivy, and Sam taking the public bus to the long distance bus station.</span></div>
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During most holidays in China prices are raised in tourist regions throughout the country, except for public transportation services, of course. For instance, on the first night of National Holiday, Sam and I got in a cab and the driver tried to charge us 100kuai (15USD) when the price is usually 30kuai. I yelled at the driver for trying to cheat us, but he still wouldn't settle below 40kuai and the driver we passed up before him gave us the same quote. The slim stipend Peace Corps allots each volunteer forces us to be more careful of how we are spending our money. The entrance fee to Enshi Grand Canyon was raised from 120kuai to 180kuai. The combination of the price increase and the hordes of Chinese tourists (480 million Chinese were projected to travel during the Golden Week) convinced us that the canyon proper was not worth the effort. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Redistributing snacks for the hike to find a campsite</span></div>
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A word on camping in China. In my previous posts I have spoken of hiking in China, and how you can just roam, as long as you are not intruding on a government restricted area. Camping follows the same set of guidelines and rules. I know this because I have read Chinese blogs on the topic. If you come to China and experience Chinese style tourism, you might be led to conclude that Chinese people do not do outdoorsy things. But there are many who hike out to extremely rural locations and camp. Prima facie, I think the outdoors market is actually one rapidly growing market that desperately lacks supply of high quality products. Returning to my point, you can camp pretty much anywhere in rural areas. Unless someone tells you explicitly that you can not camp in the location you have already pitched your tent, then you are good to go. The key is to look for villages. If there is a village in the area you desire to camp, then camping is fine. The villagers will probably welcome you. Make sure you have food, cigarettes, or booze to gift to those who visit your site. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Searching for a campsite from the road down into the gorge </span></div>
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As long as you know what you are doing it is fine to have a fire at your camp. The peasants have fires in the hills all the time. You will need dry sticks and firewood. For cooking coals are best. One issue with camping in Southern China is unpredictable precipitation, so pray to the gods of good fortune before you embark on your trip. You can forage for dry sticks, but your best bet for dry firewood is to go to a peasants house and ask to buy dry firewood. They need dry wood to cook everyday, so they definitely have it. Even though their dialect will be thick and they might not know what you are asking, don't give up, you can get it. Every time I have purchased firewood from a peasant I just gave them 10kuai, which is probably too much, but they need the money. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Setting up our tents on an island in the middle of the river</span></div>
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When you camp in China, please observe the 'leave no trace' standard we follow in the U.S.. Even though the peasants litter infectiously, it is not fine for you to follow. If you do not live in China and cannot communicate with the locals, you are most likely going to be eating all prepackaged food and your water will be bottled when you camp. Make sure to carry every wrapper out with you. If you do manage to get raw vegetables and/or meat, you can buy skewers, tinfoil, and charcoal at larger supermarkets. Grilling in the countryside is a popular activity for urban Chinese with cars, so trust me, these things are available in China. They are just a little difficult to find. </div>
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We searched for a campsite for about 1.5hrs. and settled by a river in a gorge below a high bridge. We got a late start and made it to the river just before sundown, quickly procured some firewood, and started to set up our camp.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sam carrying a tent back across the river</span></div>
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A local told us that the river level rises randomly, so we had to move our camp off the island to the higher banks. The water level did rise overnight. Local knowledge is invaluable. Although sometimes the locals will tell you that there is no trail in that direction, or you can't climb to the top of that mountain, or you can't do that because they are worried for your safety, so use your best judgement when seeing advice. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rice paddies in the gorge</span></div>
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Above is the farmer we asked to buy firewood from. He was nearly blind and illiterate and lives with his wife and two little girls. The parents are most likely off working through the holiday in one of China's major cities in the region, possibly Chongqing, Wuhan, or Changsha. A couple of us went to get him and his family from the field to help us.<br />
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Since we didn't really do any planning, we only had prepackaged snacks for dinner, breakfast the following morning, and lunch. Libby, our master of fire, kept us warm. On what to bring, there is no universal camping gear set for China. The climates vary so differently from region to region, and season to season. We were lucky in that it didn't rain, but it was hot during the day and frigid at night. Tents, sleeping bags, a pair of pants, and a thick upper layer was enough for this trip. </div>
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Falling asleep to the sound of the river, the quiet of the gorge, and staring up at the full body of stars was possibly the most at peace I have been since I arrived in China. </div>
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In the morning we were awoken by three boys yelling in Chinese and English, 'Wake Up!' I asked one of the boys what time it was and he ran over to my tent while looking at his watch and said in a whisper, '6:45.' I slept for another hour. </div>
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We didn't have enough sleeping bags so Maivy and Kayla had to double up.</div>
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Semi-alert, we foraged for sticks and boiled some water in the morning for our instant coffee. We also went for a swim in the river. The texture and temperature of the river resembled that of ice water. After went for a hike into the mountains.</div>
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We stashed our bags at the farmhouse of the family we bought firewood from and hiked down the river looking for boulders we had seen earlier. </div>
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We found some massive boulders sitting in the middle of the river.</div>
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Sam and Maivy being daredevils (!) and almost climbing to the top of one. Terrifying. </div>
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That unimaginably picturesque boulder placed in the center of the river with a perfect landing that I didn't send. </div>
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Libby found this excellent boulder with almost every type of hold while walking along the river. </div>
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We went back to the peasant's house to pick up our bags after hiking the river. Above we are using that wood machine to separate spent rice casings from full granules. When we asked him if others had come through to camp, he said we were the first. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Camping in Wanzhou:</span></div>
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Back in Wanzhou, we realized that we had nothing planned so we decided to camp again. Earlier in the year while scouting destinations for Hiking Club, I came across a spot that was perfect for camping. Flat and smooth dirt floor, overhanging section of rock for rain protection, fire pit made by the peasant who lives around the corner, and only a 40min. hike from my apartment. The camping section is halfway up a mountain on the side facing opposite to the city.<br />
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Wanzhou is our home, so we quickly bought all of the necessary provision and set off. For the second time, we were racing the setting sun. What was supposed to be an easy hike ended up being a bushwhacking mission. I led us up the wrong trail and there was some vertical climbing involved. We grilled spicy chicken, duck, potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, apples, red peppers, and onions, all fresh from the market. Maivy, the excellent cook that she is, made a delicious sweet and spicy rub for the vegetables. Everything was cooked on coal and in foil.<br />
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Sam and I went to buy firewood from the old man who lives around the corner of the mountain. He came to hang out with us at dark. He is 85 years old and lives alone. He has five daughters who all live the valley below. When I first scouted the area I met one of them on her way to visit him. His dialect was extremely thick and we couldn't really understand anything he was saying. We gave him a box of Danish cookie, beer, cigarettes, potatoes, and some chicken. He was great company.<br />
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Waking up to fog on the mountain.<br />
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Sam pulling some morning yams from the fire.</div>
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We finished packing our gear by the time the fog started to clear. The sun broke the clouds as we walked down the mountain to the bouldering park around the bend. We did some work on my new project and then left for lunch.<br />
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This was easily the most unplanned travel I have experienced to date. The best part about it was that it was the cheapest and most relaxed trip I have been on in China. Even though it was a bit grimy and the Chongqing mosquitos got to us, cooking and sleeping outside, in clean air, did its part in recharging me from the stress of PC work and the anguish grad school apps. Good food, good scenery, and most importantly good friends always makes for phenomenal travel. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-83386139117920626692014-09-05T03:26:00.003-07:002014-09-05T03:32:43.171-07:00Midsummer: Summer Project, Shanghai, and EcoCamp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">On a hike in Pengshui, Chongqing Province</span></div>
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This post is out of chronological order. It picks up after Jurassic Park: Visiting a Student in Rural Wulong County. Comparatively, midsummer appears to be the least exciting part of my summer, but for me, an experience is only half of what it could be without new people and good friends. At PC China's annual Chongqing Province Summer Project, I was fortunate enough to work with every able CQ19. Soon following, meeting new friends and revisiting some old in Shanghai. Then heading off to start the first session of EcoCamp just outside of Chengdu.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Helping Daniel spearhead the shower project at EcoCamp</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Lotus from a wetland grey water purifier at EcoCamp</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Chongqing Province Summer Project in Pengshui:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">View from our school in the morning</span></div>
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Kayla, Ben (her site mate), and I took a 1.5hrs. bus from Wulong to Pengshui. Every year each PC province has Summer Project, which is hosted by the provincial education department. Summer Project is mandatory for all volunteers. Usually, it runs for about a week and volunteers are spread at different sites around the province, but we got extremely lucky this year and all CQ19s were placed at the same site. There were 16 CQ19s total. Our goal was to teach elementary and middle school teachers from Pengshui alternative English teaching methods. So, teaching teachers how to teach differently ;) 有点meta</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Me, Windy, ____, Libby, and Sam</span></div>
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Sam and I were teaching partners. I didn't realize this until later in the summer but I have worked more with Sam than any other volunteer in the PC, and us living in the same small city is only coincidental. We taught over 100 middle school teachers in about a week and a half, teaching everyday for seven hours or so. As I understand, some volunteers focused on exposing the teachers to new concepts such as 'diversity,' while we were boring and focused on direct application of the new teaching methods, but we made it fun, I hope. </div>
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An interesting thing about our Summer Project is that the teachers we taught are older than we are. One man had 20 years of teaching experience, I have 1 and some, so we had to drive the 'new teaching methods' idea pretty hard to convince them that what we had to say was worthwhile. We didn't waste our time though. I still talk to five of them and they said that they are trying to incorporate some of what we taught them into their lessons (I apologize for the verbosity. I increased my daily time studying Chinese and it is frying my English). I think CQ Summer Project was a huge success. My favorite part was getting to see all of the CQ19s in one spot. I had a really great time hanging out with y'all. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Riffin'</span></div>
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Down the hill from our school I saw a small guitar shop, located in a garage space in an alley, ironically enough, and went to talk to the kids hanging outside of it. Most of them were in high school and they were thrilled to find out that we were foreign and interested in what they were doing. Rethinking the situation, I would not call this place a guitar shop, more like a garage that a bunch of kids sit outside of and practice guitar at. There were a dozen guitars strewn around tables in the shade in the alley. The leader kid, like in the US the one who can shred, standing to the right of me in the picture above, handed me his electric-acoustic and I played something. </div>
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As usual, the kids wanted us to sing a song with them. When I asked what song they would like to sing they responded, "21 Guns" by Green Day, almost involuntarily. I don't remember what I was listening to when everybody was listening to Green Day, it was not as cool for sure, but getting to the point, I don't know any Green Day songs, so I told them that we would learn the song that night and we would come back the following day to sing with them. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Keri Ann, Sam, Libby, and I singing, "21 Guns" with high schoolers at a garage guitar shop after teaching </span></div>
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In small places in China, like Pengshui, when people hear that something unusual is going on everybody comes to check it out. Small towns and cities are not yet totally absorbed in their own lives, homes, and internet. There is still a curiosity for public things, they know that they can't find everything online or on a screen and will leave there home for curiosity, but this is changing quickly. </div>
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When we showed up there was a small crowd of middle schoolers, high schoolers, kids, and elderly. The longer we were there the more they seemed to multiply. We started to sing and many knew the song and joined in. Definitely a PC moment I will not forget. Also, the nostalgia of playing shows with the bands I was in in high school only reinforced the power of the experience. Even though it was a far cry from the true elation, this little performance reminded me that there is no better feeling than the feeling that comes from preforming something you have spent endless hours perfecting and are fully absorbed in and passionate about. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">CQ19s on a field trip</span></div>
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The CQ education department... Ministry of Education, or whatever it is called was extremely grateful for our service and brought us on a field trip of sorts. They got us that nifty minibus to take us from local attraction to attraction. </div>
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We went to this open area forest place and then our host realized we were at the wrong place, so...</div>
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Cliff and Aubrey pretend fighting like elves in the woods was the funniest thing I saw during Summer Project. Cliff's invisible bow and arrow...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Maivy and I at cave</span></div>
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The best part about our field trip was that we didn't know where they were taking us the whole time. Thus, a cave.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Cloud at the mouth of the cave</span></div>
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I forgot to mention that it was between 102-105F for most days in Pengshui, with 90 percent humidity. In China, Chongqing is known as The First Furnace of China. Moving means sweating. There was a constant cloud at the mouth of the cave. As soon as you cross the portal into the cave the temperature drops at least twenty degrees. I didn't realize how resilient the earth can be to climate. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Kayla and Aubrey in the dark</span></div>
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The only developed part of this cave was the stairs that lead down to the first landing area. We wanted to go further so we continued on into the cavern. The only problem was that we had almost no light. I was using the temporary flash on my camera to guide a bit. What you see in these pictures could not be seen by the people in the pictures.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">There be ghosts in these caverns</span></div>
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I wished we had more time to walk further into the cave. But walking on wet, sleek rock in the pitch black is not the best idea, especially when you are not supposed to be there. But, hopefully I'll get my caving fix this winter in Guizhou :)</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nam at ledge</span></div>
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They also brought us to a viewing area of this super tall mountain. Even though there isn't an inch of flat ground in Chongqing, mountains as tall as this are very rare. I couldn't really tell, but prima facie, it looks like there is some serious climbing potential at these crags. Just, if you look at the picture below, the approach would take a full day of bush whacking. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dan and Nam trying not to die</span></div>
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Our guides also took us to a stone forest on a mountain. The developers, with their brilliant foresight, built a wood plank walkway over the trail, in an environment that it wet for likely, 100 percent of the year. So there was a fine layer of super slippery moss/icky stuff that covered each wood plank. I have hiked steep snow covered passes perched above gorges, passed out because of dehydration on a trail with little water, climbed high ball boulders with no pads (all stupid), but this slippery walkway was the most frustrating. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3td1RyEKZ_ZN1-Kp0Dg8gY9vUbw7kzeBjyuIpfxmJYaTbDYUiIjYHr2Oh4_YXykQUWeBpt4UFqpJn7s5AasXmc7vryq-Xpu1nCPYLA-ACHVptxEzhQyIEQHmOWWowiGnmFcNttiQKKFZH/s1600/DSC_1068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3td1RyEKZ_ZN1-Kp0Dg8gY9vUbw7kzeBjyuIpfxmJYaTbDYUiIjYHr2Oh4_YXykQUWeBpt4UFqpJn7s5AasXmc7vryq-Xpu1nCPYLA-ACHVptxEzhQyIEQHmOWWowiGnmFcNttiQKKFZH/s1600/DSC_1068.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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During the weekend we went on a hike to a pagoda (pictured at the beginning) with some students. It was really really hot and humid. There is a picture of Nam, myself, and our abnormal ability to perspire, that I won't post here. When we got to the pagoda it started to rain. When the rain cleared a rainbow formed.</div>
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I am not exactly sure why, but I look at summer project as one of the best times I've had int he PC so far. I'd like to thank the CQ19s for being awesome. And, it was great getting to know those who I didn't know before. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Shanghai:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Climbing Gym in Shanghai</span></div>
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I flew to Shanghai the day after Summer Project. I only had a few days so I didn't get to visit all of the people I would have liked to see but I might move to Shanghai for a year after Peace Corps to study Chinese, so it is not a big deal. I met a bunch of cool new people this time around, so I kinda hope my post-PC plan B, becomes a reality.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYMoji0KN_Mr2Gf_BuI1KpaJEN6cN0S6M5381qDuNBCSp7EPT6nguvebLzhONzLHOpG_-dyCCZ6MnrrDgUfJ_1e9wl-nfA0sfLZbtOc2isudv9uo_xRbmT99Yg5a5832pkHxjpeKdSk02/s1600/IMG_0787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYMoji0KN_Mr2Gf_BuI1KpaJEN6cN0S6M5381qDuNBCSp7EPT6nguvebLzhONzLHOpG_-dyCCZ6MnrrDgUfJ_1e9wl-nfA0sfLZbtOc2isudv9uo_xRbmT99Yg5a5832pkHxjpeKdSk02/s1600/IMG_0787.jpg" height="400" width="287" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHurmOQp9ecBEZWjQ5adO8rWF1jbv9K02i3ssctfDjJVDocW8-VS9VYcvhKhrrWqB3FXVa0V2b9l9P83UWJjhMwkulZLmwrj3xyK99bo5LoBhOj1hlQqY_Jo9KCX7x6LBoqFk6nYZRA8c/s1600/IMG_0786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHurmOQp9ecBEZWjQ5adO8rWF1jbv9K02i3ssctfDjJVDocW8-VS9VYcvhKhrrWqB3FXVa0V2b9l9P83UWJjhMwkulZLmwrj3xyK99bo5LoBhOj1hlQqY_Jo9KCX7x6LBoqFk6nYZRA8c/s1600/IMG_0786.jpg" height="400" width="280" /></a></div>
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After Shanghai, I flew back to Chongqing city to stay with my student Jason. He is only a year younger than I am so we have similar interests. I met his family and hung out with his friends. I hadn't hung out with Chinese people my age until I went to stay with him. It definitely gave me a new perspective on Chinese youth and what they think about the future of their country. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">English Eco Leadership Camp:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Farmer Gao leading Session One EcoCamp participants to the farm</span></div>
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After spending a few days at Jason's house we left for EcoCamp. We were to meet four of my other students in Chengdu. All five of my students had reservations about coming to EcoCamp, not because they were to live on farm for five days, do farm work, and survive on a vegetarian diet, but because their English abilities are generally thought to be lower for of the ranking of our school is not the greatest. They soon learned that these reservations were founded on little. Sam, Angelina, Daniel, and I spent a few months planning EcoCamp. After raising 6000USD, we were able to afford two, five days sessions for a total of eleven volunteers and fifty students from four of China's SW provinces. </div>
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EcoCamp has three goals: 1) teach English 2) teach leadership skills 3) to teach students new, environmentally friendly ways to live in and interact with their environment. Students were exposed to practical implements such as a biogas digester, wetland grey water filter, special ways to save water, and the farms sustainable development model. Not all activities were entirely practical, but were used to have our students build a more personal relationship with their environment, lessons include: Basics of Nature Photography and Nature Art. After hearing about Session Two, I think it is safe to say that EcoCamp was a total success. Both sessions gave a Prepost Assessment to see if the students had learned anything in the five days at camp. Session One's pre-assessment mean score was 56.1 percent, and rose to 87.2 percent. Session Two increased from 68.9 percent to 82.6 percent. </div>
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I want to thank all of the students and volunteers or doing such a great job. A super special thanks to all of our donors for allowing this to happen. We will have stuff for you guys soon :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUf9C-aAUGOpSGY0jrp_TER9KC5CJyBK_oi0ThAglyudkHsagLjaRI0C_5jX5VUURg8-dqAj5L12ucx74HwHi0RHe_zFUPhtfhw4qlVIhqmsNe_pxeXMNfFx8OTNHbc0EyNu2p0D4JPEYa/s1600/DSC06737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUf9C-aAUGOpSGY0jrp_TER9KC5CJyBK_oi0ThAglyudkHsagLjaRI0C_5jX5VUURg8-dqAj5L12ucx74HwHi0RHe_zFUPhtfhw4qlVIhqmsNe_pxeXMNfFx8OTNHbc0EyNu2p0D4JPEYa/s1600/DSC06737.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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All students and volunteers were expected to help cook. Above, I am showing my student, John, how to make a fried dough breadstick looking thing, after a couple of my girl students had just showed me how to make it. Fried dough is a a fairly common breakfast food all over China. Below, Jasmine is cooking spaghetti with some students. All meals at the farm are vegetarian. This is a big deal for our students because they all think that you cannot be full unless you have meat in your meal. </div>
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Above are a bunch of Jasmine's students and some of us PC people. You can kinda see what the farmhouse looks like in these pictures. In the door on the right, which is covered by a mosquito net, there are generally four bunks per room. </div>
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"Get back out to the field!"</div>
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Some brits had come to the farm before and left their shower project unfinished. Farmer Gao, the owner of the farm told EcoCamp to finish their project. It was nice actually, we didn't have to pay for any building materials really, everything was already there. Props to Daniel for spearheading this project, because if he didn't take charge it is likely that Session Two would have had to finish building it and not had time to paint it. </div>
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Ming (in green), a brilliant and amiable employee of the Chengdu Urban Rivers Association, the environmental NGO that developed this area, spent the day giving talk and showing us around the area. We hope he can come back every year to give a similar presentation. </div>
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Jason takes the pre-assessment with a friend, Six-pack. She was featured in my post about the winter pilot project. She was the kitten that had caught on fire because she fell asleep too close to the fire. </div>
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Assessments.</div>
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My student, John, building a sculpture made of deciduous items and mud. </div>
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Student's eating with local farmers.</div>
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Daniel and Jason finishing the shower. </div>
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We had a bonfire, smore's, and campfire games on the last night to close EcoCamp. Jasmine and I had to head to Chengdu to give a talk to the new PCVs before dawn so this was our goodbye. All in all, I am confidant in saying that some of my most memorable moments in the Peace Corps will have come from my midsummer trips and activities. </div>
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Again, thanks to everybody who donated to EcoCamp. I know, for my students at least, EcoCamp made their summer (and futures) far better than it would have been without it. And, I want to thank Evan, Keri, and others for use of your pictures :)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-13316741780777968952014-08-28T04:50:00.001-07:002014-09-06T10:22:31.761-07:00Traveling with Family: Tibet, Taishan, and Hong Kong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bouldering at Mt. Everest</span></div>
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August 7th, the busiest day of my summer, I met my family at the East Gate of Sichuan University. Having come directly from EcoCamp early that morning and talking to the PC China 20s about some business during the day, I was pretty tired. The exhaustion of a month of traveling and working was catching up with me quickly. But you can't have your family fly to the opposite side of the world to see you sleep. That night I arranged for my family to have a home cooked meal at my Chengdu host family's house. As custom demands in Sichuan, every dish was loaded with chili, meat, indistinct animal entrails and appendages, beers all around the table, a bottle of 20 year old rice wine, CCTV, and a heavy language barrier specific to Chengdu. Funny thing. . . my mom speaks Chinese. Honestly, I had no clue that she spoke (at a level near proficient) until we sat down at the table. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rare Golden Peak of Mt. Everest</span></div>
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For not speaking Chinese in nearly 30 years, I have to say, not bad. To put a cap on our day, we decided that we had to rush to Chengdu East Train Station to buy bullet train tickets to Chongqing for the morning, in our inebriation and fatigue (except my mom, she is a teetotaler). After we got to the hostel, my family passed out from jet lag and the Chengdu heat and humidity, but I still had to go out and see off some great friends and volunteers. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Stoopin' Ladies In My Chinese Family's Ancestral Village, Guangdong Province</span></div>
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We left our hostel at 5am in the morning, after a train and long bus, we arrived in Wanzhou just before dusk. We immediately went to have dinner with my colleagues. The food was meaty and spicy like Chongqing promises. My family experienced the first instance of a conversation topic that would pervade all other conversations with Chinese people: "You (Jack) look like a Chinese, you (Eddie, my middle brother) look like a Chinese but you are very big and strong, and you (Ian, my youngest brother) do not look like a Chinese at all, you look like a foreigner. And, you their mother. You are very amazing for raising three sons." </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Putting On Rock Shoes at Chung Hom Kok, Hong Kong</span></div>
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In the next couple days I took my family to meet a couple of my local friends and ate the local specialty foods. On the third day, I got the bright idea go hiking before lunch. We were to hike Peace Mountain. What usually takes an hour up and 30mins. down took four hours both ways. As it turns out, trees and thorn bushes have a way of completely inundating trails during the summer in tropical climates. After emerging from the mountain covered in cuts, bites, sweat, and foliage we were over an hour late for lunch. Sometimes traveling with me is tasking.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bouldering at Ha Fa Shan, Hong Kong</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The Big Buddha in Lantau, Hong Kong</span></div>
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My family seeing where I work and live was only a small part our our trip. When I was very young I remember my dad saying that his dream trip was to go mountain biking in Tibet. To get lost in the mountains and camp (like when he circumambulated the coast of Ireland one summer). If it were not for government restrictions, we would have done this trip his way, but a paid tour would have to suffice for now. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bouldering at Shek O Beach, Hong Kong</span></div>
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After traveling in Tibet for a little over a week, we were to fly to Guangdong Province and visit our Chinese family's ancestral villages in Taishan County. Next we were to meet some friends in Hong Kong and then Eddie would go back to Grinnell for football camp and Ian to start a new semester at Sarah Lawrence. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bouldering at Tai Tau Chau, Hong Kong</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1. Nine Days in Tibet With My Family:</span></div>
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At Potala Palace</div>
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Our guided tour in Tibet was excellent. But, I think it would have been much less if it were not for our tour guide. He knew all his history, was punctual, brought us to great places, and was fine with letting us break schedule when we felt like it. More importantly he was passionate about being Tibetan, he was witty and opinionated. His disregard for political correctness made what could have been a safari like tour of scenery and the things living in it, lively, or human. I cannot discuss our conversations or those of the Tibetan people I spoke with because of my position in the PC, but I'll let you know that the Tibet we read about, the Tibet we imagine in our heads will not exist in twenty years. This is very real. We started our tour by flying to the capital, Lhasa. </div>
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A Pilgrim at Potala</div>
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A classic Tibetan pilgrimage is unlike that of Christianity or Islam. From the far reaches of the Tibetan west to the cowboys of the eastern mountains, the pilgrims stand, say an incantation as they bow, and then prostrate their body, get back up, and repeat until they reach Lhasa. Quite literally, I heard them comparing the motions to that of an inchworm, small and humble. Pilgrims bring money in small bills and yak's butter (for candles in the temples) as tribute.</div>
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I heard one man say that the Tibetans invented travel. Now that there are cars all over Tibet and since the Chinese government has start to develop better transportation infrastructure, pilgrimages have become easier for the old. But some still walk because they hold to tradition or simply, "Tibetans were built to walk," as said by our guide. </div>
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Monks debate on a deep level with language beyond the level of an ordinary Tibetans', at Sera Monastery. From all the Tibetans I spoke with, I got an impression that there is a common mentality or understanding that they do not understand anything about the world or life. That they are nothing. The monks are like their parents, they guide them though life. </div>
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The story goes that before 700AD the Tibetans were a bunch of barbarians chopping each others limbs off, robbing, and doing unspeakable things, just as the rest of the world was doing. Then Buddhism came from India. The king adopted Buddhism and the people were pacified. The way it was explained to me is that Buddha saved the Tibetans from themselves. When you look around Tibet the history of violence still exists. There are still thousand year old abandoned forts perched in the hills in the valleys with the contours of siege. </div>
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If you were wondering where you can buy Spongebob Strawberry Butter, go to Lhasa</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-En Route to Everest</span></div>
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A Dog and Mountains. *Rawr*</div>
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A couple of the big hits on our itinerary includ Shigatse, Tibet's second biggest city and Everest Base Camp One. It would take two days of driving to get from Lhasa to Everest. All the little pit stops on the way to and from Lhasa are worth a trip in themselves. </div>
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Eddie, Ian, and Dog </div>
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This pass is called the 'Gateway to the Himalayas.' It was the highest point of our trip coming in at around 5800m, I think.</div>
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Ian at a pass. At each pass there is a little group of Tibetans who live there year round. They live in tents with their families. Interesting fact: many women that live in these tents have two or more husbands. Usually one or two of the husbands stays around to man the fort but the others go off to work. In recent times the onset of romantic love has thrown these marital traditions into oblivion</div>
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Ecologically, the Tibetan Plateau is a fascinating place. Depending on the placement of the mountains, some valleys will be fertile like the one pictured above, while the neighboring valleys are dry, rocky, and barren</div>
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During pit stops some go to the bathroom while some do Taichi </div>
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In case you don't know, everybody in my family is a super nerd. In this picture I think my mom is lecturing our British travel mate on drainage in mountains</div>
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Yak Yak Yak</div>
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When we stopped there was a Yak mating display going on in this herd. Me trying to integrate on a rock. The driver and our tour guide thought this was the funniest thing </div>
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Yak</div>
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Ian at Yamdrok Lake. Yak</div>
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During our picnic at Yamdrok Lake I went for a hike. On this trip I learned that I do surprisingly well in high altitudes, considering I've spent all my life at 0. I kinda just jogged up there. I think the elevation is around 5400m. </div>
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Glacier and Stone House. What you don't see in this picture is all of the Chinese tourists and the tourates trying to see you cheap vaneered goods </div>
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Yes. That is a fort in the lake </div>
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Fort of Gyantse</div>
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Eddie and I walked out to this field outside of a barley mill to find this cow. Moments later an old Tibetan farmer approached us and tried to run our pockets. I didn't know whether to laugh or just give him some money.</div>
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The fact is that there is an overwhelming presence of Chinese military police in Tibet. There are check points every hour or so, especially on the "Friendship Highway," linking to Nepal. It is illegal to take photos of the check points for unclear reasons, so here is a picture of what it looks like when you turn around and take a picture. Not a bad place to get stopped by police </div>
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This mound is what preconstruction looks like in Tibet. We were told that if one wants to build a house or building, the family must build this little mound and then bring two monks to bless it </div>
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After two days of driving, finally we arrived at Everest</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-Bouldering at Mt. Everest</span></div>
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The bouldering at Everest is phenomenal. The holds and the quality of the rock is some of the best I have experienced in China to date. All of these boulders are with in 2 minutes walking distance from the shantytown of tents below Everest Base Camp One. All of the problems I put up are V1 at least </div>
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Eddie and Sky</div>
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There is potential for much more difficult problems. There is a 20ft. highball in this field (I don't have a picture of it). There is another boulder field just above the tent area with many more boulders, which you can see from the tent area </div>
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Here is a small part of the boulder field. You can see the tents from here. There are a lot of military police in the area. I heard that they probably won't care if you boulder as long as you are in this field. Venturing outside of this area might bring you some trouble though. Security is pretty tight for Americans in Tibet, so if you are American you should probably talk to your guide before you boulder </div>
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Traverse from low right to left </div>
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With cliche, I am calling this problem, "Roof of the World." It is the same boulder in the first picture of this post. It could possibly be V2. It is a sit start</div>
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A word on bouldering at Everest. If you want to boulder here you should bring pads if you want to do anything harder than V1. The ground is very rocky and makes for a crappy landing. The rock is also very cold and when the wind kicks up your hands cramp, so again bring pads because the rock is generally smooth and your hands might be slipping without you realizing it. I wasn't as phased as I thought I would be, but the altitude limits your power </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-With Family and the Rare Golden Peak</span></div>
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The crowning joy of Everest on the China side is the golden peak at dusk. The way the sun sets over the western mountains allows just enough sunlight to ignite Everest's peak for 15-20 mins. If you can imagine a lot of natural things have to fall perfectly inline for this to occur. Our guide said that you can only see the golden peak about 30 percent of the time </div>
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Only a few nuns live at this monastery below Everest. Since the nuns don't have any money they get really excited when the tour guides come along so they can barrow their cell phones to call home. One of the nuns was trying on my brothers Polo hat, but sadly we forgot to give it to her before we left </div>
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This hole in the floor leads to an underground temple</div>
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This temple is 1300 years old</div>
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The Golden Peak</div>
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Flowers of Everest. These guys are tough</div>
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I did a little hiking by myself in the morning and found this abandoned stone house</div>
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Two dogs followed my mom on the walk from the tent area to Everest Base Camp One</div>
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Mom and I</div>
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Namgyaal and I</div>
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To all the photographers out there. This pool of water is great for reflection photos. I waited there for 20 minutes trying to get a clear picture, alas. Maybe you can get it :)</div>
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Traveling in Tibet is unnerving because you pay an exorbitant amount of money to sit in a car for more than half of your trip while having to constantly be stopped by police. But, all of it is worth it when you see the stars. The pepper trail of the Milky Way rips right to left all the way across the black sky. Every constellation is illuminated. You imagine all the thinkers from across the ages looking up at the exact same structure of the universe. It leads you to think that really, in the grand scheme of things, nothing has changed. The universe will remain as untouched as it was before you were born, as it will be after you are gone.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"> 2. Taishan, Guangdong Province: Visiting Our Ancestral Villages </span><br />
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Our next goal was to go back to our roots. First, a little backstory. My mother's parents, who are both ethnically Chinese were born in the US. But both of their families are from neighboring villages in Taishan, Guangdong Province. For all the normal people who don't know anything about Chinese immigration in the US, up until the early 1990's, it is said that something like 30 percent of the Chinese in the US had come from Taishan. Even today, it is not uncommon for me to meet an ABC in the US who has the same roots. Anyways, we went to meet our family. </div>
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Explaining exactly who those three in the back are is very confusing and I'd rather not burden you with the thinking, but they are from my grandfather's side of the family. Also, Guangdong style brunch, you all know it, Dim sum. </div>
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Packing goodie bags to give to the relatives in the villages</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-Visiting My Chinese Grandfather's Village</span></div>
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Eddie modeling and the house my great grandmother grew up in before she immigrated to the US</div>
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Some of the relatives. My great grandmother's picture is hanging on the wall above center. She lived until she was 102 years old and won the U.S. Mother of the Year award. I think some of her things are in the Smithsonian now. Also, a scholar recently published an academic article on her achievement as being a mechanism of US foreign policy. . . </div>
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As you can see, Ian has inherited the no smiling gene ;)</div>
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It was a trip to see what the family that had stayed behind manifested into. Also, the whole time I was there I felt like I was in a Hong Kong martial arts film. The old buildings set the perfect scene</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-Visiting the Moy Family Village</span></div>
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We don't know the Moys, but their village is right next door to ours. Many HK movies have been filmed here. Yes, it looks like a Hollywood set, but those houses are old and people still live in them </div>
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I don't think you can see from here, but that aunt has a solid gold grill :)</div>
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We had boiled chicken and warm honey-tea tofu for lunch</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-Visiting My Chinese Grandmother's Village</span></div>
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Even though my grandma's house has been renovated, there still remains some traditional things</div>
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A painting of my great grandfather. He was a merchant. It was painted in the US and taken back to China</div>
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The 'Old Building,' as they call it. It functioned as a community center over 100 years ago. There are kitchens, multiple levels, chambers, and a stage on the inside</div>
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We had these devil shrimp lookin' things for dinner</div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">3. Hong Kong</span><br />
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To experience a less rural side of Asia, we went to Hong Kong. Other than the Chinese people, HK is nothing like China. Much of the food is foreign, the people are foreign, the idea of civil society is different. HK is an impressive international metropolis. My family only stayed in HK for two days and then they would head back to the US. I stayed for an additional four days. We had a great time. The days were spent doing touristy things, while the nights were spent seeing different rooftop bars </div>
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At a small fishing village. My mom's former employee, Adam, an English guy, has lived in HK for five years now. He was an excellent guide and I stayed with him for the remainder of my trip</div>
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The Big Buddha</div>
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The weather gods honestly smile upon me. I have had nothing but unbelievable weather this whole summer</div>
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The government is building a bridge from HK to Macau. I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of the longest bridges in the world </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-Waterfall Hiking in Lantau Island</span></div>
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After my family left I met up with Nina, who I met on my trip to Western Sichuan this summer with the other PCVs. We went with Adam's hiking crew to Lantau Island to hike up a waterfall/river. I didn't know how intense the hike would be until we got there. For the whole hike you were either jumping from rock to rock, walking though knee level water, or wading/swimming up the river</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-Hiking and Bouldering at Chung Hom Kok</span></div>
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The next day Nina and I planned on hiking part of the HK's famous, Dragon's Back Trail to Shek O Beach to go bouldering. We missed a turn and wound up at near Chung Hom Kok Park. There is developed bouldering at a secluded beach, but getting to that beach involved walking around a little mountain. We decided to hike the shorter coastline route to get there. But we didn't know how dangerous that hike is. We encountered a pack of large and angry dogs and a lot of very steep rock faces that if we had fallen meant a rough 20ft. fall directly into the bay. To all the climbers, even if the guide says you can, I strongly discourage taking the coastline route. </div>
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Cheng Hom Kok Beach. There is another section for bouldering that wraps around to the left. The boulders here are rough and very slopy. If you are like me and horrible at slopers and vertical edges, I don't know if this is the place for you. In my opinion, I think almost every problem in the guidebook was underrated. The problems here are more difficult than the ratings. Regardless, look how beautiful this place is. Plus, you can imagine yourself setting the first problem on "Mothership," if you can guess which boulder</div>
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Even though I couldn't really do anything here, I still tried</div>
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We stuck to traverses </div>
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More failed attempts haha</div>
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Again, I've gotten so lucky this summer. I think this is Repulse Bay, HK Island</div>
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One of Adam's cats. Both were put on diets when I got there</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-Bouldering at Ha Fa Shan</span></div>
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I should have taken a rest day, but I only had so much time so I went to find the boulders at the top of Ha Fa Shan in the New Territories. As you can see the New Territories are fairly rural. They are much more peaceful than Kowloon or HK Island. The people here are much more like rural Chinese, they smile at you because you are there. </div>
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Exhausted and dripping sweat in the humidity and sun I sat at the top of Ha Fa Shan for a while. I was pretty drained and couldn't do much bouldering, but the view and breeze was worth the hike</div>
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I tried a few problems, but my core was giving out. So I just sat and thought about what a good camping spot this would be</div>
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The bouldering guide does not make this clear so here is a picture of the path you need to take to get to the top. The guide says to take the first right after the bridge. That right leads you to a pack of guard dogs. This is the next right</div>
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Also, to clarify, that little indentation on the right is the trail that leads to the top of Ha Fa Shan. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">-Bouldering at Shek O</span></div>
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Shek O is gorgeous. It is a small beach village on the south eastern end of HK Island. If you go to HK you must check it out. No.9 bus from the MTR will take you directly there. Even though I was still exhausted, I mustered enough strength to send around 15 problems, one of which was a V4, a new difficulty level for me. I pretty much just sat at this beach all day and worked on bouldering problems. It was the perfect way to end my summer </div>
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Bad taping</div>
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I had an amazing summer. From start to finish. Working and traveling. I think I was only in my apartment for three days over the period of two months. I recognize how special it was and I hope I can continue to have similar summers in the future. </div>
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To all the volunteers, thanks for hanging out with me. I had a great time and it wouldn't have been the same without you. We'll make this year as great as the last. To my family, also an amazing time, even though there were some rough points en route with the altitude and all haha. We accomplished a lot of things that needed to be done. Good luck at school Eddie and Ian. Miss you guys already. Adam, thanks for housing me. Nina, thanks for hanging out with me everyday. Exploring HK was awesome!</div>
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If you have gotten this far, thanks for reading! Apply to the Peace Corps!!!</div>
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<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Yml6IEF_B08%2FU_49uZBIN_I%2FAAAAAAAABh0%2Fug2eYH2_jgU%2Fs1600%2FDSC_0202_2.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyesuWN8B_i4Gu7QDTfgyoObWLMqcDTZCd3sLyivvn3fdyheSQgbp0T4olXfq5r0D7ct6HUP31GFr8gOkROTzBi6NVLCkpUfcqz4y9q4QazVWTsyzZ2OdTbmSVMVQyIw-ZJaAcLUVx7T7/s1600/DSC_0202_2.JPG" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-35561703054707124982014-08-10T22:32:00.000-07:002014-08-10T22:32:44.440-07:00Jurassic Park: Visiting a Student in Rural Wulong County<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After coming from bouldering in Western Sichuan, Kayla and I only had three days before we had to be in Pengshui, Chongqing for PC China Summer Project. Pengshui is only a couple hours south from Wulong, Kayla's site, so we opted to stay there for a couple days. I found out that one of my students was from Wulong before the end of the school year and told him that I would show up sometime during the summer. On the train to Wulong, I called him and told him that I would be at his place the next afternoon. He told me that it was a three hour bus to his place and I said there would be no problem.</div>
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The next morning Kayla and I left to catch a 9:00am bus at the Wulong Bus Station. It turned out that the bus was actually a van and we were sitting in the back row. After sitting on bumpy buses for two days straight coming from Western Sichuan, we weren't too thrilled about this, but whatever. My student told us to get off at the second to last stop. After about an hour of clearing narrow mountain passes, unbelievably vibrant foliage, old wood farm houses (very uncommon), and white clouds slowly skating through the valleys we realized that the place was a different type of rural; the hicks think this place is full of hicks. </div>
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At around 1:00pm, we jumped out of the van into a light rain and I hear a calm, "Hello, Jack." My student's English name is Prestige Lee. His is in my Tourism English class at school and he ranks in the top five in the class. There are only three other boys in his class, and we have all grown close through my efforts to keep the 30 girls, most with domineering personalities, from pushing them around too much. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Prestige and the valley below his home</span></div>
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I asked Prestige, "So, when can we catch the bus home? We have to work later today. What time is the bus after lunch?" Without realizing my second question he says, "You will go home tomorrow morning at 6:00am." The only worry I had was legitimate, there were only three buses in an out of his section of Wulong everyday and they are all in the early morning. So, that work Kayla had to finish before Summer Project suddenly got pushed back a day. Welcome to the Peace Corps China. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">His front yard with Miao style storage house</span> </div>
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From the bus stop we hopped into a car that drove us down a narrow orange dirt road with rockfall to his house. As we were getting out my student handed the driver two packs of cigarettes for payment. We walked up to his house and were received by his mother and relatives. They were all women. The men were off working in different regions in China. There were a couple kids running around, all maxed on sugar. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">After some convincing, he took us down the mountain to the river</span></div>
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Before the school year ended Presitge told me that he was part of the Miao ethnic minority in China. The Miao are one of the largest ethnic minority groups in China. When we asked Prestige about his heritage, he responded that his family was not always Miao. His family moved to Wulong from Pengshui (a Miao/Tujia autonomous prefecture) a decade and a half ago. A few years a go the government said that any descendants from Pengshui are likely Miao and can claim minority status. So his family became Miao. He explained this to me without any reservations. It seems that the connection is less based on blood, but placed on culture. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> Instantly taken by the beauty</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">He told us that there are wild monkeys living in the mountains across the river</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbJNj0uh7Prp_AUoErbsI0tTcDoHrQXbOqvejLNehLCiJKSi_ycePVMgQJeZb9VIkgEiDK1Bt4hTr3ezY7AoKeXabg6ITLWJ2ev3Tus07j_fyO7XQFYeWeUGhmZ2fKM2nFGwTAIzuWdS2/s1600/DSC_1025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbJNj0uh7Prp_AUoErbsI0tTcDoHrQXbOqvejLNehLCiJKSi_ycePVMgQJeZb9VIkgEiDK1Bt4hTr3ezY7AoKeXabg6ITLWJ2ev3Tus07j_fyO7XQFYeWeUGhmZ2fKM2nFGwTAIzuWdS2/s1600/DSC_1025.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Geologically this place is fascinating. The boulders here look exactly like the boulders in Getu, Guizhou</span></div>
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I noticed there was a reoccurring theme in his comments about his area of Wulong. Went spent a lot of time talking about development in China. Like most Chinese people know, he knows the surge of money will not last forever. He wants Wulong to develop but there is no money leaking down because his area is so remote. He has this idea that if the highway that was drawn to cut through his front yard was built, then economy could be generated and wealth in the area shared. He does not want wealth, but wealth for the people in his area. He genuinely cares about them. Opportunities are slimming as time moves. This is eating at him. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This place is wild in the sense of Jurassic Park</span></div>
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At dinner we had chicken, tofu, corn, vegetable dishes, and Pepsi. All the food was sourced from his backyard. The chicken is called 'tuji,' or 'earth chicken,' I think because it literally is born, raised, and slaughtered in the backyard, which is a wild tropical forest. Totally natural. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I couldn't resist bouldering in the river</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">After dinner, we watched a Chinese movie a volunteer had shown him in Wanzhou. His house is huge and entirely made of wood. There are two sections that couldn't fit in the frame.</span> </div>
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Whenever I spend time in truly rural places that haven't become dependent on technology (his house doesn't have internet and phones barely work), I realize exactly how urban I am. All things do move a lot slower. Here at least, people are not irritated by siting and staring off into space for long periods of time without anything to do or look at. Sitting next to a person you hardly know in silence is not as worrisome. That urge to say something is not as powerful. Without having news or media inspired topics to talk about, conversations turn towards what you have been doing and family. I spent the night in my student's room on the second floor, which looks like the second floor of a barn, boards creaking, and Kayla shared a bed with his mom. We left for the bus stop before dawn. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-56709670828596270292014-08-09T23:35:00.001-07:002014-10-21T07:16:51.169-07:00Bouldering in Daocheng, Western Sichuan<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Turtle Face</span></div>
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In brief, like many PC China volunteers I have been doing a combination of traveling and working for the past month and a half, not once returning to Wanzhou. In that time I went bouldering in Western Sichuan, visited a student in his village in southern Chongqing, taught Chongqing middles school teachers how to teach differently, went to Shanghai, visited another student at his home in Chongqing city, and led EcoCamp with a host of outstanding volunteers. This post will only cover the first 1.5 weeks of my summer. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rain Gods</span></div>
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In June, my site mate, Gabby and I made plans to find the legendary boulders at Karakul Lake a few hours outside of Kashgar, Xinjiang. We wanted remoteness, new culture, camping, mountains, and boulders. But, our plans were thwarted when PC travel to Xinjiang Province was barred due to the recent attacks in the provincial capital, Urumqi. Last winter I met a professional climber in Chengdu named Mike Dobie. He has been developing trad climbing in Li Ming, Yunnan for a handful of years and said that he had a bouldering development in Daocheng, Western Sichuan. He added that he didn't think the Daocheng development would ever catch because of its extreme proximity to any major city, the poor roads and infrastructure leading out there, and the day or two that it takes for your body to get acclimated. Daocheng was the perfect substitute. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gabby's problem on the warm up boulder</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Traveling to DaoCheng:</span></div>
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Getting to Daocheng (<span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;">稻城</span>) and back is a whole trip in itself. Our plan was to take a 9 hour bus from Chengdu to Kangding (<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15.120000839233398px; text-align: left;">康定</span>). Stay the night in Kangding. And then a bus in the morning to Daocheng, because there is only one bus a day from Kangding to Daocheng and it leaves super early in the morning. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwj7edppPldhaZxQpF6g_bOrR0H28F_f0bfR2mPdCKRPaDMerpmlTvfSuOi_urJlYoEfUVwlwuTbn1qZZDSH-R1cK-_O2tdNCrQzGWWnuJEtMC16I6eawmaNvsby9OaLMuaewsac3yIb0M/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwj7edppPldhaZxQpF6g_bOrR0H28F_f0bfR2mPdCKRPaDMerpmlTvfSuOi_urJlYoEfUVwlwuTbn1qZZDSH-R1cK-_O2tdNCrQzGWWnuJEtMC16I6eawmaNvsby9OaLMuaewsac3yIb0M/s1600/DSC_0040.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">We rented a minivan with some young Chinese urbanites we met at our hostel. In Chinese minivans for hire are called, Bread Car</span></div>
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There are only a few buses a day from Chengdu to Kangding and they leave between 7am from Xinanmen Bus Station (西南们车站). To ensure that you get a ticket, you should try to buy your tickets the day before, probably sometime in the afternoon. A nice and affordable hostel, Traffic Inn, is around the corner from the bus station if you need to stay the night. </div>
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We got to Kangding around dinner time. The tickets for the next day were sold out so we resorted to renting a van. It was less than 200kuai (30USD) per person because we shared the van with some Chinese people. Our hostel arranged it for us. We did not book our hostel in Kangding in advance. With the increase of tourism in Western Sichuan, I recommend you book one in advance. In the morning we hopped in a van headed for Daocheng. During the 12 hour ride we experienced just about all four seasons and climates at elevations ranging from 8000 to 15600 feet. I wouldn't be surprised if the Kangding-Daocheng ride becomes listed as one of the most beautiful car trips in the world. One thing that should be noted is that the roads are very narrow, often broken or destroyed due to erosion and the pavement regularly freezing and thawing, also about a third of the road is dirt, so bring a plastic bag even if you don't get motion sickness. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pitstops Between Chengdu and DaoCheng:</span></div>
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Since there are only two major highways connecting Chengdu to Western Sichuan, year round you will see Chinese bike trekkers riding through to Tibet. One pitstop at 14600ft </div>
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Squares of colored paper with prayers scrawled are thrown into the wind like prayer flags flying</div>
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Herder in skinny jeans pulls horse across highway to be watered. Our driver stopped so he could wash the minivan</div>
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After breaking through the extremely dense and floral mountains of the Sichuan Basin the geography instantly changes to high altitude pasture. The herders here live in tents and yaks usually graze unperturbed </div>
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Some folks we met driving from Gansu Province, while we were stopped for road construction</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Biking and Exploring in Daocheng:</span><br />
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Just before reaching Daocheng it started snowing. Driving the high mountain passes on narrow slick roads was terrifying. We arrived at dusk. </div>
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Once your reach Daocheng it instantly feels like you have left China. The people are mostly ethnic Tibetans. They are tall and their skin is brown. The men dress like cowboys: long matted hair, gold teeth, and cowboy hats, only each has his own string of prayer beads. The women dress in the long traditional black garb, covering almost every inch of skin. If it were not for the modern face mask to protect from the dust and sun, you would think they were transported from 1870's American wild west, for their big bonnet hats create a complete image. Above is the traditional Tibetan yak's butter tea. We followed our Chinese van friends to their hostel and shared a room. </div>
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The next morning Gabby and I rented bikes. Our goal was to find Rubuchaka Village (茹布查卡). Dobie's bouldering guide marks all of its developments in the valley. Prayer slabs are placed to face the sky </div>
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Urban pigs</div>
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We ended up riding the wrong way, and none of the locals seems to have heard of the place. No a bad place to get lost</div>
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A mute ice cream man rides his bike through the valley</div>
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We found the valley!! A women walking on the road led us there. The valley is very remote and a little difficult to find if not driven </div>
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Turns out there numerous families living in the village have home stay capabilities. Gabby and I arranged a deal where we pay 80kuai (12USD) per day, which includes a bed, three meals, and one hot spring bath. We didn't know this until we got to Rubuchaka, but the whole village recently capitalized on the hot springs running through it. Despite the hot springs and the beauty of Rubuchaka, there are still few visitors. While making a deal with the family (some pictured above, can also see hats), it was pretty clear that they had never had anybody stay there before for more than one night, or ever. They are amazing people. We recommend that you stay at their establishment. Their house is fairly big, and located in the back on the village. They have eight beds to rent. Most of their food is vegetable and noodle (dough) based and it is so good. They also have a steady supply of Tibetan Yak's butter tea, bread, and Yak cheese. </div>
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Prayers are chiseled into random rocks throughout the valley. There are two resorts in the valley that flopped (right). It is nice to see that the yaks are taking back the land. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bouldering Area Five:</span><br />
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Gabby approaching Area Five</div>
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Dobie broke Rubuchaka Valley into five bouldering areas. All five areas surround the village at the bottom of the valley. </div>
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We didn't bring bouldering pads on this hike so we did more exploring of the massive rock formations and caves than bouldering. We found some amazing things. </div>
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Me warming up</div>
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Our first problem, we call it "Crown." It is located in the back of the Area. It is a long traverse up the edges. V2. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Area One:</span></div>
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I put up an easy V0 in the morning. </div>
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My problem is on the left above the pads. Gabby sent one of the problems set is the guide.</div>
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If you walk 15 minutes of the ravine in Area One you will find our next problem, "Turtle Face." V2. </div>
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There is endless amounts of bouldering at Rubuchaka. But there are a few things to be aware of. First is that if you are camping or hiking there is almost no cover from the weather. There are thunderstorms and snowstorms, but I think the sun is the most dangerous. Daocheng sits above 14000 feet. With clear skys, which are common, sunshine is less romantic, and more of a powerful radiation at that point. If you are here in the summer you need to bring a hat, long sleeved shirt, pants, gloves (seriously), and lots of sunscreen. We found that carrying an umbrella up there paid off. A benefit of the elevation is that water evaporates so quickly that even in the crazy sun you never really sweat. Oh, and it took me about two full days to get fully acclimated.</div>
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We finished our hike at Castle Peak</div>
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An ariel view of Rubuchaka Village. The road is on the right and our home stay house is on the far left<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Bouldering, Camping, and Friends:</span></div>
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Evan, Kayla (both PCVs), and Nina (grad student is Hong Kong) showed up on the third day. We found this great bouldering in the field behind our inn to warm up on. </div>
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Nina and baby cows</div>
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I believe Dobie's problem on this boulder is called the "Candy Cane Traverse," which traverses from left to right. Gabby and I put up a problem going straight up from where I am sitting called, "Rain Gods," because of the flash hail storm that hit just before we were about to send it. V2. </div>
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Gabby and Kayla after surviving the hail storm</div>
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We hiked back to Castle Peak to camp. Our plan was to boulder, camp, and cook. So we had to carry all of these things up to the top of the mountain. We left the rest of our stuff at the inn for the night. I got fire wood from the inn for free. To carry it to the top I wedged it in between my bouldering pads. Even tough I had five large pieces of fire wood, I think I had the lightest pack. The others had to carry food, water, and gear. You can buy prepackaged food, fresh food, flashlights, and other supplies in Daocheng.</div>
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We hadn't thought of how we were going to cut the firewood until we got to the top of the mountain. We resorted to throwing big rocks at it</div>
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When big rocks didn't work we tried to hack at it with small rocks. And then we discovered leverage, but weren't strong enough :( so we lit our fire in defeat. But, starting a fire at 14000 feet is no simple task. Until we put our five college diplomas together and came up with a plan to divert the wind, I actually though we were going to run out of matches and not eat</div>
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Victory. I spent almost all of my time tending the fire and watching the food, probably an hour, and I am very proud of myself for it, because the fire never died once. </div>
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We had baked potatoes, corn, apples, peanuts, and other things. BTW, don't mix Yak cheese and potatoes... </div>
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Night. Slow Shutter. Fire</div>
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In the morning we tried to put up some problems. The rock Gabby is on was too sharp to climb</div>
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A problem I put up on a random boulder in Area One</div>
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Women walks her cattle back to Rubuchaka</div>
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There is a perpetually spinning prayer wheel on the inside of the structure on the right. The wheel is powered by a stream flowing below it</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last Days at Rubuchaka:</span></div>
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Dyno...</div>
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...in the morning</div>
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Gabby putting up a great problem on the left side of the warm up boulder in the backyard of our inn. Starting position</div>
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In the afternoon Gabby and I took the others to a crazy boulder cave we found in Area One. Three new Rubuchakan friends decided to follow us the whole day out</div>
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Fearless</div>
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Climbing over rocks can be difficult with out hands</div>
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All of the boulders that set in place to create this big and fully roofed cavern were once suspended in ice. By chance and magic all of the boulders were magically aligned. Definitely one of the coolest natural things I have ever seen. </div>
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On our way back to the inn</div>
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Doing laundry in the hot springs</div>
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On the last day we biked out to a temple that Gabby and I had seen from the road we got lost on. We asked this family for directions to the temple which you could see in the mountains from this point, but alas, nothing. They speak the Zang (Tibetan) dialect in many parts of western Sichuan. Earlier we were told that every town has its own version of Zang dialect. That white guy in the back is named Peter. We met him there randomly. He teaches Asian culture at a university in the Czech Republic. We also saw him again at a road block where we were stuck for six hours a few days later. </div>
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After not getting directions we decided to ride right at the fork. We ended up reaching a dead end. At the end of the road there was a medium sized house and all of the people living there came out to greet us. All had dark skin an rosey cheeks from the sun. Three generations of women came out. All smiling. Lots of silver and gold teeth. They invited us in for Yak's butter tea, cheese, and bread. We gave the kids Reese's. They scampered back out the door. Jackie Chan Adventures was on TV. </div>
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After riding and walking uphill for over an hour and watching rain and lightening chasing us in the distance we made it to, what ended up being a monastery. This monastery is not for tourists. But they were not going to deny us and after finding out that we walked up the mountain to see what was going on. </div>
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A monk led us into a large room where likely fifty monks were sitting and chanting. They were all wearing their traditional crimson garb with gold. There was clearly a hierarchy to seating in the room. The monk with the biggest headdress sat in an elevated seat at the front center of the room. The older monks were all sitting close to the center of the room, while mostly young monks sat closer to the walls. It was very cold in the temple. They were all wearing red and gold blankets. Next to the old parchment, from which they were reading the incantations in unison, their sat for each monk a bottle of orange sports drink. </div>
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We hung around the monastery for a while. Watching the monks wrestle and stuff. We were invited into the dining hall for Yak's butter tea and cheese. Many things were learned by both parties by the end of the discourse: mainly things about basketball. </div>
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Riding downhill from the monastery on the dirt road was longest downhill ride I have ever done. I think it was 10 minutes of downhill jumps and a little sliding at full speed. Nina gave Snickers to some kids who were waving to us on the side of the road. </div>
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If you have read this far into my blog post, thanks for reading. We went to more places but I feel its time to stop. I tried to capture some of the best parts of my trip and I hope they inspire you to come and see this amazing part of our world. One fascinating part of this trip for me was that I just happened to be reading an Ecology textbook on precipitation, soil composition, and mountainous climates while I was experiencing the environment described in the book. A night I would read and in the morning I could explain how the environment around me was formed, all the evidence was in front me, next to climb it. I was also fortunate to share this trip with four great personalities and minds, each contributing something different to alter the trip in ways I never imagined. I truly hope that I can continue to have trips of this caliber. </div>
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To Gabby, we had a great year and I don't think there could have been a better way to end it. See you stateside. </div>
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Progress or Tradition</div>
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If I remember correctly my grandfather said something along the lines of (in a far more eloquent fashion), "It looks like Jack is only having fun in the Peace Corps. No work, all play." Pop, is right and I have given him good reason to think that, but there is much more to my service than climbing and traveling. This blog post is a response to my grandfather's statement.<br />
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Over the past year I have taught fourteen Oral English classes. 561 students. 10hrs. per week. Between thirteen and sixteen weeks per semester. Most of my teaching is centered around pronunciation, reading, speaking confidence, public speaking, and writing basics. For practical reasons, I use themes that revolve around the service sector such as travel and food industries. Last semester I had two lesson preps per week and this semester I have three. Most of the students at my school come from rural farming communities in Chongqing Province. Many of them vie to leave the province for the first time. In the past month there has been in influx of reports in western media (see: The Economist) that show the drastic division of wealth and benefits policy between rural and urban areas in China. In my classes you can tell by the second week who went to a high school in Chongqing proper and who went to a high school in a bordering county. Even though all of my students' English abilities sit at a very low level, there is a clear divide.<br />
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Ferguson and I at Ranhou Cat Cafe</div>
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One observation that I would like to make public is the unrecognized and unacknowledged brilliance of a handful of my students. I do not know if this is exactly true, but I have been told by Chinese people, unaffiliated with my college, that I teach at one of the lowest ranking colleges in China (although, I think they meant to say lowest ranking colleges in Chongqing Province). China's college selection system is based on one big test (Gaokao) that all senior high school students take annually. For many students in China, your score determines your potential to attain capital in the future. So, if you get a low score on your test you go to a school like mine, a vocational school, and if you get a very high score you will probably go to study in Beijing or Shanghai. But, from my point of view, making it into one of the best universities in China is not all that it is cracked up to be.<br />
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While I was studying abroad at Beijing University (China's Harvard, I think ranked #42 in the world), I met a freshman student who got a perfect on her Gaokao. At age 17 (she skipped a year), she was thrown into a ten year Ph.D program in biology. Coming from the poor yet coal rich Shananxi Province, her family was thrilled to see her off. Her great achievement means total social mobility and most likely an assurance of fortune, but as you can predict there are great costs. She knew every single step in the next ten years of her life. She knew exactly how hard her work was going to be and exactly how much energy she was going to need to exert. If you can imagine, she probably started studying at least nine hours a day by the age of 6 and was only going to stop studying at the age of 27. That is 21 years of hard studying.<br />
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Spring Flowers on Taibai Mountain. The mountain was named after one of China's most renowned ancient poets, Li Bai. One of his most famous poems is titled, Waking From Drunkenness on a Spring Day, oh, and, Drinking Alone by Moonlight.</div>
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I do not think she wanted a life of certainty and complacency, but she has a family to carry. It was not her choice to make. My students have an entirely different situation. They laugh, smile, yell at each other, hit each other, joke around, flirt, and tease each other all of the time. They actually seem happy every second, unless we are in class (no AC) and the walk to class is like swimming through humidity and the heat is blazing (they never have AC). Digressing from my aside, for me, one of the most fascinating things about teaching at a low level college is discovering the brilliant students that have been marginalized by the Gaokao testing system.<br />
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A hand full of my students are super smart, but like many people all over the world, they are just really bad at testing and never received any type of handicap or help. So, some of them will end up at a third tier college and just be really bored. Even though a few of my former students dropped out after the first semester for financial reasons (it costs 1639USD per year to attend my college), or they have to take care of a sick grandparent, or one girl needs to 'find herself' and is traveling, they still seem happy when I talk to them. One great thing about being a teacher in the Peace Corps is that you are encouraged/supposed to have a friend/teacher-friend/student relationship with your students, versus a teacher-student, or professor-student, or authority-pupil relationship. It means getting involved in their lives, for example, many volunteers stay at their students homes during holidays or vacations. I will stay at a student's home this summer.<br />
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The new Multicultural Totem Pole Park in Wanzhou. All totem poles are hand chiseled</div>
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Even though teaching in the classroom is my primary objective as a Peace Corps China Volunteer and is something I work very hard at, I think most of my impact in my community happens outside of the classroom, in small bits. Outside of the classroom, my amazing site mate, Gabby, and I lead English Corner (like an English Club), run and modify a fully functioning English Library (that Gabby created all by herself!), tutor students for speech competitions, tutor students on an individual level, go to weekend events and lunches with faculty, cook big dinners with groups of students, talk with students (also on social media), go to student led events on campus (art shows, basketball tournaments, and singing and dance competitions), have Hiking Club, take students hiking, go bouldering with students, open relations with a local orphanage for visits, build a greenhouse on campus, and the list goes on and on. It is in all of these small things that there is impact that adds up. Earlier this semester one of my Tourism students opened up to me about her boy problems: "Teacher, a boy loves me, but I despise him. What to do?" One of my boys asked me, "Teacher, I want girlfriend. How to have him?" (face palm. . .). These small little day to day, moment to moment things are where I see my impact the most. Impact outside of my school's community much different and is a topic for a different day. </div>
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As much as I love what I am doing here, all of the activities above add up quickly and take up a lot of time out of my day. Usually I wake up between 5:30 and 6:30am, and go to bed at around 1:00-2:00am. If I want to read, study Chinese (which I need to do a lot more of), write guitar songs, talk to friends, blog, watch a TV show, go biking, hiking, bouldering, climbing, weekend stints, or explore I have to sacrifice something, and sleep is usually the first to go. Like many Peace Corps sites, our work is not nine to five, we work 24 hours a day. So even though my work may be all fun, I am always working towards something. I believe many PVCs are in a similar situation. </div>
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Some Random Activities:</div>
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Jiaozi (dumpling) Making Party with some Tourism Students. </div>
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Sometimes I will take a student bouldering or to scout for boulders</div>
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To get up this wall the peasants use this rope to haul themselves up. These little ropes are all over certain sections of the mountains. The longest rope I had to pull myself up was probably 20ft. That specific rope system was intricate. Three ropes were used to distribute your body weight on different trees. </div>
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Found a junk yard at the top of a mountain with a student while hiking</div>
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Gabby and I visiting my Wanzhou host family. Most of the information I know about Wanzhou comes from my host mother (Fan Laoshi). She is one of those people who is always talking and at about a mile a minute. Never a boring moment with her. That day I learned my host sister is amazing at the Guzheng (Chinese harp), and she is self taught. One of my most fond days with them. . . Fan Laoshi, told me on saturday to be ready to go to lunch at 11:00 the next day. At 9:30 thunderous rapping on my steel door, "Jack'r, come to have lunchy!" After driving through one of the factory districts in Wanzhou we made it to the restaurant. We are with more family members. All the men are smoking except my host father. He has a heart condition and the other men were making fun of him for it in jest. He always get poked at when he doesn't drink or smoke. The dishes are delivered. Every single bowl containing some assortment of vegetables and meat. All of the bowls filled with little crimson paddies. I eat a few and then ask Fan Laoshi what it is. She starts slapping her veins. </div>
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Blood Restaurant. </div>
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More Jiaozi making with students. </div>
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Gabby and I at Wanzhou Square. Babawu or Chinese Square Dancing is a popular form of exercise and activity for old people in certain parts of China. They dance at night to avoid the heat. It is a nightly event. There are probably a hundred dance groups scattered throughout Wanzhou. They all dance together following one choreography. Young people get super embarrassed when we try to join the dancing.</div>
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One students asked me for individual tutoring. She was an 'Animal Feed' major, but she wanted to work at a hotel instead. Even though her English skills were pretty good, she needed a background in hotel English. She has since left our school. </div>
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Hanging on a ceiling at Hiking Club</div>
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Another Jiaozi Party. Nam (left) is a city mate. It is really nice having other volunteers live so close. We come to each others events and help out, merge events so our students can make new friends, on occasion. </div>
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Gabby and I were told by faculty that we should attend an Earth Day event at the basketball courts. It ended up being a basketball tournament. . . If you have been to China you will know that basketball is the most popular sport in China. Not ping pong or tennis. Basketball was the first western sport allowed in China in the late 70s. Many boys in China, rural and urban, know all of the NBA teams and stars. The boys also love WWE, but I think it is more of a high school thing. </div>
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I wrote a song a played it at the English Corner Talent Show. They got a taste of math rock and loved it</div>
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Hiking with students </div>
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At our school's English Speaking Competition, 6 of my 15 students that entered placed in the top 7 including 1st place (Gabby and I have both taught her). I am so proud of my students. </div>
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Shirley and Carrie did over a month of English training with Gabby and I for a competition in CQ proper. We trained for four hours per week. Carrie has her bf totally whipped. They are so funny together. </div>
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Hiking Club </div>
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Went to a student's house for lunch one weekend. He lives in a mud house that his grandfather built 80 years ago. His grandfather said that he is now an unskilled worker and unemployable. He once built mud houses, for about 1.40USD (a long time ago before inflation and the rise of RMB) per day and now nobody wants mud houses anymore. His skills are now obsolete. Before listening to him, I didn't understand how one is or becomes unskilled, and becomes a part of the huge unskilled labor force in Chongqing. </div>
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While scouting for Hiking Club I came across an excellent camp site. It even has a little fire pit made of stones. </div>
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Traditional Chinese music is played in Peace Plaza in downtown Wanzhou</div>
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Hiking Club</div>
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With some Logistics students</div>
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Trying to put up a bouldering problem </div>
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I hope I've have wiped the impression, given at my own negligence, that all I am doing in the Peace Corps is traveling and climbing. My site mate and I are doing a lot of serious and impactful work. Until three weeks ago, literally, every weekend was booked with activities and obligations. Working here does get really tough, but the reward, even though it may be hard to see, is very high. I really enjoy what I am doing in China.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-42101142645142291912014-05-26T02:41:00.002-07:002014-05-28T16:04:41.229-07:00A Day Climbing in Yangshuo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are three major climbing developments in China: Getu (though relatively vacant), Dali, and Yangshuo. During my study-abroad I visited Yangshuo for spring break, but in about a week's time there were only a couple rainless hours. Low clouds and rain are not a bad thing in Yangshuo. I was told that many Chinese people actually prefer the clouds for when they glide over the stuccoed mountains, heaven and earth connect, an ancient Chinese painting takes form. This time around I only had a day, and it was for climbing. </div>
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Yangshuo has been called the climbing mecca of Asia. Yangshuo itself is now a developed tourist hub, but smaller than it's parent city Guilin. Both cities reside in Guangxi Province, which borders Vietnam and the South China Sea. Like much of the food in south central China, sour flavoring is common with some type of rice based product. This area of China is considered subtropical, meaning the humidity can get so thick you feel as if you were swimming through the air. This climate can sap your energy in an hour if you are not used to it. Regardless of the humidity, Yangshuo is probably one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It is unimaginatively beautiful. I will be back again. Yangshuo is a travel must. </div>
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Van from our hostel to the crag</div>
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When we arrived it was +80F with around 100% humidity</div>
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Exit</div>
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Path to the crag. The mountains look like there is a dragon sleeping beneath them</div>
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I can't imagine that this roof does anything to keep the wood dry, too humid</div>
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She told Gabby that we were going the wrong way. I don't know how Gabby can understand the peasants. Simply magic.</div>
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Approaching Moon Hill and peasants working the fields</div>
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Borrowed paper guidebook. Lost. </div>
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Yangshuo is filled with sleeping dragons</div>
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The spider that bit Peter Parker</div>
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Time for climbing. In between the crags on Moon Hill there are many caves that have multiple levels making them look like ancient temples or sacrificial lairs</div>
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Gabby destroying the first route of the day</div>
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Libby's belaying dedication is unrivaled</div>
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Me following</div>
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Marisa following </div>
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Yangshuo's dense limestone 'hills' make it an ideal climbing destination. About a hundred million years ago this area was all underwater (saltwater), slowly wearing away layers of limestone. After all of the bedrock corroded we were left with this amazing karst topo. Underground currents carved out countless caves into these mountains. </div>
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Not a moment without dripping sweat. Infinite mosquito bites</div>
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More climbing</div>
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Water buffalo</div>
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Yangshuo definitely has what it takes to be a climbing mecca </div>
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When most people imagine rural China, or 'China,' I think they are imagining Yangshuo. Even though China's major cities are changing faster than anybody can process, much of the rural areas are still in tact and moving, at tranquil speeds as tradition demands, but moving. I think the old, timeless image of China is preserved in rural Yangshuo. </div>
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Leaving Moon Hill at dusk</div>
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Obelisk</div>
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Despite the hundreds of collected mosquito bites, torrential sweat, and extremely stressful traveling I am confident in saying that I would do it all over again. Every moment climbing was worth it. Great company as usual. All in all a great trip. </div>
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If you ever plan on traveling to China, again, Yangshuo is a must. Many travelers rent bikes and ride around the countryside. For as touristy as Yangshuo is, the place gets very rural very quickly (last time I was there I rode bikes). You can ride down the dirt roads and stop to talk with peasants. They will most likely invite you in for tea or something to eat. </div>
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Peace and leave no trace, seriously</div>
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Tinted van window filter only in low light :)</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-63148711546321721002014-05-01T19:40:00.001-07:002014-05-03T11:25:42.089-07:00May Day: Qinglong Waterfall and Cave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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To celebrate May Day, one of my students invited me to join some of his classmates on a trip to Wanzhou's Qinglong Waterfall (actually, he is not officially a student of mine, but a student that comes to most English related events). When I left my apartment at 8am I thought the plan was to take a public bus to Qinglong, have lunch, and then go back to campus. </div>
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As things usually go here, I don't ever really know what is going on. After the students showed up an hour late, I discovered that we would be taking a private van (essentially, a dented tin can with wheels), and there would not be three, but seven students and myself. A half day stint ended up being a 13 hour trip. Even though I am entirely opposed to China's Disney World tourism development framework and hate participating in it, I had a great day with the students. As our van hobbled along backroads in south Wanzhou County, with a student's cramped elbow making frequent jabs into my ribs, sun and clouds, I realized that this was probably one of the best days I've had in China. This only reinforces the idea that quality travel is not about the activity or destination necessarily, it is about the people you are traveling with. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Qinglong Waterfall:</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckTpmsKnvVdQ1ETCFjLs0fHfdtB60liZIYyFcWiNP1Cg__wL48GiBNp7fE0xvy92IydlEzuJ1E9YjIMOp8YaNEAcHPxYINZbblI8LHdY3OOdP6rF5CQ59N_euclqLLIakdQLoffrY-bq2/s1600/DSC_0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckTpmsKnvVdQ1ETCFjLs0fHfdtB60liZIYyFcWiNP1Cg__wL48GiBNp7fE0xvy92IydlEzuJ1E9YjIMOp8YaNEAcHPxYINZbblI8LHdY3OOdP6rF5CQ59N_euclqLLIakdQLoffrY-bq2/s1600/DSC_0262.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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They are all art students at my college. Even though they did not get to choose their major, you can tell that they all enjoy their field. And, yes, I think art students in China, like in the U.S. have something different about them. Yes, they smoke too. Those boys must have smoked at least six packs together </div>
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Floorie and I. She is one of my Tourism English majors. If the cosmos shift in our favor then I will teach her class for the two years of my service. There isn't a dull soul in her class. When I asked them what they wanted or wanted to be after graduation some said: super model, Lady CEO of hotel chain, children, to protect China's natural environment, a house for entire family, and super hero. She came along for the trip (And, I think one of the boys is trying to romance her . . . shhhh)</div>
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A park sign claims Lu An Bridge was built a century and a half ago. I am not convinced of An Lu's age </div>
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Qinglong is advertised to be the 'No.1 Waterfall in Asia.' By this I think they mean the widest waterfall in Asia. As grand as it is, there is rumor that Qinglong is man-made </div>
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Boys scoop and toss pooled water</div>
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It took me so long to figure out how to balance the light behind the waterfall and the light coming off the waterfall with reduced shutter speed, all of the students except John and Floorie moved on. We ended up losing them</div>
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In a little underground cavern behind the waterfall Floorie tried on John's glasses. At this point I got the idea that I could possibly be the buffer. . . </div>
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Little Buddhist temple</div>
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We wrote our wishes and dreams on red cloth</div>
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This shot had so much potential. Alas, I created an atrocity. I couldn't figure out how to manage the green/orange, white waterfall, whipping tendrils, and moving people </div>
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John and Floorie</div>
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On the mountain walkway. This was Floorie's third time at the waterfall. To practice for her major she gave John and I a guided tour in English. It took me a while to realize, but John and Floorie only speak to each other in Chinese when necessary. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>To the Cave:</b></span><br />
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After leaving the waterfall we drove back to Wanzhou city. It took us two hours to find lunch because one of the students, who is from Yunnan (which is uncommon at our school), is muslim (also uncommon) and can only eat at certain restaurants. Since it was May Day many of those restaurants were closed. One of the students sarcastically said to me that he is trouble because eating with him is so difficult. It seemed like these long and draining food searches were pretty common for them. Even though it took us two hours to find food that he could eat nobody complained once. Their respect for him and his beliefs should be emulated. </div>
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The cave is about an hour drive south from Wuqiao. Due to some highly inefficient road closing technique, that took me 30 minutes to figure out, we had to walk part of the way to the cave. I had never heard of this cave until we were on our way there. Far east CQ is gorgeous. </div>
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Children playing with mountain water snakes</div>
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We had to wear hardhats. This safety measure is necessary. Many of the passes inside the cave are extremely narrow with sharp stalactites hanging overhead. Even Chinese people have trouble fitting through the passes. Many of the passes are so small I am sure a western cave developer would bar them. </div>
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Perhaps it is my poor photography skills, but I have never been able to take a good photo in a cave. </div>
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This stalagmite must be at least 30ft. tall.</div>
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One interesting thing about the cave is that everything is dripping water. The ceiling is dripping, the walls are waterlogged, and the streams converge. The auditory effect is full and you really feel like you are below a river. </div>
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As Wanzhou tradition demands, we finished our day with the local specialty, spicy roasted fish. </div>
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A lot happened on this day trip. I got to hangout with Chinese art students, observe full respect of a religious minority, play with light, drive down mountain backroads in rural China in a cramped metal coffin, go underground, and witness a romance in the making. Best of all, by the end of the trip almost all of the students were speaking the little English that they know and were asking me to name things for them in English so they could use the words in sentences (they also managed to remember all the swear words they have learned).</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-48501781540227426102014-04-19T23:30:00.001-07:002014-04-19T23:54:25.487-07:00Hiking Club: Wuqiao <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week we took Hiking Club to a mountain behind Three Gorges Medical College. There we rendezvoused with Maivy's (another PCV) Hiking Club. Her club was to guide us around the mountain in their backyard. Collaboration on our secondary projects has been infinitely beneficial for our students and us PCVs. In a word, I just want to express how fortunate I am to be in a city with such great PCVs. </div>
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Our bus crossing the Yangzi River into Wuqiao (Five Bridges). The bus ride from our college to TGMC is approximately 30 minutes. </div>
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Walking the road to the mountain. This was our third hiking trip and on it we encountered the most difficult challenge of running a hiking club. In the morning there was a torrential rain. </div>
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For the first half of the day I thought I was going to have to cancel our trip, but to my surprise, even with Wanzhou's tropical steam bath humidity, much of the water dried before noon. Carelessly, I had not fully realized this reality until the morning, but Hiking Club is entirely dependent on the weather. Weather gods are the worst contingency. With temperatures leveling at 105F and with 100% humidity in the summer, I will have to figure out a way to accommodate these conditions. </div>
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Stopping to test the rocks for bouldering. If there wasn't rainwater flowing though half of the holds there would be potential :)</div>
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Maivy (decked out in white) and students. Most of Maivy's students are studying to become nurses. </div>
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Cow under sky</div>
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I swear, this country has the most available antitheses in the world</div>
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One benefit of the rain is that it clears the air pollution. Nature cleansing itself to unveil its own beauty . . . who knew Nature could be so romantic haha</div>
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Cow family</div>
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View of Wanzhou city from Wuqiao</div>
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Approaching the Yangzi River</div>
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Asian camouflage ;)</div>
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Two thousand years ago the Sichuan/Chongqing region was called Yizhou and was known as the Kingdom of Shu. To most of the ancient Chinese this region was somewhat of a mystery. Getting to Yizhou by land or water was impossibly difficult. Before paved roads the craggy mountainous terrain made overland travel impermissible and the complex river systems daunting even for expert mariners. </div>
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The revered scholar-emissary of Shu, Zhang Song, described the region to the emissary, Yang Xiu of Jingzhou (Hubei Province region) at a parley in 220 AD: "its area exceeds thirty thousand <i>li </i>[an ancient form of Chinese measurement, about a third of a mile]. Cocks crow and dogs bark everywhere, for the common folk are ceaselessly active. The fields are fertile and the soil productive, and neither flood nor drought plagues us. Thus, the state is wealthy and its people prosper, enjoying in due season the delights of music and song. No place under heaven can produce such mountains of goods." In my opinion, this description of the region is still accurate. </div>
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Appropriately named, this region was called the Riverlands. In the picture below you can see the Yangzi river in its might. Larger than the US's Mississippi River, the Yangzi River is formed by collected runoff water from Tibetian/Qinghai glaciers in the far west and empties into the Pacific via Shanghai. </div>
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In the ancient times a slur for a person from Sichuan/Chongqing was 'river-rat.' In Chinese, the word Shu is a homonym of the word for rat. </div>
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With Wanzhou being the second largest city in Chongqing Province, it is impossible for the city to be free from industry. Although Wanzhou's greatest source of economy comes through ports, we do have a surplus of chemical factories that sit in the north and south districts. The city has made efforts to place the factories behind mountains and tucked away in Yangzi River tributaries, but the air pollution is unavoidable </div>
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Old men fishing at a pond. Despite the morning rain, Hiking Club trip #3 was a total success. Our students got to make new friends, new ground was explored, laughter, exercise, and most importantly a safe English speaking environment was provided for our students and used exhaustively. I can't yet tell what it is, but there is something truly good happening here. A huge thanks to Maivy and her students for hosting us. Come to Wanzhou and we will show you around. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-59601052968201520212014-04-09T00:37:00.001-07:002014-04-09T02:19:47.084-07:00Tomb Sweeping Festival: Climbing in Dali, Yunnan Province<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSIWux4Qx91KMenB3MlcEtHod3EF20t-F3e1voyBoTP_7M0FlAm6brIpnUzcfMjeb4bP7V0y5p5O7_PymK5J0OA4Wz6lQg9VDUwR9tEmI1WzsjX591vJAOtI7eHdK1AXe-_jrJ9Mw0gsi/s1600/DSC_0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSIWux4Qx91KMenB3MlcEtHod3EF20t-F3e1voyBoTP_7M0FlAm6brIpnUzcfMjeb4bP7V0y5p5O7_PymK5J0OA4Wz6lQg9VDUwR9tEmI1WzsjX591vJAOtI7eHdK1AXe-_jrJ9Mw0gsi/s1600/DSC_0053.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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Every year during the first week of April many Chinese people celebrate Tomb Sweeping Festival (清明节). Yes, the nationally observed holiday is as literal as it's title. Families clean their ancestors' graves and present offerings such as food and joss money. The significance of the holiday, I fear too simply, is to venerate and remember their ancestors. Anybody who has spent time around Chinese people in China will know that family is everything to them. This unreciprocal dedication of children-to-parents is contributed to Confucius's 2000 year old pillar of filial piety. There is an ancient story to exemplify this maxim. </div>
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Shun (舜) is credited as one of the first three founders of China's first dynasty, Xia (2100BC-1600BC), and is regarded by the Confucians for his supreme virtue and humanity. One day Shun's father commits a crime. Shun faces a moral and civil dilemma: turn is father over to the government or say silent. Law or family. Shun puts his father on his back and runs away. This 4000 year old story still rings true in China today. I hope this example increases the significance of Tomb Sweeping Festival for the reader. </div>
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Since the festival is observed by the Chinese government we PCVs had a nice little holiday. </div>
With four days total Libby, Gabby (site mate), and I decided to go climbing in Dali, Yunnan Province. Yunnan is located in the SW corner of China (see map) and the weather is almost never unpleasant. Sunshine, cool breezes, lush, and mountainous. There is a good reason Yunnan is one of China's most popular tourist regions. For the past five years, members of ClimbDali have been working on making the city China's second most popular climbing destination by bolting over a hundred sport routes and putting up dozens of bouldering problems. Even though we never ended up meeting the climbing developers, I have to say they have done an excellent job.<br />
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With only four days to climb all of our scheduling had to be airtight and movements swift. After teaching two morning classes my site mate and I hopped onto a 4 hour bus from Wanzhou to Chongqing proper. An hour on the subway, rendezvoused with Libby, and then an 1.5 hour plane to Lijiang, Yunnan. Spent the night in Lijiang. From Lijiang we took a 1.5 hour train to Dali. Car to Shuanglang town on the NE end of Erhai Lake. Dropped our bags at a Rongyi hostel and headed immediately out to Shuanglang Softcore crag. After dodging through small alleyways filled with leathery faced old people, smoking pipes and cigarettes, their hands stained with the colors of decades of rural labor and red earth, shoeless children with dirty faces, we made it to the path that led the crags. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Crag One: Shuanglang Softcore</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IyuYQ5C0fcaOmeCpUNqmLAqzlbJsULGK_H6CV9LXU9pOm5oDNtaOxRMc4uwXM9sPN26U8hF6OTYJK2by1YvtE7jKMtJgp4g6u6Ubt9SbVHwpNelKp-HqN7FZ78LzA8Sp5btdvcwFi73Q/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IyuYQ5C0fcaOmeCpUNqmLAqzlbJsULGK_H6CV9LXU9pOm5oDNtaOxRMc4uwXM9sPN26U8hF6OTYJK2by1YvtE7jKMtJgp4g6u6Ubt9SbVHwpNelKp-HqN7FZ78LzA8Sp5btdvcwFi73Q/s1600/DSC_0003.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
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The walk to Shuanglang Softcore looks more like Mexico than China</div>
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It started raining pretty hard on our way to the crag. Hiking up wet rock on a precipice is never fun</div>
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A top section of wall protrudes just enough to protect the lower section from the rain. So we climbed</div>
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Then the rain cleared. Gabby leading 'River of Poo' (5.10d)</div>
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Me chillin on 'River of Poo.' I am sitting at the crux. Inside those black cavities there are a bunch of small animal bones. After two separate days of attempts we never ended up getting to the end of the river. I believe 5.10d is our difficulty ceiling</div>
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Gabby leading 'If you Bolt it, they will come' (5.9+). This route is said to be the most interesting at the Shuanglang crags and of the many routes we climbed it proved so. Great route!!</div>
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Libby cleaning 'Table Score' (5.7) I crushed on lead ;)</div>
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Yep, Erhai Lake(洱海). We learned that the 'Er' in Erhai is the same 'er' in Pu'er tea(普洱茶). We think the 'Er' symbolizes this region of Yunnan.</div>
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Sunsets over Erhai make all the traveling worthwhile</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>-Days Two and Three at Softcore</b></span><br />
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The day of Tomb Sweeping Festival. Based on the emotions coming from the cemetery, Tomb Sweeping Festival is not sad, but one that encourages joyous celebration. </div>
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Peasants observing from the hills</div>
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White and orange. Sky, plants, and wind </div>
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Libby on 'Cactus Pants' (5.8) </div>
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Gabby on 'Cactus Pants'</div>
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Back on 'If you Bolt them, they will come' </div>
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Homunculus Cloud ;)</div>
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Erhai Lake </div>
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Me leading 'Stairmaster' (5.9)</div>
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Cacti everywhere. I accidentally kicked one and spent five minutes pulling spines out of the top of my foot</div>
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These dried flowers are hard and toll like small bells with staccato in the wind </div>
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It got so hot by day three that we had to shade our provisions </div>
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My 'Princess Mononoke antlers'</div>
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A great sight to see us off </div>
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<b> <span style="font-size: large;">Crag Two: Shimenguan (石门关)</span></b><br />
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Shimenguan is about an hour drive outside of Dali. Although peasants still live inside Shimenguan, it is a protected national park of China. Shimenguan is marked by its massive gorge, massive boulders, priceless walnut trees, and serene river. </div>
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This water comes directly from the gorge mountains. There is no pollution in the area, no farming or human habitation up river from here. You can swim in this pool and the locals say the water is safe to drink. </div>
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Climbing is not allowed in the gorge on the right. The crags that have been developed are on the left. With the bludgeoning heat, heavy gear, loose footing, overgrown thorny path, and the large amounts of pollen and burs this may have been the roughest yet shortest hike I have made in China. Bushwhacking. </div>
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Libby leading 'BB Kuen Kuen Chu' (5.8)</div>
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Me hanging out in the only available shade at the crag</div>
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It was so hot we had to stop climbing. In case you were wondering, rocker-hands are in in China. </div>
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The water was to cold to swim in, so...</div>
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This was the first time I had the chance to experiment with small rapids and shutter speed. If I had a tripod these pictures would have been much better. I think these are the best of the lot. </div>
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A man naps in the gorge. </div>
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For our trip only being four days long it was an excellent one. I am really happy that we decided to go. This was my second time in Dali and even though my time in China is limited I would go again, climbing or not. </div>
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In a word. Living in a Chinese city is rough in its own way. The poor environment leaves people jaded. For, I think it is vital that one travels out to places like Yunnan to remind them of the great serenity that China still has to offer. Traveling to the big cities, the industrial monsters will only reinforce the notions, impressions, feelings, and inferences that cause people to despise China. If you plan on traveling in China I ask you to please skip the big cities. Do hard research and see the small things in the rural areas, you will be surprised what they have to offer. The places in the middle of nowhere are difficult to get out to but always worth it. Remember, traveling is about the process: what is in between point A and wherever point B may be. </div>
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Libby opening a melon with the back end of a pen a the airport :) Love the Peace Corps</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-52736097850675412472014-03-11T20:27:00.000-07:002014-03-12T01:59:12.012-07:00Hiking Club To Peace Mountain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every Peace Corps Volunteer is required to have a primary project and a secondary project. Globally, Peace Corps primary projects fall in the fields of Agriculture, Youth in Development, Community Economic Development, Environment, Health, and Education. All primary projects for PC China volunteers are centered around English teaching. This semester at Three Gorges Vocational College, I teach Oral English to Tourism, Logistics, Management, Hotel Management, and Gardening majors. Last semester I taught Animal Medicine, Animal Feed, and Aquatic Products majors. Other than my Tourism students, who can really benefit from English and do, there is little practical reason for most of my students to learn English.<br />
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Almost all of my students are from rural Sichuan Province and rural Chongqing Province, and a handful are from Gansu and Xinjiang provinces. Some students will move to a city for work, but many will return to the countryside after graduation.<br />
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These circumstances do not determine an end and my project is certainly not a vain endeavor. There are still many students who love to learn English and even more who are eager to learn about western culture. But for those who are not interested in either, I attempted to find an alternative. For my first secondary project (hopefully there will be a second), I started a hiking club. Secondary projects have few boundaries. They are left to the volunteers discretion and imagination. All secondary projects strive for sustainability.<br />
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I wanted to create an environment where students were not so distracted by the formalities that come with speaking/practicing a language, to make speaking more casual. One major thing that mentally bars students from speaking English is the fear of judgement from their peers and failure in front of their peers, resulting in low speaking confidence. In class, some students, literally will not speak because they are so terrified. I thought that on a mountain hike one would be too busy worrying about falling down and breathing to care about whether or not one's pronunciation is sound enough for his or her peers. I figured at this point English speaking would become more casual.<br />
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During my first semester I took a poll and was surprised to find that nearly fifty percent of my students liked hiking and considered it a hobby. But when I asked them what they did on the weekend they would say, "Sleeping. Ummmmm. . . watch TV." There are mountains in our school's backyard and many of my students had never thought to explore them. I took another poll and found that about eighty percent were very interested in a hiking club. Two weeks into the second semester on a cool Saturday afternoon we convened. Thirty five students (hopefully less next time) showed up and we left for Peace Mountain.<br />
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Hiking Club meets biweekly. We try our best to stay out of farming fields, but sometimes you have to cut through. </div>
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Although the club is simple to manage it is time consuming because you have to do the scouting yourself, at least until it is sustainable and the students can run it. </div>
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Safety is our highest priority. I brought a small medical kit. All students should have water even if they don't want to bring it or think they don't need it. </div>
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Environmental education is another goal. Many students litter. After warning them about littering I did not see one littered water bottle on our hike. In the future I will apply for funding to get guest speakers lecture on the subject. </div>
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Sunday and I at the summit of Peace Mountain</div>
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English-Chinese exchange</div>
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As you can see it got a little crowded at the summit. The hike cap is twenty students. We made an exception this meeting. </div>
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The first week of Hiking Club was a huge success. We had an overwhelming turnout. To my knowledge there was no littering. Exercise. The exhilaration of exploration. Something new. Most importantly, in the three hours we spent hiking - I have never heard more English being spoken by Chinese people in my life. </div>
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A special thanks to Gabby, Maivy, and Marisa for helping me guide the first hike.</div>
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A bit of conversation from the hike:<br />
Gabby: "You must be careful when you are hiking."<br />
Girl Student: "Teacher, I am from countryside. . ."<br />
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<u><b>For those interested in starting their own club</b></u>. We created a QQ group for the club. There around 200 registered members. Students from all majors included. The QQ group is the best way to distribute mass info. One heroic student runs the QQ group. And, as you can see speaking English is not a requirement or a goal. I believe this makes the students more comfortable. This was the first mass message to all the members:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">The Hiking Club has three goals. 1. To create new friendships on campus 2. To teach students new ways to protect the environment 3. To manifest the spirit of adventure. But first we must be safe. So we have decided that only 20 students can come hiking each week. Students will be chosen randomly. Ten boys and ten girls will chosen each week. Hiking Club will be held every two weeks.Rules: 1. No littering. If you litter you cannot go on a hike again. 2. Be safe. No pushing or fighting on the trail. 3. Listen to the teachers.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">远足俱乐部三大宗旨:1、增进同学情谊2、推广环保实践3、</span><wbr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"></wbr><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">挑战冒险精神。 考虑到安全因素,每次活动限20名同学参加,人员随机选择,</span><wbr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"></wbr><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">男女各10人。远足活动间周举行一次。 注意事项:1、严禁乱扔垃圾。如有违反将取消参加活动的资格。</span><wbr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;"></wbr><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.727272033691406px;">2、安全第一。禁止在路上推搡打闹。3、一切听从老师安排。</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-59039734496773646532014-02-15T20:38:00.001-08:002014-03-11T20:40:36.457-07:00Organic Farming Pilot Project Group Five: A Return to Soil<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;">Two days after my winter vacation in Getu, I walked from my apartment to the train station in 35F cold at 3:00am to catch a night train to Chengdu. </span></div>
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This winter PC China initiated a pilot project at an organic farm. Eight separate groups of volunteers were to work for three days in total. This project was not only intended to bring volunteers closer to agriculture, which still comprises roughly 70% of China's economy, but to teach volunteers new ways of perpetuating and encouraging environmental sustainability and to foster a greater sense of volunteer unity.<br />
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The organic farm is located a few hours outside of Chengdu. Throughout the weeks, groups of volunteers were to complete a variety of tasks assigned by Farmer Gao, the manager of the farm. When I arrived in Chengdu it was snowing.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Arrival Day:</span></div>
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This flaming paint can is the only source of heat on the farm. As you can see the baby cat, 'Six Pack,' sat too close and was a flaming kitty for a moment.<br />
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Our first task was to pick rapeseed, peasant backpacks and all.<br />
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This land is not owned by Farmer Gao. He rents the land from what my skeptical imagination marks to be some sort of land baron, who predictably owns most of the land in the area. Farmer Gao in turn, rents small sections of the land to affluent urbanites who have been swept up in the typhoon of health consciousness. A 25'x10' plot is 1000kuai (164USD) per month. He either grows fully organic vegetables for them or the patrons can tend to their gardens as they please. <br />
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Picking rapeseed is complicated. Adding the language barrier, I still don't know if we were picking it the right way.<br />
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It must have been 40F outside. The leaves were wet. Hands red and burning. Raines is still jolly and adroit. </div>
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Hat + Scarf + 3 Coats + Pants + Upper and Lower Base Layers + Thick Socks + Water Proof Boots + 1 Glove = Still Freezing</div>
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We picked, frozen digits, until dark<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day Two:</span></div>
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It was so cold I went to bed wearing everything that I arrived in. Even though the heat doesn't work in my apartment in Chongqing and I am accustomed to seeing my breath in the morning this was a whole new level of deep cold. We spent our morning sitting around the fire waiting for breakfast and a task. </div>
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Farmer Gao waited to see if the temp would rise before he put us to work so we went on a walk. To the volunteers who planned on swimming in the river during summer Eco Camp, I apologize. </div>
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The momma above is called Tudou'r (Potato). The small potatoes don't have names yet. There are many animals on the farm. One dog was named Xiao Hei (Little Black). Another, Xiao Huang (Little Yell'r), but we called him Butt-Head for physiological reasons. And a pet chicken with a broken leg, his name is Ji (Chicken).</div>
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We ran out of firewood. </div>
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Farmer Gao showed us how it is done</div>
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The PC Chongqing Province manager (my overseer), Sandy, and the Gansu PM came for lunch. </div>
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Siting around the fire waiting for lunch. The Gao family is vegetarian. Their food is some of the best I've had in China, definantly the best in Chengdu. I can't wait to get back and eat. </div>
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To reduce water consumption dishes are washed with sawdust. The sawdust absorbs all of the moisture in the bowl and is course enough to grind out any left food matter. </div>
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For me this was the most exciting part of the farm. . . This is the farm's gas system (Or as my mom mentioned to me, biogas digester). The concrete circle in the back is a fermentation chamber. If you look to the nice picture below, there is organic waste stored in a chamber below the four concrete slabs. As the waste decomposes there is water run off that is funneled into the fermentation chamber. As the water ferments it lets off a type of methane gas that is stored in the raised concrete chamber in the picture above. The little red knob turn the gas on and off. The methane gas is used to heat the shower and sink water. Fascinating, right?!</div>
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Despite the pleasantness of Sandy and Shawn there is organic waste stored below the concrete slabs</div>
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Farmer Gao shows us cauliflower</div>
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Broccoli above. If you are wondering why broccoli and cauliflower grow similar leaves it is because broccoli is the child of cauliflower and the green pea (I think . . .).</div>
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This structure was built and painted by some brilliant volunteers during the winter pilot project. There is even an electrical outlet tucked away in the ceiling. </div>
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Chillin, literally . . .</div>
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Six Pack sitting on IPad</div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Day Three:</span><br />
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In the morning there was rain, sleet, and snow. With high humidity and the temperature dropping below 40F it was too cold and wet to work. The following day's forecast was dismal. Since working conditions were not safe, we opted to leave the farm a day early. Even though we were frozen for two days straight, we honestly made the best of our time on the farm. All laughs, smiles, sarcasm, interpretations, and singing in temperatures some may have broken down in tears. I am so fortunate to have shared this experience with Raines and Shawn. I know we are now much closer because of it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-26110448914053075772014-02-08T01:27:00.000-08:002014-02-17T23:23:44.166-08:00Winter Vacation: Climbing in Getu<br />
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After Peace Corps China's annual In-Service Training in Chengdu many volunteers migrate south for the remainder of winter break (mid-Jan through late Feb). I didn't reach as far as South Asia, but I did deal with some serious sun burn and am currently wearing a gnarly glasses tan. Due to time restrictions and forces out of my grasp my trip was only a week long. Our travel troop consisted of Libby (just one of the badass Peace Corps Chongqingers), Marisa (my cultured girlfriend), and myself. This post will swiftly take you day by day.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day One: Missed Flight and Survivor </span><br />
Marisa arrived in Chengdu! She was immediately introduced to the fiery power of Sichuan cuisine, respiratory tract weathering and vision impairing amounts of smog, and the copious amounts of banal yet deeply curious stares most blond/blue eyed/white people get in the more back country cities in China. Marisa will study abroad at Peking University, in Beijing, this semester. I must admit that I admire Marisa's resilience and tolerance for things-out-of-the-ordinary. For first impressions, traveling from the cold havoc of Chengdu to the back-back country in rural Guizhou, with two volunteers who don't care much for functional amenities and things of that nature, is breakdown inducing. But no teary twitch even feigned to occur.<br />
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To save 18 hours of time spent on the train instead of climbing we booked flights from Chengdu to Guiyang. We missed our flight on the morning of Jan 28th, so all of our brilliant travel planning ended in vein. But we did find out that if you miss your plane in China you are still able to change flights for a price of 50 kuai (8USD)! Our newly scheduled flight didn't leave until the following morning so we had an entire day to blow. We decided that our time would be best spent at Survivor Climbing Gym in Chengdu. Libby and I went there a couple times during IST. We met the owner, who had placed eighth in the world in 2005 five and a dude from Washington who has spent the last four years developing climbing in Western China. I had actually read two of his climbing guides prior to meeting him. When there are other climbers at the gym it is a little intimidating because all them are experts at their art. I think all of the best climbers are drawn to this gym because it is the only gym in SW China.<br />
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Some gear (new shoes) and goods Marisa brought from the states and the old sections of bouldering wall at Survivor Rock Gym. </div>
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Survivor is on the top floor of a nearly abandoned mall in Chengdu. Although the interior is well marked with signs indicating its location, none of the escalators or lights are turned on, you are visually inundated by old advertisements and store signs loaded with Chinese characters and meaningless numbers, all the walls are leaking and rusty, and all the surfaces are coated in a layer of dust. This place is quintessential China dystopia. It feels like this is a place you could survive the zombie apocalypse. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day Two: Traveling to Getu</span></div>
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The following day we flew to Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou Province, located in in South Central China. Although Guizhou Province remains one of China's least developed and poorest provinces it is of remarkable beauty and still values firm conservation of culture. Day to day life is still really tough for many people in Guizhou, but you can tell by the overwhelming amounts of smilies and laughter that there is something they hold deep that makes it all worth it. </div>
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Rising above the smog trapped in the Sichuan Basin</div>
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Abnormal Chinese airplane food</div>
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Getting to Getu is quick but not easy. Getu or Getu River (格凸河), as the Chinese people in the area know it, was not on any map until recently. In 2011, French climbing company Petzl sponsored a RocTrip to develop climbing in Getu. Teams of developers bolted routes for weeks totaling to over two hundred pitches. Hopping on the bandwagon, the provincial government started pouring money into developing Getu for mass tourism. I am not sure when it was officiated, but Getu is registered as a Chinese National Park. Right now Getu is in the midst of development, and if you have experienced a rural place in the process of development for tourism you will know that it is ugly, awkward, and the people living there have no clue which way is up. From what I was told, every year since the RocTrip, Getu has gotten more hectic, resulting in the loss of the quaint style of living found in rural mountain areas of China. On the positive side, right now, Getu is transitioning into a tourist economy, meaning the mind sets of the people there are too adapting and transmogrifying. </div>
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<b>How to get to Getu: </b></div>
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1. From Guiyang Long Distance Bus Station or Airport Bus Station go to Anshun (30 kuai/1.5hrs). These buses arrive and depart every hour or so.</div>
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2. From the Anshun (安顺) Bus Station to Ziyun (紫云) (30 kuai/2hrs). These buses arrive and depart every 20 mins. Note: In Ziyun you will start to find people who know about or have heard of Getu. Before Ziyun don't expect much.</div>
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3. From Ziyun Bus Station take a small bus to Getu (格凸) (10 kuai/1hrs). Or you can take a taxi, which is only a little faster and it will cost 40-100 kuai. Note: the buses come every 20 mins </div>
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When you arrive in Getu you will know you are there. The mountains will let you know. There are many hotels that range from 60-150 kuai per night. They have nice hot showers and softish beds, which is rare for Chinese hotels. You can camp in the mountains if you feel like it, no problem, just bring a tent. There is an admission fee to the National Park (Zone C). I think it was waived for us since we are foreigners. Most of the climbing in Getu (Zone A and Zone B, probably 80% of the climbing) lies outside of the park borders, so you will never have to pay to climb there. There are three really good restaurants at near the main gate of the park. They stay open until around 9pm. Finding a lunch to pack is a very difficult. We resorted to eating snacks for breakfast and lunch for most of the trip. Maybe all the fruit was out of season when we were there, but there was no fruit anywhere. You can buy supplies in Ziyun. </div>
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The Great Arch is as GREAT as they say. Seeing the arch is worth a trip in itself. They say it has greatest open air mouth in the world. You can climb inside the arch. We arrived later in the day. </div>
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At night all of the mountains disappear in the night and the stars and planets peer quietly down. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day Three: Pussa Yan Crag</span><br />
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Morning. Strapped for climbing. </div>
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A river that drains into the abyss of Lazy Dragon's Cave behind our hotel</div>
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Road to Zone B Crags </div>
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Zone B and a stinky buffalo friend (From left: White Crag, CDMI Wall, Pussa Yan) </div>
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There are rice paddies and strawberry groves below all of the crags</div>
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Libby at the base of Pussa Yan Crag</div>
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Zone A in the distance (Fish Crag, Left of Red, Rastaman, etc.)</div>
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We made it to Getu in time for Chinese New Year. The locals were making these glutenous rice paddies with super spicy bean filling. We ate these for lunch for the first couple of days at Getu. </div>
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Me leading a 5.10 route at Pussa Yan Crag</div>
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We met a climbing couple who we ended up having dinner with every night of our trip. They are climbing around the world for one year. He is from Catalonia and she is from Brazil. Some Chinese guys stopped by to talk and take pictures. </div>
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Zone B Crags at sunset</div>
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Rastaman and Oliver's Crag at sunset</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day Four: White Crag</span><br />
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Out early. The Zones A and B are a 30 min walk from the town center. The fog was so thick that morning you could barely see 20ft. in front of you. </div>
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Marisa approaching White Crag </div>
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The sound of goat bells never fails to toll at the crags </div>
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I got too scared. Marisa finished leading this 5.10 route at White Crag </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day Five: Left of Red Crag and Hiking</span><br />
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We were in above our heads. Marisa took a slight fall while leading this difficult 5.10 route. We were exhausted by this point. We had climbed for the past three days, from dawn till dusk in the blaring sun, no shade at the crags. </div>
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So we stopped and went for a short hike!</div>
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We stopped at a spot called Secret Garden</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day Six: Miao Village and Bouldering at Color Changing Lake</span></div>
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Just before noon we left for the Miao Village</div>
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!!!!!</div>
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One thing that many westerners don't know about China is that not all indigenous Chinese look 'Chinese.' There are 55 ethnic minorities in China. They comprise about 8% of China's overall population. The other 92% are Han Chinese. I am half Han Chinese by blood. The Miao are heavily staked in Guizhou Province. They have their own language/dialect but nothing is written. Their mythology and folk tales are told through their elaborate clothing. Even though the Miao are one of the biggest minorities in China, like all minorities all over the world the Miao struggle to be heard. I seems that most of the people living in Getu are Miao. The older Miao still wear traditional grab out of normalcy, yet the young Miao ride fast motorcycles, wear silver earrings and lots of black pleather. With the development of Getu I suspect that the Miao here will soon face history's timeless dilemma of tradition or progress. </div>
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The Village is in the process of developing for tourism, but there still are serene places. </div>
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Baby Pig</div>
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Path to Color Changing Lake</div>
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You can barley see him through the trees, but there was a man chipping white limestone out of the ground in his backyard. You see exposed limestone all over Getu. It is clear that the white limestone is worth something to the people. </div>
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Color Changing Lake is said to be one of the two deepest lakes in Guizhou. A sign said in Chinese and English that the lake was 900-somthing meters deep. . . I don't really believe that. But, the sign also said that the lake changes color with the seasons. </div>
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Unexpectedly we found two awesome boulders at the lake. I call the first 'Chameleon Rock' in ode to the name of the lake Biansehu. Bianselong (color changing dragon) or chameleon. And for its multitude of tiny holds that seem to change position at every grasp.<br />
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This is the second boulder at the lake. It is perched no more than 30ft. above Chemelon Rock. I call it 'Miao's Razor' in relation to the mountain called 'Sword of Miao' in the area. Also, every single hold on this rock is like a razor. </div>
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Yeah, we drew a crowd</div>
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Chinese people love to photo bomb</div>
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Yeah. . .</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day Seven: CDMI Wall</span><br />
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First cloudy day at Getu was our last day at getu</div>
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When I am not climbing I am pounding sun flower seeds</div>
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I am pretty sure Marisa is top roping a really scary 5.10 I led</div>
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Like Getu smiled as we left the crags</div>
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We had these stale egg cakes for break fast and lunch everyday. . .</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Day Eight: A Day in Chongqing City</span></div>
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Even though I live in Chongqing Province I have not seen much of the city. Libby left for Chengdu so Marisa and I spent some time exploring by ourselves. This picture was taken just before a thief plowed through the crowd in his getaway.</div>
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Kites at the port</div>
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Fin. </div>
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A Brief Note On Hiking:<br />
<span style="text-align: center;">I have never seen any writing about hiking at Getu so I will do it. Getu has amazing hiking potential. There is one main road that runs through the center of the town all the way to a Miao Village, and on this road there are dozens of entrances to goat trails. Many people complain, myself included, that there is no hiking in China. That the ornamental steps the tourism developers install in the mountains ruins the authenticity of a hike. I agree, so I started hiking the goat and peasant trails. China has no shortage of these trails, they are everywhere. They are safe and decently maintained. If you want to find good hiking just follow that old man carrying the 100lbs. roll of sticks on his back or the heard of goats. See where they go. So if you are not a climber and want to see Getu I recommend that you pack a cheap tent and get lost on some goat trails. </span><br />
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My palace in Wanzhou:<br />
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Living Room/Dining/Where I sleep</div>
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Kitchen/Laundry Room/Bathroom+Kitchen Sink/Atrium Room</div>
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Toilet/Shower/Mop Storage Room</div>
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2nd Bedroom (I forgot to take a picture of my 1st bedroom)</div>
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Balcony/Cloths Drying Room/Mosquito Haven</div>
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I was told that I will be moving to a building in that complex next year</div>
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To shift to our topic, I bought a bike the other day. Although one bus fare in Wanzhou costs 1 kuai (16 cents USD), the buses drive slow in the mountains and stop in practical places, rendering the hapless explorer largely immobile. Even though my purchase might be seen as exorbitant by the virtue of the PC, I believe it is fully justified by its potential for fun.<br />
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A map of Wanzhou City I marked up for you:<br />
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To make it easier for non-Chinese Language speakers and students I translated the names of the subdivisions into English myself. The translations have been edited by Wanzhou natives and the boarders were traced by their fingers. Above are the four primary subdivisions in Wanzhou. If you can see it, I live and teach in the little red circle at the south end of Dragon Baby.<br />
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I set out at around 10:00am with two slices of bread and a bottle of water. I rode South. Past the South border of Dragon Baby and into a very dusty industrial area. Massive trucks hauling rubble, dirt, and barrels roared by me heading uphill. All incline. Passing old peasants carrying their crop. It is hot. There are no clouds only sun and blue. My goal was to break the Wanzhou City limits and ride into the countryside. After passing the 'Chemical Industry Park (which is certainly not a park but the small area outside of what I suspect is a chemical factory)' three times, I decided to double back and look for a mesa like mountain that had grabbed my attention the day before from a long distance bus.<br />
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As seen in many places in China the contrast between the new and old ways of life is apparent</div>
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View from the bridge leading to 'Chemical Industry Park'</div>
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A factory hangs over receding farmland</div>
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I knew the mesa was somewhere in Five Bridges, so I crossed the towering bridge that connects Baby Dragon to Five Bridges. The official name of the bridge is literal, 'Big Bridge.' The reverse catenary (idk, bu xiao dei . . . thing) of this bridge is gaping - you could fly a fleet of spaceships through it. </div>
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Riding across Big Bridge</div>
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Ports and development on the Yangtze</div>
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Bu xiao dei!</div>
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After crossing the Big Bridge, I rode North in search of the mesa. After riding for 20 minutes I spotted it! The next issue was figuring out how to get to the top of it. I realized that I was not in the US and the mesa had not been developed into a river lookout, yet. From where I stood, I could see a little ridge that connected to the back of the mesa. It was covered with little planting sections, so I figured I'd have to talk to some farmers in order to gain access to their backyard. Riding on, I passed a dim little dirt road covered by low trees. There was garbage burning at the entrance. There were a few dogs and lingering and a thin old man sleeping on a stone slab. After realizing that I had ridden too far and obviously missed the entrance, I decided to try the dim road.</div>
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Inside the covering</div>
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I rode downhill. I did not see anybody but could hear yelling (which is usually friendly in Chongqing). Over trash, mud, and loose rocks I thought about turning back. I thought of the consequences of trespassing and ways to redirect a confrontation. And then the trees cleared. </div>
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I parked my bike to hike</div>
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The top was filled with planting beds, some fresh and some ancient</div>
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Victory over nature portrait</div>
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From the ridge I could see a waterfall running into a Yangtze tributary</div>
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I had been planning on riding back to campus but I had to see the waterfall. My initial plan was to ride to the base of the waterfall, but after discovering that I had to hike down steep dirt stairs to reach the riverside I settled for riding to the mouth of the waterfall. </div>
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Maybe its because I am from the Midwest and we have nothing like this, like rarely will we, if ever, have a need for vocabulary like fjord, but I am always in awe of natural scenery involving elevation, trees, and water. </div>
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Autumn?!</div>
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In order to walk to the waterfall I had to cross a stream littered with garbage runoff and possibly miscellaneous diseases. To fear the plunge is not out of fear of getting wet or slipping or being swept away by the current, but by contracting a skin infection or whatever. A video of the crossing for you. </div>
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<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywjFvGF3AJe95UHI8x5rbiRogR2VhIVtISVXHrfsFK0kJpcmF254TSSseDhuF83zdnHNvDVSoEGTVnNkrWTA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I got back to my apartment at around 3:00pm, made noodles, and then went to help set up the English Library.</div>
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Come to Wanzhou! I will take you to these places!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-8519538961863898702013-07-21T04:33:00.002-07:002013-07-21T05:56:22.392-07:00La La MienI wish the circumstances were different. Friday late in the afternoon I was told that I would be living alone for an undetermined amount of time. When my Host Family found out that our grandmother had fallen deathly ill they dropped everything immediately and left to be with her. Since I do not have a cell phone or land line I cannot contact them. We are both sitting in the dark. Wherever they are, all my hopes are with them.<br />
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What can I do for them when they return home? What would make my Host Mother happy?</div>
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Not knowing what is considered -- a socially acceptable reaction, I asked one of my PC instructors if she thought buying gifts was a good idea. Breaking from her usual quaint elegance, nearly the dip of a curtsey demure, she backhanded me with a flat "NO." Unless her answer was stock and dictated by my low income and/or position, to which I hope it was not, the logic is commonsensical: gifts do not cure grieving. It is amazing how distracted and ignorant you can become when trying to help remedy the anguish of an august friend. </div>
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Thinking, I remembered how I made my host mother cry with laughter when I announced, with my chest inflated, that I could make 'wontons.' My 3rd generation americanized pronunciation of the Cantonese word, <i>wonton</i>, turned her intensity knob from a natural 7 to a 10. In Mandarin, <i>wonton</i>, is pronounced, <i>hundun</i>. In fact, many Chinese ingredients and foods available in the U.S. have Cantonese names, such as <i>bok choy</i>. If Mandarin is the dominant or official language in China, why then, do we have so many Cantonese words in American cuisine? By 1890, a little over 100,000 Chinese people had immigrated to the U.S., most of which came from Canton Province (now Guangdong), where Cantonese was/is dominant. My Chinese family is one of those immigrant families, hailing from Taishan county, like many old Chinese Bostonians. Although some people may contest, I contribute the popularity of <i>wok</i> style cooking in the U.S. to early Cantonese immigration, in that the <i>wok</i> is a Cantonese word and invention. After I displayed my, might I say, exceptional <i>jiaozi</i> (dumpling) folding technique, in her whiplike shrill voice, my Host Mother kept repeating, "Guangdong! Guangdong! Guangdong!," with spurts of uncontrollable laughter in between. </div>
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You have heard, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," well, I plan on applying this technique, in a less crude sense. When my Host Mother returns I plan on cheering her up though my cooking. I will construct my own dish with all fresh Sichuan ingredients. </div>
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I have been cooking for myself since I can remember. Dabbling in and experimenting with many cuisines. But as you may have heard, Sichuan cuisine is a whole different ballpark, a different narrative of flavors. Since I am paid something like 6.10USD a day my dish will not be fancy, but basic and hopefully tasty. Without a recipe I will attempt to make a vegetarian l<i>a mien</i> (spicy noodles).</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>La Mien</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. Ingredients:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Freshly Made Noodles </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Four Flaps of Bok Choy Lookin' Stuff</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Spicy Green Pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Two Dried Sichuan Spicy Red Peppers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- A Three-Finger Pinch of Peppercorn </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Three Cloves of Garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Two Glops of Sesame Seed Oil</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Two Big Glops of Mysterious Red Cooking Oil In Bucket</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- One Big Glug of Soy Sauce </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. Cook</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Boil Bok Choy Lookin' Stuff in pot on the left to eviscerate all bad things that cause your stomach to churn.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Boil Noodle in pot on the left.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Put everything else in the pan on the right.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Mix contents from pots carefully.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. Eat!</span></div>
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It is not as spicy as I'd like it to be but that can be fixed. Adding put the costs of ingredients it comes out to about 3 kuai (50 cents USD). Don't let the pictures deceive you, that bowl is very big. This is a full meal. In about a month I plan on eating a dish like this every night. </div>
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I don't think my Host Mother will care much for my food but I hope that she will be able to laugh about it. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-82238417150705215552013-07-07T02:47:00.001-07:002013-07-07T02:56:41.032-07:00Let's Catch Up In ChinaLet's catch up. I am unwilling to give up the initial presence, rather than purpose, of this blog. Since my last harangue much has happened in my life. I graduated from Lake Forest College with a double major in Asian Studies and Philosophy. I spent two weeks between Boston, Phili, and New York, everyday filled with a cesspool of hot, uneasy class and gnarl, like a wrinkled dress shirt and worn Sperry's. <br />
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My brave girlfriend and her fancy job look down at Rockefeller Center. I marvel at this image confidently. If I were not where I am now I would be in New York City, for sure. Either in Brooklyn or Harlem. Their auric urban aromas cause one to wince yet somehow dually enchant. But this is a conversation for another day. </div>
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Funny enough, I wrote a one hundred thirty sum page senior thesis on, "Thucydides' Trap: The Possibility of War between the United States and China," and the Peace Corps sent me to China to serve! I achieved my Plan A right out of undergrad. Although I can't speak about the quality of my job yet since I am still in training, I can honestly say the volunteers of China 19 are some of the most good natured and intelligent people I have ever met in my life. Every 19 is in inspiration.</div>
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Right now I am siting in my room in Chengdu, China. My dress clothes are hanging on an ancient, unsteady bamboo stick outside my window. I fear the wind will carry all of my cloths away. My host father, Mr. Xiao and I built a desk for my room. One of my desk's legs was too small so we had to shake down the pirate desk salesman for a new one. There are pencil scrawled abysses all over my walls. Some may think my room looks filthy but I feel as if I were living in a Cy Twombly painting. My bed is like a Hostess cupcake, it fills most of the package. . . </div>
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The Twombly in my room.</div>
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To me, most of what I have written above is uninteresting. I find stories of others, stories of things, and movements of the world interesting. I will continue to post about people and books, but most of all I want to show you a side of China that is ungarbled by media and politics. To start, here: </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Huang Long Xi</u></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebrj5v568tyRnS0n2XFwrPZl2ZrLYvnY1-HtVeTYWGU396VP-tcVyvRKnyUZtnoJcAy3BED455OGiKr9L1q3qAEdqohN46wG2S1TU7xUzKP2apAVGt6whe55buAudCUIQOpKYuaxmoHWX/s1600/DSC_0551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebrj5v568tyRnS0n2XFwrPZl2ZrLYvnY1-HtVeTYWGU396VP-tcVyvRKnyUZtnoJcAy3BED455OGiKr9L1q3qAEdqohN46wG2S1TU7xUzKP2apAVGt6whe55buAudCUIQOpKYuaxmoHWX/s640/DSC_0551.JPG" width="424" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQStyTKy7T2NYoYdslugjLpClX0glN_xgGWJ5n6XNUPZ6h-xB8NSktUMr8oq7yAHNGNvCqY8cGu2d04uDpGBBvaQ0iaZVMYRn-XFC8dl1VcNjt06blsyToLyBOVdim_gr7sspMcMrJyeQ/s1600/DSC_0631.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQStyTKy7T2NYoYdslugjLpClX0glN_xgGWJ5n6XNUPZ6h-xB8NSktUMr8oq7yAHNGNvCqY8cGu2d04uDpGBBvaQ0iaZVMYRn-XFC8dl1VcNjt06blsyToLyBOVdim_gr7sspMcMrJyeQ/s640/DSC_0631.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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A vineyard on the outskirts of Chengdu</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-55590958854825201632013-01-10T12:59:00.004-08:002013-01-10T12:59:47.178-08:00When Monetary Value Meets The Sentimental<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-SkxuT-uFc6vDpoqx93nLXlkN72ibYGxu9HJQFOLCu54et_G60cVB6rsvTWqVJqLoZAdCjmLUzJ1kExmXkSinJ4ytKgq5rT4TZNIgvhEplA13dkiC3oaJnm8A45RFYlaVyGygRc1wnDP/s1600/IMG_0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-SkxuT-uFc6vDpoqx93nLXlkN72ibYGxu9HJQFOLCu54et_G60cVB6rsvTWqVJqLoZAdCjmLUzJ1kExmXkSinJ4ytKgq5rT4TZNIgvhEplA13dkiC3oaJnm8A45RFYlaVyGygRc1wnDP/s320/IMG_0060.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a brief review I wrote recently for Gibson.</div>
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"I play a 2004 Gibson Supreme ebony under gold. I traded something for it when I was 17 and I see no reason to get another guitar (unless it be a full hollow body electric). The sound of this guitar is so distinct - its genius (and ought to be for the price). It has the depth, rather the essence of a hard old electric blues sound, but what makes it distinct is the light treble that is embedded in the roundness, which usually overpowers that type of sound on new guitars at least, sort of a coarse roundness. Since the treble is not to harsh and the roundness is still full, it makes for an organic sound, which is very rare in my opinion. Don't let the sheen and sparkles deceive you, this guitar is dirty. </div>
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We Supremiers [People that play Supremes] must make sure we have good amps! I recommend an older Vox [like the one above]. Not too old tho. If you are looking to experiment by melding the older more organic sounds with the newly digitized get a BOSS Digital Delay any of the newer models should work. An old amp with new effects exfoliates its versatility. </div>
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One thing that some may not be aware of about this guitar is that it is great for bowing. Since the bridge is raised fairly high off the body, pointedly higher than most guitars, and a tighter action is not a terrible thing, just ergonomically it is one of the best you will find. If you want to have a totally new experience with guitar, as an idea, get a cello bow and a delay pedal (open tunings are recommended)." </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-40939193790323198522013-01-10T12:31:00.002-08:002013-01-10T12:31:26.559-08:00Lo, Bolivia!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xmkEyVFtKPZANqcG3RYsFEqIlyIn1RMIyxBz2Ud0euhtol_pFnLnceJF6rvoNbndIIshGJBMsi0HiM7_AByNpWrNkzfGIFt2KgxfVq2bBOQkNFGTWfayKNwmIfl1hrrvlPN5vrYjoNoz/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xmkEyVFtKPZANqcG3RYsFEqIlyIn1RMIyxBz2Ud0euhtol_pFnLnceJF6rvoNbndIIshGJBMsi0HiM7_AByNpWrNkzfGIFt2KgxfVq2bBOQkNFGTWfayKNwmIfl1hrrvlPN5vrYjoNoz/s320/photo.JPG" width="165" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Woke up to new Charango strings (Note: The body of a Charango is traditionally made of an armadillo shell. Charango deservedly means 'noisy' in Bolivian. It is said that Bolivians have strummed it atop their Alpacas while frequenting the barren Sub-Andean region for centuries, but this is only legend). For my family's sake I held off stringing it until dawn. If you play this little monstrosity we ought to pow wow.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3769654426557895959.post-4580335007509347602013-01-10T11:47:00.003-08:002013-01-10T11:47:50.146-08:00Floating On Brackish Water<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUFS_Ml81hwN5ayjPTj_XP2qOFDUQbmOaT7KCJxuwulslFPHrahHgaZ0ns2x1ATq1muLLAIBGt1y6hqST1U3-MZuEy_x2wtmeDrbGOZT5DieUioAz1vZwE6lb_tCma4CBt5gBbpAfTPKp/s1600/gangsofny-785237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioUFS_Ml81hwN5ayjPTj_XP2qOFDUQbmOaT7KCJxuwulslFPHrahHgaZ0ns2x1ATq1muLLAIBGt1y6hqST1U3-MZuEy_x2wtmeDrbGOZT5DieUioAz1vZwE6lb_tCma4CBt5gBbpAfTPKp/s320/gangsofny-785237.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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Scorseses' interpretation of Herbert Asbury's <i>The Gangs of New York</i> resembles a dance after reading this this work of nonfiction(?). Since I can remember I've never really cared for gangs. The fascination with 'Gangland' boggles me. But this epic written in 1958, of the gangs that plagued New York's Five-Points district, now Chinatown, is comparable to Herodotus' <i>Histories. </i>Hegel's 'Original History' would have a commentary on this piece. <i> </i>It has that nice blend of, "(What! 8 foot man uprooting a couple trees to bash his foes with! This is <i>fiction</i>! Or....)." I read quite a bit and I must say that no book has held my attention like this one for sometime now. I didn't put it down until I finished it (4.5h). Speaking on reading ergonomics, the wordage is not too pretentious, you may need to use a dictionary a few times because he did write it in the 1920's, and as we all know some words do expire. Comma count is fairly low, so eye flow is constant. Prose is surprisingly smooth.<br />
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Getting to the good stuff. One of the reason this book is so fascinating is simply for the gang names. We get names like <b><i>The Forty Thieves</i></b> (petty criminals, on of the first to run 'the Points'), <b><i>The Daybreak Boys</i></b> (labeled as the first organized criminal organization, they robbed ships on the coast one hour before dawn, ironically they were also the first to be exterminated), <b><i>Plug Uglies</i></b> (hulkish brutes, always loves a good tussle in the mud), <b><i>Slaughter Hausers</i></b> (I don't recall they were German, but they have a <i>Warriors</i> caliber name), the infamous <i><b>Dead Rabbits </b></i>(One of the biggest, Irish ), <b><i>The Bowery Boys</i></b> or pronounced <b><i>B'hoys</i></b> (I find them a little boring, but they must be mentioned in that they were the largest gang for most of the Points existence, they resemble the Plug Uglies), <b><i>Native Americans</i></b> (my favorite name, the irony in their mission, lo! the gang of Bill the Butcher, they despised foreigners, immigration, and abolition).<br />
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Although I would like to asses the topic of abolition in the Points, I cannot at the moment, I hope you will find the time to DIY(-alas). One point, Scorsese did not expand too much on was the opposition of abolition in the Points. Asbury made it appear that all gangs were opposed to abolition. Regardless of their motives (e.g. Civil War draft), the people of the points were surprisingly tolerant of all races. Although many were living in abject poverty, living in caverns below tenements (projects) or abandoned buildings (sometimes it was too dangerous to walk up to ground level so residents of the earthy caverns simply didn't leave, it is recorded that ten families (or residents) did not leave the caverns for over a week), there were interracial couples - marriages - and they were tolerated (and not simply traditional 'interracial,' but Asians too), whereas the Confederates may have had a different opinion on the issue. Moving 'Forward,' I will stop.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646816850983050181noreply@blogger.com0