Rockin' TownApparently this is a town for climbing bums, musicians, chillin' out Chinese tourists, and gnarly kung fu masters. I spent time with each of those groups of folks.
I arrived after a long day on the bus from Hanoi, VN - being savvy enough to catch the direct bus from Nanning, the terminus of my initial ticket, 4 minutes before it departed, rather than go to the train station and risk missing the last train, or waiting several hours, for a train I didn't know existed.... how's that for a run on sentence. I'm writing this all in retrospect, as usual, so trying to capture the noteworthy moments of the past days in China. - I just arrived back in Hanoi, but that is where this post should leave off, not start...
As I got off the bus, I was greeted by loud booms and the clouds lighting up over the sillouetes of the rocky peaks looming around me. Figured it probably wasn't the town getting shelled, but walked in the opposite direction, just to be safe... Or, 'cause I was disoriented after the bus ride, especially since they dropped me at the outskirts of town, rather than at the actual bus station in the center of the action. Oh well, all part of the game. Hope his friends, taxi drivers or hotel managers perhaps, got some other business that day. Finally got turned in the right direction, and let one of the local touts lead me to the hotel she worked for, through the throngs of people streaming away from the fireworks show over the river.
Apparently the party wasn't completely over - I strolled around town late that Sunday evening, to the sounds of loud hip hop and techno music blaring out onto the "pedestrian only" streets in the old part of town. Nice architecture, converted to use as bars and guesthouses. After meandering down a few dark alleys, I located the training studio for the kung fu classes I'd read about on travel blogs and in the Rough Guide. I'd made it there in time to get to class at 8:30 the next morning, only to find no one there...
But, a friendly neighbor directed me towards a place that would have information, and pointed out the instructor as we walked past him. Yes, she still pointed me to the travel agency, who then told me they couldn't contact the instructor now, but that I could swing by the studio, which she thought had moved... so I ended up back where I started, but at least "George" was now there, looking somewhat ready to do morning training. But first we had breakfast - well, I ate, he smoked and drank coffee.
Fast forward to the highlight moments of that segment of my trip:
Kung fu training every morning, for a couple hours. Quite comprehensive; did qi gong first thing, to warm up, with the 84 year old Master Guo. Then moved into a "body training" series of movements to improve balance and harness one's qi, to be utilized when we go through the kung fu moves (forms). I've noticed the similarities to yoga postures and breathing techniques. According to some, the Shaolin style of martial arts was developed
Had acupuncture treatment at a local clinic. It was the most needles I've had stuck in my body at one time... and in some of the most painful places, particularly a knot in my lower back.
Rock climbing on Tuesday. Rest easy, the German guy I was climbing with was alertly German enough to catch the frayed harness and exchange it for a better one. So, I paid attention to the condition of the ropes.
Floated down the YuLong River on Wednesday, on a "bamboo" metal pipe raft. We demanded a trip without the use of the motor. The captain abided by it for the most part, but put up an argument after we stopped for lunch, claiming it would take forever to continue rowing. Throughout the trip, I gave him a rest at times, when I took over the oar.(yes, single oar, pulled in a standing position, rotating sides when the boat started to wind through the water like a snake.
Had an unfortunate day in the toilets (I can go into detail, if requested!) on what is otherwise my favorite holiday. Lets just say I would have appreciated the first toilet of the day to be available the rest of the day - after barely containing it on the short bus ride from Yangshuo to Guilin, the public toilet there was an extra deep trough to squat over...
I managed to enjoy Thanksgiving day, regardless. I was in Guilin, where friends, Fiona and Joyce, who I met earlier (mentioned in blog about dancing in Guilin) treated me to a proper feast. Roast duck and taro supplanted turkey and potatoes as a delicious holiday meal. Practically every meal in China was a feast, actually. I found some good food this time. One favorite was a unassuming place on the main street in Yangshuo. An assortment of veggies and meat is yours to choose from. They stir-fry what you select, and serve it with steamed rice in a clay pot. Good way to get my fix of favorite vegies, and a filling meal for 10 quai (colloquial term for yuan, the currency). Plenty of dumplings. Eggplant was in season.
We climbed up a mountain overlooking the city, which had the luxury of a cable car to get those less intrepid tourists up the hill. And, an actual slide with luge-type sleds big enough for adults to descend half of the slope! Never seen it before on an otherwise regular hiking trail... That's China for you though, always offering a surprise. Finished the day with some plastic-bouncey-ball volleyball with their friends. It makes for a bit easier version of the regular game, except the ball doesn't fly straight and true - much more wind resistance. There's probably been a study on the aerodynamics of this variation... Which bringss to mind that I saw a game of SlamBall on TV - anyone else heard of it? Short court basketball played with 4 trapoline launching points around each basket, to enable more acrobatic dunking. Quite entertaining. Which further brings to mind products with Japanese names, Thai flavors, produced by Vietnamese companies... a bit random association, but today's snack.
Will have more to say about China, but must get this posted...
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