China, in hindsight

Hi all--

Well, after a marathon 24 hours of buses, tuk tuks (bicycle taxis), etc, we arrived in Luang Nam Tha, Laos. Our sleeper bus proved to be quite a sight better than our train experience, with beds that we could (almost) stretch completely out in. Sarah especially seemed to enjoy it. She'd been anticipating another very rough night, but it wasn't bad at all. We did make a couple inexplicable 30 minute stops where everyone just stood around smoking, but other than that, things went smoothly. Though the bus driver seemed to be avoiding the better and straighter highway in favor of very bumpy and curvy side roads at times.... maybe to avoid toll booths? I'm not sure.

We were on the sleeper bus from Dali for 13 hours, got off in Jinghong, bought some dumplings for breakfast, got on another bus for 4 hours to Mengla, rode in the back of a bicycle across town, got on another bus to Boten at the border, spent an hour doing Visa and immigration stuff, rode a motorbike across the official border, then caught a mini-van from Mohan, Laos, to Puang Nam Tha (2 hours). Whew! I was amazed at the large superhighway that is mainly completed heading down to (and through) the border. There were sections that were open and went through tunnel after tunnel through the mountains, while other sections were still being built (where we took curvy older roads). This massive infrastructure build-up by China is to increase trade and commerce with Thailand, and Laos is sort of gettng swept along since it lies between the two.

I was feeling like I wasn't quite ready to leave China, but once we got on the move, it made sense to get going. Now that I'm in Laos, I'm glad we made the change. China was quite an experience and I'm glad we went, but the feeling here in SE Asia is different and better. It's also cheaper!

Looking back at China, Sarah and I both agreed that the things we saw there (Great Wall, Lijiang, and Tiger Leaping Gorge in particular) we couldn't experience any other way, and for that reason alone were worth the trip. Things we won't miss about China are the incessant smoking in restaurants and on public transport, the nasty bathroom trenches (though these will continue in SE Asia), the heavy smog in the central areas of the country, and for the most part, the food. Things we will miss are the genuine smiles and hellos people give out so freely, the "Chinglish" translations (I'll give you an example later), the amazing mountains in the Yunnan Province, and our days in Lijiang, Xi'an, and on the gorge trek. Beijing was also a highlight for its alleyways (hutongs) and some of its sights.

It was interesting being an American in China. We think of China as a communist country, but in many ways it is one of the most capitalist countries in existence. I have never before experienced the massive build-up that a lot of China is currently undergoing -- with massive shopping malls, grocery stores, skyscrapers, etc etc etc etc going up around every corner. China really does seem to be pushing its 1.3 billion people steadily toward the "American Dream", with cell phones and expensive cars and designer clothes. This lifestyle is unsustainable enough with the 300 million Americans trying for it. The Chinese Dragon is rearing its head. The next few decades will be interesting, to say the least. Meanwhile, the government is able to restrict freedoms that Americans take for granted, like the freedom of speech (television and the Internet to name a couple examples). It's a pretty intriguing society that can restrict basic liberties such as freedom of speech while at the same time giving its people all the consumer goods they could possibly want. Hmmm..... just the musings of a wandering mind.

It's currently raining like mad here in Luang Nam Tha. The clouds and humidity were building all day and finally decided to dump it all in the last 20 minutes. I think this is the sort of pattern we should expect for the next couple months, as we travel through Southeast Asia and into Nepal and India.

We're going to be on a trek in the mountains for the next couple of days. We start out tomorrow with a 6 hour hike into Nam Ha National Protected Area, and will spend the night in a village. The next day we're going to kayak down the Nam Ha river and will be back in town late in the afternoon. There's a rumor there might be good birds around, too. =) I did see two Cinnamon Bittern, some kind of snipe, and some Scaly-breasted Munias today, by the way.

In signing off, I promised a little "Chinglish". This is from a package of "birdy taste broad beans" that I bought (they were gross): "Storage Method: Defend heat, defend tide, defend to squeeze." Got it? Now you know how to store this product! Here's another example that my friend Gordon sent me: http://www.engrish.com/detail.php?imagename=toilet-beard-know.jpg&category=CHINGLISH&date=2007-11-14

Alrighty. Love to you all! Off to walk back to the guesthouse in the rain!

-Matt!