I went to China yesterday. I like the description of Lonely Planet about China..."China isn't a country - it's a different world." That's what attracted me to visit China for a while. So I lay down my bed, turned off the television and began my journey from our International airport. That's where every journey has to start, the burning desire to see the world, the look of longing to the departing planes, but all the while, promising to return home once the journey has ended.
I pictured everything in my mind. There, in the crowded airport, with only my hand carry bag, a few Yuan money and my passport and ticket to carry me through. Keeping my fingers crossed, I'll survive the trip to the epitome and symbol of the mysterious, ancient Eastern culture, China.
There are so many places to go to when you’re in China. So I just chose to go to the three most interesting (to me!) places in China, Beijing, Shanghai and Tibet. Next time, I’ll probably make time for X’ian, Nanjing, Qufu and Turpan.
Beijing, China
I expected Beijing to be full of temples, street vendors, and people riding bikes all over town. Street merchants selling dim sum and noodles that can appease your partial hunger while walking the long stretch of roads filled with people who walk faster than Makati yuppies. But then, what greeted me were sky-high buildings that seem to sprout all over the city as the country entered the global market. I need to see the ancient China, so I waddled my way to the Forbidden City. Even amongst all tourists poking their way to the city, I can still feel the sanctity of the place. To think, all those Chinese ancestors weren’t allowed to enter this city, but here we are, walking our way across the big yard in the middle of the city. I then proceeded to the Great Wall of China. More than the Forbidden City, this wall represents China like no other symbol can. The ancient wall is meant to protect China from outsiders and it did. The Chinese people believed that they are part of the Middle Kingdom, and maybe they are justified in thinking that, for even though they are not exposed to the outside world, they thrived for centuries.
I will no longer describe in detail the Summer Palace, Temple of the Heaven Park, and the Lama Temple that one will get to see in Beijing. Suffice it to say, I feel like I’m walking in between time zones. One look at the left, are the skyscrapers, and at the right are the temples. It makes you feel dizzy, I tell you. What with the Chinese people who always seem to be shouting at each other, I really need to rest for a while before going to Shanghai.
Shanghai, China
Ah, Shanghai is the basic definition of acculturation. It is the infusion of another culture to one’s own. The Western world as it entered and claimed a small part of proud China. Although not quite as vibrantly western as before, Shanghai once charmed tourists with a mix of the traditional and the modern. Modern architecture at the heart of the city, while temples, gardens and bazaars in some parts of the town, a traveler will never want for places to go. But one has to see the Bund, its riverside area and the Frenchtown to really see Shanghai’s colonial past.
Tibet, China
Kham is a new frontier for adventure travelers, a place where one can find unclimbed summits, galloping horsemen, old-growth forest, and villages and monasteries where no foreigner has set foot in fifty years.
When you pass through Luhuo (Trango) you may be disappointed by the lack of Tibetan architecture in the county seat. That's because an earthquake leveled the place in the 1970s. A really great hot spring, and not a bad camping spot either, is located just off the main highway in Ganzi County. When traveling west, go past the county town to the enormous and striking Dargye Gonpa (Dajin Si). This is Rongbatsa Township. Continue a little further to where there is a small pond to the right of the highway. Follow the track some 2 km to a walled compound, which is the home of Gyalten Rinpoche. Baiyu (Pelyul) is a very pleasant, comparatively low-lying town with more than the usual variety and quantity of vegetables available. There is also a nunnery in the town, which makes it a good destination for all you female vegetarian types.
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Ah, my feet are so very tired, my eyes drooping as I struggled between consciousness and sleep. But my brain and my spirit are working overtime as I say goodbye to the exotic China and say hello once again to the place I love more than anywhere else in the world. My home, my bedroom, my bed. Sleep waiting for me, while rain quietly drizzled outside. Hmmm, there’s no better feeling.
Good night.
*Sources: Lonely Planet, Khamaid.Org
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