Traveling the World

At 7:49AM local China time, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the Western province of Qinghai, a province which is nestled between Xinjiang (Muslim riots February 2009), Sichuan (massive earthquake June 2008), and Tibet (D.Lama). If we thought that China was doing better, we thought wrong. It seems that something must happen to China at least once a year, be it a natural or man-made disaster. I guess it’s fair to say that since the country is so large, covers so many timezones, and has so many people, that these things are bound to happen, but every time it does happen, it leaves us feeling worse than before.

It’s never fair for innocent people to die, and in this situation there’s no one to blame, which makes it harder. The current death toll is about 700, however in this small remote town of 100,000 people, no one will be sure until they begin to give up hope that survivors will be found. It raises the argument that the quality of life for people around the country is completely unequal, and that a standard code for buildings should be introduced so that those buildings unable to withstand natural disasters should be torn down and rebuilt, or at least be reinforced with steel.

I hate the feeling of being unable to do anything to help, and so it’s my intent to find out if I can go there during the May 1st holiday to assist the Red Cross, however I doubt they’d let a single person like myself go there as I might only add to the confusion. You might say that waiting 2 weeks will yield no result, however with Sichuan earthquake, they were out looking for a month and are still rebuilding two years on.

I beg you to donate money to the HK Red Cross so their efforts can be increased. They’ve already collected over 200,000 HKD (about $27,000) and need your donations badly, as the epicenter is located over a very remote town and it takes time to get people out there to help.

Among the things we ordered were fried bananas, dumplings, chicken, beef, pork, you name it, we ate it! Surprisingly, it was quite cheap! From what I’ve heard, it gets super spicy in the pot, so we opted for only a tiny bit of the peppers. I regretted it immediately after dinner, and still do to this day. I wish we had more peppers put in, because it wasn’t strong enough for me even though the others were complaining it was too hot. Americans really are weak-tongued, and it takes living here for awhile to get accustomed to the difference in cuisines. If you want to dine at this tasty restaurant, call them at 028-86639070. They are located on Chang Shun Street at the corner of Shang Ye Street.

The next morning we went for Tibetan food. China has a 4 passenger per taxi limit, and since we had 5 people, we had to use two taxis. As a result, I hailed both taxis and told them both in Chinese where to go. It’s normal to get drivers who don’t know where the place is you want to go. The driver took Melba and Richard to a part of town far away from where the restaurant was, and since they had no cell phone, they returned to the hostel after waiting for 20 minutes. We also tried to search for them but in the end ate at the restaurant called A Re Zai Can. For 65rmb total, we got three dishes: yak with potatoes, yak and tomato soup, and bread with yak and onions. It was honestly the best meal I’ve ever had in my life.

About the time we finished it was 11am, and we rushed back to the hostel, and then rushed to the train station. Along the way traffic built up so much we came to a halt for several minutes. We made the quick decision to leave the taxi and run to the station on foot. Alfred, Emma, and I met up with Richard and Melba close to the station. We got stuck at a light, and Emma tripped over a bike and fell face first onto the pavement in the middle of the street. I saw it coming, but didn’t say anything because I figured she’d notice the bike in front of her. Oh well. I kept the smile to myself. We quickly regrouped and ran full speed to the train, making it with only a few minutes to spare.

We walked in the annoyingly misty rain up the mountain and passed an unbearable amount of Chinese tourists. After 15 or 20 minutes, we arrived at the Giant Buddha and took pictures. We were up until that point unaware of the several hour long line which forms at the head and slowly, I mean s-l-o-w-l-y works its way down the cliff of the mountain to the statue’s feet.

Everyone I was with immediately lost interest in the idea, yet I refused to budge from the line, as I’d paid almost an hour’s salary (quite a bit of money for a single thing here) to see the damn statue. After I explained that it’d be impossible for us to miss the last bus back to Chengdu at night if we waited in line, they reluctantly agreed to wait. As time passed, they became more excited, and I became less interested. It’s ironic that this happened, but who’s to blame a white Jew for not particularly caring too much about some statue of another religion, especially when it goes against my people’s beliefs to worship a statue.

Giant Buddha

During the ride, Richard and I were sitting in front of 4 Americans going to university in California: 2 Whites and 2 Asians. They were 2 males and 2 females, and they were talking about things I thought were funny back in college, but now honestly seem vulgar and childish. It’s weird how we grow up so fast without noticing it. Two hours later and 45rmb less, we were back at our hostel in Chengdu.

Sashes

Richard enjoyed his nap until we attempted to wake him up several times. He felt the performance was boring, and I agreed to some extent. I love Chinese culture, but I hate Chinese performances and drama, as the acting is always terrible. The only part of the performance I enjoyed was the juggling and modern dancing. Sad, huh? I’ll let those more interested in ancient history and traditional aspects of the culture experience it for themselves and give us a more detailed review.

Minority Performance Center

As we left, they asked us to wait a minute. After the minute was over, they produced a brand new mini keg of the same wine we drank earlier and told us to enjoy it! I had only expected a single glass, but they gave us the whole keg for FREE! I felt like a superstar, and going completely against Chinese custom, we all tipped the man 20rmb ($2.80). If you would like to meet up with Mr. Lee and experience this performance or any other activity he has to offer, you can find him at the People’s Park, or call him at +8613908035353.