Here were are back to Bejing. Back to Leo Hostel. It feels like years since I've been here and a lifetime since I've been home. I miss you all! Facebook freaked out when I tried to access from China otherwise i'd totally be keeping up with whats going on at home.
Yesterday we saw a great wonder of the world: The Terracota Warriors! Man, Its something. To see all those soldiers in the main hall, each with a different face. And to know there are a thousand more lying under the dirt. Mind. Blown.
Tomorrow we'll be off to the Great Wall and I'm so excited. The part were going to is about three hours out. Its called the Wild Wall because not many people go there. We're going to walk all day then actually CAMP on top of it; Under the stars with only sleeping bags. Can you believe that?! I'll have actually slept on the Great Wall of China! What a trip for first times.
Examples:
1. Tonight I ate pekking duck for the first time (surprisingly good)
2. Two days ago I road a bike around the wall encircling downtown Xian for the first time.
3. I learned all the words to a rap song (will the real slim shady please stand up?)...dont ask. it was Aidan's doing
4. I blogged about my adventures for the first time
5. I met a famous person for the first time (the farmer who discovered the terracota warriors..does that count?)
6. I drank real coffee (a first for this summer)
and sooo on. And all of it fills up my cup. I do like to fill up my cup... But will it ever be full? I think not. There is much to much remaining to do. Maybe when I'm old. Maybe when I'm 102 I'll feel fufilled... but probably not. Theres always some adventure out there waiting for me:)
Little by little though, drop by drop I'm a little closer.
I may be able to blog again, maybe not. The Great Wall encompasses the rest of our trip so there's no telling if theres gonna be any internet...in anycase, well be back to your side of our spinning world Monday night...
Until Soon.
<3 Mattie
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Chendu and Xian
Just flew in from Chendu a couple hours ago. Now were in Xian and tomorrow I think were checking out some temples and maybe the terracada (how the ef do you spell that) warriors.
Yesterday after a two hour taxi to Leshan and an hour waiting in line we wittnessed the 'Grand Buddha'. 70 meters high and in sitting postition the buddha cranes up to the sky. Standing at the bottom his big toe came to my waist.
Sooooo. That was all good and fun but the best past of yesterday HAD to be dinner. I was craving bi-bim-bop and Violet, our hostel manager told us there was a Korean Place down the street. After a 30 minute walk we were at the spot on the map she had circled with no idea where this resturant was. Tired and hungry we shlept around what seemed to be the time square of Chendu. Imagine New York but everything in chinese with even more obnoxious (in a good way) neons signs and thats where we were. We had given up hope and were just looking for any old restruant when me and Log checked one last place and BAMO we found it by accident. SO good.
We had so much bi-bim-bop and korean barbaque I thought I was gonna explode. The boys took turns soaking meat in wasabi soy sauce, eating it, crying, wiping their eyes and trying again. Yum!
This morning we got up early and headed for the panda reserve. Gosh you think they're cute in pictures but everytime you leave the zoo I think you forget just how cute they really are. I dont even know how to describe them. They lay on their back eating bamboo for hours and then, they'll just fall asleep out of nowhere. I feel like I can relate cause I love to eat, and I'm pretty good at sleeping too. In fact, my dad was just getting mad at me about that.
Him: 'Mattie! you can do whatever you want but I dont know why I'm bringing you to these foreign countries if your just gonna sleep through it all!'
hhaha. okay fine! haha, if you drag me out of bed I guess I'll stuff myself with good food, see amazing sights and tour foreign townss.. hahaha.
No but seriously ever since that whole no coffee thing... me + sleep = alllll the time. Maybe I have....AFRICAN SLEEPING SICKNESS. oh my goood! hhahahaha.
Anyyyway. Tonight everyones craving some butter chicken so were off to get some Indian Food. iknowiknow. "Mattie your in China get some chinese food already!"
But heres a story about that: last night while wandering Chendu we came across a chinese place. Were flipping through the menu looking for something edible when I point something out. 'that looks good' I say. and then my mom 'oh yeah, it does what is that?' Dad: 'It says here: 'Fried donkey with mangerine''
YUUUUUM. Hhahahaha,
Yesterday after a two hour taxi to Leshan and an hour waiting in line we wittnessed the 'Grand Buddha'. 70 meters high and in sitting postition the buddha cranes up to the sky. Standing at the bottom his big toe came to my waist.
Sooooo. That was all good and fun but the best past of yesterday HAD to be dinner. I was craving bi-bim-bop and Violet, our hostel manager told us there was a Korean Place down the street. After a 30 minute walk we were at the spot on the map she had circled with no idea where this resturant was. Tired and hungry we shlept around what seemed to be the time square of Chendu. Imagine New York but everything in chinese with even more obnoxious (in a good way) neons signs and thats where we were. We had given up hope and were just looking for any old restruant when me and Log checked one last place and BAMO we found it by accident. SO good.
We had so much bi-bim-bop and korean barbaque I thought I was gonna explode. The boys took turns soaking meat in wasabi soy sauce, eating it, crying, wiping their eyes and trying again. Yum!
This morning we got up early and headed for the panda reserve. Gosh you think they're cute in pictures but everytime you leave the zoo I think you forget just how cute they really are. I dont even know how to describe them. They lay on their back eating bamboo for hours and then, they'll just fall asleep out of nowhere. I feel like I can relate cause I love to eat, and I'm pretty good at sleeping too. In fact, my dad was just getting mad at me about that.
Him: 'Mattie! you can do whatever you want but I dont know why I'm bringing you to these foreign countries if your just gonna sleep through it all!'
hhaha. okay fine! haha, if you drag me out of bed I guess I'll stuff myself with good food, see amazing sights and tour foreign townss.. hahaha.
No but seriously ever since that whole no coffee thing... me + sleep = alllll the time. Maybe I have....AFRICAN SLEEPING SICKNESS. oh my goood! hhahahaha.
Anyyyway. Tonight everyones craving some butter chicken so were off to get some Indian Food. iknowiknow. "Mattie your in China get some chinese food already!"
But heres a story about that: last night while wandering Chendu we came across a chinese place. Were flipping through the menu looking for something edible when I point something out. 'that looks good' I say. and then my mom 'oh yeah, it does what is that?' Dad: 'It says here: 'Fried donkey with mangerine''
YUUUUUM. Hhahahaha,
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Shangri-La
Whaaat a day:) This morning I woke up to liam and walsh fighting. Something they do quite often, especially on this trip since we're all together nonstop. It's kinda funny actually...It always goes the same. Walsh hits liam. Liam hits walsh. They both laugh. and repeat until Liam hits Walsh too hard. At this point in the fight Walsh does one of two things. Either Liam runs and Walsh bolts after him ready to thow a punch or Walsh looks around and if my mom's watching- huge crocodile tears spill out of his eyes and he cries till they're both in trouble. haha, whatever.
Anyway. After Liam and Walsh's hourly fight we got up and headed for breakfast. For me, this was fruit with yogurt, a piece of toast and a mocha that was more like hot chocolate then anything. Very western of me. Especially considering we've been having rice, dumplings and potstickers for breakfast most mornings.
Ah, what am I saying? You guys dont care what I ate for breakfast.. I'm all over the place tonight.
SO after breakfast. We headed up the hill. At crest of this hill, on the egde of town is a huge prayer wheel. When people pull the ropes and walk around the whole 25 foot gold encusted, cylindrical monument spins. The boys did that for a while, I liked the view better... standing on a bench you could see the whole town spralled out in front of you: each oriental roof set slightly apart from the next and the mountains as a back drop.
Later we took a tour of the Tibetan Museum which was located at the bottom of the hill. Shangri-la is about as close as you can get to Tibet without crossing the border and Tibet's culture influences this town alot so it seemed logical to check the museum out. Our guide, Rou, spoke very good english which, for all my world travelers out there, you know is a god-sent sense 98% of the time your dealing with tours where the speaker says barely comprehendable words. Rou gave us a lesson in Everything Tibet 101. I love learning about the way people live. He started with Tibetan medicine, showing us portraits of famous doctors and medicical pioneers. This medicine is mostly about finding the source of pain and working with that. Example: In western medicine, you say you have a headacre and the doctor gives you pills. In tibetan medicine, you say the same thing but instead the doctor tries to find out why you have this pain and deals with the root cause. It sounds good to me， in theory.. I'm not sure I buy the acupuncture and palm reading stuff but what do I know?
After medicine Rou talk us about Buddism (tibetan religon) and death. Try swallowing this one: Tibetans believe that vultures are sacred birds；the vast majority of these people choose to have their bodys cut into 206 pieces and fed to vultures when they die.. It is believed that the vulture will carry the soul to the heavens. Talk about culturally opposite right?! idk, I think I'll stick to cremation on this one.
One thing I'm really interested in is buddism. Idunno much about it but it seems, like Rou says that these enlighted people are always smiling. No stress, no insomnia. It just strikes me as a religon thats focused on enjoying life and helping others.. I'm down.. I like that idea. Plus Gandhi was buddist. and come on. That guy's awesomeee. But idk... I think I need to learn more... Well thats what i have my life for right? Exploring the world and learning everything there is to know. Although, I've made a pretty big dent in the exploring part I think..
It's like yesterday morning- my dad and I are counting the countries I've been too.. 21. Is that not ridiculous?! Just as were talking about future trips, I hear Logan in the backround: 'no, yeah; doctor pepper is HIGHLY flammable‘. Conversation forgotten i turn to him. ‘no its not!' Logan: 'yeah cause the number one ingredient is AWESOME' hahahaahaha. Lame. Okay I'm off track again. Whatever. I'm done now. More cool stuff happened today: a flat tire, a rural village, and shopping for cheap northface jackets but I'll tell you later. 你给. for now I'm off:)
Anyway. After Liam and Walsh's hourly fight we got up and headed for breakfast. For me, this was fruit with yogurt, a piece of toast and a mocha that was more like hot chocolate then anything. Very western of me. Especially considering we've been having rice, dumplings and potstickers for breakfast most mornings.
Ah, what am I saying? You guys dont care what I ate for breakfast.. I'm all over the place tonight.
SO after breakfast. We headed up the hill. At crest of this hill, on the egde of town is a huge prayer wheel. When people pull the ropes and walk around the whole 25 foot gold encusted, cylindrical monument spins. The boys did that for a while, I liked the view better... standing on a bench you could see the whole town spralled out in front of you: each oriental roof set slightly apart from the next and the mountains as a back drop.
Later we took a tour of the Tibetan Museum which was located at the bottom of the hill. Shangri-la is about as close as you can get to Tibet without crossing the border and Tibet's culture influences this town alot so it seemed logical to check the museum out. Our guide, Rou, spoke very good english which, for all my world travelers out there, you know is a god-sent sense 98% of the time your dealing with tours where the speaker says barely comprehendable words. Rou gave us a lesson in Everything Tibet 101. I love learning about the way people live. He started with Tibetan medicine, showing us portraits of famous doctors and medicical pioneers. This medicine is mostly about finding the source of pain and working with that. Example: In western medicine, you say you have a headacre and the doctor gives you pills. In tibetan medicine, you say the same thing but instead the doctor tries to find out why you have this pain and deals with the root cause. It sounds good to me， in theory.. I'm not sure I buy the acupuncture and palm reading stuff but what do I know?
After medicine Rou talk us about Buddism (tibetan religon) and death. Try swallowing this one: Tibetans believe that vultures are sacred birds；the vast majority of these people choose to have their bodys cut into 206 pieces and fed to vultures when they die.. It is believed that the vulture will carry the soul to the heavens. Talk about culturally opposite right?! idk, I think I'll stick to cremation on this one.
One thing I'm really interested in is buddism. Idunno much about it but it seems, like Rou says that these enlighted people are always smiling. No stress, no insomnia. It just strikes me as a religon thats focused on enjoying life and helping others.. I'm down.. I like that idea. Plus Gandhi was buddist. and come on. That guy's awesomeee. But idk... I think I need to learn more... Well thats what i have my life for right? Exploring the world and learning everything there is to know. Although, I've made a pretty big dent in the exploring part I think..
It's like yesterday morning- my dad and I are counting the countries I've been too.. 21. Is that not ridiculous?! Just as were talking about future trips, I hear Logan in the backround: 'no, yeah; doctor pepper is HIGHLY flammable‘. Conversation forgotten i turn to him. ‘no its not!' Logan: 'yeah cause the number one ingredient is AWESOME' hahahaahaha. Lame. Okay I'm off track again. Whatever. I'm done now. More cool stuff happened today: a flat tire, a rural village, and shopping for cheap northface jackets but I'll tell you later. 你给. for now I'm off:)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Tiger Leaping Gorge Trek
Typical diologue while hiking the 28 bends of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trail:
Me：Okay，I'm a famous person.
Walsh: Are you famous?
Logan: I kill famous people!
Liam: Do you belong in the kitchen?
Me: Probably.
Liam: Sacajawea!
Me: What? no. How...
Liam: Yeah, how do you think lewis and clark survived?!
Aidan: Yeah- Don't you know her nick name?! Sandwich-ew-ea
Liam: That's my joke!
ahahahaha.. no? it was funny on the trail..
Tiger leaping gorge is about 2 hours outside of LiJiang and is known to be one of the deepest, most beautiful gorges in the world. It absolutely lives up to its reputation. Where it valleys, runs a wide river eterally murky from constant mudslides. From here the land on both sides swells up steeply into the clouds and on. Everything is lush green. But I dont really think you realize how many different color greens there are until your in the middle of nowhere with nothing better to do then look at the trees. Here and there are little villages scattered about- houses sprawled and clumped haphazardly. Around the houses are are just rows and rows of corn all on different levels making that land look like its covered in wavey greens. In all of this keep in mind that, more often then not, you can't see anything. The clouds hang low blocking the view and fog seems to obscure everything. In particular- my video camera. Due to a persistant mother and a beautiful water fall we kept getting a glimpse of, i now have a ridiculous number of pictures of fog. hahah.. But thats the thing, thats kind of what makes it so cool. Its like a curtain that opens and closes unexpectedly so only every now and then do you see the beautiful show behind.
Our first day we spent about two hours on the trail- slight incline but nothing terrible. Men with donkeys followed us the whole way up offering rides on their horses for small yuan. Walsh sorely begged for my parents to take this deal up and was denied. We stayed at Naxi Guesthouse. It was clean. Thats whats important. The electricity was bipolar and the shower head was a pop bottle but the food was rich and tasty and no one seemed to care about much else...
Next day we headed for the crux. The 28 switchbacks up steep incline. Three hours of walking... it ended up not being so bad at all- even with the packs. Anyway... we stayed at another hut that night. With nothing much to do I went to bed almost as soon as we arrived.
This morning we decided to turn back instead of finishing the trail. Due to word of mouth we found out that a mudslide had blocked the road back. We hiked out, then caught a taxi and ona wimp headed for shangri-la (our plane out of lijiang isnt for acouple days). The three hour ride was spent by me, liam, aidan and logan jamming out in the back to the kanye, ratatat, phoenix, and mgmt. very good.
Tomorrow I think well just explore this town. Shop, eat... the usual. Don't freak out, I'll keep you posted with whats happening on my side of our spinning world:)
Me：Okay，I'm a famous person.
Walsh: Are you famous?
Logan: I kill famous people!
Liam: Do you belong in the kitchen?
Me: Probably.
Liam: Sacajawea!
Me: What? no. How...
Liam: Yeah, how do you think lewis and clark survived?!
Aidan: Yeah- Don't you know her nick name?! Sandwich-ew-ea
Liam: That's my joke!
ahahahaha.. no? it was funny on the trail..
Tiger leaping gorge is about 2 hours outside of LiJiang and is known to be one of the deepest, most beautiful gorges in the world. It absolutely lives up to its reputation. Where it valleys, runs a wide river eterally murky from constant mudslides. From here the land on both sides swells up steeply into the clouds and on. Everything is lush green. But I dont really think you realize how many different color greens there are until your in the middle of nowhere with nothing better to do then look at the trees. Here and there are little villages scattered about- houses sprawled and clumped haphazardly. Around the houses are are just rows and rows of corn all on different levels making that land look like its covered in wavey greens. In all of this keep in mind that, more often then not, you can't see anything. The clouds hang low blocking the view and fog seems to obscure everything. In particular- my video camera. Due to a persistant mother and a beautiful water fall we kept getting a glimpse of, i now have a ridiculous number of pictures of fog. hahah.. But thats the thing, thats kind of what makes it so cool. Its like a curtain that opens and closes unexpectedly so only every now and then do you see the beautiful show behind.
Our first day we spent about two hours on the trail- slight incline but nothing terrible. Men with donkeys followed us the whole way up offering rides on their horses for small yuan. Walsh sorely begged for my parents to take this deal up and was denied. We stayed at Naxi Guesthouse. It was clean. Thats whats important. The electricity was bipolar and the shower head was a pop bottle but the food was rich and tasty and no one seemed to care about much else...
Next day we headed for the crux. The 28 switchbacks up steep incline. Three hours of walking... it ended up not being so bad at all- even with the packs. Anyway... we stayed at another hut that night. With nothing much to do I went to bed almost as soon as we arrived.
This morning we decided to turn back instead of finishing the trail. Due to word of mouth we found out that a mudslide had blocked the road back. We hiked out, then caught a taxi and ona wimp headed for shangri-la (our plane out of lijiang isnt for acouple days). The three hour ride was spent by me, liam, aidan and logan jamming out in the back to the kanye, ratatat, phoenix, and mgmt. very good.
Tomorrow I think well just explore this town. Shop, eat... the usual. Don't freak out, I'll keep you posted with whats happening on my side of our spinning world:)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Hang in LiJiang
Here we are in LiJiang and for the past two days we've just been hanging in this small adorable Naxi Town. After a day at the forbidden city, a halarious bus ride (due to Logan's youtube impressions), and a couple of nerverackingly close-to-missed flights we've arrived in this beautiful place. Logan hasn't been feeling good and yesterday morning we decided to push the Tiger Leaping Gorge Trek off for a couple days. He slept most of yesterday... its good for him. This Quigley mode of travel can be rough even when we aren't pushing it. His being sick kinda reminds me of past trips.. Laying on the floor in our Luxor flat while my stomach does backflips... Puking my head off every fifteen minutes for hours in the middle of nowhere in Tanzania... Coming home from Italy with a soar throat and scratchy eyes and realizing i have strep and double pink-eye.. Falling on a rock and chipping my front tooth to the nerve in Thailand..
Somehow though... It doesn't bother me. I love how we plow on. Ready for adventure, taking it as it comes and showing the world we're not afraid of anything. I love not being scared of life...
Anyway- Logan's a trooper and better today. I think were going out later to wander the town. It's storybook. Cobblestoned with shops linning the narrow streets. Everywhere you turn there's a picture perfect alleyway with streams gurgling happily. There are signs periodically that say things in bad english that make us all laugh. Things like 'beware of slip' and 'please shop rationally' and 'throw away litter makes prosperous tourist'. haha you'd think they could get someone to proof them but im glad they didn't. Yesterday Aidan and I happened upon the food market. It was beautiful, vegtables and fruits, along with spices and buffalo meat here and there,- all lined up on the sides of a curving dirt road . It felt so real. We bought melons and bananas. I could get used to this lifestyle..
I think I'm headed for a nap now...or maybe I'll just lie around listening to Courtney's playlist- A habit I've falled victim to with no sign of recovery. Zi-Zee-en, but just for a couple of revolutions on this spinning world:)
Somehow though... It doesn't bother me. I love how we plow on. Ready for adventure, taking it as it comes and showing the world we're not afraid of anything. I love not being scared of life...
Anyway- Logan's a trooper and better today. I think were going out later to wander the town. It's storybook. Cobblestoned with shops linning the narrow streets. Everywhere you turn there's a picture perfect alleyway with streams gurgling happily. There are signs periodically that say things in bad english that make us all laugh. Things like 'beware of slip' and 'please shop rationally' and 'throw away litter makes prosperous tourist'. haha you'd think they could get someone to proof them but im glad they didn't. Yesterday Aidan and I happened upon the food market. It was beautiful, vegtables and fruits, along with spices and buffalo meat here and there,- all lined up on the sides of a curving dirt road . It felt so real. We bought melons and bananas. I could get used to this lifestyle..
I think I'm headed for a nap now...or maybe I'll just lie around listening to Courtney's playlist- A habit I've falled victim to with no sign of recovery. Zi-Zee-en, but just for a couple of revolutions on this spinning world:)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Getting the Feeling for Beijing
48 hours ago I was penutbuttering a piece of toast at my own house. I was fighting with my mom and then I was getting in the car and we were headed for the airport. Thinking back, it feels as if that was a century ago.. A lot can happen in 48 hours. Your can read a lengthy novel. you can clean, throw a crazy party then clean again. In 48 hours you can learn to snowboard. or you can board a plane, fly halfway around the world and end up in a completely new, alien place.
12 and a half hours was the plane ride itself.. For me, there's something truely beautiful about these journeys. The feelings- the thoughts that run through my head. There's this anticipation that encirles the whole ride, either of an adventure thats about to begin or a ending to a wonderful trip and an excitement to be home again back to my shower, my own bed, and familiar faces that I've missed so much. On these long rides we take in the sky, reflection upon this life that we blow through all too fast is the subject of my thoughts. On this ride, I just stared at the sky for longest time wondering how anyone could believe that there is no higher power after seeing this beautiful world. I fell asleep after that, and woke up later to music turned too loud on my ipod. It was on shuffle and I heard songs that I wouldnt have picked for sake of my overplaying them in the past. But then again I love this music. With each song I know too well came a memory. 'Absolutely (story of a girl)' and I'm at the stevens pass lodge about to meet up with some friend, ready to hit the slopes. 'Hello Seattle' and me and kari and brigde are making some stupid youtube video. 'In my head' and we're in London and I'm running around our room in a towel telling erica i dropped my sock in the toilet. 'California Girls' and me and courtney are in the back of a car having a dance party and singing the lyrics all wrong. Memories engulfed me until I was back asleep. Later I woke up to have a jam session with Logan, my cousin whose sitting next to me. I thought it would be weird, having him on the trip but its not.. he fits right in and it feels normal..
After the plane ride we boarded a bus. Up til then I wasnt much excited for what was to come but the bus ride gave me a new energy, I was getting excited.. It's muggy here. The sky enveloped in an eternal smog. And it smells different but for the life of me I cant describe it - like cigarettes mixed with spice and that tropical smell... idunno. All I know is we're in a foreign place. Somewhere I havent ever been and most people will never go. AMAZING! everywhere there are symbols, a launguage artfully drawn. Everyone looks foreign, but then I remember that I'm the foreign one.
Our hostel is adorable. Its not much but the people are nice. Backpackers are always hanging out. We have a whole dorm to ourselves. Four sets of bunk beds and bathroom with a toilet that doesnt flush so well. But it's clean, no complaints over here.
The hostels not 10 minutes walk away from the center of Beijing. Today we were all up early and wandered in. The center is Tienaman Squre right across from the Forbidden City. It was cool being there especially cause of the poster i have of my room; of the protester in front of the tank. I mean that happened right here and now we were there! We were just looking around when all the sudden this little chinese boy came and asked for our picture. Sure! said Logan and ten minutes later we were posing with all these different chinese people. Weird... dont ask me... I guess people are as interested in us as we are in them.. Us americans are a sight to behold.
After that we wandered through the forbidden city and past ornate temples. Were planning to go back tomorrow. Everyone was far to jetlag today to appreciate how beautiful things are. After sitting on the stairs for too long we decided to walk the streets. That was fun. We ate so many dumplings and potstickers I'm gonna be sick of them til im 20. Having said that- they were delish. We stopped for cokes and beer at this little tiny resturant. It was this experience that absolutlely made my day. Our waitress was the sweetest girl and we got out our guidebook and had her help us say all these little chinese phrases. Things like - 'sorry', and 'bathroom' and 'i dont understand' and 'what is to be done?!'. She'd say it. We'd say it. We'd all be crack up and then we'd repeat the process. I love people.
Anyway. its about 10 pm here now and I've been on the computer far too long. Logan, Liam and my Dad are out getting beef kabab (at lease we think its beef it could be dog) and everyone else is crashed. I think imma go to sleep too. Back in the states you are all just waking up..From me, half way across the world: good morning to you, make the most of this day i've already lived. I'll see you soon on our spinning world:)
12 and a half hours was the plane ride itself.. For me, there's something truely beautiful about these journeys. The feelings- the thoughts that run through my head. There's this anticipation that encirles the whole ride, either of an adventure thats about to begin or a ending to a wonderful trip and an excitement to be home again back to my shower, my own bed, and familiar faces that I've missed so much. On these long rides we take in the sky, reflection upon this life that we blow through all too fast is the subject of my thoughts. On this ride, I just stared at the sky for longest time wondering how anyone could believe that there is no higher power after seeing this beautiful world. I fell asleep after that, and woke up later to music turned too loud on my ipod. It was on shuffle and I heard songs that I wouldnt have picked for sake of my overplaying them in the past. But then again I love this music. With each song I know too well came a memory. 'Absolutely (story of a girl)' and I'm at the stevens pass lodge about to meet up with some friend, ready to hit the slopes. 'Hello Seattle' and me and kari and brigde are making some stupid youtube video. 'In my head' and we're in London and I'm running around our room in a towel telling erica i dropped my sock in the toilet. 'California Girls' and me and courtney are in the back of a car having a dance party and singing the lyrics all wrong. Memories engulfed me until I was back asleep. Later I woke up to have a jam session with Logan, my cousin whose sitting next to me. I thought it would be weird, having him on the trip but its not.. he fits right in and it feels normal..
After the plane ride we boarded a bus. Up til then I wasnt much excited for what was to come but the bus ride gave me a new energy, I was getting excited.. It's muggy here. The sky enveloped in an eternal smog. And it smells different but for the life of me I cant describe it - like cigarettes mixed with spice and that tropical smell... idunno. All I know is we're in a foreign place. Somewhere I havent ever been and most people will never go. AMAZING! everywhere there are symbols, a launguage artfully drawn. Everyone looks foreign, but then I remember that I'm the foreign one.
Our hostel is adorable. Its not much but the people are nice. Backpackers are always hanging out. We have a whole dorm to ourselves. Four sets of bunk beds and bathroom with a toilet that doesnt flush so well. But it's clean, no complaints over here.
The hostels not 10 minutes walk away from the center of Beijing. Today we were all up early and wandered in. The center is Tienaman Squre right across from the Forbidden City. It was cool being there especially cause of the poster i have of my room; of the protester in front of the tank. I mean that happened right here and now we were there! We were just looking around when all the sudden this little chinese boy came and asked for our picture. Sure! said Logan and ten minutes later we were posing with all these different chinese people. Weird... dont ask me... I guess people are as interested in us as we are in them.. Us americans are a sight to behold.
After that we wandered through the forbidden city and past ornate temples. Were planning to go back tomorrow. Everyone was far to jetlag today to appreciate how beautiful things are. After sitting on the stairs for too long we decided to walk the streets. That was fun. We ate so many dumplings and potstickers I'm gonna be sick of them til im 20. Having said that- they were delish. We stopped for cokes and beer at this little tiny resturant. It was this experience that absolutlely made my day. Our waitress was the sweetest girl and we got out our guidebook and had her help us say all these little chinese phrases. Things like - 'sorry', and 'bathroom' and 'i dont understand' and 'what is to be done?!'. She'd say it. We'd say it. We'd all be crack up and then we'd repeat the process. I love people.
Anyway. its about 10 pm here now and I've been on the computer far too long. Logan, Liam and my Dad are out getting beef kabab (at lease we think its beef it could be dog) and everyone else is crashed. I think imma go to sleep too. Back in the states you are all just waking up..From me, half way across the world: good morning to you, make the most of this day i've already lived. I'll see you soon on our spinning world:)
Monday, July 5, 2010
Here goes nothing.
How do you describe excitement? What makes it the feeling that it is? Is it the twitch in your hands as you try to move through your daily tasks pretending nothing of merit’s consuming you reveries? Or is it that empty stretch in your chest somewhere between your voice box and your heart that builds with each waiting moment? Maybe excitement should be characterized by the way your limbs tingle or the way your mind seems to accelerate, the cogs in each corner of your brain spinning in double time.
Excitement…makes me jittery. It makes me want to laugh when no ones told a joke- it makes me want to dance like an idiot (which I all too often do). Some things are little: almost being done with chores, making plans for the night, hearing my phone buzz and knowing it’s the boy I've been crushing on.. and sometimes its bigger… like idontknow… anticipating a trip to china?
We leave for our next big adventure in five days. On July 11th we’ll board a plane and head for the other side of the world. Its always funny, the beginning part because... What am I suppose to expect? I don't even know what to be excited for. I’ve hardly looked at an itinerary. I always just go with the flow knowing my dad will take care of everything.. Man he and I fight- but when it comes down to it, he plans a hell of a trip.
So without any idea of where we’re headed or what were about to do I guess that leaves me to plunge in the pool with my eyes closed (which happens to be one of my favorite things). There’s just one thing that will be different…and that’s well this! I want to keep a journal of this trip.. so started a blog- and hopefully I’ll continue to write about my feelings, thoughts and adventures in the future. I’ll be blogging whenever I can get to a computer. So if you bother to follow my journey I’ll be here.. on a spinning world:)
Thoughts on the Plane Ride Home From Africa (Summer '09)
Chasing the sun... that’s what I like to think we’re doing on these particular plane rides. We fly thousands of feet up and move 1/2 way around the world in pursuit (or so it seems) of the sun. And in this way, we experience eternal light, an attenuated day that refuses to fade into tomorrow, almost as if that day wants to ensure our safe journey home. It reminds me that though it seems we’re on separate worlds – Thailand, Turkey, Cambodia, France, Peru, Ecuador, and home are all on one Earth, under one sky, and one sun.
Like all of our other adventures, Africa has been phenomenal. Our clash of life has been everything I always hope for.
The safari was unforgettable. For six days, we spent hours in a land rover pursuing the world’s most exciting creatures. We came upon blood covered hyenas just done with a kill, and elephants – at first glance doing nothing but after a second look providing enough action to entertain us for hours. Maybe my favorite was the giraffes: long and graceful, ambling along to wherever they might fancy, lapping leaves off trees then suddenly galloping off in slow-mo as if they suddenly remembered there was something they had to do at that particular moment. Maybe my favorite was the lions. The male, sprawled lazily in the grass yawning every-so-often as to remind us how many teeth he had or the mother we found, not two feet off the road with 2 little baby cubs staring curiously at us and the world. I know I loved the stripped horses that became so common we hardly bothered yelling, ‘Stop! I see a zebra!’ I think my dad’s favorite were the hippos who looked like boulders sitting in the water. When they emerged, they made us all laugh just by their awkward perambulating and cartoon shape. It’s possible that my favorite thing on that safari was just how the plains stretched off for what seemed like forever. The tired yellow color of the grass to telling the world it was old and relaxed and at peace in its stagnation.
If you ask Aidan I’m sure he’ll tell you that his favorite was the cheetahs, lengthy and sly, camouflaged in the grass pending an attack or taking a snooze in a tree… Hands down everyone knows that my mom loved the birds. She was always asking our sweet, old guide Rodger to stop every time there was a flutter of a wing. She was always inquiring what is was, what it ate where it nested… I don’t know what Liam’s and Walsh’s favorites were. Maybe the antelopes jumping and racing about, or the dik-diks who all looked like deer, two sizes too small. You’d have to ask them… all I know is that Liam was always pointing and genuinely exclaiming he saw an animal and then pausing and realizing it wasn’t the one he thought it was or, more often, that it was just a mound of dirt. He makes me laugh.
There is no way to properly describe what we experienced on our last day of safari. I can tell you that we went to a Masai (African tribe) village. I can explain how they dressed, how the beads covered their arms, how the older dressed in various red fabric and the younger in old, filthy clothing filled with holes, things we would have done away with years ago. I could describe the houses called bomas. Not more then ten feet in diameter made of mud and cow dung, the roof consisting of hay and small sticks. I can tell you how the children, smaller then Walsh would herd the cattle all day, searching for green on the drought land. I could tell you all of this…but it wouldn’t be enough. There is no way to communicate the completely different life we lead from them. No way to make you see the fine dust that covers everything or the flies that land all over the children or the smell that’s neither bad nor good that infests your nostrils when you arrive. But really the hardest thing to get across here is to try to convey that these people- aren’t unhappy… Debatably they enjoy life more then we, ourselves do.
They live so simply but in content. Its like, you feel as if you’ve made a discovery and you want to tell the world but, it not. Its just something we all forget.
But they….they hold onto it. and remember. And they showed us happily their African dances and brought us to their homes and shared their traditions. So that if… only for a moment we had a window into this alien life.
Zanzibar is an island right off the coast of Tanzania. The beaches, white as white gets, stretch around the island in a way that make you wonder why more eyes haven’t seen such a place. After our safari, without time to waste, we boarded a plan to witness one of Africa’s most beautiful islands. Our hotel, three hours out of Stone Town (the capital of Zanzibar) was called Twisted Palm. Our huts were 10 yards from the water. We walked miles along the beach to town. We played soccer with the locals. We swam in the ever-shallow ocean and watched the tide go out miles just to come back in. We tanned our bodies and lived off French fries and soda. We would wait literally hours for mediocre food every night: talking, reading and playing cards to pass the time. Excitement rippled through life one day as a jellyfish beaded long and blue stung Liam. It was scary at first, his pain intense and the nearest hospital hours away…but after a time his crying subsided and he stopped shaking so badly. Secretly, I was so jealous of him. What a story to tell, can you imagine?
After that drama we were back to mellow. My mom and I got henna on our ankles and arms. Me and Aidan played tag and there was always a nonstop game of soccer going on. It was beautiful. It was perfect. It was paradise. …and to be honest… it was a little boring.
On our third to last day, we picked up and headed into Stone town for the remainder of our time. Stone town boomed with action everywhere you turned. Vendors sold everything from cashews to CDs. We walked down alleyways for long stretches of time and bought souvenirs we didn’t need. Walsh made us all laugh with his hard bargaining “I only have one shilling (about 80 cents)” he’d say, “what can I buy?” … He bought so bracelets and necklaces that my mom joked that he looked like a walking vendor. I loved the city and would have liked to spend much longer there if I wasn’t so homesick. The shops entertained me for eternity. People were so wonderfully friendly. And the boys my age would smile big and holler at me if I looked at them too long: a bad case of mess with the foreigner I think…Still, it made laugh. I think I'm prepared to bet that the ice cream on Zanzibar was the best in the world. It’s that food that ended all our meals which were almost always of Indian cuisine. I know. Indian food in Africa, weird…but it was incredibly tasty all the same. All in all it was a great end to a great adventure.
It's crazy how no matter how far we travel, no matter the incredible things we see, I'm always so excited to be coming home. Maybe it’s the hot shower I want. Or maybe it’s my own bed. But I like to think that I love coming back because I'm coming home to part of something. When we travel, life stops, reminding us that the world is a bigger place then we think of it, each of our lives are so small and kind of insignificant…but coming home… that make me think that I'm a part of something. A part of a community, a part of a school, a town.. a group of friends. The excitement of seeing all these people I’ve missed knocks me back into a place, intertwined with others. It just makes me feel like I'm a part of this bigger thing called life. And it should because its us who lead the world into its future, each tiny one of us that decide where to go from here.
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