Monday, April 13, 2009
Cruising down the Yangtze
The first stop on the bus was to see a waterfall. Maybe
Our cabin on the boat was tiny, but at least there was a western style toilet seat. Too bad hot water was lacking in the shower. We would become quite acquainted with our cabin as the trip grew longer. What was supposed to be a 3 day trip turned into 4.
From Saturday morning to Sunday evening the boat was docked in one place as a thick fog had descended over the Yangtze. By Saturday night there was a mutiny brewing on the ship, as dozens of angry passengers berated the couple of crew members standing behind the main service desk. I have no way of knowing what was being said, but it must have mostly been about the passengers not believing that it was too dangerous to keep going in the fog. After all, we started in fog, ended in fog, and had fog, fog, fog and more fog in between.
We took buses through the hills to get to the 3 Gorges Damn. It seems to me to be quite the prototypical
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Sports Day
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Yangren Jie
Today I visited the wackiest place you can find in Chongqing. Named "Foreigner Street", I thought we were going to a street where there would be a series of foreign shops and restaurants. Little did I know that it would actually be a strange Disney-like theme park, where the main attraction is strange toilets/sinks/bathrooms. Google Chongqing and one of the first things you will find is an image of the lovely shaped sinks.
The park was complete with a parade that included Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and "It's a Small World After All" blaring on the sound system. Unfortunately I was too busy eating some yummy Indian food during the parade to take any pictures of it.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Shopping Sucks (even more than usual)
http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/1505340.htm
Monday, February 2, 2009
Chinese New Year
The morning of New Years day sounded like a war zone, firecrackers going off non-stop. We woke up just before 6:00am, b/c in that area of China it is the tradition to have a big family meal before sunrise. We were then off to the rural village where Juliya's husband grew up, to visit the tomb of his parents. It became very obvious why Juliya's husband loves reading and is a professor - it allowed him to get away from that kind of desolate, rural life.
I also witnessed drunk, middle-aged Chinese men singing Karaoke, and understand how they get so drunk. They drink baijiu, more than 50% alcohol, out of teacups, and at dinner parties there are endless toasts. Each person goes around the table and forces everyone individually to drink. At the dinner party I attended there was a special toast for me - something about improving Chinese-Canadian relations, as well as a mention about Dr. Bethune.