Debrief: Qiandao Hu

The original plan for today was to hike two peaks and then go rafting. Rafting was immediately canceled because the river was running too high from all the rain we’ve been getting (I suppose I haven’t mentioned that but it has rained almost every day since I got back from Huangshan.) The second hike also got canceled, but the only explaination I could really get as to why was because it was boring.

The hike we wound up doing was fun. The English translation of the name was “Oxygen Bar.” All along the trail—which was made up of stone steps—there were signs in Chinese and English promoting the health benefits of hiking and spending time in nature. It was a really pretty area too. The trail wasn’t as steep as Huangshan, although there were a few wooden latters we climbed up. We pretty much followed a waterfall the entire way up, occasionally crisscrossing the river on rope bridges (which are awesome!)

At one flat area there was a rope swing.

“I think it is too wet to do it,” Jin Yi said.

“You can swing without sitting down,” I said. Handing her my umbrella and camera, I walked over and stood in front of the swing. I reached up high over my head and grabbed the roped with either hands. Pulling myself up, I started thrusting my weight back and forth.

“I used to have a swing in my backyard,” I said as it pumped back and forth. Pretty soon, I was going pretty high…much higher than I ever did in my backyard. I was laughing too….it was a blast. Unfortunately, not many of the pictures Jin Yi took turned out, so I guess you had to be there.

The view from the top wasn’t really much, but the way down was exciting. For 30RMB, we could sled down on an astroturf hill. Akeena, Ericka, Jin Yi, and I decided to go for it. Akeena went first, climbing in the plastic sled and heading down. It didn’t look that exciting, but Ericka went next. When it was my turn, I climbed into plastic sled and the guy behind me gave me a push.

At first, it was fun. Nothing really special, just a slow slide do the mountain. But then it started to pick up speed…and then it got steeper and picked up more speed…my stomach dropped like I was on roller coaster and if I wanted to scream, I couldn’t catch my breath to do so. It was a way more exciting ride than it had looked from the top.

At the bottom it leveled out so you could coast to a stop. I hoped up to make room for Jin Yi to come down. When she did, I said, “You look so serious.”

She laughed. “I was a little scared.”

“Truth be told,” I said. “I was too.”

We got back on the bus and went to another restaurant. This one was outside and did table service. None of the food is really that memorable. Mostly a lot of tofu, which I’ve decided I am not a big fan of. There were also a lot of bugs, but this time I brought bug spray.

On the bus ride back to Shanghai I mostly slept. I did take some time to journal and jot down a few of my thoughts from the weekend.

·       In Europe, I had this constant debate in my head of “am I homesick or not?” In China, I feel like I’m having this constant debate of “Do I want to be alone or not?” There are definitely pros and cons to traveling alone vs. traveling with a group. I definitely like being able to go at my own pace, see as much as I can when I want to, and spend some time observing the local culture. At the same time, it is fun to have people to laugh with.

·       As of yesterday, my trip is half over. I’ve said it before but it seriously feels like years since I arrived. I think back to when my parents dropped me at security and it honestly feels like a blurred childhood memory. At the same time, it has gone so fast. I only have 8 days left at my internship and I truly don’t want it to end.

·       I think I will definitely come back to China someday. There is so much more I want to see. I’ve gotten the same question a lot of “Do you like Europe or China better?” I think the best way to describe it is the Europe is enchanting; China is interesting. Both are fascinating and fun, but in totally different ways. They are so unique it is really hard to compare them (especially since Europe is a continent and not a country.) Both are definitely worth seeing and both should be on your bucket list.

When we got back to the hotel, I skyped my friend Jacob to hear about his internship in Switzerland. I’m going to Skype my parents later this week, but for now…I’m going to keep planning more adventures! In just 13 days, I set out on my 19 day adventure around China. It’s time to get serious and plan an awesome three week journey!