Into China

Fenghuang

Entering the People's Republic of China, the most populated nation on earth (currently at more than 1.3 billion), was rather less crowded than we had expected.

A minibus, jam packed with bags of buffalo meat, dropped us off at the border, The Friendship Pass, one of the 3 crossing points from Vietnam into China. We hoisted our enormous backpacks and walked across a two kilometer stretch of dusty road, a no man's land lined with articulated export trucks, stacked high with bonnets, wing mirrors and other car parts.

After saying our goodbye's to the last deadpan Vietnamese officials, we entered China through a colossal concrete building, the size of a destination shopping mall. Amongst security cameras, two way mirrors and locked doors we walked across massive marbled halls to the only other human beings in the entire place, the nicest (and fattest) customs officials we have ever come across.

They welcomed us to China, briefly examined our documents under UV light, and then happily stamped our passports. We exited the building and met our first living creature on Chinese soil - a large grey rat. Fortuitous, perhaps, since 2008 is the year of the rat.


Gorgeous gorges

Our first few days of travelling in China have been thoroughly interesting. The towns we've seen, including several of which that people only seem to visit since the road goes through them, have been enigmatic to say the least. Everywhere we go, we see awkward struggles of how China attempts to merge its past with its future. The cities are a strange mix of ox carts and sky scrapers, neon lights and ancient dynasties, the bizarre result of a massive explosion of development that is clearly still trying to settle on a suitable pace. Communism and capitalism sit side by side, like Weight Watchers and Ben & Jerry's.

The Chinese are friendly and polite, and extremely curious about where we come from and where we're headed. Staring at us like a child seeing a cat for the first time, most people stop in their tracks to take photos, to say 'Hello' or to whisper to their friends. The beard is doubtless adding to the spectacle, as China seems completely devoid of facial hair. The wise-Chinese-man-beard that you see in the movies, with long white whiskers, simply does not exist. It's not that beards are uncool, the Chinese just don't seem to have the follicles to pull them off. Gilette definitely does not do much business here.


Crowds

One very Chinese trait is smoking. Everyone does it, whenever they possibly can. While eating, while talking, while driving. If they could smoke three cigarettes at once, they would. Everything smells like stale tobacco. Travelling through China, we have discovered, is like being an ant traversing across a very large ash tray. We only hope that we won't be spritzed with window cleaner and wiped out with a giant sponge.

Another inescapable habit is spitting. Spitting is to China what nose picking is to Vietnam, a birth right and national past time. One can not step more than a few feet without entering a minefield of phlegm. On the buses it's particularly nasty, with everyone compulsively spitting on the floor. Allegedly the government is trying to eradicate this, in time for the 2008 Olympics, but the habit seems to be deep rooted.


Outdoor hair washing

So far the places we've been to have been rather peculiar. In Nanning we stayed in a huge 'business hotel', that specialized in '3 hour visits'. It had lots of older business men and young females, disappearing into rooms for 'business'. Perhaps they were making conference calls, or going over important fiscal strategies. We never quite found out. Whatever the case, there was lots of business being conducted there.

Then we took the night train to Liszhou; us and 50 Korean tourists, who offered us rice wine and confusing conversation. From there we continued to Fenghuang, a beautiful, fortified old river town in the Hunan province.

After checking out the old city for a day, we joined a very non-English speaking tour group (despite the best efforts of a young boy who tried to translate for us with his mobile phone) to check out the surroundings.


Waterfall walkway

We trekked several hours along a slippery rock path and a rickety metal walkway (bolted with re bar to the sheer cliff face) to arrive at a stunning waterfall deep in a gorge. This was one place the language barrier didn't matter at all, everyone speechless by the sights. On the bus back we were given the bus microphone and urged by the tour guide to entertain. Ten minutes later the whole coach was singing 'we rike the frowers, we rike the raffodils..'. Awesome.

At the moment we're slowly making our way north to Xi'an, and the terracotta army. With massive distances, travel in China takes a lot of time. Hopefully we'll get there soon.

Till then, we'll enjoy the ride.


Country dweller