I had never met anyone from Hawaii although I had a good friend and writing buddy move there several years ago. But the rumors of what I heard about their culture were true. Jay and Mia (as they introduced themselves to me) were super laidback individuals. They showed me pictures of their previous vacations on a reggae music cruise to Jamaica. They also shared pictures of their kids and their house in Hawaii from their iPad. They talked about how because it was so easy to live off the land, that drugs and homelessness were a huge issue although actual violent crime was low. They also told me how there were no longer ferries between the islands and that the airline companies had shut it down and raised their prices making it difficult to visit the other islands. They were from O'ahu.They had tons of stories about their life, took tons of photos even with me and were really fun throughout the whole trip.
On our tour were several Europeans. I should add I was in the front row of the van with Mia and Jay in the seat behind me. The next group was a French family, the parents escoreted their son and daughter to the very back of the van without any greeting whatsoever. Next was a young couple from Nepal, they also seated themselves in the back and finally a young German man in about his 20's who came by himself as well. He also seated himself in the back.
I pointed this out to Mia and Jay. "It's weird," I whispered, "how we just kind of ended up segregating ourselves by countries."
"Oh we'll change that soon enough," Mia said, "by the end of the trip we'll have them all mingled in."
Our first stop was the Ming tombs, the tombs of some of the emperors and empresses of the Ming Dynasty. Upon entering, it wasn't very impressive. There were mostly replicase of teh actual tombs and their items and people threw tons of money for good luck at the roped off areas as if they were a wishing well.
I thought this odd. There are many starving people all over the place, in China especially yet people would rather throw their money at relics and even copies of relics in hopes of a blessing rather than blessing the poor. I wonder who collected the money at the end of the day and where it really went. Then again, it probably could've honestly went into the donations bin of the place since the Chinese hold these things reverently to their hearts.
After that, unfortunately, this was another shopping tour. So we ended up at a Jade warehouse factory where they taught us how they made jade sculptures, different types of jade, the jade process and then of course walked us to a makeshift looking jewelry store upstairs with jade pieces and of course there was a special "discount" for the holidays. And of course, everything was overpriced. I walked around for about 10 minutes and feigned interest when suddenly my left knee went stiff as it often does in really bad weather but it baffled me because today was really warm. I had done a lot of walking all day yesterday for several hours matching Cherry's brisk pace as we ran through 4 large walking areas to view temples and squares. My legs were slightly stiff and numb this morning. I chalked my knee pain up to the strain of yesterday and the anticipation of the strain I would put on it today.
I wobbled over to a small cafe they had in the corner where I purchased a horrible coffee made from instant powder (their espresso machine was broken) and sat down at a table next to Helen and a few other tour group leaders who had also brought their tours in on the stop. I stretched my knee, massaging it and listened to them speak their native tongue while I glanced over at the other visitors who all seemed somewhat uncomfortable and uninterested in the jewelry before them but felt obliged to entertain the pushy salespeople that followed them all around asking occasionally if they saw something they liked. One lady had been following me but had given up after some time and then no one followed me. I was grateful for that.
After about 20-30 minutes, the van started up again and we all exited. No one, as I had predicted, had purchased anything. "That guy said he paid $300 for his private tour," Mia said, nodding over to a tall grey haired man who I had seen earlier walking by himself.
"Wait, what? For where?"
"Same place we're going," she said, "The Great Wall."
I had paid about $40 for this group tour. "That's terrible," I said, "I was so fearful of getting scammed. I kept checking the reviews for every place especially ones with shopping stops like this."
"I know," she said, "I was expecting the shopping stops and I wanted to be careful cuz I heard some horror stories."
I agreed.
We entered the van and headed out to the Great Wall which would be the greatest adventure yet.
*****************************************************************************
We arrived at a small restaurant off the road leading to the Great Wall site for lunch and we were served large plates of rice and various meats and vegetables that were placed on our table. The table was wooden and round but had a glass platform on top of it that spun around so everyone could turn it to get to the dish they wanted and take what they wanted for their own individual plates. The food was traditional Chinese food but good and we all consumed the food rather quickly with little conversation. It turned out the French family didn't know much english. I had heard the mother in the back of the van translating some of the things Helen was saying as she gave us brief histories on various things before we got to a stop. Her son looked to be about 9 or 10. The daughter in her pre-teens or early teens.
The French were on my right, the young Italian couple on my left. Mia and Jay sat across from me and Jan, the German right next to me on the left.
Jan, near the end of the Ming tomb trip, had broken a little bit away from the other Europeans and started following me and the Hawaiians around, quietly laughing and smiling at Mia and Jay's jokes and their stories.
We all gathered to meet downstairs and the van drove us a little way further before stopping at the foot of a rather steep incline on the road. We had to get out and walk a little way up this road and then the pavement started to become cobbled as we continued. The Great Wall came into view far up on a mountain. I had a terrible fear of heights and wondered exactly what methods were used to get up there. I panicked.
When I had booked the trip I had saw that a cable car was an optional way of getting up the wall. I inquired with the agency if this was the only way to go up the wall and they informed me no, I could choose to walk it. Frankie, my program colleague who had attended the wall during danger conditions two days prior, had messaged me saying his tour agency had told him it was optional too but in the end everyone was forced to go. Helen, however, assured me that I wouldn't be forced but that it would be significantly quicker and easier.
"It's much easier to take the cable car," she said, "but you can walk however it is very hard. Even most locals cannot do it."
She pointed out ahead and indeed there was a road that lead to the wall off to the side full of steep stairs and an even steeper incline. The 5 minute walk we had endured to get to this point was quite difficult. I couldn't imagine a steeper incline. My feet were already at a ridiculously tilted angle.
I begrudgingly accepted the cable car ride.
Half of our crew decided to take an open toboggan to the wall. The idea alone made me shudder. So the Hawaiians and the Italian couples went to take the toboggan. Me, the French family, Helen and Jan decided on the cable cars. When we got there, I ended up with the French family and Helen. Jan ended up in the cable car behind us. Helen said she would hold my hand. She kept rubbing my back telling me it would be okay. I was thankful for her trying to comfort me as we boarded the car. Initially I was seated on the end but the French woman saw I was a tad bit nervous and switched with me so that I was in the middle between her and her son shielded from the window. Helen grabbed my hand and I closed my eyes. The ride lasted about 3 minutes and Helen rubbed my hand and reassured me along the way but I felt little snags and the car sway occasionally when it hit the propulsion gears on the wire which made me nervous.
We finally got up top to the wall.
Helen split me up with Jan and the Fench family went on their own. Those on that had ridden the toboggan were on the other side of the wall on a part that I found out later was much less steeper which was probably safer in hindsight considering the Hawaiians were heavy-set.
"Stay with her," she said, "Make sure she's okay." I was a bit embarrassed. I had known the wall was going to be high and I was okay with that but I thought I could take things at my own pace and not have to hold anyone back. But it made sense to break up in groups to keep better time control.
"It will be okay!" Helen smiled, "Our great Chairman Mao said, 'When you climb the Great Wall, you become a hero' so today you are a hero! You are here!"
Jan (pronounced Yahn by the way) and I started to walk, heading left at the entrance. The day was beautiful and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, however, there were still small patches of snow or ice where the snow had melted in shady areas along the wall. There were steep stairs to small towers along the way, some so steep people were crawling on hands and knees so not to fall. Surely, the Chairman must've climbed this wall to claim his heroism in his heyday.
I started to at this point realize I had on way too many layers of clothing as it had gotten considerably warmer in the early afternoon and the physical exertion of walking the wall alone proved to be more of a trial than anticipated. Jan was shy as was I so our conversation was awkward at first. He was a tall, thin guy about 24 or 25. He was very thin, had sandy blonde hair, a long pointed Roman nose and small, tiny blue eyes. He worked for a car parts supply company and was here in Beijing for a month on business. We talked a little bit about random things, mostly why were in China, things we liked about it, things about home. We had been walkijng for about 15 minutes and took turns helping each other take pictures at certain locations.
Jan was walking much faster than I was and didn't seemed perturbed or overly cautious about the icy patches which he walked over with seemingly little trouble. I saw an old lady with really cool pink sneakers.
"I like your sneakers!" I said, pointing to her shoes and giving her the thumbs up. I didn't know the word for shoes so I said the sentence english exaggerating my gestures so she would understand. A young Chinese man, perhaps a family member, who understood english walked up to her and translated. The woman smiled and asked me a question I didn't understand.
"She asked if she could take a picture with you," the young man with her said.
"Oh sure." I had gotten used to such requests. I posed next to her for a picture and we thanked each other as I headed back to where Jan was waiting.
"Sorry," I said, "that happens quite a bit to me here."
"No problem," Jan smiled.
"So is there an end game here?" I said asking if there was a certain point we should stop and turn around. We had to meet everybody at half past 2 back at the van. It was around noon now.
"Oh, I wanted to get up to that tower," he said and he pointed to the peak of the nearest visible mountain top that looked about a few miles out.
Where the wall first comes to a small triangular point over that first hill in the distance is where we stopped
I looked to wear he was pointing. Silently, I sighed heavily in my mind. Okay, I muttered.
"You sure?" he asked, looking at me with slight shock and concern.
"I might have to walk slower than you," I said between my fear of heights and my bad knee and the fact there was snow on the ground that I was cautious of, "but I don't want to hinder your first experience on the wall due to my own fears. So I'll try and do my best."
This seemed satisfying enough to him. He was kind and kept asking me occasionally if I was okay. We stopped about 3 times for me to rest and get a drink of water because the inclines were intense.He slowed down his pace. A couple of the towers we steep and people were climbing on hands and knees even the natives. The wall is divided by areas and we were at the Matianyu part which was supposed to be the easiest part to walk, more nature-y and the least crowded. Juyongguang is the more popular area, though I can't recall the reasons why but if Matianyu was the easiest one to walk then I'm grateful we didn't end up on a more difficult walk. We came inside a small stone area that was held up with towers, some kind of hall or storage area it seemed but there was a metal, grated ladder that led back up to the wall. It was wet and slippery and dirty and people had to slowly go up and down it.
Great.
But that wasn't the best part. We got up the ladder and before us were a long, long great set of stares with different steepness, different lengths, different textures that awaited us to get to the tower area.
I should fully disclose something here that might annoy some of you.
I am not a person who has ever set foot at a gym. I don't work out. I don't exactly diet. I've never had to watch my weight. I've been one of those annoying people with naturally good muscle tone and who is just naturally fit. But I'm used to walking long distances. I used to run....about 10 years ago. I took a judo class in college about 2 years ago as a gym credit and the two strongest students in my class, I brag not, was a big, tall husky blonde girl...and me. We sparred a few times and neither of us managed to defeat the other. Doing things that physically challenge me don't usually bother me.
But the Great Wall is a test of every aspect of your mind and body possible. Let me put it this way, there were locals who were also taking frequent rests, crawling in certain steep areas, sweating and busting their butts to walk along the wall. Jan was like a freaking robot or something. I was beginning to think he might be a cyborg. He wasn't winded, or sweating, he didn't take any drinks of water and his tall, thin legs glided easily along the stairs. I was dealing with something beyond human. Still, I pushed myself. But at one point, I had to really stop. I felt my heart rate exceed what was bell beyond normal. I was sweating and short of breath and I was wearing a hoodie and a pea coat and a knitted hat (which I took off). I had nowhere to put my extra clothing and holding it wasn't an option since some of the areas required literally using your hands to get to. Jan was dressed in a hoodie and jeans, perfect attire for a day in the mid 50's with lots of physical activity planned.
Of course, the one day I didn't check the weather is the day it mattered most.
I stopped about 5 times on the stairs, opening my coat and taking deep breaths to slow my heart rate down. This is dangerous,I thought, I have to take it easy. I'm going to have to slow down more for my own sake or this could get serious.
Jan walked his same brisk pace, but he was patient and didn't complain even when I stopped to rest. He would go a bit ahead and wait patiently. If he was annoyed in anyway, he didn't show it at all which I was grateful for because I felt terrible having to hold anyone back. The stairs took about a long 10 to 15 minutes to conquer, the last bit was really, really steep stairs up to the tower. You had to use hands and feet to do it. Some elderly, who were also along the wall, were climbing slowly up and people were very patient waiting for people to go up or down. We had caught up with the French family along the stairs and had passed them but their youngest, the son, had went on ahead. We got to the top of the tower and it was absolutely breathtaking. Jan finally seemed a bit winded. We rested a bit and then he and I walked along the wall to oversee the mountains.
View from top of tower
Tower selfie
There were quite a few people gathered here and a woman with a small table was selling souvenirs and water. I had brought two bottles of water with me. The French woman took photos of her family then Jan offered to take a photo with her in it for them. She came to the table and bought 4 Great Wall tourist books for 100 yuan a piece which was outrageous and she didn't haggle the woman. I eyed a simple black cap that said The Great Wall on it and inquired the price. 90 yuan. I was near the end of my spendable money, having to use 100 yuan on the cable car had put me well out of budget. I feared I wouldn't have enough for cab fare back to the airport and then cab fare back home. So I declined. The woman chased me then. How much did I want to pay, she asked in broken english. I told her I had 20 yuan. She took it and handed me the hat.
I laughed. I wondered if I could've gotten lower. Upon closer inspection the stitching was pretty shoddy but it was nice. It was nowhere near worth 90.
Jan asked me to help him take a photo using his iPad then he helped me take a photo and we took a few selfies. The French left before us. After about 15 minutes we realized we had to start heading back. Downstairs would be faster than upstairs for sure, I thought. But I was wrong. Halfway down the long stairs leaving the tower, my left knee locked up again. I had to move even slower. A couple of young Chinese girls told me to take the steps sideways and one at a time which helped but was obviously a slower way of going down. And of course, Jan walked down like it wasn't a problem as normal. No one else was doing it that way. Almost everyone was taking the sideway method. Now I was convinced he was a cyborg. Once we got down those steps it was easier to walk down everything else. The strain on my knee had to be careful as going down actually had more impact than up, Jan explained to me. We got to the van about 15 minutes late as I had texted Helen along the way we would be late. As we neared the bus, I thanked Jan for both his patience and for guiding me along.
As
a person who is extremely afraid of heights and doesn't even like
standing on a chair to fix a bulb or get to a shelf let alone flying or
walking up a mountain, I was proud that I overcame an incredible fear.
I ended up riding a cable car to the wall where I ended up partnering with a patient but determined young German guy. I stumbled
painfully along huffing and puffing up greatly steep hills and uneven,
crumbly, shifty stone stairs lightly spotted with leftover snow. He
wanted to go up to the high point of a mountain and my not wanting to slow down someone else or dampen their
first Beijing experience proved to be my motivation and determination
to try keep up and conquer a fear of heights that has gripped me all my
life. Forty-five minutes later, we had made it. It was all worth it. But I seriously need Tylenol for the muscle pains of two days walking through all these
attractions.
"You actually really made this trip for me," I said, "As a person who is afraid of heights and has this knee problem, I don't think I would've ever pushed myself that far but the experience was so worth it, so thank you."
"Oh," he replied shyly, "you're so welcome. No problem at all, really."
The French family, however, was nowhere to be seen. Jan and I said they left before us.
"I'm glad we weren't the last ones then, I thought we would be." Jan said to me.
"Me, too." I said.
My legs were stiff, my knee sore and I was wiped. I had only wished I had a pedometer to see how many miles I walked this trip alone. Everyone seemed exhausted. The Hawaiians talked about how crazy fun and scary the toboggan was and how everyone was reacting to difficult parts of their side of the wall.
I told them about the steepness we encountered on our side.
"Oh I saw [the hills]," Mia said, "and that's why I said 'nope!' I would've died."
Everyone was generally quiet and tired along most of the trip taking a nap. I myself drifted off during the nearly 1 hour long ride back to our hotels. I had booked going to a traditional Chinese opera later that night so I was quite exhausted and not sure how up to it I would be.
We were soon to realize, however, there was one more shopping stop. A tea place called Dr. Tea.
I had been to a tea house before in Shanghai during my teacher initiation/orientation and this one wasn't much difference.
They sat us in an area and they showed us different types of tea and gave us tasting samples and told us what each tea was known to cure or heal or help.
Then they made their pitch and of course there was a "special holiday discount." The tea was actually affordable though although I'm sure the quality was questionable and the French woman bought a few packs as did I believe the Italian couple. Me and the Hawaiians remained quiet as did Jan. I was curious in a loose-leaf tea thermos. Almost everywhere I went there had been stations for hot water. The trains, the train stations, the school, the airports. I had one but the seal was poor and it often leaked. They were selling it for 150 yuan and I had seen them for about that price or more and much smaller. I didn't have a whole lot of money left. I ended up being persuaded and purchased it and right after when we got back to the van I thought about what money I had left and realized...I had went over budget. I had to think of a way now to get cab fare but I decided to think of a solution later. I'm not sure if it was the exhaustion of the trip that added to my miscalculation but I was too tired to think further upon it. Helen asked if anyone wanted to stop by at a famous marketplace and we all declined. She told us she had to take the train home at the next stop and the driver would get us all back to our respective hotels. As we headed back, Mia and I talked about China and our experience so far. We talked about crazy fights and unusual circumstances that occurred and how we had to exercise caution as foreigners seeing situations that would normally call for assistance or police intervention but that wasn't the norm in China. I told her about how my first week in Shanghai I saw a woman get punched by her husband in a subway station as a police officer walked by.
"I mean it's crazy here," she said, "You can't just do things. It's China. It's a communist......country" she drifted off as my eyes got wide.
Mia was quite boisterously loud when having a conversation and she was sitting in the set behind Helen. As she mentioned communism condescendingly, I immediately tried to shush her and my eyes darted to Helen who didn't turn around. Mia's eyes followed mine and realizing how it came off, she quickly changed topic.
I was slightly embarrassed. Here we were enjoying a country and its beautiful history and its beautiful sights. It's true the government was slightly oppressive and civil rights weren't in abundance, but to mock it openly in front of the natives made me uncomfortable and made me feel bad.
Since my arrival, I've had many natives come up to me saying, "Why would you come to China?" almost incredulous as to why I would leave a country like America to come here. They would mention air pollution and other problems almost ashamedly and I would always to respond with the positive aspects I loved about their country. This would result in them smiling and often befriending me wanting to exchange contact information. I didn't want to be the person to step on someone's soil and although I acknowledge there were flaws it wasn't my place to flaunt them to the people here while I was employed by their school systems, paid by them and generally treated with respect.
We were dropped off to our individual hotels and I was the 2nd to last stop. The only remaining people were Mia and Jay. I shook their hands and we said goodbye. They were only touring for a little bit and were waiting for Mia's sister to join them then they were heading back to Hawaii.
I waited about an hour before another car got me for the opera. I freshened up with a hot shower and put on lighter clothes. The opera was in a small stage area in a luxury hotel and it was a set of about 3-4 scenes from popular traditional Chinese operas (these are often very, very long productions so this was more of a taste). There wasn't a whole lot of singing as there was incredible acrobatics. It reminded me a little bit of the kabuki plays I had seen in a production at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center but this wasn't quite the same.
I had learned a lot about the art of Chinese opera at the HK National Museum. The painting of the faces represented different types of personalities and it was very hierarchical backstage. Who got to dress where, wear what and got what parts was super important and between the actors it was super competitive. The costumes were extremely intricate. There was more of an art in creating the production as there was in performing it. In kabuki, it's not quite that intense.
The production was about an hour long. The acrobatics were impressive for such a small cast and there were digital displays that subtitled everything. I went home after and tried to conjure up an idea to get some money to get a cab.
This is when my trip kind of fell apart....
******************************************************************************
I had $20 left remaining on an American credit card from home but the taxis don't use cards and I couldn't pull the money out of an ATM because I couldn't remember my PIN. The card company couldn't give me my PIN except by slow mail. I had already borrowed some money from my mother for this trip. I couldn't ask her for more. I tried to solve the problem completely on my own and did something stupid then. I used Moneygram's online wiring service and tried to use the $20 remaining on my credit card to pay myself to my Chinese bank account (they offered direct deposit payments within less than 24 hours to certain overseas banks). It didn't work and then it seemed like I was banned from logging back in.
I called my father and Charles to see if they could help. Both tried to wire me some money through a wiring service. I had enough to at least get to the airport. Leaving from the Wuxi airport would be the problem but there was sure to be an ATM and I could get the money from my account then. My flight left at 8 am, I hadn't fallen asleep till about 3 am mulling over the problem. I awoke around 6 and packed and got ready. I got a cab and headed over. I had enough to get to the airport. It was about 80 yuan. I had about 20 left. I relaxed and got on the plane with litte hassle.
Good-bye, Beijing!
As I arrived to Wuxi, I headed straight to the ATM. Nothing was in the account. With 20 yuan left it would cost me about 30 to 40 yuan to get back home. I tried to talk to the bus counter but they didn't have a bus that took me where I needed to go, or so they said. A gypsy cab driver followed me around and I kept telling him I didn't have enough money. I was tired and annoyed and he didn't understand me so he kept hassling me. "Bu gao chien!" (I don't have enough cash) I kept saying. I told him what I had, he didn't or wouldn't understand. I think more of the latter since everyone assumes Americans are rich. It reminded me of that dumb taxi cab. I waited on a bench in the airport trying to figure out what to do. I checked to see if I had enough money to get to the nearest bank. I couldn't be sure. I sat for about 15 minutes when the gypsy driver came up to me with a small, young Chinese woman with glasses. She asked me where I was going in english and I told her. She said the driver was offering to take me. I explained to her how I only had about 20 yuan. She explained this to him. All of the sudden it sunk in. He said "oh no no no" then laughing said he couldn't take me. I rolled my eyes and the young lady apologized. "I'm sorry he just sort of grabbed me and asked me to help."
"It's okay," I said, "Thanks."
After another 20 minutes went by I decided to just go around asking if anyone can spare some change. It was horrifying to think of begging money from anyone around China. However, there was no staff at my school I could call everyone was gone from the holiday and no one would be around to be able to help me even if I did call anyone at home. I pulled up my phone translation app and typed in "Can you spare any change? Don't have enough for cab home." It translated into mandarin and then I showed about 3 people my phone (the last guy just looked at my phone and then stared at me awkwardly unblinking and silent till I just walked away) when I got to the woman who had translated for the gypsy cab driver. She was with her father and daughter. "Oh," I said, "You're the woman that spoke to me earlier."
She asked me what happened and I explained my entire issue and she offered to help. She tried calling Annie, my intermediary and contact at the school, although I had told her it was probably no use. Annie indeed turned out to be no help just recommending I should take a cab. I'm not sure what else she said to the woman as they spoke but she didn't get off the phone with Annie with any extra answers. We went out to the cab drivers and she asked them how much it would cost to get back to the school. They told her the cost I had suspected.One of the cab drivers however, told her I could take a bus about 3 stops out which would cost 5 yuan and then the cab ride from that stop would be 10 yuan.
We went that route. I waited along with her family. They offered me a snack and I declined. I was just anxious to get home after waiting an hour at the airport. I had wondered why the money didn't go through the wiring service but I would get behind it later. The young woman gave me her English name Serena and she was nice. I asked her where she studied english and she said at her university although, she said, she didn't have much opportunity to use it.
It reminded me of how when I first got here how Heather told me everyone here starts learning english from grade school but then they often don't speak it later. She had suspected, what I now believe is rightly so, from lack of diversity in China which didn't allow Chinese to utilize what they learned.
"In America, you have a lot of different cultures so you have more practice I guess," she had told me.
We boarded the bus and Serena double-checked the info with the bus driver. I must've thanked her a bunch of times as we neared my stop and I got off and said goodbye to her and her family. I flagged down a cab and I gave him my address. I asked how much it would be and he said 10 yuan. We were actually less than 5 minutes away from the school and I was excited to finally see the campus gate. I paid him and rolled my luggage briskly back into my apartment as the guard opened the gate. I didn't even unpack. I threw my stuff down. Plopped onto my bed and fell asleep.
***************************************************************************
You're probably wondering what happened to the money. This had been my first budget snag since I arrived and of course it happened at the worst possible time.
Well, I found out later the money from Moneygram had been declined and Charles and my father were refunded. They flagged me as a security risk after I had tried to send money to myself in China using a credit card. I could see why that would be a flag due to the high identity theft that occurs in China. I tried to ask if there was a way I could prove my identity and remove the flag, as I still needed money to get me through one more week before the school would pay me. Moneygram said no, but it was fine because the weekend was over (it had been Sunday back home when all the banks were closed) so I gave my father my American bank account number and he just deposited in there and I withdrew. Later, I got some extra money from Charles and my friend Christina who also ended up helping. If you're reading this thanks guys. You quite literally saved me from starvation.
No comments:
Post a Comment