Rob Maisel
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The Oyster Holds the Pearl

9/26/2011

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Kaili...a presumably small little town with 2-3 main streets.  Kaili in actuality: many lights, many "barber shops" where prostitutes are known to frequent, and a whole lot of women in short skirts.  I was thinking to myself, "there is no way that all of these women are going out tonight", because there is NOWHERE TO GO OUT in the town hahaha.  I could not find a bar or nightclub, or even a KTV!  There was however, one professional danceclub.  So, I am thinking this is a huge source of business, as sad as it sounds- selling sex.  You can find the prostitutes by following the glow which's shade ranges from pink to purple with the obvious red in the middle of the spectrum.  Actually this theme has been constant throughout these poverty-ridden towns and cities that I have traveled through in Southern China.

Kaili proved to be a great place to situate myself before visiting Zhenyuan Ancient town, and then off to the smaller minority villages!  Wow, so the old part of Zhenyuan is a real treat for the eyes.  Once you get to the main bridge, you know you've arrived somewhere special!  The serene water surrounds the intricately-constructed buildings.  The town itself does not have much in it, but a place I highly recommend seeing and a place where you can bargain a river-view room down to quite a reasonable rate.

After Kaili, the next stop was to Langde, a small Miao village!  I spent some time being hounded to buy hand-made crafts that the women in the village seem to have slaved over for centuries.  I spent a long time sitting with a man and his wife on the top of the mountain.  We were communicating a little - I understood that he and his wife were about 80 years old.  He proceeded to write on the ground with some sort of rock, the numbers one through ten, oddly enough in no particular order in groups of 3-4.  I believe the pattern was 4,5,6; 7,8,9; 1,2,3. 

I was initially going to sleep in a family's house, in a spare bedroom for a small fee, but due to the inconvenience of a slightly (or incredibly) boisterous and anything-but-quiet pig located directly outside of my bedroom window, I changed to a more reasonably located accommodation, and found myself with a delicious dinner as well! 

That day I explored another close by Miao village as well.  These women walk around the rice fields, cutting the plants, then either a) banging the rice off into a wheel barrel-type apparatus, b) manually using their feet to control a lever that is separating the rice from the plant it grows on, or c) sending the plants through a machine that does the work!  They then put the rice they have collected on a mat and use a tool resembling a rake to spread the Keep in mind that I don't speak the language so my interpretation could be totally off...they might be producing strawberries...ok I'm not THAT far off ;) hahaha

The next day, I took some steps to get to the next location where I would base some village-visiting out of, Rongjiang, Southeastern Guizhou province.  For the first time i saw a dead dog (well two) being sold at the market place- you see everything really...and i think its just one kind of dog which is eaten, but still...icky.  From here I visited a village where the Dong minority reside, called Chejiang.  Aside from one large tower with the classic Dong architecture (it is hard to explain, so you are better off google imaging this one) and a nice pagoda, there was nothing of too much interest here.  The Dong speak their own language so even my somewhat understandable Chinese was of no use here really.  I did manage to cause absolute chaos at a K-5 school when I entered and caused the students to go into a frenzy, quite excited that a visitor had come to play.  I'm sure that these children had a story for their parents after school :)

I am in Basha right now, and this village is really cool...not many people here and they are actually considered a tribe.  Here, they have their own language. when people are born a tree is planted for them, and when they die, the tree is cut down, and the person is buried there, then a new one is planted.  Also, apparently there is no arguing here - the people are calm and there is no divorce.  Many boys here have long hair and wear them in ponytails with topknots.  The women are dressed in bright colors and the grown men carry daggers, swords, and guns looking as though they came from the civil war.  Strangely enough, I thought Tibet was the only region in China allowed to have guns, I guess I was wrong and actually I was told that there has never been a gun accident here, that's how careful they are here.  I feel like I am in the middle of a national geographic episode and actually there is a documentary being filmed here now, so I am not too far off!

I am off to the final village I will visit tomorrow, Zhaoxing, before heading to Guilin and Yangshou!  On a random sidenote, how can the Chinese be so kind to pay for hotel rooms for me, yet so inconsiderate as to smoke like chimneys on enclosed buses and trains?  This puzzles me...and also here I instead of the sound "ah" such as "Xie xie ah!" (after thank you) I often hear "Ooooo" after words...strange!  until soon!, signing off is your captain miZZ! :)
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Asian Hippies and the Party Capital of China?

9/21/2011

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If you've ever wanted to get a Bob Marley or smooth and relaxed feel in China, you ought to visit Dali, well at least the old town.  It is littered with merchants selling all kinds of goodies, along with slews of western restaurants.  After not being able to get items such as pizza, hamburgers, let alone bread I assure you this is a nice (although more expensive) perk.  The city was quite relaxing to spend time in, and having spent a day at Erhai Lake I must say it is gorgeous. 

A strange thing happened- I was approached to model for a foreign company, turning down the offer because I already had a ticket to Kunming.  I later found out that it was a small little gig, however day or two jobs like this, being a side in a movie and so forth are quite common in places such as Dali and Kunming.  I decided to look a little more into it and made some contacts, ultimately leading to nothing at this point due to the short amount of time I have been staying in each location.

Catching the train to Kunming was early, but we did it!  I was supposed to stay with a friend, but her mother had a fight with the father and she needed to stay with the friend.  So, I thought I would find somewhere else to stay, but a beautifully furnished single-bedroom apartment with a private bathroom and shower on the 27th floor of an exquisite building with a view overlooking the city was already looking for me and paid for due to my "inconvenience".  I was instructed not to put forth a penny.  Needless to say I was shocked and gracious of the offer.  I spent these days exploring the city, visiting the University district which is quite nice and has many late night snack shops and bars.

Jinbi Street has even more bars and several clubs, however just a short walk from Jinbi Street, into an area called Kundu is where you want to end up for your nighttime festivities.  There are probably 8-10 clubs all with no entrance fee (or no way of me knowing I need to pay), so I hopped around there for a few of the nights.  Certain clubs were just as crowded on a Sunday and Tuesday evening as they were on a Saturday!  My thought process here is: a) Kunming is a city full of party animals. b) even when only a few people decide to go out on a given night, that "few" people is "A LOT" of people according to my standards, due largely to the overwhelming amount of people living in China.

My train to Kaili is tomorrow morning, WAY too early but I will get up and sleep on the train!  Kaili is located in the eastern part of the Guizhou province and is a great base for visiting some minority ethnic group villages such as those of the Miao and Dong people.  I am excited to explore China's intricate and diverse culture more.  Another update when internet access permits!
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Tibetans, Lights, Lakes and We Chillin'

9/13/2011

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Litang proved to be a truly Tibetan experience- definitely one that I'm glad I had.  Let's speak about the Sky Burial.  After arriving in this "o-so-dusty, Western-movie feeling town".  This practice was banned in China some years back and then as of recently has been allowed again.  For the weak-stomached readers out there, skip this next paragraph.  For others curious about this, read on:

This practice involves a freshly deceased body arriving to a certain location on a hill.  The body is sliced into pieces with a knife, the bones smashed with a hammer, and the meat mixed with ground barley.  Vultures swoop down at take care of the rest, picking at the meat and essentially "bringing the remains to the heavens".  In Tibetan Buddhism, the body becomes a lifeless entity, so one of the holiest things you can do is donate your body to the heavens; to the vultures to provide food for them and continue the circle of life.  From a Western eye, this initially seems cruel and horrific.  To the Tibetan eye it makes sense.  The ground at an elevation as high as the Tibetan towns are found (Litang at 4,000 meters) is far too cold and tough to dig into for a "normal burial". 

Onto a prettier subject now, the people of Litang.  Aside from the normal spitting noise and "Hello, ____(insert nearby location here)" - an aim to sell you a trip to your next destination, the people here were incredibly friendly.  Warm in that I was invited to talk with and even eat with strangers.  People put their arms around me as though they had known me for years.  I took a day and wandered into a Tibetan picknick, helping to create a tent for the friends I had made.  I then wandered into the mountains and went with a young boy to his Nomad tent.  Just outside Litang, there are people living in great poverty, eating and sleeping in these tents.  I was brought into the tent and communicated the best I could.  Keep in mind that no Chinese is spoken, just Tibetan so I now knew "Zhadidaleh" (spelled terribly incorrectly I'm sure) and aside from hello was left resorting to gestures.  I ate some of the concoction that this woman whipped up, mixing this oil with yak butter and a barley type substance.  It was quite delicious!  So, I thanked her profusely, left her a $1 US dollar, and had to do something about her feet.  They were peeking through the socks and in terrible condition, so I took mine off and put them on her feet, performing the charitable donation of the day.  Although a small act of kindness, it was the least I could do for a free meal and I felt quite good after doing that.

After a few more days in Litang, it was back to Shangri-La, but not without an overnight stopover in a tiny Tibetan town named De Rong.  This beautiful town was split in half by a river, and climbing a mountain provided a spectacular view!  That evening I went out with my Tibetan friends to Karaoke (super popular in China!), or KTV as they call it and what a blast it was!  Shangri-La was a one-night stopover before eventually returning to my home, Lijiang.  I call it my home because I have been in and out of there so many times and kept my things there that it is like a house! 

Two days later I went up to Lugu Lake from Lijiang.  Small villages surround this beautiful lake and it was certainly worth the 7-8 hours of bumpy roads and jumping out of the seats!  Some of the views from the docks and viewpoints are incredible.  On a clear day we were able to see the sky's reflection on the lake - stunning!  Now what makes this lake so special are the people living in the surrounding villages.  Although I was told that in each village, there exists only 4-5 authentic Mosuo households, these people are quite fascinating.  They are the last practicing Matriarchal society in the world.  The society focuses on women: they do most of the work and raise the child.  The father's main responsibility is actually taking care of and financially supporting his sister's children.  On rare occasion a Mosuo man is wealthy enough to support his own child/children but this is seldom the case.  The masculine article attached to the word "rock" makes it a "pebble" while the feminine article being attached turns this word into "boulder". 

The concept of a "walking marriage" is what has brought a lot of tourism (especially male tourism).  Bonfire parties take place every so often, and are a way for the Mosuo to meet one another; almost like a speed networking or speed dating event.  If a Mosuo girl takes her index finger and rubs a guy's palm, this is an indication that he is invited to her room that night, but this is no easy task.  He must go to the room, and sing a song and she must then respond accordingly.  He must then climb up through her bedroom window and leave early enough in the morning as not to be seen by any relatives or friends.  These relations are kept a secret until there is (if there is) a child born.  1 month after the child is born there is a ceremony officially recognizing the father.  It is VERY RARE however, that the couple lives together.  Normally the child stays with the mother and the father continues living with his family.  The girl may begin practicing this "ritual" if you will once she reaches the age of 13 and receives her own room.  This information was compiled mainly from a translated conversation at dinner with my friend and a Mosuo man, along with some information from the guidebook known as The Lonely Planet as well.  I was lucky enough to randomly stop off at a museum on our ride back to Lijiang.  There was a demonstration being given of how the Mosuo men manage to climb up to the woman's window.  I was the only successful climber :)

I have just hopped off of a train to Dali now from Lijiang.  It is similar in that it has an old time, yet differs in regards to the hippie vibe here.  The old town is supposed to be nice, and I will have an opinion on that once I explore!  After here to Kunming!!
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