b-a-n-a-n-a-s

one might so label a maiden voyage in China. about a week into my stay in China, neal asked me what one word i would use to describe China. the word that came to mind was "a mess", the French translation "bordel" literally meaning a brothel. i'm not sure if that comparison fits, but that country is certainly a piece of work. i believe Neal's word choice was "insane". speaking of Neal, the Foreign Expert himself has thoroughly chronicled our trip together in China, and i'd like to refer you his way for a detailed explanation. however, i'll also give you my own little take on things.

i went to China with few expectations, having done zero research about our intended destinations. Beijing did not meet my non-existent expectations for a capital city, as it was entirely too spread out, with remarkably little of interest to see. as i say that, i do think the Temple of Heaven and the Taoist temple we visited were interesting. and the Great Wall was not to be missed, but does it really count if it's a 3 hour bus ride away? instead, what i enjoyed most was the novelty of being in China, particularly the novelty that is dirt cheap. we took taxis everywhere, beer cost us 30 cents per liter, we ate dinner for 5 bucks per 3 people! my best memory from Beijing comes from our last evening there when, tired from the day of visiting temples and whatnot, we relaxed in the hostel courtyard with some Tsingtaos, before feasting at a Xingjiang restau down the way. there we ate the best potato chips i've ever tasted, along with delightfully seasoned lamb that fell off the shank. and chicken hearts, yum. gosh, i'll never forget that meal.

as Neal mentioned in his version, Xi'an did not get off to a good start, with crummy service at the hostel and an overpriced dinner. but saturday morning we were back at it, looking forward to the day seeing the famed TerraCotta Warriors. i confess i was a bit disappointed, as the site was expensive for Chinese standards, and it was altogether touristique. sunday, par contre, was a day extraordinaire, as we bussed out to Huashuan to hike one of China's 5 holy mountains. 2100 meters and 5 hours later, we settled down for a chilly night's sleep in a Taoist monastery on the mountain. the way down was considerably faster, though not much less strenuous---the two-day hike left me sore for days!! fortunately, and somewhat painfully, a 5€ full-body massage back in Weihai took away a good bit of the stress.

Weihai provided a delightful contrast to our brief visits to Beijing, Xi'an, and Qingdao, as i was able to take it slowly and see what life in an average Chinese town is like. we played some tennis, shopped for tea sets and gifts downtown, rode a trandem bicycle along the water, sang karaoke, went out in a motorboat in the Yellow Sea. i even played basketball with some uni students while Neal was in class. however the most unique experience was certainly visiting a Korean bathhouse. having never had much locker room time in high school, the completely naked thing was entirely new to me. i'm glad to say i didn't have to get over any uncomfortableness, but was just able to appreciate the cultural experience.

i have more to say about China and its oddities, but that'll be in the next post. zai jian.

China