The Long and Winding and Exhausting Road

Sweet daddy Confucious, I am still tired.

My body is drained, in fact, even after sleeping over 15 hours the other day (unheeded by inebriation; just good, sober sleep) I'm tired. I haven't done anything especially physically exerting, but it goes without saying I fell way behind healthy levels as I banged around China on bus, train, plane, and hovercraft.

My mental self doesnt stand much better. After my parents took off I didn't speak English for over 2 weeks. Only Chinese. Enough to make my head hurt. The converstations varied, but each time we had to rehash the same bland facts: I'm American. Yes, I can speak Chinese. Yes, Chinese is a hard language. Yes, I must be a very diligent student. No, not all Americans have blue eyes. Chinese food is delicious. No, you can't compare China and the US like that. Sometimes I got some interesting curveballs ("You know Chinese make the best noodles, right? And did you know your President slaughters innocent children for fun?") and some ridiculous claims ("I don't see why you Westerners think the Cold War was so important. We all know that if war erupted both the USA and the USSR would have lost to China.") that forced me to play dumb in lieu of starting a true international inncident.

Goes to show you just how tired I am. A well-rested Bill would have flushed these conversations dry.

But now we're back to the weekend: crunch time. The last weekend of non-travel burned this over-the-top cuteness into my mind forever:



I don't think my body or mind could handle such a display this weekend. It might just be too much. An overload.

But, as always, I press on. We'll get to the nitty gritty of the adventure in a few more days time, but an overview is warranted.

The quest began on February 27 with a "Bon Voyage/Don't Get Yourself Killed" party in Harbin. Early the next morning with au-pair wannabe in tow, a train was taken only a few hours south to ShenYang and the American Consulate. Business complete (and friend successfully invited to the United States- congrats Cecilia), further south to BeiJing and a reunion with the parents. BeiJing to the 1997 trips' favorite locale of HangZhou, then a quick flight to HongKong. There was a day trip to Macao and some border problems that resulted in a short-term deportation, but eventually I got back into Red China and made my wway to GuangZhou, then GuiLin. GuiLin was boarding point for a river cruise to YangShuo, and after getting my fill of river life I moved onto weird GuiYang, where I only sacrificed a day before moving ontowards ChengDu in SiChuan. Spending time first in the city, I eventually struck out for the Tibetan border again, this time taking in some beautiful hiking at JiuZhaiGou. Time started getting tight at this point, so hurrying back to ChengDu I jumped a train to BeiJing where i was lucky enough to meet up with my old friend (and 1997 traveling companion) Samantha Shih, though only for the afternoon. Finally back to Harbin. Spent.

Words will come later. For now: a few pictures.

Hail the Conquering Hero

Aaaaaaannnnnnnddddd... I'm spent.

Back in Harbin, having arrived this morning on a sleeper train from BeiJing. I still can't get over how much ground I covered, how many places I visited, how many wonders I experienced, or how many new animals I gave a knosh.

But now its all said and done. The Great Wander has ended. We've been on trains, planes, buses, tricycles, hovercrafts, lorchas, trams, subways, and rickshaws. Maybe even a piggyback. I ate horse. I ate shark. I ate more yak. Yak, believe it or not, is delicious.

But right now the head is little more than a blur. I havent slept on a proper bed in more than a few nights; instead finding rest on trains and in buses (side note: Chinese sleeper buses are not designed to accomodate 5'10, broad shouldered honkies) so I'm going to rest up for a day or two before the chronicling begins. Then let the ramblin' begin.

A Rambler's Gotta Ramble OR In Memoriam of Two Stinky Shoes

Today, the day after an unobserved St Patrick's Day, I return for a post to El Bloggomondo. I blog because a pair of dear friends are being put to rest and because I have nothing better to do for the afternoon.
Since leaving Harbin and beginning the wander, I've been to ShenYang (nothing great of interest), BeiJing (Parental reunion! Yes! Return of filial freeloading! More yes!), HangZhou (big change since '97, but still cool), Hong Kong (I'm speechless... for now), GuangZhou (worst banking experience ever), and now GuiLin (some of China's natural beauty at its best).
Its been a long trip, and its not over, but we're not without our casualties. Tonight I'll be saying goodbye to a pair of sneakers that have traveled with me all over China, around Ireland, from DC to Boston and even out to San Francisco. I always look at my shoes as carrying the history of my travels with them, and this pair went further than most. But they've split in several places and worn through the bottom and simply no longer comfortable.
Plus a certain Scott had the same pair so really these were doomed from the get go, which was about 3 years ago. I hang onto my shoes for a long time.
The replacements are already on my feet: a sturdy pair of Timberland hiking boots. My ankles are already saying "thank you" for the added support and my soles are in bliss.
Being in China, the new shoes came cheap, but being in China and having large feet (11.5EEE) they did not come easy. After being laughed out of a dozen stores I finally found this pair that met my standards.
Tomorrow the adventure continues on to GuiYang and hopefully immediately on to ChengDu. My Mecca, set long before I left Harbin, stands a 12 hour bus ride north of ChengDu and I fear I must make a sprint to get there before time runs out. But for now I really need rest, 19 days on the road takes more out of a person than I thought, and I've been moving non-stop. Not that I'm complaining, this trip has certainly been a great experience so far and not one I'd ever give up, but I could do for a few days of stagnation and relaxation.
But so much to do and so little time!
And so, to close, a reading from the Book of Seger:

Now, I'm out of money, 'cause you know I need some
Ain't gonna run on lovin', and I must run
Got to keep movin', never gonna slow down
You can have your funky world, see you 'round
Cause I got to ramble (Ramblin' man)
I got to gamble (gamblin' man)
I got to ramble (ramblin' man)
Lord I'm a ramblin', gamblin' man

The Bill... Finds A Way

Hi-dilly ho avid readers,
It begins again, in a scope and scale never seen before. Having already begun, I'll be using the next month to wander aimlessly around China. The plan is simple: go wherever I feel like going on any given day. Want to go south? Then go south, boy! Climb a mountain? Where's the closest? Drift down the Yangtze? Someone get me a raft!
There is a lot in China that I just can't get to with my limited vacation time. So, now that I'm in between contracts, I've alloting myself this month to hit up all the sights I don't want to miss. The forecase calls for adventures. McGonigle flavor.
So far we've had nothing but good news. Yesterday I helped my Chinese friend score a J-1 visa, meaning she'll soon be residing in Moneterey, CA as an au pair. Not the baby-shaking variety, mind you. I'm happy for her, and she's exstatic.
Tomorrow the good news continues as the parental units are arriving in Beijing (where I am at this moment). I'll be leading them down along the east coast of China, from Beijing to HangZhou to Hong Kong. They'll leave on the 13th, then I'm on my own.
Now, I do have an idea of where I'll be headed, but nothing too concrete. Thats just not the way we do things here in China. Planning? Foresight? Screw it. Gimme some fried dumplings and quiet you.
In the meantime, we'll be placing this blog on a short hiatus. I might be able to chime in now and then for a quick anecdote, but I won't promise anything.
So, without further ado:
Let "The Great Wander,"* BEGIN!



*Yes. I'm titling this adventure "The Great Wander." You might know my Chinese name roughly translates into "The Great [CENSORED]." I'm also a pretty great guy. And when this is all over and done, you can expect one great ramble.