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16 years ago
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Guanxi
Saturday the rain kept coming down and although many of my friends were sad that we were walking in a cloud all day and couldn't see very far, it was beautiful, and a perfect contrast from the day before. We were walking in a cloud...you don't get to do that everyday. We got up early to make it to the door of the Grand Canyon which they apparently close early if you are walking in a cloud.
We hiked down into the canyon along walkways that were sticking strait out of the wall and the cloud cleared periodically sometimes cloaking us in mystery and silence, sometimes breaking to show the shear walls along which we were walking. At one point we saw a cloud running like a river up a valley cut in the shear rock across us. Fall leaves of read and yellow poked brilliant colors out of the mist.
At noon we went back to the hotel picked up our stuff and they left for home while I waited for Susanah and Javier to meet me. We were planning on hiking around then camping under the stars in a secret grove of trees that we were sure we could find, but it was still raining and they showed up just as wet and tired as I was. So plan B, find somewhere else to sleep... The only dry place on top of the mountain was inside one of the hotels so we hiked up to the second floor hallway of a hotel and decided to dry off rest and figure out how to stay in the hotel. Rooms on top of the mountain cost around a thousand Chinese dollars which is way more than you should pay for anything that isn't imported... so ethically that was out of the question.
After a little while of sitting on nice soft chairs in the hallway we decided that the best place to stay would be right there, in the hallway. Yep that is right, we wanted to sleep in the hallway of a 5 star hotel on top of a mountain. But how to do it. The answer is Guanxi. A couple hours later we were best friends with the Guard who checked us in and told his coworkers that we would be sleeping there for the night. We slept soundly and left early the next morning.
It made me realize one that even the most outrageous idea can work out if you are respectful and give go forward with it. It also made me realize the importance of treating people well and not becoming a free loader.
The next morning we hiked down the mountain as the clouds blew away and the sun came out revealing gorgeous vistas, freshly touched with rain.
We got to the bottom of the mountain hungry, cold and incredibly happy.
At the bottom we found Javier's company car parked where it had been left and drove into the small town of 汤口 where we found steamy soup filled dumplings, hundun, and youtiao which we ate in an open walled shop while we looked out at the still misty morning, happy and content.
Three hours later I made it back in time for the last 30 minutes of church, and felt incredibly grateful for the opportunity to go to a church lead by the Savior through his priesthood.
We hiked down into the canyon along walkways that were sticking strait out of the wall and the cloud cleared periodically sometimes cloaking us in mystery and silence, sometimes breaking to show the shear walls along which we were walking. At one point we saw a cloud running like a river up a valley cut in the shear rock across us. Fall leaves of read and yellow poked brilliant colors out of the mist.
At noon we went back to the hotel picked up our stuff and they left for home while I waited for Susanah and Javier to meet me. We were planning on hiking around then camping under the stars in a secret grove of trees that we were sure we could find, but it was still raining and they showed up just as wet and tired as I was. So plan B, find somewhere else to sleep... The only dry place on top of the mountain was inside one of the hotels so we hiked up to the second floor hallway of a hotel and decided to dry off rest and figure out how to stay in the hotel. Rooms on top of the mountain cost around a thousand Chinese dollars which is way more than you should pay for anything that isn't imported... so ethically that was out of the question.
After a little while of sitting on nice soft chairs in the hallway we decided that the best place to stay would be right there, in the hallway. Yep that is right, we wanted to sleep in the hallway of a 5 star hotel on top of a mountain. But how to do it. The answer is Guanxi. A couple hours later we were best friends with the Guard who checked us in and told his coworkers that we would be sleeping there for the night. We slept soundly and left early the next morning.
It made me realize one that even the most outrageous idea can work out if you are respectful and give go forward with it. It also made me realize the importance of treating people well and not becoming a free loader.
The next morning we hiked down the mountain as the clouds blew away and the sun came out revealing gorgeous vistas, freshly touched with rain.
We got to the bottom of the mountain hungry, cold and incredibly happy.
At the bottom we found Javier's company car parked where it had been left and drove into the small town of 汤口 where we found steamy soup filled dumplings, hundun, and youtiao which we ate in an open walled shop while we looked out at the still misty morning, happy and content.
Three hours later I made it back in time for the last 30 minutes of church, and felt incredibly grateful for the opportunity to go to a church lead by the Savior through his priesthood.
The Yellow Mountain-Chinese Baptism
Friday morning I awoke to the quiet footsteps of workers carrying bamboo poles with huge bags of heaviness swinging pack and forth on either end as they trek up the mountain past my hiding/camping spot, I quietly role up my sleeping bag and eat some breakfast as I hear the first tour groups approaching the gate that I walked around last night. As I walk out of the woods onto the trail leading towards..., well I really don't know, but it goes up... I run into a group of four people also going up the trail. One waves at me and another hits them on the shoulder, telling them that I just came out of the woods cause I was going to the bathroom... this actually was true, but not the only reason. As they politely ignored me I followed them up the trail trying to figure out what language they were speaking. Turns out the Shanghai dialect sounds quite like Japanese.
A couple minutes later I started talking to them and began a conversation which would end up lasting for the whole day and into the next!
I wasn't going to meet my friends until noon the next day so the invited me to join them.
Hiking with Chinese people is different that hiking with anyone I have hiked with before. The first thing that you do is eat 黄瓜 or cucumbers, then we hiked more.
My new found friends had never hiked a mountain before in their lives, they road the train and elavators to work in Shanghai and then decided to go hike a mountain!
The rest of the day was gorgeous, clear blue skies, clouds floating somewhere below us like an ocean with mountaintops poking through like breaching whales.
We hiked all day sharing raisens, chinese dried meat and soysauce eggs. Lots of people took my picture and I did a photo shot with a pack of giggling college girls from Chengdu, my new friends were great starting to answer questions for me. Yes he speaks Chinese and is wearing a big backpack. It was really nice to be protected from having to answer the same questions over and over again. They even started to try to collect money for me from people who wanted to take pictures of me. Along the way we ran into a bunch of people that they met on their bus ride the day before.
That night it started to rain and my tent was in America so they insisted that I stay in their hotel room with them. They had arranged a room with 5 beds and only had for people but when we got there it turned out that one of the beds was built for three...there were two couples and me...I camped on the floor in my sleeping bag. It was really fun to joke around with them and the first time that i have ever camped on the floor of a mountain top hotel room.
I will attach some pictures above.
A couple minutes later I started talking to them and began a conversation which would end up lasting for the whole day and into the next!
I wasn't going to meet my friends until noon the next day so the invited me to join them.
Hiking with Chinese people is different that hiking with anyone I have hiked with before. The first thing that you do is eat 黄瓜 or cucumbers, then we hiked more.
My new found friends had never hiked a mountain before in their lives, they road the train and elavators to work in Shanghai and then decided to go hike a mountain!
The rest of the day was gorgeous, clear blue skies, clouds floating somewhere below us like an ocean with mountaintops poking through like breaching whales.
We hiked all day sharing raisens, chinese dried meat and soysauce eggs. Lots of people took my picture and I did a photo shot with a pack of giggling college girls from Chengdu, my new friends were great starting to answer questions for me. Yes he speaks Chinese and is wearing a big backpack. It was really nice to be protected from having to answer the same questions over and over again. They even started to try to collect money for me from people who wanted to take pictures of me. Along the way we ran into a bunch of people that they met on their bus ride the day before.
That night it started to rain and my tent was in America so they insisted that I stay in their hotel room with them. They had arranged a room with 5 beds and only had for people but when we got there it turned out that one of the beds was built for three...there were two couples and me...I camped on the floor in my sleeping bag. It was really fun to joke around with them and the first time that i have ever camped on the floor of a mountain top hotel room.
I will attach some pictures above.
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