Holy updates, Batman!

Hey all,

have been cut off from civilization for awhile, am in Guangzhou now (for half a day). So what have we been doing this past week?

After Jiuzhaigou, we rented a cab for the whole day and took off to Huanglong, another scenic park in the mountains this time as opposed to in the valley. Lots of beautifully colored pools set amid snowy mountaintops and frozen waterfalls, with a smattering of Tibetan temples for the spiritually inclined. No tourists, as winter freezes over a lot of stuff that's usually there...

Went to Chengdu after that, it's like the Calgary of China (down-to-earth, dare I say redneck, people, and very rugged like the area). I was about a head taller than any other female in town, so got a lot of stares (usually I'd just stare back, which didn't faze them either :P). Sichuan province is known for their chili-peppercorn combo (it's a hot-numb taste), which they put on EVERYTHING. Arranged for a boat tour down the Yangtze for three days and three nights starting from Chongqing, which was a 6 hour bus ride from Chengdu.

Once we got there, got taken on a tour of some revolutionary sites from the days before Communism, mainly prisons... good thing the weather matched the bleak sights... Hopped on board our boat, which was kind of crappy, but to be expected for the price we paid I guess. No observation decks except at the very front and back, and the front ones were usually locked or reserved for people who paid extra. There was a top deck at the back of the boat as well, 55 yuan for access! We pretty much spent the cruise either sitting up there drinking beer and playing cards, sleeping, or being herded around the various tourist sites (a lot of temples) along the river. The Three Gorges themselves were pretty cool, but very much changed from before due to the rising water level (the dam is situated across the last gorge itself). There was a side tour of the Lesser Three Gorges, which might become the new Three Gorges.

After we got off, took a night bus to Wuhan, where there are night food stalls set up in little alleyways serving noodle soup boiled up in traditional clay pots, and dumplings made right in front of you. Tasty... Wuhan is also known for their breakfast, and the hutongs are virtually packed to the gills with little noodle, bun and fried dough shops that charge about 4 yuan for 4 items, pretty cheap... Saw some people doing Tai Chi sword in the park, and old men doing water calligraphy on the marble slabs in the ground... pretty neat...

Getting to Wudangshan is pretty easy, but getting back is a nightmare. There's few buses running and even fewer trains. Weather was gray and misty, virtually no visibility. Made a neat effect of walking through the mist without any surrounding topography though... Took a 24 hour train to Guangzhou, where we basically staying for half a day before going to Macau and on to Malaysia/Cambodia. Yay, hot weather!

time is short and costly here...

cheers, Ange