Zhangye Danxia Geopark (10-20)

Friday morning I departed for my military training journey. The first stage was a 29-hour train trip from Chengdu to Zhangye. I had a hard sleeper. Hard sleeper cars have 11 compartments with 6 beds each. Fortunately, I had a bottom bed. I can’t imagine being on the top one. The bed isn’t actually hard, as it has a 3” mattress on it and is quite comfortable, especially since I am used to hard beds. Across from each compartment there is a small table with two fold-down chairs. I sat on these sometimes for a change. During the trip, vendors came through the cars selling various snacks, drinks, and prepared meals. I had gone prepared—Chinese style—and had instant noodles and snacks.

The route went through a lot of farm country—mostly corn. 

For a while, we went along a river. 

The landscape got drier as we went farther north and headed west in Gansu. In the dry area, there were what looked like shade shelters for the crops. I was surprised to see many Muslim women, wearing headscarves, in the fields as we approached Zhangye.

29.5 hours after leaving Chengdu I arrived in Zhangye. The man in our compartment was going on to Urumqi, another 24 hours from Zhangye. I felt sorry for him, as I was ready be off the train, but I suppose that, if I’d had a longer trip, I would have been prepared and been OK.

The total trip from my apartment to the guesthouse took 33 hours. After arriving in Zhangye, I took a taxi to the guesthouse. It was sunset time, and the lighting was lovely. I took several photos as we drove to the park, and my driver slowed down for me and pointed out a couple nice shots.

I had chosen a guesthouse near the park entrance for convenience getting to the park. Clearly they are not accustomed to having foreign guests. The man was friendly enough, but the woman didn’t seem comfortable. I had to ask them to clean the bathroom, as the bin was full of rubbish. The room was not heated, but the comforter and blanket were very warm and I slept well. Hot water didn’t get hot; so I wasn’t able to shower. Good that the weather was cool.

I was thrilled to be in this colorful, desert hill/mountain area that reminds me a little of the Painted Desert. So, after checking in, I went for a walk. I first encountered this area when Raven sent a photo shortly after I arrived in China and asked if I knew where it was. I didn’t. A few months later when I was looking on the Internet at a list of top scenic places in China, there was a photo like the one Raven had sent. Thus I learned that it is Zhangye Danxia Geopark in Gansu and knew that I had to go there. So I was excited to finally be there.

After sleeping for ten hours, I woke up Sunday morning ready to go. I was in my traveling mode and was ready to explore the park, having left any reluctance to travel back in Chengdu as I had anticipated. On the way to the park entrance, I walked through the stalls near it hoping to find some porridge for breakfast. Since it’s not the major tourist season, only one woman was serving breakfast. She sold noodle soup; so I had some. She became my local eating spot for the next couple days.

I entered the park shortly after 9:00. There are buses that take people to the four viewpoints. The first one was a good place to be for the morning sun. It features the Rainbow Mountains, named for the colorful layers. 

There are several viewpoints to walk to in that area, and I spent about an hour and a half enjoying all of them. 

Some of the viewpoints have special names such as Monks Worship Buddha and Monkeys Rush into the Sea of Fire. The signs explain the geology in four languages and have a picture showing the special view. 

I could pick them out and relate to the names easily. One sign explained that the color layers are only 10 cm deep and take 60 years to form.

The second and third viewpoints are close. I walked to the third one first, as I was entranced by the colorful hills along the road. 

Then I walked back, stopping for lunch at the top of a hill. As I was alone there, it was very peaceful.  

Next I walked up the big hill at the second viewpoint.

It was like walking up a mountain with all the stairs, which are painted red and yellow to blend in with the colors. 

From the top of the hill, you can see all around.

The fourth viewpoint looks out toward the east. 

After viewing it, I decided to take a bus to the east gate because I wanted to see the scenic area on the map that is on the road to the east gate. However, the bus didn’t stop there; so I enjoyed the ride to the east gate which goes downhill and out of the main colorful area. 

Then I took a bus back, and it stopped at the scenic area. Everyone got off and we were told that we had twenty minutes. I decided to stay with the group since I wasn’t really sure what was happening. We walked up a hill and then down the other side to where the bus was waiting for us. This area had more red color than the others. I was glad I’d made the trip.

The bus then continued all the way to the first viewpoint. Since it was then about 4:30, I decided to hang out there for sunset. It was fun to be there again and look over the expanse to see where I had been now that I was familiar with the park. 

The colors on the east side were deeper in the afternoon light than they had been in the morning. Those on the west side were dulled by the sunlight, and the sleeping Buddha could hardly be seen. So I was glad I’d been there in the morning, too. I enjoyed watching the colors deepen as the sun lowered. 

At the last viewpoint I went to, another woman was also waiting for the sun to descend below the mountain top, which it did at 5:15. We could hear a man calling people, and she called back that she was waiting for the sun to go down. It was nice to share that special moment with her. Then she told me it was time to go down to the bus. On the way down, we passed a guard walking up to bring everyone down.

With the blue sky, a few clouds, and the sunshine and being in such a beautiful place, it was a lovely day. When the sun went behind the mountain, I was glad I’d dressed in layers. I’d taken the jacket off at 10:00, but I was certainly glad it was in my bag at 5:30. I had taken the vest off, too, when it was hot, but then the wind blew and it was cool; so I left the vest on all day, as the wind blew off and on.

On the way back to the guesthouse, I stopped to buy yogurt from my soup maker. She gave me two apples. I ate dinner at a restaurant next to the guesthouse. There was a boy who spoke a few words of English: hello and thank you. He enjoyed communicating and gave me a thumbs up a few times. Another group of people eating there gave me handfuls of peanuts.

When I had settled into my room, the woman brought a man who speaks a little English to talk to me. He told me how much the room cost. I showed him that I had prepaid and called C-trip, the booking company. Fortunately, I had used them, as their customer service is excellent and the agents speak English fluently. I showed him that I was calling the phone number on my reservation paper. He also called even though I told him not to because I was calling. I spoke to the agent and she spoke to the woman manager. In five minutes the problem was solved and the woman left us. However, the man was still on the phone. After a few minutes, he gave me his phone to talk to the woman he had connected with. She wanted more information about me. I told her the problem was solved; so I didn’t understand why she needed more information. Also that the man who called her is not the manager. After a few more discussions back and forth, she asked for my confirmation number and then talked to the man so he understood that I had prepaid. Next he gave me the phone so the woman could tell me I needed to give a 100 yuan key deposit. I explained that I had given 50, which is what I was asked to give. She explained that to him, and after 20 minutes, the problem was solved. When I asked the man, he explained that he is from a place nearby. I know he was helping his friends, but it was frustrating since the problem had been solved quickly and easily.

Monday I woke up at 6:30 to go to the park for sunrise. One of the reasons I had stayed at the hotel nearby was so I could do that easily; so I figured that I should. On the park bus I was with a tour group of Malaysians, Australians (former Malaysians or of Malaysian descent), at least one Indonesian, and a Canadian. I enjoyed talking with them and their Chinese guide. We went to the fourth viewpoint for the sunrise. I was surprised, as I had planned to go to the big hill, which is recommended for sunrise and sunset. 

But the fourth viewpoint was perfect. When we arrived, the pre-sunrise colors were deep. We watched the sun come up over the low layer of clouds. When I had been there in the afternoon on Sunday, the colors toward the west were muted. In the morning they were vibrant. 

The sunrise itself was nice, and I enjoyed watching the changing colors of the landscape. Since we were only thirty people, we could move around. I imagine that during the main tourist season the platform is one big mass of people and there is no moving.

Next I went to the second viewpoint to go up the big hill again. I wanted to see the colors toward the west, as they had been muted by the sunlight on Sunday. And I had envisioned eating breakfast at the top of the hill. When I arrived at the top, a woman ran over to me so she could take my photo for me. This happened more often at this park than it has at any other place. Usually I have to ask someone to take a photo, and they are happy to do it. But here several people asked if they could take a photo for me. After walking around and enjoying the view, I sat on the steps and ate my apple and bread. When I got to the bottom, the tour guide was there and we chatted a bit. She “complained” that some of the people in the group didn’t like the fourth viewpoint at sunrise because the colors weren’t good enough for their photos and they wanted to go back. They also didn’t like the first viewpoint, which I had loved on Sunday. When the Canadian man came down from the big hill, he commented that it would have been better in the afternoon. He couldn’t get good photos of some areas because of the morning light. I responded that you can’t have perfect light in both directions at the same time. I was glad that, although I do enjoy taking photos and taking good photos, that’s not everything. I am able to enjoy what is there even if it’s not perfect for perfect photos.

After leaving the park, I decided to have noodles at the stall again. The woman was happy to see me. I like going to the same place and becoming familiar for a short time. After checking out, I found a taxi immediately. The woman told me the cost would be 20  yuan. I checked and asked if it was 120/$20, as that’s what I had paid to go from the train station to the park and that’s about what I had read is standard for the trip, and she said 20 again. On the way, she picked up three students, and I think they, too, paid 20. When I got out, I checked the fee again, and it was 20. This was a very pleasant surprise.

On the road, we saw a number of trucks full of dried corn being taken somewhere. I’d seen corn drying—cobs and kernels—in yards, on rooftops. We saw truckloads of dried corn plants being taken somewhere for some use, I suppose.

National Holiday and Beyond (10-16)

The National Day holiday was a pleasant, quiet week bordering on a little boring. I didn’t really do much. Just hung out here and relaxed. And did some special eating.

My former student, Zoe, had told me that she has a part-time job at a place that specializes in squid and had invited me to eat there when she’s working. The holiday week seemed like a good time to do that. I invited Kasey to join me, but squid is out of her comfort range. Zoe was very happy to see me and cooked my squid. It is cooked whole on stones and then dipped into boiling water for a few minutes. Then it is cut into small pieces and mixed with several seasonings. I chose a garlic sauce. It was some of the best squid I’ve had; so I’ll return again. Zoe also made me a milk tea, which was free—or she paid for it. Since the café wasn’t busy, she was able to sit and chat with me most of the time while I ate, which was nice.

The next eating outing was with the foreign teachers. We went to a local Thai restaurant that Paul had found. The menu has English, which is always a nice treat, and lovely photos of the dishes. The food was good. I can’t say I’d seen most of it in Thailand, but it may be from other parts of the country.

On Sunday Jinchuan, another former student, wanted to spend the day with me. She came at about 10:15 to cook soup for lunch. She brought chicken and a root herb to make the soup and asparagus lettuce as the other dish. The soup needed to cook for a couple hours to make the broth, as the soup was broth with pieces of chicken—complete with bones and head. I realized that asparagus lettuce is something I’ve had in dishes but didn’t know what it was. The stalk is thick, and that’s the part I recognized. She left the leafy part for me to eat another time. While the soup was cooking, we chatted. After we ate, we chatted some more, and I realized that she really did intend to stay all day. Fortunately, she speaks English well enough that we could have a good conversation and I like her.

I suggested that we go for a walk for something to do other than sit and, admittedly, with the idea that we could separate after the walk. That worked, and after walking we returned to our own residences to have a nap. She planned to return at 6:30 for another walk. Later in the afternoon I decided to turn the leftover broth, of which there was a lot, into American style vegetable soup. So I invited her to go to the market with me. Then she watched as I cut the veggies and added them to the broth to cook. She had already eaten but had a small bowl of the new soup and said she liked it. It turned out to be a pleasant day.

Work started again on the 8^th, and my lecture was that evening. Lectures for the freshmen English majors are every week, and most of us will do two lectures during the semester. Fortunately, I have lectures I prepared in my first semester here. So I just needed to refresh my mind, as I hadn’t looked at it since last year. Since students are required to attend, there are usually about 200 students at the lectures. The waiban advertises the lectures in the administration building with a poster on a bulletin board. 

Photos are taken and a summary and photo are posted on the university’s Chinese website. So this was a moment of fame. 

My post-lecture treat was a special little cake.

We had classes for nine days, including the Saturday on which we did Tuesday’s make-up classes. It was difficult to get into the spirit of planning again, since there were only two classes before the next break for freshmen. But, once I got into class, all was fine. I decided to do a short presentation on Halloween to fill in time, as I didn’t want to start new units. Students loved that.

Student clubs had their advertising and soliciting members displays last week. When I walked past the yoga club, I was asked to participate in the demonstrations. Grace later asked me to go to her ping pong club’s first meeting to help excite the new members. Since she’s one of my special girls, I’m always happy to help her. I was asked to give a brief motivational talk.

After a foreign teachers meeting last Friday, we went to a restaurant that has foreign food. Three of us had the pizza, which is definitely Chinese-style. It’s not something I need to repeat. But some of the other food looked good.

Starting on the 20^th, all freshmen have military training for two weeks. Since I have no classes for two weeks, I asked for and received permission to travel. So I’m off to Gansu province to visit the desert areas. Although part of me would like to just hang out here, I know I’d become quickly bored and I do want to see these places. I think it’s just too soon after my last long travels to be leaving again, but I know I’ll be ready to take in the new sites once I arrive.

Eating and Outings (10-1)

In the last two weeks we have had two outings, one of which was a barbecue, and two special banquets. Last Tuesday afternoon Dale, Kasey, and I—the American foreign teachers—were invited to a special dinner that evening with some American guests. The guests turned out to be from Pacific Lutheran University, including the man who came in June. It was good to see him, as I’d enjoyed talking with him before, and he was glad to see me again, too. Luckily, I was seated beside him and his wife. Also along were the president of the university, his wife and three other staff members. The occasion of the dinner was to celebrate the signing of an exchange agreement between the two universities which will allow students and teachers to go to the other university to study or teach. (The group was also going to Chengdu to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of their relationship with Sichuan University.) So everyone was happy. Many toasts were made. 

And, of course, the food was fantastic. It included the most dishes I’ve seen at one banquet, many of which were new to me. I lost count after twenty. I enjoyed chatting with Bonnie and Goeff.

When we left the banquet room, we walked through the large room where teachers who had just finished their training session were having a dinner. When they saw all the foreigners, they were astonished. Several men came to the American men for photos and toasts. I think many or most of them had probably not seen a foreigner before and had certainly not encountered so many at once. It was fun to watch their responses.

Saturday we were invited to join the Chinese literature majors’ volunteer group for a barbecue. Paul, Sean, Ian, and I joined them. The destination was Golden Horse River, about half an hour by bus—after walking half an hour to the bus stop. 

On the way from the park to the river, we passed the Teddy Bear Museum and, of course, stopped for photos. I’ve seen signs for the museum and thought it was the other direction; so this was a surprise. 

I may have to return to see the museum, as it fascinates me that there is such a museum here in Wenjiang.

We knew we were at the river when we came to a statue of a golden horse at the end of a lawn area. 

Then we walked to the barbecue area. It was not the lovely, green area we had envisioned. Instead, it is a cement slab along the river with no grass in sight. The man who owns the concession provided grills, charcoal, skewers, stools, tables, and tools for preparing the food, for which we all contributed. The students had purchased a huge amount of meat and veggies to grill. 

They started preparing food and then grilling at 11:30 and did this for two hours. They took turns cooking and cutting and skewering. I skewered lotus root for a short time. It was fun to help a bit and to watch them work together. And, of course, eating was fun. People ate as the food was cooked. The students kept offering me/us food. When they learned that I don’t eat pork or spicy food, they supplied me with non-spicy veggies and were happy when I liked the food.

After eating enough, I sat on a stool and looked at a comic book about learning English that Paul had brought along to share with students. Several girls joined

me and we started to talk. After a while Paul and Ian joined the group. Sean sat elsewhere where another group formed. Discussions continued. After a while we took a break to walk a bit. When I sat down again, a few of the girls returned and more joined us. It was really fun to chat with them and to help them feel like they can speak English.

One of the girls in my discussion circle asked when my birthday is. When I responded that it was at the beginning of the month, they were sad and said they would buy me a gift. Later they asked if I like goldfish. I don’t want a fish in a bowl to have to take care of; so I told them I like fish but don’t want one because I’m afraid it will die when I leave for a few days. After a while, they asked if I like tortoises. I realized that they meant turtles and were thinking of giving me a turtle to keep in a dish. I don’t want one of those either; so I repeated that I don’t want one because I’m afraid it will die. They said they’d think some more. That night I got a text message from one of the girls saying they had purchased a gift for me and arranging to meet Sunday morning. 

They happily brought ma a lucky bamboo plant, and I happily accepted it. At least plants can live for a few days without water; so I don’t need to worry about it dying if I leave for a long weekend. And I do like it. So, now I have two plants—the bamboo and the cactus.

Monday afternoon we were informed that we would have an outing and lunch on Tuesday and our classes would be cancelled. Two people don’t have classes on Tuesday and had made plans, but they were pretty much told they should be here for the outing and lunch. This last-minute notification continues to be a problem and frustration. The event was the welcome outing and banquet for the new teachers—and us returning foreign teachers. We went to the Wenjiang Green Belt to ride bicycles, but the entrance we went to was closed and there were no bicycles. So we went around the gate and walked. 

Since it had just stopped raining, the air was moist and fresh, and it was really nice to be out in the green area. Walking was good because we got to talk with people. I chatted with Hannah, the new teacher who is training to take over Peggie’s “taking care of the foreigners” job. Hannah just finished her Master’s degree in English at a school near Beijing. She’s from central China and wanted to come to Chengdu; so she only applied for a job at this university. Fortunately, she was accepted. Her English is excellent. She is the middle child of three daughters. Her Chinese name means “change” because her parents wanted a boy. Her older sister is “precious” because the first child is always precious. Her younger sister is “stop.” When I asked about the one-child policy, she said they were protected. When an official came to the village to check on families, the villagers sent a messenger telling her parents to hide their daughters; so she and her sister hid in the dry riverbed until the official left.

The river walk was lovely. We saw people planting garlic

and many fishermen. It really was a pleasant activity.

We were to have a meeting at 11:00, but we didn’t return to campus until noon. So the meeting was held at the table while we waited for the president to arrive. It really wasn’t much of a meeting, and most of the important people weren’t there.

They wanted to ask if we had any problems or concerns. Dale mentioned a few things, and Hannah took notes. We’ll see if any action is taken. At the table, Dale was seated next to the president, in the important seat as always. I was seated next to Dean Cheng. This was new, as I’ve usually been across the table. When the president arrived, we had toasts and he welcomed everyone.

This banquet was also fantastic. 

A few special items included especially for the foreigners were French fries with catsup on the side,

 individual plates with a small piece of steak, and a dish of ice cream that was served three-fourths of the way through the meal. 

The whole meal had about thirty dishes. This I know because I took photos of most of them and I have 25 photos. It always amazes me that there can still be dishes I haven’t seen or haven’t seen for a long time. 

A few were repeats, but I took their photos anyway. (eel with ginseng, which was served at both banquets)

The banquet was my last official thing to for the week, as the week-long National Day holiday started on October 1. The holiday is actually five days (Wednesday to Sunday); so since two more are added, we had make up classes for next Monday on Sunday and will have make-up classes for next Tuesday on October 11. Only in China! Since tourist destinations are extremely crowded and hotel prices are doubled, I decided to stay home and have a quiet week. I’ve done the crowds and know I can, but I just wasn’t ready to do that yet. I think the fact that I just returned from traveling a few weeks ago also decreased my desire to hit the road again so soon.

My passport was returned to me on Sunday complete with my new visa. (The office was open because Sunday was a make-up day.) It’s good for 180 days, which will be renewed every time I re-enter the country. So I have to leave before March 17, which is not a problem because we’ll have the winter break starting in January. When I return, the visa will be good for another 180 days. So it all worked out well.

I received my first salary deposit on Tuesday, which is also good.

There is a higher police presence on campus this year. Every day I see three or four of them walking around.

Freshmen and sophomore students are being required to attend a study hall every evening for 1.5 hours. They are not happy, as they can’t go to the library or study where they want to.

My group of sophomore girls came to office hours the first week. It was good to see them again. I know they won’t come often, as they are very busy this year. Sophomore year seems to be the busiest in terms of the work load and having to take the national tests for English. One came the second week and enjoyed being able to talk on a more personal level since she was alone. And one freshman girl came.

My new commitment is to use the social networks that students use. Last year I had one but never thought about opening it. This year I am opening it for an hour or so every night. The other is a phone app that I have on for a few hours a day. I’m not as popular as the guys (Sean said he and Ian can spend a couple hours a night answering messages.), but I have several students who like to chat a bit. This is fine with me.

Another new commitment is going to the fitness center to use the machines for upper body strength. I've been thinking about doing this for a while. Now I am. They have new exercise bicycles that are really nice, and I enjoy riding one sometimes. Yoga class has started, and I go to that once a week. Kasey is going, too, and it's good to have her company. A few of the girls who participate have been chatting with me, which is nice.