I’m finally leaving for Thailand today! I have to say that I’m really excited! Finally, a new country! Everyone says that it’ll be a huge relief after China. Everyone speaks English, warm weather (hopefully not too rainy though), elephants, and beaches! Oh man, the beaches! Scuba diving, ocean swimming, rock climbing, girl watching (you know, to make sure that they’re not lady-boys). Total R&R for a whole month. I can’t wait to pick an island and just chill out for days and days in my own private beach hut for $5 a night! True vacationing!
After a horrible 8 days of disgusting sickness, I’m finally back to my old self. Coincidentally, I started getting better the day I got my new bandana (it’s not a Buff, it’s a Heff… a Vicotry Heff!). That’s the power of the bandana; and to all you haters out there (A-A!), I’m still wearing it on my wrist (when it’s not on my head, which is most of the time). I can’t express how happy I am that: 1) I’m feeling 100% better (but I’ll still be taking my meds until they’re gone to make sure that the bastard is really gone) and 2) I didn’t contract any other diseases while I was in that hospital (knock on wood).
It’s too bad that I didn’t get to see much of Dali, but I did make an effort to go out and snap some photos (the link can be found in the last post), but I couldn’t make it far before having to run back to the hotel to… you know… no way was I going to do what I had to do in dirty public restroom (and pay for it too). So I walked around, people were asking to take photos with me, which I haven’t done in a while, I stepped in a pile of mud, washed my feet under water taps on the side of the road, saw some big colourful spiders, and that’s it. I really wanted to walk on the gate, go see Erhai Lake, maybe climb a mountain or two, but no way did I have enough energy to do that kind of stuff. Guess I’ll have to come back one day.
That’s another thing, I had a blast in China, but for the amount of time that I spent here, I don’t feel like I’ve done a lot. Unlike Japan, which I powered through almost 15 cities in 3 weeks, I did a month and a half in China and only did 8 cities, and one of them was just a hub city, so 7 cities really. Sure, transit from place to place took MUCH longer and was much more tiring (but the views were always magnificent), and simply getting around in China is way more tiring than in Japan (thanks to the lack of English and ENORMOUS cities; remember when I had to walk back to the hostel after I went out in Chengdu?), so I guess the extra time per city was needed, but I still wanted to do more. There are still two provinces that I wanted to see and haven’t, but I figure if I end up working in China, I’ll have the chance to go see them a little later. And by that time, it’ll be the low season, and therefore, fewer tourists. China is big! I can spend a lot more time here, but quite frankly, I’m totally ready for Thailand and I feel no disappointment about leaving the country earlier than anticipated. Except… I didn’t see Tibet. There have been so many mixed reviews about Tibet (mostly cost-value), but I think it’s something I have to see myself for the unique culture, beautiful scenery (especially outside of Lhasa), and the spirituality. Chengdu’s not too far from Tibet, so maybe once (if) I return there and finish my contract, I’ll take the time to go see it. It’s expensive, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.
A lot of things rushed through my head while I was in China, particularly with regards to what I was going to do after I finish travelling. Teach English so that I can learn the local language (either in China or Japan); Law school or start working right away and save Law school for a little later; Help with the expansion of a hostel in Kyoto; So many things and they’ve all been throwing me off my travels. I really don’t know why I can’t separate myself from those kinds of thoughts and just enjoy travelling in itself, everyone tells me that’s what I should be doing, but I can’t help it. I’m a weird guy… From now on, I’ll save those thoughts until after I finish travelling (or at least I’ll try to). One thing though, if I don’t end up taking the job in Chengdu, I feel as though I’ll be letting a lot of people down. All the people that were working at Sim’s Cozy Garden Hostel are looking forward to my return and hear about my adventures, the students I’ve met at Meten were all great and are already sending me e-mails (shout out to Daniel!), and everyone is following this very blog and enjoying the photos. It’s a big decision, and I hope they’ll back me up with whatever I decide to do.
China is a really beautiful country, but you need a strong will before coming here. Constantly haggling with shopkeepers, taxi drivers (ESPECIALLY taxi drivers), and pretty much everyone other than the hostels; the disgusting spitting, deep down from the gut, by men and women of all ages; the dirty streets; public urination; etc. Most South-East Asia travellers that I’ve met all say that China is the hardest country to get through in the world, but as much as I was disgusted and frustrated by some of the events I’ve gone through, I got used to most of it (except for the spitting), and it ended up being really interesting to observe from a Western perspective. You can study how China is all you want, but you really need to experience it first hand to really appreciate (or hate) it. I think it really made me stronger in a sense of tolerance and patience (the haggling, the constant line-cutting (who am I kidding, there are no lines in China), cheating taxi drivers, the thousands upon thousands of noisy and disrespectful tourists, the honking, and most of all, the God awful slow and restricted Internet! etc.); made me much more resourceful (I had to be considering the amount of times that I got lost, and simply surviving in general in a foreign country that DOESN’T speak English); made me much more sensitive to foreign cultures (the Western way is not universal); and expanded my knowledge of the world just a little bit more. I developed all of these much more than after I visited Japan. It’s very naive to think that these two countries are alike, because they are not, and couldn’t be any further apart. Japan, for starters, is way more developed, has a much better infrastructure, and has WAY more English and Western influence. It’s much easier to live in, period! I’m always looking for a challenge, and that’s why China was so rewarding, not only for its beautiful sights and sounds, but because it allowed me to improve my character so much. Although there have been hardships, they were all made up for in the end. Strangers will go out of their way to help you out (I have told many stories with regards to this); many will accept you as his/her friend immediately despite not being able to communicate with you (remember the photo session on Huashan?); The bus rides through Sichuan have sucked, really SUCKED (Songpan anyone?), but the destinations were absolutely stunning and worth the pain. The rural cultures are so friendly and hold so much Tibetan influence that it makes you feel as though you’ve completely left China. Even the language is different (well, the dialect anyways)! I figured that to really get a full Chinese cultural experience, you have to do both the rural and urban settings. Both are unique and have very little Western influence (except for Beijing and Shanghai). Hell, there’s no way you can experience Chinese culture without going to a solid nightclub like Club 88 in Chengdu! “Happy Birthday to YOU”! Haha!
So, what were my favourite places in China? Hands down, Songpan is my number 1. The mixture of cool air, friendly people (I won’t forget Emma’s Kitchen), amazing mountain scenery, hiking, horse trekking, Tibetan villages, etc. put this place on the top of my list. The people we met there helped make the memories even better as well, and our drunk guides served as good entertainment. Delicious foods and delicious drinks. Off-the-beaten-path and quiet, it was a great destination after the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, and all the other big cities. It might not be the best place for everyone, but it was for me, for this entire trip so far even. I’m sure Tiger Leaping Gorge would’ve been up there as well if my health would have allowed me to complete the whole thing properly, but sadly, it didn’t, and therefore I can’t say that I enjoyed it too much. Same goes for Dali (but it was a very good place to recover in). If you missed my posts about Songpan, you can see them here.
Will Thailand provide the same kind of rewards? Probably not… Like I said, Thailand will be much easier to get through, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t have its own rewards to offer. I mean, Thailand is one of my most anticipated countries to visit, and everyone who has been there have nothing but good things to say about it, and that gets me more and more excited by the minute. A new beginning on my Journey!
Bai-bai China! I will see you again, but not yet!
-LL
P.S. First night in Bangkok is going to be WILD!!!
Journey of Discovery 