China- It's a Wrap!

How do you ask for BoRics in Mandarin?
The funny thing about travel is that often the most mundane things can be an adventure within itself.  It had been six weeks since my last haircut and I was getting a little bit shaggy.  I was little bit nervous because of the language barrier but I figured they couldn't screw my hair up too much.  The worse case scenario was that I had a baseball camp that I could wear for the next week if things didn't work out well.  I walked into the barbershop and there was no one who spoke any English and the signs didn't clearly delineate the price.  I hope this is not an expensive place.

Before I could figure out the cost, I was whisked into a chair for a shampoo and head message by the woman who greeted me when I walked into the salon.  There were other customers in the store and I could tell that everyone was talking about me.  Oh this is going to be expensive.  After the shampoo, I was taken to an overly dramatic stylist.  I showed the stylist through gestures the length I wanted cut off and the style that I wanted.  The scissors started to cut and hair was flying everywhere.  Oh, boy this is not going to work out well.

At one point he kept asking me a question and for the life of me I couldn't figure out what he was saying.  I thought he was angry because he stormed off only to return with a phone. I put the receiver to my ear and said, "Hello?"  The person on the line spoke English and said that my stylist wanted to know if he could dye my hair to get rid of the gray. "He thinks you you will look much better and look much younger."  I tried to explain how I liked my salt and pepper hair but they kept asking, "Don't you want to look young again?"  Again? Again?  I look young now.  You are on the phone so how do you know what I look like?  Many things were racing through my mind but I very meekly told the person on the phone, "No, thank you."

In the end, the haircut looked good.  We were able to manage without understanding each other.  After the cut, I was given a second shampoo and head message.  Now the million dollar question-well hopefully not a million dollars- but what was this going to cost me? The woman at the cashier told me that I owed 28RMB.  28 RMB?  28 RMB?  A smile came across my face because that my friends is equivalent to four American dollars.

Buddhist Pilgram is a Jackie Chan Fan

On my way down from my hike to Mt. Emei, I met a Buddhist pilgram that was decsending the mountain as well.  Because we were headed down the path that was surrounded by monkeys it made sense for us to walk together.  Safety in numbers. Neither of us knew each other's language but we appreciated each others company.  He was walking in the traditional earth tone robes that you find Buddhist monks wearing in that part of China.  The hike was long and it was a hot day.  Later on the hike, I looked over and he was in a t-shirt.  I don't know what I expected from a Buddhist devotee but I was amused by his Jackie Chan t-shirt. 

Detained by Chinese Immigration
On my way to Hong Kong through the city of Shenzhen, I was stopped by the Chinese Immigration.  It was a routine stop between countries that I had made many times before. Technically, I wasn't going to another country because Hong Kong is now an Administrative Region of China. Though Hong Kong has different requirements than mainland China, I wasn't concerned because I had the difficult to obtain multiple entry Chinese Visa.   I stood in the line for foreign passport holders and presented my passport to the man behind the counter.  He looked at the passport a number of times and ran it through the system. He had a perplexed look on his face.  Perhaps, he was wondering why I don't dye my hair black to hide the gray.  Maybe it was gas.  Soon his supervisor was over to his station and they were discussing my passport.  At points they would stop and just stare at me.  The supervisor motioned to me to follow him.  He took me to another section of the immigration station.

This can't be good.  Ok, what could be wrong here?  I didn't over stay my visa.  I am sure I had a sixty day multiple entry visa.  I don't need a visa to get into Hong Kong.  I did have a multiple entry visa, right?

Now-- there were three people reviewing my passport.  They would talk amongst themselves and then look up at me.  Every once and awhile one of them would shake their head.  Eventually a woman came up and asked if I had any other identification.   I showed her my credit cards but she wanted another form of picture ID.  I explained to her that it was stolen when I was pick-pocketed in Spain.  This of course made them even more suspicious.  I asked what was wrong with the passport and she replied that I didn't look like my picture.

I started to laugh. I assured them it was me but that I had lost fifty pounds since the picture was taken.  I could tell that one of the immigration officials was still skeptical while the woman who spoke English was amused.  She took great interest in how I lost the weight.  I regaled her on my running regimen and my nine months of travel while her two colleagues kept looking at the passport and then at me,  Eventually, they became bored with me and let me through immigration.  Now-- I know when I walk through immigration to puff out my cheeks and my stomach and hope that they let me through!

Hey! Are you following me?
It is common to bump into the same people a few times during a trip.  Most countries have a tourist trail that people follow to see the sites and the cities of interest.  When I was in Beijing, I shared a room with a British couple, Ross and Becky.  Little did I know that we would see each other in three different cities after that.  We ended up staying in the same hostels in Xi'an, Chengdu and Mt. Emei and even hiked to Mt. Emei's peak with one another.

"Oh Canada! My Home and Native Land."
I had a great discussion with a European woman one night at a bar near my hostel.  I should have been wary of her from the beginning because the Bush Administration had deemed her country, in the lead up to the war in Iraq, as one of the stalwarts of "Old Europe." She was surprised when she found out I was American.  "I usually don't like talking to Americans. They are really full of themselves but you are not like that.  You are pretty cool.  It is almost like you are Canadian." I think there was a compliment in there somewhere.  It might have been wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma.  Needles to say, if anyone has an extra Roots shirt and a maple leaf patch for my backpack, I would greatly appreciate it.

Leshan, China- The Home of the Giant Buddha

 
My last tourist stop in China was in the city of Leshan, which is famous for the Giant Buddha statue that is carved into the cliff.  It was a quick hour bus ride from Mt Emei.  My tired muscles from the three day hike needed a break and this was the perfect one.

Along with the Giant Buddha, there are a number of Buddhist temples in the scenic area.  I went to the Lingyun temple and witnessed the monks during a time of prayer.  The temple was adorned with a number of beautiful statues and their were incense and candles being burned by worshiping visitors to the temple.

After the temple, I made the easy hike to the top of the Giant Buddha and eventually walked down the 71 meters to the base.  It is an amazing site to behold.  According to the legend, the Giant Buddha brought prosperity to the area once it was built. 

"Construction was started in AD 713, led by a Chinese monk named Haitong. He hoped that the Buddha would calm the turbulent waters that plagued the shipping vessels traveling down the river. When funding for the project was threatened, he is said to have gouged out his own eyes to show his piety and sincerity. Construction was completed by his disciples ninety years later. Apparently the massive construction resulted in so much stone being removed from the cliff face and deposited into the river below that the currents were indeed altered by the statue, making the waters safe for passing ships." (Wikipedia)

Hiking the Sacred Mt. Emei- Part 2

 

The second day's hike was less intense than the first day because I only had to hike 17 kilometers to reach the peak. The hike was mostly an ascent with a few monasteries along the way.  I didn't leave with my group in the morning because I was finishing my book but caught up to them right before reaching the peak.  I finished the hike in about six hours and was treated to the beautiful monastery and Buddha statues at the peak.

 

We stayed the night at the peak and enjoyed a quiet dinner.  The group consisted of two British, one Israeli and two Americans.  Our conversation quickly turned to politics and everyone wanted to know my take on the upcoming US election.  It wasn't surprising that they too were following the election but as usual they were quite surprised at the length of the election process.  Iraq, Bush and the poor economy dominated the conversation but I was able to get their perspectives on their leaders both of which were going through difficult times politically.

We woke an hour before sunrise so we could be well positioned to watch the sun come through the clouds.  The sunrise was amazing and well worth the two day hike up the mountain.  I have been very fortunate this journey to see some of the most beautiful places in the world and watching the sunrise at the peak of Mt. Emei is one of my favorites so far. 

The hike down the Mt. Emei was a quicker decent only lasting five hours.  I had a quick pace and decided to attempt to jog portions of the trail.  It was a good idea at the time but because my legs aren't used to decline my muscles ached for the next two days.

Hiking the Sacred Mt. Emei- Part 1

After my time in Chengdu, I took a two hour bus over to the Teddy Bear Hostel at the base of Mt. Emei in the Sichuan province.  The Teddy Bear hostel is run by a great local couple and is the starting base for many hikers.  Since it is highly recommended by hikers and the guidebooks, I wasn't surprised to see a number of people that I had met in Chengdu staying there.  After dinner, we went over the different ways through Mt.Emei and compared notes on which trails we were going to hike. 

Mt. Emei is the most sacred of the Four Buddhist Mountains in China.  The first Buddhist temple in China was built at the peak of Mt. Emei in the first century.  Over time a number of additional temples were built throughout the trails on the mountain making it a popular place for Buddhist pilgrims.  Since I had hiked one of the sacred Taoist Mountains, Mt. Huashan, the week earlier, it only made sense that I would add a Buddhist mountain to my worldlist. 

Since I had started training for my marathon, I decided to make the hike on Mt. Emei an aggressive one.  I was going to hike at a quick pace but at the same time I wanted to enjoy the scenery around me.  I started hike in the mid morning, letting the others get a head start. We were going to be staying at the same place on the mountain so it didn't matter if we hiked together.  The first day's hike was twenty four kilometers and went by a number of monasteries and rock carvings.

There was a section of the trail that was highlighted as being dangerous because it was a congregating spot for monkeys.  This portion of the trail had rangers that carried big sticks to scare off the monkeys.  A solo female hiker asked me to accompany her through that section of the trail.  As a gentleman, I took my job seriously until we were chased by two monkeys and then we both ran down the trail yelling and laughing.  Luckily, one of the rangers came to our rescue shaking his stick and yelling in a booming voice.  These monkeys were not friendly like Sr. Mini Loco.

I made it to my destination a little bit before dinner time.  We stayed in Buddhist monastery that rented very spartan rooms to pilgrims and hikers.  We had a basic dinner  and called it an early night as our muscles were soar due to the ascent. I was awoken at 4 am by a drum beat which was followed by chanting and prayers by the Buddhist monks and pilgrims.  It was a good way of being woken up though I would have preferred a couple of more hours of sleep.  I had a breakfast of rice and milk and then I was on my way for day two of the ascent.  Staying in the monastery was a very peaceful experience .  As one could imagine, it was a simple place but the people had a sense of calm and were very accepting of us interlopers.  It was one of the highlights of the hike. 

Sam Singh vs. the Kung Fu Panda

After my trip to Xi'an, I took a cheap flight to Chengdu in the Sichuan Province.  I organized my first day in Chengdu so I could go the the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center.  The Research Center is a great facility and is doing  incredible working in trying to increase the numbers of pandas so they can be removed for the endangered species list.  You can not help but smile when you see a panda.  They are such docile creatures and their movements are so exaggerated because of their size.  I never saw the  movie, Kung Fu Panda, but I was told that the main character was from Chengdu! 

"Giant Pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. They once lived in lowland areas, but farming, forest clearing, and other development now restrict giant pandas to the mountains.

The Giant Panda is an endangered species and highly threatened. According to the latest report, China has 239 giant pandas in captivity and another 27 pandas living outside the country. It also estimated that around 1,590 pandas are currently living in the wild. However, a 2006 study, via DNA analysis, estimated that there might be as many as 2,000 to 3,000 pandas in the wild. Though reports show that the numbers of wild pandas are on the rise, the International Union for Conservation of Nature believes there is not enough certainty to remove pandas from the endangered animal list.

While the dragon has historically served as China's national emblem, in recent decades the Giant Panda has also served as an emblem for the country. Its image appears on a large number of modern Chinese commemorative silver, gold, and platinum coins. The species is a favorite of the public, at least in part because many people find that it has a baby-like cuteness. Also, it is usually depicted reclining peacefully eating bamboo, as opposed to hunting, which adds to its image of innocence. Though giant pandas are often assumed docile, they have been known to attack humans, presumably out of irritation rather than predatory behavior. (From Wikipedia)"

Hiking the Sacred Mountain of Huashan

After my tour of the Terracotta Warriors, I decided that I needed to do something more active.  My hostel publicized a one-day hiking trip to Mount Huahsan.  It wasn’t very popular with Western tourists so there was only a traditional tour with a local Chinese company.  It didn’t bother me one way or another.  I mean how much Chinese do you need to know to hike a mountain? 

On the other hand, the tour guide for the Chinese company was very worried about me not understanding Chinese.  There was one other person in my position, an older Belgian businessman so they immediately paired us up together for the hike.  He was a very interesting person with a diverse background.  He was contracted by the Shanghai Art Museum to set up a complicated display of an emerging artist.  He had finished his project early so he was doing some sightseeing.  He was a good hiking partner and was a great resource for me to better understand a European perspective regarding working in China.

The tour guide was still concerned about the two of us.  I tried to explain that we would be fine since we had a map of the hiking trails and knew what time to be back at the bus.  The guide eventually found a young college student on the tour that spoke good English and asked her to be our guide.  He was quite pleased with himself and she was eager to practice her English.  How could we turn it down?

“Situated in Huayin City, 120 kilometers (about 75 miles) east from Xi'an City of Shaanxi Province, Mt. Huashan is known as 'The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven'. It is one of the five sacred mountains in China. The other four mountains are Mt. Taishan in Shandong, Mt. Hengshan in Hunan, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi, and Mt. Songshan in Henan.

In ancient times, Mt. Huashan was called Mt. Taihuashan. From a distance the five peaks seem to form the shape of a 'flower' (hua in Chinese), hence the name 'Huashan'. It is famous for its natural vistas of steep and narrow paths, precipitous crags, and a high mountain range. It is home to several influential Taoist temples where emperors of past dynasties made pilgrimages, making Mt. Huashan the holy land of Taoism. (Taken from www.travelchinaguide.com.)”

Along with the tourists, there were people making a pilgrimage to the various temples. Many Chinese take locks with them on the hike.  At certain point,s they will pray for success and good health.  Their prayer then is “locked” to one of the chains that adorn the paths of the mountain. 
 

The hike was not too strenuous but was breathtaking as we ascended to four of the five peaks.  It started to rain and time was running out so we decided to play it safe and skip the last peak. I was glad that I stayed the extra day in the region to take in the beauty of one of China’s sacred mountains.

The Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an

I took the night train from Beijing to Xi’an.  I was finally going to leave Beijing after two weeks.  Though the two week were a great time and I enjoyed the Olympics, I was looking for something more low key and more authentic to what I thought China was really like.  I soon realized that I really didn’t know what China was like.  My perceptions that were created by public schooling and more recently the media were quite outdated but that is a blog post for another time.

Xi’an is usually the destination for those on the tourist trail once they are finished with Beijing.  The main attraction for Xi’an is the Terracotta Warriors.  The Terracotta Warriors were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.  The figures vary in height (183–195cm - 6ft–6ft 5in), according to their role, the tallest being the Generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.  Their purpose was to help rule another empire with Shir Huang Di in the afterlife. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Armies."  (Wikipedia, Terracotta Army)

I took the tour offered by my hostel.  They took us to the site, which was divided into three major sections.  As the archaeologists found more ruins, they built structures to house the remains in order to protect them from the elements. As I walked through the structures looking the statues of warriors and horses, I had a strange feeling overcome me.  I can’t really put my finger on it but it was one of awe and disgust.  Here was a man so obsessed with his place in history. He was the man that united the seven kingdoms of China into one nation.  The man pushed for the completion of the Great Wall of China.  To think that he thought his reign would continue into the afterlife so that he needed a brigade of soldiers made of stone to lead him to eternal victory.   It was just a strange feeling being in there.  As I left the site with the tour and looked at the surrounding landscape, I wondered what else they might find in the upcoming years. 

A New Book for Your Book Club

I have met so many great people on the journey so far.  While I was in Beijing, I was introduced to a journalist named Lijia Zhang. We met at the Heineken House during the Olympics.  We had a spirited conversation on the Olympics, its impact on China and US/China relations. Typical Olympic conversation.

She gave me a copy of her book which was recently published in the spring.  The book is titled, "Socialism is Great"- A Worker's Memoir of the New China.  I just finished her memoir and appreciated her inviting writing style.  Unlike many memoirs that want you to feel sorry for the writer, her account has a sense of optimism combined with a frank look at her life's journey from a young girl working at a missile factory to a woman wanting to lead her own unrestricted life.  She does a wonderful job contrasting her transformation  to womanhood with the backdrop of the political changes of China during that time.

Here is the description of her book from her publisher:

"A spirited memoir by a former Chinese factory worker who grew up in Nanjing, participated in the Tiananmen Square protest and ended up an international journalist.

Lijia Zhang worked as a teenager in a factory producing missiles designed to reach North America,queuing every month to give evidence to the “period police” that she wasn’t pregnant. In the oppressive routine of guarded compound and political meetings, Zhang’s disillusionment with “The Glorious Cause” drove her to study English, which strengthened her intellectual independence – from bright, western style clothes to organizing the largest demonstration by Nanjing workers in support of Tiananmen Square Protest in 1989. By narrating the changes in her own life, Zhang chronicles the momentous shift in China’s economic policy: her factory, still an ICBM manufacturer, won the bid to cast a giant bronze Buddha as the country went crazy for profit.

Written in English, “Socialism Is Great!” is a testament to Zhang’ personal triumphs over the controlled existence that was supposed to be her destiny."

In addition to her compelling book, she has written a number of great articles for publications around the world.  They can be found on her website at www.lijiazhang.com. I would highly recommend reading the book. It gives a great introduction of what China is like through one woman's perspective and journey.  For those of you in book clubs, it would make a great addition to the list of books you are reading.

You can pick up this book right now from Amazon through The Inspiration Store at SinghAroundTheWorld.com

Meet My PR Man in China

Pictured: Shawn Chittenden, Dang Yang Zhang, my PR man in China- Rahul Venkit and me.

The Singh Around the World Tour has been getting some international media recognition over the last month.  It can all be attributed to my friend, Rahul Venkit.  I met Rahul through my friend, Nick Prendergast, one night over drinks in Beijing.  I told him about my adventure and he was sold. 

Rahul came to Beijing from India to work with China Radio International (CRI). China Radio International is the only overseas broadcaster in the People's Republic of China.  CRI's English Service Division focuses mainly on news but includes a variety of feature programs.  During the Olympics, Rahul freelanced work with the Olympics.  One of the groups he worked with during the Olympics was NDTV, one of India's largest cable news stations.  I participated in a live interview that was broadcast throughout India during prime time. As you can imagine, my relatives in India were very excited to see me on TV.  I finally was able to get the segment up on the media section of my website.  The interview is not one of my best but was fun to do nonetheless. Check it out here.

A few days later, I received an e-mail from him that started off, "Mate, what can I say. You're in demand." I gave him a call and he asked, "Do you want to touch base with another million people or so?" Why wouldn't I?  His colleagues at CRI were interested in doing an interview with me regarding my journey and my thoughts about Beijing on the daily program, "Beyond Beijing."  I went over to their studios and met the two hosts of the program and we recorded the interview.  We had a lot of fun with the interview and you can listen to it here.  The hosts enjoyed the interview and we had discussions about me phoning in on a regular basis so they and their listeners can follow my journey.  It would be similar to my monthly interviews with Walt Sorg on WILS 1320 A, which are all archived on the media section of my website.  We will see if we can put it together.

Rahul is not done yet. He e-mailed me the other day and asked when I was going to be getting to India.  He had some contacts there that he wants to connect me with for potential interviews.  I guess you never know where a few beers on a rooftop patio will lead.

Since many of the readers of Singh Around the World are connected to the media, do you have any contacts that you think might be interested in my journey? If so, shoot me an e-mail.

Beijing Wrap Up

Hiking the Great Wall
"He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man."--- Mao Zedong

Shawn Chittenden and I took a day off from the Olympic fun to experience one of the modern wonders of the world. It has been one of my highlights of the China trip so far. Instead of doing one of the simple tours, we decided to take the tour that involved hiking 10 kilometers of the Great Wall.  It was a challenging hike but the views were amazing.  It is one of those places that pictures never do justice. You need to see it in person to feel the magnitude of this man made creation.  The only negative thing occurred when I was told that you cannot really see the Great Wall from the moon.  It was a myth that I subscribed to since I was a kid. Oh, well.

I remember recently reading, in the MSU Alumni Magazine, that two MSU grads a few years back hiked the entire Great Wall from its beginnings in Liaoning Province to the Gobi Desert. A pretty amazing feat that has been added to the "worldlist" for me to accomplish some day.  Ah, who I am kidding? I don't think I will ever walk the 4000 miles of the Great Wall but it would be a pretty cool adventure.

The Forbidden City is No Longer Forbidden

The Forbidden City housed the Ming and Qing dynasties but was not accessible to commoners for over 500 years.  Now, as long as you have the entrance fee of US$10, you can visit the second most visited site in China.  I took a personal tour of the Forbidden City on my last day in Beijing.  The shear size of the compound is amazing though the buildings become a bit tiring because they have such similar styles.  Unfortunately, I lost all but five of the pictures that I took when I transfered them to my computer.  Though I had a number of things to organize for my last day in Beijing, I also knew that I would be kicking myself if I missed one of the things on my "worldlist."  I am glad that I made the time to experience it for myself.

Hanging Out With the Old Men on the Corner

It doesn't matter what country you are visiting, there is one common thread that connects all of them together-the old men that hang out on the corner.  In some countries, they are at the corner cafe drinking beer or if it is a Muslim country then they are drinking coffee or tea.  At times they are playing cards, discussing politics, or gossiping about the people in the neighborhood.  China is no different.  One night, Shawn and I spent a little time with a few gentlemen drinking beer. We did our best to talk with each other.  A few words and a few motions go a long way in communicating. You could tell that they were appreciative that we were in their country and very proud of the Olympics.  Though we couldn't really understand each other, there was a lot of pointing, laughter and clinking of beer bottles.  Gan bei! (Cheers in Mandarin)

A Round of Drinks for the Aussies

We have a tradition that started at Michigan State University.  If we win the sporting event, we buy a round of drinks for a group of fans from the opposing school.  Unfortunately, I haven't used it as much as I would like in football but basketball is another story. My friend, Michael Baird, had sent some money through the Singh Around the World's Paypal account for me to buy a round of drinks so I was looking for the opportune time to use the gift.

Shawn and I ended up going to the women's water polo match between the US and Australia.  It was an exciting game with the US being the victors.  We were watching the match next to an Australian couple and it made sense that they should benefit from Mike's gift.  We bought them a few rounds after the match and became fast friends.  We ended up getting dinner and partying at the Heineken House that evening.  Most countries have a location where their fans, their sponsors and the athlete's families can hang out during the Olympics.  Of course, the Dutch do it up right with a great party every night at the Heineken House with bands, DJs and plenty of Heineken for sale.  Mike-- thanks for the round! I know the Australians enjoyed it, as they were still dancing the night away at the Heineken House, when Shawn and I called it a night.

A Shout out to Sheila Taormina
I am sure those of you from Michigan heard about the Olympic accomplishments of Sheila Taormina, a native of my childhood hometown of Livonia.  Sheila became the first female athlete to compete in three completely different sporting events at the Olympics.  She won a gold medal in 1996 for the US women's swim team.  She competed for Team USA in the triathlon in 2000 and 2004.  In 2008, she was wearing the US colors once again, this time for the Women's Pentathlon competition.   In the end, she came in 19th place but not before wining the hearts of fans across the country including a number of them from "Lively Livonia." Check out this Free Press article about her.