The Great Wall was, well, pretty great

Gentle People

We crossed the international dateline last night. Today was the second 22nd of November. I really hoped that “Groundhog Day” would be looped on the close circuit TV, but alas it was not. We will be in Hawai’i in five days, so I have been enjoying Lilo and Stitch. Tonight is the Semester at Sea Auction. I’ve enjoyed the silent auction and the raffle and am excited about the live auction. My item, a salsa lesson, will be auctioned off tonight.

Last night we had the Staff/Faculty/Lifelong Learner dinner. We had a fabulous dinner (I had the filet mignon roulade) and then danced the night away. What made it better was that we were joined in the dancing by Anna Maria (Hotel Captain) and Mario (Chief Engineer), and two crew members who danced behind the bar. I woke this morning with blisters on my feet and a stiff neck, evidence of a great night.

It’s been two and a half weeks since I was in China. It’s a little crazy to think that that much time has already passed. It’s even crazier to think that in two weeks, this voyage will end. Someone asked me if I’m ready to get off. I answered, that I would love to take a month off, see people I want to see, be away from some people, and eat the food I want to eat. And then I could come back for another round. I miss my family, friends, and Mexican food, but I will miss our little community, my incredible new friends, and the life spent traveling and at sea. Enough that, let us get to the task at hand: the account of China.

I rolled out of bed at 6:30am and headed to the Faculty/Staff lounge. The cloudy harbor of Hong Kong rose up before us. The tall spires of buildings stood imposingly on the banks. The hills rose behind all the buildings and softened the austerity of the buildings. Our ship entered and docked at the harbor and immigration and customs entered our ship. A few days before, all members of the ship had to have their temperatures taken. There is a deep fear of avian flu in Asia, and Hong Kong would not allow us to enter without the temperatures. Unfortunately, the customs and immigration process in Hong Kong took a very long time. I sat in the Faculty/Staff lounge working on the Ambassadors Ball’s invitation and watched the passports come in and out several times. The officials had done their work, but then wanted to recheck the passports. We had hoped to disembark at 8:30am. It was closer to 11:00am when we finally were able to get off.

Nikki, Brooke (my two constant companions), Cindy, and went off to grab lunch. Becca was going to meet up with us afterwards. The ship docked across from downtown and we needed to take the Star Ferry across the harbor. Nikki had never had dim sum, so we went to a restaurant that served it that situated near the ship. First I have to say I love dim sum. But I didn’t always love dim sum. I had to get over tastes that I was unfamiliar with. After opening my taste bud mind, I grew to love dim sum. But as it was Nikki’s first time, and she has specific eating needs, it was a difficult experience for her. China is a meat country, and most dishes had meat and since we didn’t speak Cantonese, we couldn’t ask about the ingredients of different foods. So, Nikki wasn’t able to fully participate like the rest of us. But we all had a great time eating plates of food we didn’t know how to pronounce or know what was actually in it. My favorite was a gelatinous food with vegetables. Very yummy!

After a light lunch, we met up with Becca headed to the post office and then on to a walking tour. Brooke C. (of the Field Office), as always, was our intrepid leader. The thing about Hong Kong, is that it’s easier to get around in the air, that is the walk ways that go from building to building, than on the sidewalks. What is even better, it’s not as if you know where to go because you’re walking from building to building and through the backs of buildings. After visiting some monuments, we headed to Hong Kong Park. We went up staircases, down staircases, and then decided to go through the high court building. We took the escalator up to the drug information center, and lo and behold, there was the park! It was so peaceful, with numerous fountains, koi in the pond, and gorgeous flowers. I would have loved to pull out a blanket and nap. From the park, we walked to the funicular to take to the Hong Kong Peak. The views for the Peak are incredible! I love nature, but I’m also a city girl. So to see how city and nature combine is a thing of beauty. The mountains, the harbor, the pearl spires, and the sun setting: it was breathtaking! We took dozens of pictures, and even attempted a “jump” picture (we were unsuccessful).

Cindy had to run back to the ship for Dean on Duty duties, but Nikki, Brooke, and Becca decided to head out to a Mexican restaurant. YES! I can’t tell you how much I have missed the food of my patria. Days I would daydream about burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and my mother’s papas con weenies (hopefully my first dinner back in El Paso, thanks Mama!). So, when Brooke R. told us that she had gone to have Mexican food for lunch we jumped at the opportunity to have some Mexican food for dinner. Hong Kong is very safe and incredibly clean, so our walk was easy and fun. Becca was distracted by Chairman Mao watches and bought several as gifts and for herself. We shared chips and salsa (I’m salivating at the thought of them), a bucket of beer, and I had carne asada tacos. I almost cried I was so happy.

We took the moving sidewalk home and walked through malls to head back to the ship. Zara, the Spanish clothier, called my name and Brooke C. and I stopped to peruse the shop and broke off from Nikki and Becca. We caught up to them on our ferry trip back to the ship. Brooke and I decide that we were not done for the evening and grabbed a cab and headed for the night market. Unlike most night markets, this was ultra clean. I could have eaten off the street. No one yelled at me to buy anything, or tried to use guilt. It was certainly more Western than I had experienced. After buying a patch, I was ready to head home and sleep before my big trip to Beijing.

In 1997, Hong Kong was handed over to the Chinese from the British and is a special administrative region. This means that they will continue to run by their own laws, British common law, have their own court system, their own currency, etc. After going to Hong Kong and mainland China, the vibe is very different. Hong Kong is open, vibrant, and liberal. As much as I loved Beijing, I worried about bring up issues, doing something wrong, and there was an oppressive feeling in the air.

The next day, I took the bus to the airport to catch my flight for Beijing. China always reminds me of my father. Most of my life I have heard him talk about his desire to go to China. And knowing how much he loves the Olympics, I was excited to go to the last host city. The Beijing airport was significantly different than the Hong Kong airport. At Hong Kong, it was sleek and modern. In Beijing, the socialist and totalitarian atmosphere seeped into the airport. The inside was austere, with beige walls and little ornamentation. I went through immigration, I kept my eyes low and said little. After I was handed my passport, an immediate feedback survey popped out in front of me. I had to push a button stating my satisfaction level: very good, good, bad, and very bad. My mind raced to the thought that I had to put “very good”. What would they do to her if I gave her a bad review? Would they beat her? Hurt her family? My finger immediately pushed “very good”. This feeling of Big Brother watching was overwhelming.

We met our lovely tour guides, Clara and Betty, and they hurried us to the bus. The yellow and brown haze that clouded the sun was our first evidence of the pollution problem in Beijing. Our bus quickly entered the freeway; and much like L.A. in both pollution and infrastructure, had a web of freeways running through Beijing proper and its suburbs. The daylight quickly faded and the artificial lights of the city sprang to life. Our cameras clicked away as we drove through the city. And, happily, we passed the white and red Bird’s Nest and cool blue Water Cube. For those of you who are not the avid Olympic watchers as the Aguilar clan is, they are the Beijing Olympic stadium and natatorium respectively. After the two weeks I spent right up to my leaving for the trip watching Michael Phelps, Dara Torres, and the Jamaican runners it was incredible to see these buildings up close.

Our Beijing trip was not just a “sightseeing” tour (though it mainly was). We were to stay at Peking University and visit with university students. Our bus rolled into camps, which even though late at night was thick with students walking around. We were later told that students often have classes from seven in the morning to late in the evening, including Saturdays. We arrived in front of a large building, the hotel, where we were to drop off our bags before heading to dinner. The lobby was sleek with a map of the world on the wall. But this was not to be our hotel. We were walked to the back of the building into a more modest space, the international house, where international students would be staying. I was happy that these were our accommodations. Unlike many of the other “large” trips, we were not staying at a 4-star hotel. And I did get the bathtub I had been dreaming about, although the stopper did not work.

Dinner was at a restaurant at the top of a dining hall. What was to become very common, we were given two 2-liter bottles, one of Sprite and one of Coke, as well as a pot of tea. And then came the mountain of food. The guides later told me that they put in special request for food for us: sweet and sour, all muscle no innards, and a good helping of fried foods. So, though it did not happen at this meal, we were given French-fries multiple times. As much as we stuff in our mouths, it never seemed to make a dent in the mountain of food that was piled on our lazy susan. The situation became ridiculous with the enormous pot of soup that was brought at the end of the meal. It felt as if the seams of my jeans would burst.

We were then hustled to a very official room with tables and microphones. Ten Peking University students joined us, and we sat and chatted. They were asked to walk us around the university (in the dark for some reason) and show us around. I braved the cold (my clothes were not warm enough, and I had forgotten my gloves). The sites were not as interesting as my two guides: Vivienne and Vei. Vivienne was studying information management and Vei was studying pediatric medicine. They were sweet and funny women. I pressed them for information, which they happily supplied though it wasn’t always what I had asked. Both cold and tired, I begged off the tour after we had reached the school’s storied gate.

The next morning we were shuffled out to a cloisonné factory. I’m not thrilled about shopping trips, which this obvious was. Cloisonné is an art style of sculpture where a copper vase, plate, or object is formed. Then slivers of copper that have been shaped are attached to the object forming a pattern. Colors are then injected in between the slivers, filling them with different heavy metals. They are then fired in the kiln and then polished with water and stone. What comes out is gorgeous, but what a cost! The guide was a tall imposing man who barked orders at us to follow. The “factory” was run down buildings with poor lighting, inadequate workspace and toilet facilities, and dangerous working conditions. The workers’ chairs were on the verge of collapsing. All of the work was being done without gloves or a mask. There were women, who did not even turn to look at us, injecting heavy metals like iron and cobalt (red and blue, respectively) into the spaces without a mask. Can you imagine the particles that they are inhaling and bringing home with them? And then to see the polishing system, again no masks, and think about the fine particles that are entering their lungs. It was an OSHA nightmare. This, this was a sweatshop. After being paraded through the gift shop and tantalized by pretty and shiny things, we were whisked away to the Ming Tombs.

I wish I could say something thoughtful about the Ming Tombs, but like most of Chinese sites, they were lot of big spaces with nothing in them: except one room with several red coffins. But there was no signage, not even in Chinese. It was lovely if not austere. We ran into several SAS students who were in Beijing independently. As I have already written, this was the day we found out about the death of Kurt Leswing. These students had either just heard the news from us or had received phone calls/texts that morning. Everyone was in shock, and this sight was spent more reflecting on Kurt, the ship, and our trip in midst of the turmoil. Beijing felt our pain, and sent us some snowflakes to calm our spirits.

After yet another impossibly large meal, we headed to the crown jewel of our trip: the Great Wall. During preport, Prof. Patricia O’Neill disabused us of the myth that the Great Wall can bee seen from space. It is not nearly tall enough to be seen. It is quite grand nonetheless. We had been warned of the swarm of people, but the chill of the day had chased away most would-be-tourists. I did not realize the magnitude of the decent that we would be taking. It was literally straight up by stairs. And not the 6-inch stair height we are use to. No, no this was more like a foot high at least. The railing to hold on was about 6 inches up from the ground and was of no help. At the beginning there was a swarm of people, and I worried that they would knock me down and I would plunge to my death. Chinese people (or at least those in Beijing) are a pushy people. They need to get somewhere, and if you’re in the way, they will get past you. Not unlike those from New York City. Cristina (from Venezuela) and I climbed up together. The first 500 steps had no landing; they went straight up. It is no exaggeration to say that I went up and down several thousand steps. After the first pass, I was sweating, breathing hard, and afraid that the afternoon’s lunch would exit they way it had entered. Apparently running and working out everyday was not enough to scale these steps. Expect people would get to one landing rest and have a cigarette. Luckily, the ill feeling never returned.

Aside from the capers of climbing walls for hours, looking out turrets with legs and knees shaking, and hoping for the end to come, the Great Wall was incredible. The Wall undulated with the surrounding mountains and hills. The lackluster brown bricks melted into the natural environment. Because Cristina and I (joined later by Lisa, a chair of the Intercultural Ambassadors group) decided to take the long way around, there was literally no one but us on long stretches of the Wall. It was as majestic as you would imagine, though the neighboring freeway and train tracks did distract. It is weird even now to think that I walked around those steps. Who were the nameless that trekked through the mountains laden with bricks? How many lives were lost in the creation of this vast wall? I sat for a while and wondered about my life, where I was, who had been there before, who was coming after me, where would I be later in my life, etc. All those lovely existential thoughts.

Lisa, Cristina and I were the last to board the bus and we headed off for another meal. We went to another restaurant in a dining hall and were joined by some Peking University students. I begged off the “party” the students had afterwards, and retreated to a semi-bath and bed.

The next day, we headed to Tiananmen Square where most of our day would be spent. We were told that we could meet up with the group at noon for lunch or 2pm if we wanted lunch on our own. After that, we were given free reign on our day. We were told that the museum was closed due to renovation and the government buildings were closed to visitors, we decided to head to “old Beijing”. Like many “old city” centers, the facades had taken on a touristy air, but tucked behind the main roads were side streets and alleys where residents reside. They speak a Beijing language that deviates from Mandarin, though the dialect is beginning to die out. I bought a stick of crab apples that had been dipped into sugar syrup and bit into the crunchy, sticky sweetness. Mariana and I wandered around for a while, and ran into a Tibetan store. I was moved by the music emanating from the store and the beautiful Tibetan women who managed the store. I bought a lovely knit hat with three feet braids and matching mittens; they’re lovely.

We noticed that we were ten minutes from meeting the group for lunch, and I ended up telling Mariana to meet me at the obelisk, as I would run through Tiananmen Square to meet the group. That was also surreal, running through Tiananmen Square, avoiding the numerous Chinese tourists. I looked for our little blue flag of the tour guide, but it was not to be seen. Apparently the local police had not been paid off enough. After another huge lunch (this time with French-fries) we walked to the Forbidden City. We passed the first gate with the large picture of Chairman Mao, looking down at us.

The Forbidden City is vast, filled with temple after temple, with palaces, and long stretches of marble staircases and molding. Large copper vats gilded in gold (most scratched off by vandals) sat next to the large buildings were once filled with water in case of fires. The buildings were brightly colored red, with ornate roofs and awnings. I breathed profoundly to take in the beauty of this area. We were given audio aids and I listened intently to the voice in my box. Mariana and I walked to and fro from building to building. She was so happy and overwhelmed by the experience. I loved spending time with her, Cristina and Daniela. We spent the whole time speaking in Spanish; it was like being home. From there we climbed up to the pagoda at Jingshan Park, where we saw the best views of the Forbidden City. My legs shook and my knees hurt as I clambered up.
After yet another delicious and filing meal (this one with Peking Duck), we saw what had to be the best performance of my life. We went to an acrobatic show, where people jumped through hoops, three rings high; 10 people rode one bicycle; former Olympic gymnasts contorting their bodies; a hamster wheel of death, where a performer, while spinning on the wheel, jumped rope blindfolded. I cannot at all do justice to what was seen. I was frightened most of the time, watching the show through my fingers. What a way to end a night.

By the next day, I was pretty exhausted of having a planned agenda and just tired in general. Our first stop was the Summer Palace. It’s situated on a beautiful lake. The Temple of Incense sits atop a hill and peers down at the former summer home of emperors. After a long walk down the Long Corridor and some hot chocolate, I waited by the Marble Boat (a boat build of marble, commissioned by an extravagant empress, which obviously never floated) for our own trip across the lake. After another gut-filing lunch, we hit our final stop of Temple of Heaven: a gorgeous number of temples. We stood on top of the world, yelled at the Echo Wall, and enjoyed the general splendor of the Temple. Exhausted, we were ushered back onto the bus as we made our way to the airport. We landed in Shanghai, a city none of us had ever seen before, and were hurried back to the ship. Shanghai was imposing, and I spent no time in the city (I had an application to write the following day) so the most time I spent in Shanghai was in line behind other trips waiting to board the trip.

Well it’s half an hour later than I anticipated going to bed. So I will call it a night. I hope to write about Japan before I arrive in Hawai’i.

Much love, and I can’t wait to see and talk to you all
Angelica