Author: Henberta

Well, not every interlude is going to include exciting or trail-blazing adventures.  We headed toward Lubei in Inner Mongolia from Tongliao.  Had to stop at a palace because Tong was hung over from the night before – he recuperated in the parking lot while we trudged around.

We stopped for lunch with some of Tong’s Mongol friends from school:

These guys looked happy, so we got a photo:

Picked up Tong’s father-in-law and drove to a spot in the grasslands.  

Beautiful country, lovely weather.  It would have been really great to just continue from there, but our companions had to return to their lives, and unfortunately, China is simply not very hospitable to the casual foreign rambler.

So, we took Tong’s father-in-law home, and posed for the usual photo:

We returned to Shenyang for a farewell dinner at Tong’s home with Ooh and his own son, shown here photo-bombing our picture with Yuan:

You’ll notice the opening in the front of his pants that proudly displays his tiny manhood.  China had the “one family, one child” policy in place for a number of years, and with only one shot at a lasting legacy, Chinese families showed a marked preference for male children.  They are in loving evidence everywhere, doted upon by parents, grandparents, friends and other relatives.  Selective abortion of healthy female fetuses was officially outlawed about five years ago.  Seems like there will be a generation or two of Chinese fellers who will have a hard time finding Chinese gals with whom to perpetuate the population…..

Spent a day in Shenyang re-grouping, as we have decided to wait to board our homeward-bound ship until the second week of October in Tianjin.  The bullet train took us to Tianjin, where we spent the night in a hotel near the port in order to stow our large suitcases until our later departure.  Now we can move around more freely!

Travel by bullet train in China is pretty simple once you get the hang of it, although few Westerners seem to do it, and it’s not particularly glamorous:

The hotel in Tianjin is Chinese, but aspires to certain Western standards, including the presence of a “cocktail lounge” in the lobby.  We bellied up to the bar and ordered a Singapore Sling (for Henry) and a Salty Dog (for Robbie) from the proffered menu.  Clearly, the two young ladies there had never prepared an alcoholic beverage in their lives –  they pulled out a three-ring binder to consult, made several frantic cell phone calls, and collapsed in nervous laughter more than once.  Henry was informed they could not make a Singapore sling, so changed it to a Cosmopolitan, finally ending up with a B-52 (of sorts).  Robbie’s Salty Dog was a capful of off-brand vodka and 4 capfuls of grapefruit juice, shaken in a shaker and sprinkled with a paper packet of salt, no ice.  A pathetic endeavor, but they had enough moxie to ask us for written recommendations when all was said and done (and we were still pretty thirsty!)

From Tianjin, we venture southwest to Xi’an, our first venture into the China as known to many Western tourists.

Most visitors to China go to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong… and/or Xi’an.  This was our first visit on this trip to a “tourist destination”.  It was strange hearing native English spoken by other people again.  We did the usual tourist things:  bicycling on the city wall:

and a visit to the terra cotta warriors site, undoubtedly the biggest Xi’an attraction.  On a slow day, “only” 100,000 people visit the site; the record has been almost half a million.   Half a million!  On one day!  A staggering number….  Hard to imagine until you’ve been there.

The vast majority of visitors are Chinese; it looks like the government develops and promotes tourist sites in order to churn the internal economy…. making it each Chinese citizen’s patriotic duty to get on a green bus to visit these locales which are surrounded with acres of restaurants, snack bars, souvenir shops and vendors of “genuine” artifacts.  The site is truly extraordinary… almost as much for its commercialism as for its historic and artistic significance, which is in no way trivial.

We also spent a day visiting the nearby blueberry fields owned and managed by Steven Ding, a school friend of Zeng’s.

Steven mined Henry for blueberry-growing wisdom, and in return treated us like royalty, including dinners with some of his friends that were sublime but left us without appetite for a couple of days.

A few other images from our time in Xi’an.

Next we will visit Xining, only because it is the furthest city to the west you can get to on the bullet train in less than a full day.

We are very sorry that we cannot seem to obtain an Internet connection strong enough to upload photos….. or even to access the blog page in order to do an update! We are now in Nanjing for a week, and will continue to seek a good connection.

Exciting news!  We have been joined by a fellow traveler – a giant green cricket/grasshopper (depending on who you ask) named Ed.  He was already occupying the cricket cage Henry wanted to buy, so a package deal was negotiated.  Ed seemed to enjoy the train trip from Xi’an to Nanjing today, chirping happily from time to time.

Updates to follow once we can share photos on activities since the last posting.

The world awaits – here is a photo of Ed and his little house, shortly after he joined our team.

And a close-up once he settled into our hotel in Nanjing.

Next post (soon… now that we have found a good Internet connection!) we will resume our travelogue.

Xining is a small city by Chinese standards (only about 2 million people); it is popular among in-country tourists because it enjoys a relatively cool summer, situated as it is on the edge of the Tibetan plateau.  Its history goes back over 2000 years as a major stopping point on the Silk Road.

There is a sameness to these cities.  Although each lays claim to a different chapter of history and to a blend of  ethnic cultures, they are mostly defined by their modern landscapes of broad public plazas, numerous shopping malls and high- to mid-rise apartment buildings.  

The toilet paper in China is superior to that in Western countries; Henry was happy to find some with the heft and lack of paper core he likes in Xining’s Walmart equivalent – along with a mannequin dressed in the same exquisite product:

A local car show was also in progress; one of the French cars was decorated with a likeness of Charles DeGaulle and I was told (in French by the quite excited salesman) that we could get very favorable financing:

A trip into the mall itself revealed a number of stores carrying clothing, shoes, children’s toys and cosmetics… and not much else….  and no customers. 

It’s really hard to understand what is going on from an economic prospective.  We know there are many millions of people and that their spending power is exploding.  But brand-new buildings are empty; we have been told they cannot afford to buy or lease the space.  Huge shopping malls offer goods for sale, but seem to have no customers. Massive public concert halls have not had a performance for months.

Ah well, ours is not to reason why….  maybe just a mystery of the East.

Cherry, a hotel employee from Inner Mongolia, was good enough to join us for a jaunt into the countryside around Xining.  Beautiful fall wildflowers appeared to have been cultivated.  And a lady in one of the villages helped us gather some seeds for possible introduction into the Douglass, Texas eco-system.

We also got near the Ta-er Monastery to look at the prayer flags.  We by-passed the monastery itself, which is quite a tourist draw (see photo below of the poster with Chairman Mao and happy visitors to the monastery).  Cherry helped us negotiate the purchase of just a few prayer-flag strings to decorate (and hopefully get some blessing for) the Sunda homestead.  

And we burst through the mountains to an area near the Tibetan plateau with jagged mountains, pristine air, an unusually clear part of the Yellow River… and a yak (dressed up for the tourist biz):

Xining was an interesting spot; wish we could have ventured further west to Urumqi, but that would have required a much greater investment of time.  Instead, we will be moving back to Xi’an on our way to Nanjing.

Xi’an was the most logical stopping point for our journey from Xining to Nanjing.  Our first stop, we stayed in a very luxe hotel that was built in 1953 (what a great year!) for China’s Soviet compadres….

This time, we stayed in a garden hotel that was small, very Chinese, and lovely:

Most of our time was spent walking through the fascinating streets….. Henry traded some legal tender US dollar bills for some obviously counterfeit Chinese bills, to the delight of all parties:

Equally pleasant was the acquisition of Ed and his house:

Ed’s first outing was dinner at a noodle restaurant with some folks celebrating China’s National Holiday, which runs a full week from 1 to 8 October.

An interesting noodle-house menu item:

Being affluent western tourists, we would only consider the high-quality version of this dish!

 

Henry has had a good time catching up with his agricultural colleagues from Nanjing University, including Zeng, He Shanan and Yu Hong (and her husband) to talk about blueberry cultivation here:

We said goodbye to Zeng for now, with his solemn assurance that he would come to the US to visit before long.  (Please note, he now has a new hand-made knit hat!)

Most of our time here, we stayed on the 68th Floor of a modern Western hotel; Ed loved it:

The street also yielded a variety of interesting cultural experiences, especially since it is the China National Holiday week, when virtually every citizen is traveling around the country:

And Ed, as usual, enjoyed his surroundings:

Off to Beijing tomorrow, amid the hubbub of the holiday traffic.  Hope all of you are well and happy!

Hordes of citizens on the move for the 8-day-long national holiday have rendered travel through-out the country a stressful, sweaty ordeal for those of us not accustomed to being pressed together like a Peking duck.  The government has gleefully reported that more than 705 million “trips” were taken this past week within the country by its residents.  Not clear how “trip” was defined, although they pointed to train and highway statistics.  People in the crowds are incredibly good-natured about the jostling, although no less insistent on reaching their destinations.

Attempts to visit points of interest in Beijing were miserable.  The entry point to the Forbidden City was clogged with visitors, and security officers were monitoring movement through-out.  We didn’t go past the gate.

Tianamen Square had literally tens of thousands of souls trundling slowly through, and we gave up on that as well (but not until we had elbowed our way through to an apparently quiet location for a selfie):

This was the closest thing we got to a glimpse of sunlight, initially because of the ubiquitous smog; later because of clouds and rain:

Initially, we stayed in a 500-year-old building in an old Hutong, or historic neighborhood, down an alleyway in the heart of the city where people live publicly as they have for generations:

Lots of great food, of course – all Chinese – including the renowned duck referenced earlier… 

Very little popular interest in cuisines from other countries, except in places frequented by Western tourists – not even Mexican food or pizza!!!!

Cautionary note for independent visitors to the big cities here – we were approached several times by apparently well-meaning, congenial folks with excellent English, claiming to be artists or teachers.  They welcomed us to their country, engaged in small talk about our trip, and invited us to visit an art gallery with them.  They were in fact the nicest rip-off artists you could ever meet.  We were warned about them at the hotel….. but also have to admit to having been hood-winked in a similar situation when we were encouraged to attend a “tea-tasting” in Shanghai three years ago.  Yes, we were “Shanghai-ed”!  They back off pretty quickly when you make it clear you have other things to do…… but visitors should understand that they hope to get their hands on some of your money – not through out-right theft but by over-charging for goods or services you don’t really want.

Tomorrow we head to Tianjin for a day or two before boarding the ship for the final segment of our voyage.

Ed has become quite the accomplished train traveller:

Let’s hope he’s as good on boats, since we are getting on one tomorrow!  Back to the Rickmers m/v New Orleans, which we have not seen since the first of July.  

Tianjin, a port only about 50 kilometers from Beijing, is a way-station for us.  We have been shopping here for snacks and alcohol to sustain us on the extended voyage back to the US.  Leaving the port on Friday 13 October, our next point of interest (barring typhoons or nuclear attacks) will be the Panama Canal, then Corpus Christi, ETA 14 November.

The local shopping mart was typical of so many here, but we had a great time negotiating the acquisition of a promotional item (the wheeled carry-all) from the store ladies without a single syllable of common language between us!  (We had to buy a large bottle of dish detergent which we gave back to them…)

Speaking of shopping malls, we have found that some of the best places to eat in cities are in the mall food courts – lots of options, not outrageously expensive, and the food has been amazingly delicious…. much fresher and tastier than what we have been getting at the hotel buffets.  

Over previous visits and the past 5+ weeks, we have formed many impressions of China, its people, its politics and the ways things have been and are changing – thoughts and opinions that are out of the scope of an on-line blog.   Looking forward to sharing those with any of you who are interested in the future.

For now, we wish you all well and will plan on sending one or more short postings from time to time from the New Orleans, as internet service may allow.  Certainly should have much to report from Corpus Christi before returning to Houston on or about 18 November.  Very excited to be entering the last phase of this adventure, and eager to complete our great circumnavigation.

 

Update – More or less back in civilization now, and will add photos to the last few blog posts….

12 October, Port of Xingang, China –

The ship is much smaller than it used to be. With help from two seamen, we wrangle all of our baggage aboard and into our two small rooms. Find out immediately that the ship will be delayed as much as 2-3 days, awaiting delivery of cargo. Would have stayed in Tianjin had we known.

About a third of the crew are familiar to us – the others have all changed since we disembarked the ship in Hamburg around the first of July.

As it turns out, this Rickmers line is being sold to another firm, Seaborn. The ship’s registry and flag will change when we are close to our passage through the Panama Canal, set for on or around 6 November. This news has been met glumly, as scuttlebutt says the new company will pay less for more work.

13 October, still in port –

The ship’s top deck is being loaded with 33 windmill wings, to be transported in addition to other cargo. They look quite graceful, destined for unloading in Corpus Christi, ultimately to populate West Texas wind farms.

We are desperately trying to figure out a way to get back into town. After our first mute and miserable meal with the crew yesterday, we determined that we don’t have nearly enough alcohol to get us through the next 36 days. The challenge is to find reliable transport into – and more importantly, back from – town that won’t rip us off. The captain is unable to get a recommendation from his port agent, and the service that brought us to the ship suggests we should just find a taxi.

But where? The port area is heavily restricted for both security and immigration/customs reasons. This is one of several tragedies for the professional seaman. He may get shore leave when in port, but has few options on where to go. He is not well paid, so a $100 taxi fare is out of his range. He likely does not speak the local language or know where it would be best to go in the port city. He is a target for predators who will take advantage of all of these things to deprive him of what meager assets he has. In some countries, charitable organizations and/or churches have set up Seamen’s clubs where the crew can go to relax, call home and enjoy some time away from the workplace. They even provide free transportation from the dock. And sometimes enterprising businessmen have legitimate stores at or near the port, where goods may be sold duty-free or not, but at reasonable prices.

Sadly, such options do not exist here, so we decide that we must ration what booze we have, to be supplemented by beer from the “slop chest”.
14 October, embarkation –

Ed has lost a leg.

Well, it’s not actually lost – it’s right here, but has somehow become detached from his body. It’s the left rear leg, which has been dragging for a while. Such a delicate limb, and yet it enables him to scale vertical surfaces with ease. He does not seem to be in pain, and has resumed chirping enthusiastically. We’ll get through this. (Ed may not, but we will.)

The New Orleans loads the rest of its cargo, and puts to sea a bit earlier than called for in the revised plan. Xingang is not a very dramatic port, so there are no interesting panoramas to view as we leave – only another city in China with a few skyscrapers towering over multitudes of mid-sized apartment buildings. As we pull away from the wharf, a single gull trails behind us – joined by hundreds more after we pass through the jetty that separates the port area from the sea.

It feels great to be back under way. The wind is fresh and brisk, and the gentle motion of the water is reassuring.

15 October, Yellow Sea –

Lunch was virtually inedible strips of fried beef gristle. A flurry of activity at the confluence of the galley, officer’s and crew mess rooms tips us off that the “slop chest” is open. Only to find that no wine is available, the beer supply scanty, and we are lucky to get on the list for a case of 24 bottles. (Not really much for 2 thirsty people for a month!).

The slop chest is basically a company store – stocking beer, wine, cigarettes, snacks and grooming supplies (toothpaste, shampoo) that can be sold offshore duty-free to the crew for their personal use during the voyage. This cargo ship business is clearly squeezed financially (witness the cheap provisions, including poor-quality food, and the less-than-pristine maintenance of the accommodations). As a cost-neutral proposition, what possible reason could there be to be stingy with the slop chest?

Frozen pizza for dinner, no salad. Apparently the cook gets a little break Sunday nights. He has the nerve to ask how we liked it…. Fishing for a compliment? Not bloody likely!

Update on Ed – with free access to the cabin for a couple of hours, he’s quite active climbing around and snuggling up to his Papa Henry. Falls a couple of times as he learns to compensate for his severed limb.

16 October, East China Sea –

A typhoon near the Philippines sends rough seas north to the East China Sea. We wake to wind, rain, and pitching and rolling that continues through the day. We spend some time on the bridge watching the water break over the front of the ship, contemplate another mostly inedible lunch (fried pork fat), but mostly we nap. (Henry feels a teensy bit queasy and takes a prophylactic dramamine pill; Robbie’s inner ear seems unaffected by the ship’s movement.)

Another indication of the state of the general cargo shipping business – it appears the karaoke machine is on the fritz. The Filipino crew members are reduced to singing gently along to the guitar strumming of one of their shipmates. This sad fact, added to the paucity of available beer, reduces the overall hilarity factor on board rather considerably.

17 October, East China Sea –

I now understand better why so many poor people are fat.

Our bodies crave proper nourishment. When we eat healthful food in appropriate quantities, we tend to be a healthy weight. When, however, we are fed cheap food, our bodies (still seeking needed nutrients) continue to eat whatever is available – and if that is only cheap food, we eat more and more of it, and are still unsatisfied. And the cycle continues until we’ve packed on way too much avoirdupois.

Cheap food includes the usual suspects – potatoes, white rice, white bread, processed items (such as cereal) with lots of sugar, inexpensive cuts of meat (pork fat, stringy and gristly meat), imitation dairy products, sugary beverages.

We desperately need vegetables, fruits, pure dairy, lean protein and whole grains for optimal functioning of our systems…… and satiety.

My erstwhile trainer Edward had many clients who, when introduced to healthful eating, complained that they could not eat all of the (nutrient-dense) food prescribed. But those that did lost weight, improved their health and felt great.

This phenomenon is becoming apparent as we experience the limited range of cheap food that is served here. Our weight gain may be hard to determine as we have overdone a bit on this trip already. But we look forward to regaining control of hunger and eating upon our return home.

18 October, North Pacific Ocean –

The weather has calmed down a bit – blue sky and sun emerge, and the sea quiets. We venture to the bow of the ship, hoping to see dolphins cavorting nearby, but all we see is a flying fish or two, and a frigate bird seeking the same.

We have now passed the tip of Japan and are headed straight across the Pacific Ocean, roughly along the 30 degree latitude line. Originally we were to loop far north near the Aleutian Islands, but the captain changed our course to avoid some bad weather. This adjustment may add as much as 4 days to our passage. (The straight-across path may look shorter on a map, but it does not factor in the curvature of the earth, which makes the loop north the shorter route…..)

We will see how we progress, however, as we trundle along at roughly 12 to 15 miles per hour.

PS….  Ed is still fine, and we scored another case of beer through gentle manipulation of our “honored” status as passengers.  Happy days.