Fenghuang (8-22)

I took the minibus from Dehang to Jishou Monday afternoon. It stopped at the train station before going to the place where I picked it up. This was convenient for me, as I didn’t have to take a taxi to the bus station that is near the train station. When I got off the bus, a man asked where I was going. When I told him, he pointed to his minibus and told me to get in. So, after confirming that he was going to Fenghuang, I got in, feeling glad that the minibus was there and I didn’t have to walk to the bus station, since I still had low energy. After he didn’t stop and pick up more passengers before leaving the city, I realized that he was taking me as one passenger, which was not what I had planned. I should have asked the price before getting in and should not have assumed that he was driving a minibus like I had gotten off just because it was actually a minibus like I had gotten out of. But I was tired and not thinking clearly and he was there and it was convenient. When I realized what was happening, it was too late for me to tell him to let me out (and he probably wouldn’t have let me out in the middle of nowhere), as it would have been difficult to return to the city or to figure out how to get to Fenghuang. I was a bit anxious about how much money he would want and was a little uncomfortable being alone in the minibus with him. He was OK but was trying to be friendly, which I was not interested in; so I ignored even the little I understood. About half way there, he stopped at a gas station to use the toilet. When he returned, I asked how much he wanted. The price he gave (40 yuan/ about $6.50) wasn’t bad for a one-person trip, but I wanted him to know that that was not what I thought I was getting or what I wanted. Using my phone dictionary and little Chinese, I managed to communicate this. He then cut the price in half. This was still more than I thought the minibus would be, but it was OK; so I agreed. I later read online that the bus cost between cities is 20 yuan; so he was charging me the actual rate. When we arrived in Fenghuang, he called the hotel to ask where it is. Then he gave me the phone, and the man who answered talked to me in very good English. He told me to call again when we got to the bridge and the hotel would send someone to meet me and take me there. The driver took me into the city and let me out. This was fine, as, if I’d taken a bus, I would have had to take a taxi from the station to the hotel. Then he got out and waved down a taxi for me and told the driver where to take me. So it all ended out well, and he was really OK. I was just uncomfortable with the situation. It was the first time I felt like someone was taking advantage of me here, and I didn’t like that feeling. But maybe he really wasn’t and thought that I understood that I was going as one passenger, since he was helpful in the end.

When the taxi got to the bridge, which is the farthest vehicles can go, a man was waiting. I thought he was waiting for the taxi, but, when he wanted my bag and said the name of the hotel, I realized that he was waiting for me. The man on the phone had told them to send someone to meet me. He carried my bag and led me to the hotel, since it is a little difficult to find at first.

The hotel was nice, and the rooms are really cute. After I paid, the woman used a translator to let me know that aircon is $5 a day extra. Since it wasn’t hot, I said I didn’t need it. I think one of the reasons I had a cold was air conditioning blowing on me. Usually it's directly opposite the bed; so one can't avoid it except by turning it off, which I did some nights but always ended out waking up hot and turning it on. This one is above the bed on the other side; so it wasn’t blowing on me directly. However, by evening it was hot and I was sweating; so I paid the extra to be comfortable.

The disappointment with the hotel was that the man who speaks English well was not on the premises. I don’t know who he is or why he answered the phone, but he wasn’t there. When I realized that, I realized that I had been looking forward to having someone at the hotel with whom I could easily communicate. I was frustrated with dealing with communicating with my very little Chinese and people with very little English. I think especially after my experience with the driver and at the previous hotel where no one talked to me. And I was still not feeling my best from the cold. The woman here was friendly and helpful when she could be but knew less English than I do Chinese. A man used an online translator to communicate with me.

The experience with the driver and the lack of English at the hotel left me feeling frustrated and ready to be done with traveling in China. I’ve traveled longer than three weeks on my own in other countries, but there have always been English-speaking people at hotels. Here the menus are in Chinese, which makes ordering food challenging. When everything is challenging, it is wearing. Since my energy was low, it all got to me.

My frustration with the lack of English made me think about the fact that it is Chinese that is the language here and I should not expect English everywhere. (and I don’t. I was just missing it) It is I who should be trying to communicate. However, my meager efforts to speak Chinese usually fail. But I do OK with my dictionary and pointing and my few words and a smile. It also makes me admire and appreciate even more the people who do speak English, especially those who speak well. And I think about people who travel to the U.S. and how they need to know English fairly well, as Americans will rarely speak their native language.

After checking in at the hotel, I rested in the room for a few hours and then went out to get oriented and eat dinner. I ate at a restaurant where the woman took me in and showed me the refrigerator case with vegetables I could point to. She was willing to work with me; so I ate there. I chose eggplant and tofu. (I had passed on “the oil drenches the eggplant” at the previous hotel which had an English menu.) When I suggested cooking them together, the response was that they couldn’t do that. So I ended out with two dishes instead of one. When I saw the man take out three small eggplants and two lumps of tofu, I told him only one, but he took them all. And I got twice as much food as I wanted or could eat. But it was good. And they were really happy to serve me.

Tuesday morning started with a photo session where I was the attraction. 

Then I went to a site near the hotel. Since it’s a ticketed site (Fenghuang has a ticket you purchase that is good for ten sites), the person at the entrance opened a notebook and showed me a page where several things were written in English and Chinese. They explained the need for a ticket, the cost of a ticket, and the need to show your passport to buy a ticket. Then the young man pointed to the one that said “Follow me to buy a ticket” and took me to the purchasing booth. I was pleased when the seller gave me the senior discount. Then the man standing there pointed up and told me to go there. This was the East Gate, which is where I ended out starting the day.

I walked along the city wall, enjoying the buildings along it. 

The other side was along the river; so there were good views of the river and buildings on the other side. 

Towards noon many people were doing laundry in the river. Many of the buildings are hotels, and I could see that people were washing sheets. Some were washing clothes.

I stopped at a café for lunch and ordered noodles and tea. When I asked for the bill, the man told me 45 yuan (7.50). I was shocked. When I good-naturedly said it was too expensive, they showed me the prices on the menu: 15 for the noodles and 30 for the large mug of tea. I was shocked at the price of the tea and would not have ordered it if I’d had any idea it would be so expensive. After we exchanged friendly comments, he gave me a discount, charging only 30 yuan. I would have paid the 40, but it was nice to have the discount.

One of the ticket items is a boat ride down the river; so I did that. As always, it was pleasant to be on the water for a short ride. 

We went past the stilt houses I’d read about.

At the end of the ride, there’s a platform with cormorants. 

After the boat ride, I walked along the riverside and ended out shopping a bit. Then I crossed back and headed to the East Gate to return to the hotel. But I was farther down than I’d realized. So I wandered through the shops on the way upriver. It was a pleasant day. I enjoy meandering around casually with no particular destination or schedule.

After relaxing in my room, I went out for a while. Some women were burning a pile of special paper outside the bridge. On the other side of the bridge, other women were doing the same thing. This was happening outside shops all over the area all evening. It must have been a special day for the Chinese or for the local people. I missed having someone I could ask why they were doing this.

My first task was to go to a bank to withdraw money with my debit card, but the transaction didn’t work. I tried twice and tried again at another bank. Then I returned to the hotel and called my bank. The woman said there was no problem with my card and the refused transactions didn’t show. This was good news that there wasn’t a problem with my card. But it was bad news in terms of my getting cash. I’d heard that some banks don’t take foreign credit/debit cards but hadn’t had that problem before. Fortunately, I still had a little money left in my Chinese bank and had already paid for the train tickets; so I didn’t need much cash.

On the other side of the bridge, the street had turned into a street food market. 

Many vendors were selling the food on skewers. After purchasing skewers, the cook grilled or stir fried the food. I chose four and took them back to my room to eat. It was delicious.

Wednesday morning I decided to try the ATM again even though I knew it would be a miracle if it worked. Of course it didn’t. So I went into the bank to see if someone could help. The man just shook his head and waved “no” and said “China Bank.” I managed to get the security man to show me on the map where a Bank of China is. Fifteen minutes later I had cash. I could have gotten by without it, but I felt more secure having extra cash on hand for my last few days and travels home.

A highlight of the day was walking up the mountain of the Phoenix Culture Scenic Spot. The view of the city from the top is great. 

One favorite place was an area with red umbrellas hanging among the trees. It was magical. Chinese parasols are homes for the phoenix. I also enjoyed the area about the phoenix in Chinese culture. It’s at the top of 99 steps (not 999!). The phoenix is a representation of the 9^th god and the second 9 is for the 9^th level of heaven. 

A small museum has representations of the phoenix through the ages in bronze and on ceramics and pottery. I learned that “feng” is male and “huang” is female. Together they mean everlasting love. Thus the city’s name incorporates both. 

It is the city’s symbol which can be found everywhere.

I took in a few more of the ten sites. The palace is beautiful with its stone walls and carved wooden windows.

After a couple hours relaxing in my room, I headed out for dinner. I wanted a nice meal for my last one on the trip. I chose a small fish—live in the tank—and they made a delicious fish soup with tofu. I also had some greens. Then I walked around a little bit to see the night lights reflecting in the river. But I had had enough walking around the old town and enough of the crowds, which increase at night. So I didn’t stay out long.

Thursday was my final day in Fenghuang and the final day of my vacation. Since I was really done with Fenghuang, there wasn’t much to do. I walked around a little in the morning just to be out and moving. After checking out of my room, I went for a fish spa. I’d seen them around town and had decided that I would treat myself to one before leaving. This one was for thirty minutes. After the initial ten seconds getting used to the nibbling fish, it was nice and relaxing. When I left, my feet felt good and were very soft. 

Then I went to the noodle shop I’d decided to have lunch at, but the man was too busy playing phone games to serve me. (This happens a lot in China. The staff are so busy with their games that they don’t even look up sometimes or you have to wait till they can stop and take care of you.) So I had to find another place to get noodles. I was lucky and found one that had fungus as one of the items that could go with the noodles. That made a tasty addition.

Then it was time to leave for the train station in Jishou, an hour away. The man at the hotel who had greeted me at the taxi when I arrived was there and took me to the shuttle and told the driver where to drop me off so I could go to the long distance bus station. At the buses to Jishou, the women pointed me to the one that went directly to the train station. That was handy. The end of my vacation had arrived.