Where is my MIND???

I might have lost it some time ago. Lets be real, the decisions I've made in the past year, are not only completely insane, but will there ever be a time when I stop this nonsense...? Probably not. I am one crazy broad and I hope the shananagans continue till the day I die.

I've been traveling nonstop for the past two months. No joke. I left right after my last final and headed straight to the airport. Destination- Beijing, China. No time to waste, travels must begin!  This story will be fun to tell....

A nice message from class.

 On February 11, 2011, I flew to China to visit a German boy I have only known 2 days IN PERSON (but kept in contact via Skype), staying with him for 2 weeks, and traveling through out China with him. That is just to sum things up. Usually normal people would visit someone in a foreign communist country if they knew them longer than 2 days. Not me, the opportunity was there, so I took it. The experience was a good one, and I love telling the story of my 2 week adventure in China. So while we are on the subject of China, I will fill you in on what I experienced.
Seeing how the other side of the world lives, especially a communistic side, is quite interesting. I don't think anyone will truly understand unless they have experienced it themselves. After experiencing China, I can't really remember what my expectations were prior to my trip, except for that I thought of China as being the land of hazy mountains, panda bears eating bamboo, and chaotic subway systems. But it's more. Peking is on the outskirts of Beijing, and the place where we spent our first week. The  foul smell of stinky tofu and fried mystery meat along with fried eggs and other questionable foods in vendors outside the train station will never leave my mind. I will always remember wanting to puke before  I entered or left the train station. In fact I did puke, but that is another story... one I will spare you. I would hate to leave a bad impression of Peking on you, because it is more than just it's smelliness. The chaos and confusion of millions of people piling into the buses and subways everyday is probably the reason why Beijing's air is incredibly polluted. Die Luft ist wirklich verschmutzt. After only being in China for 2 weeks,  I believe that was the source of my cough, the "Beijing Cough." Again, I need to stop leaving these bad impressions of Beijing upon you fellow blog followers. Beijing is more than just it's smelly train stations, contaminated air, and highly over populated forms of transportation. China is a country for people who want an experience of a lifetime. It's a country for people who can accept other social norms besides their own. It's a country for people who can live outside their comfort zone. It's a country for people who want to learn how other people live in the extremes- extremely poor and extremely rich lives. It's an experience I would never take back. Like I said before, it was an experience of a life time.

1st night in Club Mix. Germany, China, and America unite!

Forbidden City

As "Westerners" we stuck out like a sore thumb. Germans read this:
 http://www.allwords.com/word-stick+out+like+a+sore+thumb.html
Even though I am blonde, blue-eyed, European decent and looking completely out of the norm, I always felt safe. Even in the less touristy areas where my friend liked to frequent such as the ghettos/shanty towns,  I never felt threatened or worried. Maybe because both of us were living in oblivion without a care in the world, or maybe because China is a reasonably safe place.

The first week in Beijing we went to all the touristy destinations such as Tiananmen  Square, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and the Hutongs! All of which I throughly enjoyed, but I really enjoyed our trip to the south. We traveled from Beijing to Guilin and Yangshuo. Guilin is still a populated city, but not as big as Beijing. It has a southern flare. The sun actually shines in the south and it's warmer! The air is cleaner  and the atmosphere is less chaotic. Maybe deep down in my heart I am a country girl. I enjoyed  seeing the thousands of Karst peaks cascading between towns and farmland, water buffalo grazing along the water dwellings, chickens running  in and out of homes, and the dusty country roads that somehow met up with the concrete jungle of Guilin. The south was peaceful, relaxing, and somewhat untouched.  In Yangshuo, we rode our bikes through various villages hidden behind the rolling peaks and the Li River. Since our off-roading adventure took us through several towns, we didn't know how to get back to the other side of the river. That's when my trusty friend put his Chinese skills to the test and paid a local to take us and our bikes on his raft across the river. That was one of the highlights of the trip. It was a Chinese version of "Stocherkahn" (German) or "Punting" (English).

Yangshuo Mountain Retreat.

Let the "Stocherkahn" negotiating begin.

  Eastern toilets vs. Western toilets. For those of you who aren't familiar with eastern toilettes, they are the fun little porcelean holes in the ground. One must squat in order to relieve. At times it can be a complicated process when you don't have a good sense of balance or when you have had a few drinks here and there, but in the end... it is a good work out for your thighs.

This is the way we ate everyday.

  Is Chinese food good in China? That is the question I hear the most. Yes, real authentic Chinese food is quite good. There were times where I didn't know what I was eating, but then, sometimes I didn't want to know. I was a big fan of the steamed  seasonal veggies. I was also a fan of the MONKEY salad. At first, I was resistant to the idea of monkey, especially because the movie "Outbreak" starring Dustan Hoffman and Renee Russo, it scarred me for life. Ever since I saw that movie, I have been afraid of those cute little spider monkeys  in fear that one might contain the Ebola virus. Rest assure, I am still alive and I don't have the Ebola virus. The salad itself was quite tasty, and who knows if it was really monkey. I highly doubt it, because it would have been a lot more expensive on the menu, being that it would have been  considered a delicacy. "Monkey" most likely dryer pieces of duck, was placed on top of cilantro and fresh field salad doused in a vinegary soy dressing. It was yum yum fantastic. We also enjoyed the fried taro rolls. Who knew that this root vegetable would pack a punch of flavor, probably because it was deep fried. Lets face it, everything tastes a little bit better when deep fried.
I guess what I found most interesting was just the extremely different social norms between China and the "Western World." In China, it's not a big deal to spit anywhere you are. I saw men, woman, children hock loogies on the street, in the train station, basically where ever and whenever they needed to release their bodily fluids. You constantly hear the loud vibrations in one's throat before they project the phlegm on various surfaces. Always watch your step, you might end up slipping on a wad of mucus!
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-it-mean-to-hock-a-loogie.htm

Stinky food.

Riding the metro was always an interesting experience. Most of the time is was completely packed. So if you have a social anxiety disorder and don't like people or crowds, avoid the public transportation in China. Sometimes we would score seats in the train and I saw a child pee in the train. My friend told me to watch out for the stream flowing from within the train. Hey, it's China!
Bargaining. Is not my favorite thing. Before I traveled to China, I thought I could handle people constantly harassing me to buy things, then bargain with them for an extremely cheap price. Come to find out, I am a terrible bargainer and I still don't understand the procedure. I guess I am lazy when I shop. I like it to be easy.  Bargaining is exhausting and somewhat stressful. People constantly grabbing you saying, " Sexy boy,  pretty lady, sexy boy, I have a good price for you. Tell me how much." In the beginning, it was entertaining, but towards the end of my stay I was over the constant negotiating.

One form of transportation.

Real Taxis vs. Fake Taxis. Transportation is extremely cheap in China. The metro system is quite good and convenient, but the taxis were always an experience. In China, it's not a big deal to catch a ride with some random person who sees you are in need of a ride. But of course, there is a price you have to pay.People are always looking for a way to make a quick buck. It's always good to know what the going rate is for a real taxi and again, bargain with the driver. So I guess it's good to know someone who lives in China or speaks Chinese to help you in these situations. We got rides from random people who spotted us in need. Somehow it always worked and we got to our destination.
Our bus ride coming back from the Guilin Yangshuo Longji Rice Terraces and Guizhou Minority area was interesting. Our bus was hit twice in one hour. The roads were heavily congested and the way people drive is incredible. They are always trying to maneuver into the ridiculously small spaces between cars. Anything goes when you are driving in China. People drive their motorcycles, E- bikes (electric bikes), rickshaws, and mini taxes (motorcycle engine powering a tricycle), at various speeds between large buses, speeding cars, and people. Always be aware of where  you walk. Most of the time, we always walked between parked cars stuck in traffic or we took our chances and walked with the masses dodging traffic. There wasn't a day, where I didn't scream in fear of getting hit. I guess I am used to the German way of  properly waiting at a stop light for the little red man to turn green.

Rice Terraces

The Great Wall. The Great Wall of China is great, but it was a bitch to hike. That was something I could experience once in my life and be content with. If I wanted to get in shape for a marathon or just have an ass of steal, sure it would be a good method of exercise. The steps were incredibly uneven and steep. One step could be one foot high and the next two feet high. I felt like I was on the never ending stair master. This extensive fortification extends 8,851. 8 km (5,500.3 mi) and is visible from the moon. This experience wasn't just a strenuously physical challenge, but also a psychological challenge. Will I ever make it to the top? It took us 3 hours to make it to the top of the tourist section within Beijing. Even though I bitched and complained and was completely satisfied with stopping halfway, my competitive friend made me finish, and in the end I was actually happy I completed it. So that is one thing I could check off my bucket list, "The Great Wall Challenge 2011."

It was quite the accomplishment. We hiked the entire trail behind us.

I still want to ride the camel.

I think the thing I enjoyed the most was walking through sections of towns that were not for the tourists. We got to see a real side to how people live in China. It was the forbidden path that we took. Walking down the residential streets and looking into people's homes was incredible. I was a little nervous, but felt safe with my trusty companion, so I went along with it. We went into areas that tourists would never consider, and I liked that. It was invigorating. Seeing the children's faces light up when they saw foreigners in their neighborhood was spectacular. The children were eager to say "hello" to us, and then run away. It was a game we had with them. Coming from "Western" countries, we are so used to the protection, safety, security, and cleanliness of which we are accustomed to. I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but realized that this is the norm to them.  I understand a little bit more a piece of the other side of the world. That was my goal. To see as much as I can possibly see in a life time. To experience, to share, to connect, and to understand. Plus it's always fun to tell crazy stories of my travels and experiences. Life is all about making memories, learning, exploring, and having an endless amount of laughs. 

Taming the wild beasts in Yangshuo.

Cute kids.

Long haired village.

So I leave you with this. An end to my China stories. I have many more, but this blog would be a novel. I hope you enjoyed my little tidbits here and there.
Stay tuned for my European travels with the parentals. I should post that sometime within the next month.. at the rate I am going.

Take care my fellow blog followers. Much love!

Yours truly,

Julie