Leapfrog

The highlight of my time in Kanazawa was indisputably Kenrokuen Garden, one of the top three gardens in Japan, and Kanazawa’s main draw for tourists. There you really get a sense for how exacting and complicated creating perfect simplicity is, which I felt gave me a much deeper insight into Japanese aesthetics and culture. There is also a famous ninja visit, which I chose to skip, and an excellent contemporary art museum that I spent all of a morning in. It was nice to be in a smaller city for a change, Kanazawa has a population of about 400,000, so about 2/3 the size of Baltimore. I had a nice and quiet stay there, in a hostel full of lovely people, happy to be back on my own.

From Kanazawa I headed to Kameoka, a little town right outside of Kyoto where I would be staying with a family connection for a week. That family connection was Fukiko, who truly made my stay with her my favorite part of my trip to Japan. While I was there I saw Fushimi-Inari shrine, Tofukuji Temple, Nijo Castle, the Silver Pagoda, took a day trip to Nara and more, but it never felt rushed, and at the end of each (often hot and rainy) day I would take the train back to Kameoka and be greeted by a smiling Fukiko at the train station to take me home, a comfortable place that had the overwhelming pleasures of both privacy and delish homemade Japanese food. I loved Kyoto and Kameoka, both places felt calmer than the giant cities I had visited, and connected to Japans rich and ancient past. It didn’t hurt that I got to watch magnificent storks and herons soaring of bright green rice fields daily.

Kyoto is where I was invited on stage during a recital to sight read Beethoven, where I followed the “Philosophers Path” and saw a butterfly big and dark enough to be a bat, where I felt a real and alive connection to the parts of Japanese culture I most wanted to be connected to.

After my amazing stay in Kameoka I took a short detour to Shizuoka for 2 nights, a city famous for its views of Mt. Fuji. My mountain gazing dreams were crushed though, as it was cloudy both days I was there. Disappointing!

And then I took the Shinkansen, the bullet train, to Tokyo, the heartbeat of it all, the center of modern Japan. I was a little overwhelmed, mostly due to my burnout, which was understandable four months into an insane around-the-world trip. I still liked Tokyo though, and if I had to live in a giant city, I would be happy to spend some time in that mega-opolis. I loved how the buildings felt like they were some much more than functional, how safe I felt, the excellent public transportation, the little places of history left untouched by the skyscrapers, temples sitting somehow comfortably next to 30 floor office buildings. I liked the earthquakes, and the women dressed in kimonos, both young and old, though seemingly never middle aged.

For me the highlight of Tokyo was the view from the top of the Government Metropolitan Building, one of the only observation decks in the city you don’t have to pay to access. Stepping out of the elevator and seeing those giant windows with Tokyo stretched out before me gave me a real jolt. The Ota Memorial Museum, with its current collection of Hokusai’s manga was also excellent.

I was staying in a lovely hostel in Asakusa, one of the areas of Tokyo that is older, and isn’t filled with towering shopping malls. It was a nice area, although insanely crowded during the day, and the giant paper lantern near the subway stop was a fun landmark.

Minakami

My journey from Seoul to Minakami was the most stressful of my trip to date. Nothing major went wrong, but it felt like every possible tiny annoying thing did. As I left my hostel at just before 5 in the morning I was stopped by two men who wanted to follow me to the subway, which I had to very uncomfortably admit made me uncomfortable and sort of run away. When I actually got to the station I went through the wrong gate, and because there is no staff on duty I had to get a new ticket. Which I was just short the won for. So I had to with draw money from the ATM, where the smallest possible withdrawal was still twice the entire price of the ticket. I finally made it to the airport, an hour train ride later, running late and mildly irritated, only to get to the desk and have proof of a ticket home demanded of me by tiny Korean ladies who barely spoke English. This took forever as I didn’t have a hard copy and the Incheon Airport wifi moves at the pace of a snail on anxiety medication. When I finally got to security, they took away my peanut butter, which had survived every china-related flight. I speed-walked to my gate, stepping straight off the escalator and into the boarding line for my plane.

When I got into Tokyo, seems started off much smoother, with a very quick stop in immigration and extremely helpful train ladies to get me on my way. My first of three trains even went quite well, but on my second train things deteriorated again a little bit. I was on the right line, but I had managed to get on one of the trains that didn’t go all the way to the end, which was the station I needed, so I had to get off and transfer to a new train, making my train total for that day a very respectable 5. When I got to Takasaki, I just said “Minakami” pitifully to the attendant and he pointed to the right track. I got on the train and waited for the station I wanted to come up. I got to the station, I had made it! Except there was still a 1 mile walk to my hostel. Uphill.

I got to my hostel, and was greeted by the most welcoming and accommodating host of all time. That evening he took me and the other guests to an onsen, a traditional Japanese hot spring, and to see the rare Japanese fireflies which I was extremely lucky to see as they only come out one week a year. Then when we got back to the hostel, a giant plate of both cucumber and tuna sushi was laid out in front of me. It was delicious, and a great way to end one of the most mixed days of my trip.

My next day was much less exciting- the highlight was my ride on a cable car with the stupendous views Minakami is famous for and then I went on a little hike. In the evening my gracious host took me to a different onsen, and then fed me some homemade tempera. A calm and lovely day.

My time in Seoul was brief but informative.
I arrived easily enough, my hostel’s thorough directions including pictures served me quite well, and I quickly settled into some unrestricted internet access. The world without a firewall is very exciting. Later I took a walk around my neighborhood, Hongdae, which is a fascinating and overstimulating shopping and partying center. It’s right by one of the major university, so the student population just exploded the area. For me, the shops didn’t really hold much interest, the thing I’m buying has to be pretty special to warrant me carrying it around with me, backpack weight is really a number one priority. It was fascinating to watch all the young south Koreans go about their lives though, having a fun afternoon in a shopping district. I was also able to find a confirmed store and pick up some snacks, so it was really a win-win situation.

The next day was my only real day in Seoul, so I decided to take full advantage of it by once again, visiting a museum. The National Museum of Korea is really very good, well organized, signed, and extremely informative. It is also extremely convenient, you get off at a subway stop and walk to the museum still sort of in the station. Excellent for those of us, like me, who are not so good with directions. The natural light in the building is amazing, the whole roof is windows, and many more on the walls, but not where they could harm the artifacts. There is an extensive collection of artifacts and art objects that talk about the deep and extensive history of Korean Buddhism, which I knew nothing about, as well as just great pieces of art from many different asian countries. I enjoyed my visit completely.

I then moved into the exciting part of my day– a meeting for some delicious fried chicken with a Korean friend of my Dad’s. We met at a central subway stop and then walked to the chicken place my Dad’s friend had picked out, only to discover that it was closed! A setback, but nothing can really stop two women on a mission for Korean fried chicken, not even the torrential rains that came soon after. We found another place and we soon happily chowing down. It was excellent!

After lunch we took a look at the weather and decided an outside historic square- no matter how beautiful- was not the plan to follow, so we decided to go to the Leeum Art Museum, which is a mix of ancient and contemporary art, and it was quite wonderful. Many of the same traditional Celadon and Bouchon-Ware pottery were displayed, but in a totally different way that made them feel special and new. It was also so helpful to have a knowledgeable Korean artist that could give me fascinating anecdotes on the production of these important works. The museum also had a completely contemporary wing, which mixed big Western names with Korean artists. I enjoyed it so much.
I may not have seen much of Seoul, but I did get a sense for its complete devotion to consumerism, which really isn’t my scene, but I am sure there is much that I missed.

My friend and I spent our last 3 nights traveling together in Hangzhou, a quieter town focused on the beautiful West Lake and nearby tea gardens- it’s a place where one goes to appreciate natural beauty.

We were staying in a very nice hostel in an absolutely beautiful area- historically inspired buildings kept in perfect condition lined each side of the road, right behind the little artificial stream with strategically placed greenery. It was an area full of cafes, noodle shops, stores of all types, restaurants galore. We were right off of the main shopping street, which had announcers at every shop door, and little carts placed in the middle selling cheap souvenirs and snacks for all the visitors. We took several walks in the afternoons and evenings just to enjoy the atmosphere and do some people watching. It was a pedestrian only area with cobblestone streets, just all in all a lovely place to spend some time.

The museum didn’t particularly stand out among the many history and art centered museums we had visited, but it was very pleasant and there were many beautiful things. It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, and relaxing was just what I needed.

We had movie night, packed up, and prepared ourselves for another day of travel, but this time back home for my friend and preparing to leave China for me.

We spent nearly all of our first day at West Lake, the sight Hangzhou is most famous for, and it did not disappoint. The gray sky did not make the lake any less beautiful, and we walked around the edge, often stopping along the edge and sitting on a bench to watch the little fish feed and in my case, to pull out my journal and spend some time writing. After an excursion to try and get a better view of the famous pagoda we decided to rent a little boat and go out on the water. This was the sight of the wedding-photo-ruining incident, and it was an absolute joy. We spent most of our time just floating in the center of the lake, enjoying the scenery, the company, and laughing at my ridiculous characters and their convictions.

We started out our second day by hopping on a bus to try and see a famous temple nearby to the main city, but unfortunately that plan was cut short. I almost fainted on the bus. It is an experience I am familiar with, but once that happens, the only real choice is to go back to your accommodation and rest up. I was feeling better by lunch time so we got some noodles (of course) and then headed to the nearby and low-impact museum.

I really enjoyed my time in China, and I definitely feel like it’d be a great destination for a more experienced (the language barrier is much more extreme than in most of Europe) super-budget traveler. Seriously, it would be so easy to travel on $20-30 a day here, and feel very comfortable and full. You can easily get a room in a hostel dorm for less than $10, and delicious bowls of noodles will only set you back about a $1.50.

And the noodles are delicious. I spent the two weeks very happily eating a diet of vegetable noodles, tomato and egg noodles, various garlicky or salty or soy sauce laden vegetables, and, of course, rice. As a picky eater, there were some deep problems. Everything seemed to be cooked in pork fat, and I don’t eat meat. The fact that I am an absolute wimp when it comes to spicy foods did not help my cause, but I still ate incredibly well.

I did feel a certain distance during this trip, not just between me and the people we were interacting with, which was heightened by the extreme language barrier, but also between me and the history, and the Chinese with their own country, their own lives even. Everyone just seemed to float through the system, no one standing out, no one getting angry. I certainly felt that I was getting the version of China I was most supposed to. Being in a language bubble can help you step outside and observe, but I felt like I was already completely outside of that place, outside of my understanding.
That feeling of distance is amplified by the feeling of other. It is not quite as obtuse as in India, where buses of people would stare at me, but we still got selfie requests, through my Chinese friend, just normal people asking for a picture of or with me. Children were particularly fascinated by me, but could be scared off, or simply made embarrassed, by a few funny faces or a wave. My hosts could not have been any more welcoming, any more kind, or any lovelier in any way, but there was this incredible block the entire time I was in the country because everyone I came into contact with knew I would never belong there.

When we got to Xi’an we were greeted at the airport by a friend of a friend of my friend’s father, which is not as convoluted as it sounds in China. We handed her the special duck we had brought as a gift and she and the-man-who-I-didn’t-know-at-that-point-was-going-to-be-our-personal-driver took us to the car. We got lunch at another hot pot place, delicious, and then started out little exploration of Xi’an. That afternoon we went to the Xi’an museum, full of precious treasures of ancient China, and then later walked along a beautiful city walk with a river and shady trees. That night we learned how to play mahjong at our hostel. I was not very good.

We went to Xi’an mainly to see the Terracotta Warriors/Army, as most people who go to Xi’an do, and they did not disappoint. Seeing that space was so impressive, and even though the crowds were a little overwhelming, the figures were so spectacular I almost didn’t mind. The space itself gives you an amazing sense of the scale, the roof seems to go on forever. At one point my friend turned to me and said “They’re all different!” quite quietly, with both deep awe and incredulity. It is a special place.

One of the most important things to note about Xi’an is that there was an amazing homemade noodle place across the street from our hostel where we had thick and delicious spinach noodles both nights. An absolute hole in the wall but so tasty. We reminisced about the noodles for the rest of our trip.

*note, lantern photo is from Hangzhou (I took almost all of my photos in Hangzhou)

And then we were on to Shanghai, heads spinning from our quick schedule. When we first got to Shanghai we collapsed at the hotel emerging only for some food, but in the evening we had recovered and we took a walk along “The Bund” a famous path in Shanghai along the river which highlights the city’s old and european-looking buildings. There is a lot of fancy shopping about too, but the lights on the water were lovely, and even though I was freaking out a little bit due to some school worries, we had a great time laughing and joking, the place all lit up by the lights of the city.

Day 2 was rainy, as many have been, so we decided to make it a museum day. We started at the Jewish Refugee Museum, which chronicled the journey of the jews that found refuge in Shanghai in WWII. It was very well done, and even though I got a little testy at the exhibit about the ghettoization of the Jews, that may have been because I’m a little sensitive. It did prompt an interesting question about the responsibility of countries to refugees and immigrants.

After lunch we went to the Shanghai museum, which followed the same pattern of glorious historical artifacts that the other museums we visited did, but it did it very well– the calligraphy and ink painting exhibition was particularly good. Overall, it was a very nice way to spend a rainy afternoon, especially when your friend pulls yummy snacks out of her backpack.

And then we were on to Hangzhou!

Qingdao

I was greeted in Qingdao by a smiling, familiar face. What a new luxury! I immediately asked to take a shower, travel from Kathmandu to China does not make you feel clean, which I did after quickly dropping my stuff in Rui Rui’s room. I was then whisked off to a “hot pot” place. I had never heard of this phenomena, but it turned out to be fun and delicious. A pot of boiling broth is brought to your table and put on the built in electric burner. Then all the delicious ingredients you ordered (for me, fish, tofu, mushrooms, greens, potatoes, and then finally some noodles) are brought to you and you can plop them in the boiling broth, watch them cook and then fish them out and stick them directly in your face. It’s great. We all ate way too much.

We spent the afternoon at the police station, registering me–I wasn’t staying in a hotel but with a family, so the process is a little more complicated. There were many documents involved, and a trip back to the house to pick up something that was missing.

We then explored a night market, a fascinating and overwhelming place lit up with fluorescent and neon lights where it truly looked like you could buy anything. It was chaotic and bewildering and I clutched the lemonade-like drink I had been given tightly and followed Rui Rui’s family as we explored one of the many crowded alleys created by the stands.

We finished up the day at a seafood restaurant, actually in the mall, which seems to be the center of Chinese life, but we were all still too full to really eat much and went home with a baggie of clams.

The next day we explored the lovely mountainous area around Qingdao, notably Laoshan Mountain. We started out at a very cool mountain ski lift-like experience. Just 15 minutes of floating through the pretty mountains, hanging out with an old friend, in the cool air. It was lovely. We then spent some time at a tea house with an amazing view of a mountain-side village, shrouded in mysterious mist. We sat enjoying the view while a tiny Chinese lady performed an intricate tea ceremony, with much tossing of tea back and forth between little glass cups and drenching of the little wooden platform. The tea was accompanied by a little platter of various dried seafoods which I was not-so-gently encouraged to try. There were miniature shrimp and dried cuttlefish and chunks of what looked like herring and other unidentifiable bits-and-bobs. Tasty!

The highlight of the day was the visit to the GIANT, Taoist, Temple of Supreme Purity, supposedly the place where a Taoist leader put his hand through a wall. It is a lovely place, with a giant bronze figure, reaching high into the sky, elegant buildings with intricate and colorful decorations, and thousand-year old trees. The place was beautiful, but there were so. Many. Stairs. I was still not over the stairs from Nepal, and my knee was in a lot of pain. It was worth it though!

We finished up the day by going to a Chinese movie, the theater was in the mall, of course, because everything, including the grocery store, is in the mall. It was an interesting movie, full of insights into Chinese values and surprisingly good american accents.

Beijing

We arrived in Beijing tired but excited to start on our new adventure! We caught the airport shuttle to the neighborhood we would be staying in and promptly realized we didn’t know how to get from the shuttle stop to our hotel. This prompted a march to a nearby bank where my friend had a conversation with the lady I didn’t understand but was informed the result of which was that we should go “That way.” So off we went, and we found the hotel without too much difficulty. That afternoon we headed directly to The Forbidden City, which was spectacular, but I became overheated and a little grumpy very quickly. We still had fun, especially when we took a break to crack jokes about comedic dragons and malfunctioning audio guides.

Day 2 was all about the zoo and the aquarium, again a mixed experience, as the exhibits didn’t seem particularly kind to the animals, especially the small mammals. Nevertheless we had a nice encounter with the elephants and a relaxing duck-viewing session. The real highlight was the aquarium, with its giant shark-filled tanks and screeching belugas. I love aquariums, and Beijing’s was no exception. I was unfamiliar with many of the fantastical fishies, some of which seemed more like children’s drawings than logical creatures.

The next day we headed to The National Museum, which was a China-sized behemoth. We focused in on our interests, going through the Ancient China, Calligraphy, Ink Painting, and Porcelain galleries. It was a long morning filled with informational exhibits and indignant puffs hiding suppressed laughter from my friend at my inappropriate jokes.

We met up with a mutual friend from the U.S. for a very late lunch, which was nice, as I haven’t really seen anyone from home. We all ended up going to the mall together afterwards because we needed some supplies for the trip. After dropping our friend off at his hotel we headed back to ours, totally wiped out.

This picture is a quick glimpse into an odd Chinese ritual. There are several couples all taking their wedding pictures at this lake (in Hangzhou) but these picture taking sessions happened all over the country in some truly baffling locations. The really odd part is that these couples aren’t even married yet, these are pre-marriage photos, and that the dresses, suits, and accessories all rented out just for the photo taking event. The shear number of these posed couples scattered throughout the country at the acceptable “photogenic” spots is incredible. The phenomenon led to one of my most fun, but least proud moments in Hangzhou. We were on a little boat for hire on the lake and I decided the most productive way to spend our time was to drive over to the place where all the couples were taking photos and try to ruin them with a tourist boat right behind the couples. This idea tickled me so much that I incapacitated my self with laughter. Tears were streaming out of my eyes and I could not breath. It was amazing.

It was worth it. So worth it.

That was my immediate reaction to seeing the view at Annapurna Base Camp, the destination of my Nepal trek.

The night before we would reach base camp was the first of the trip I felt the need to set an alarm. 4:30am, since we planning on having breakfast at 5. That whole morning was blurry, an internal sensation doubled by the thick pure white clouds rising up through the valley that we would hike to base camp. We started early, on the trail by 5:40, hoping to get to ABC by 7, our usual start time. The hike was, of course, uphill, the name of the game in the Himalayas, and as we were approaching an altitude of 4100 meters, I could feel the thinness of the air in the shortness of my breath.

The hike started with a treacherous ice slip and slide courtesy of last year’s avalanche and then continued into steeper and steeper inclines that I had to force my body up. Eventually it leveled out a bit and I was able to step outside the constant count in my head I use to keep moving forward when the going gets tough and really look at the magical landscape that surrounded me. The grass was lush and green, cut through by whispering streams that seem to laugh at hapless trekkers. It is spring, and the small mountain wildflowers are in full bloom, many of them seem like familiar miniatures, like the dwarf poppy, but some of them are completely new to me, like the spherical conglomerations of blue flowers that dominate the lower areas.

The thick white cloud followed us up the trail and then gently dissipated into thick mist lining the the rising natural walls surrounding the valley we were still hiking up.

I caught a glimpse of rooftops ahead and then in the distance I spotted a sign. It had to be base camp. We got closer and closer until the lettering was clear enough make out- “Annapurna Base Camp.” I had made it! That moment was one of complete triumph for me, there were a couple of moments on the trek up where I hadn’t been sure if I was going to make it. We took lots of pictures and then kept going up, to the actual camp, not just the sign, and the viewpoint just behind the little settlement.

It was unbelievably spectacular.

The sun pushed through the clouds, clearing the white barrier, but not completely, so the mountains were still demurely and beautifully shrouded in mist. Annapurna rose up in front of us, flanked by an entire range of the Himalayan mountains. You could stand in one spot and spin around, seeing a giant towering above you the entire time. We were surrounded. Each peak was still shrouded in mist, with glowing white caps and dramatic black crags standing out against the blue sky.

It is worth noting that all three of the guys have and are still wearing their down jackets on top of several layers while I stayed comfortably in my t-shirt. It was this hike, and that moment, that the guys started to understand that I had not been exaggerating the extreme effect the heat and the sun had on me.

That was only the early morning of our day, we hiked all the way down to Bamboo, one village farther down than we had hiked up from the day before, and we got there at 3, just an hour past our typical stop time, after our extra early start. I was very proud, and very happy, since the hike, for the first time, had been completely down hill!