1. We left our Yangtze river cruise in a city called Yichang. It was definetly the low point of the trip...I still owe you the story of the sturgeon research center. It's not that great, seeing as I was so dazed and confused by the whole experience that I didn't take any pics...but, I still have to think about how to tell that in a humorous way and not gross y'all out. The other thing we did there was we went to a museum while biding our time for our flight to Shanghai. The museum reminded P & I of our visits to the Soviet Union. Dark, abandoned but for us and staff, only 1/4 of the lights on etc etc etc. Some of the materials were very interesting, and they did their best to show us around and explain things in English. But they did it "all" in about 30 minutes. So it was what it was. OK, that was cool - I saw a few really spiffy artifacts. I was good. It didn't satisfy my museum craving, but it helped abate it for awhile. Then they took us to what I thought was the obligitory gift shop stop. In there, there was a table with doilys on it, with bronze figures, and a wall of shelves with pots and crocks and other ceramic things. Ok, reproductions...got it. Hah! No! They were selling things that were part of their collection! Yes! Not significant, Emporer Qin Shi Huangdi Death Mask kinda stuff, but real stuff. They gave the speech about things over such and such and age can't be exported, and assured us that this was all newer than that and we'd get appropriate paperwork. They were all things unearthed at the 3 Gorges Dam Site. Most were from early 20th century. There was a really cool mythical dragon/dog kinda thing, and it was "only" 900USD. Yes, I know, cheap for an antique. But I got the idea that they would haggle like the Hello People in the street, though probably not discount that much. And they said they were selling off these minor pieces to raise money for further restoration work and more research and a better muesum, and I get that in theory. But, to be in a muesum and be able to buy the stuff? It just seemed so....wrong! Another couple that was convinced I was buying everything Chinese I could get my hands on that could be described as art (I bought a lot of stuff from local painters/street artists etc), I could tell were watching me, guessing if anyone would do it, it would be me. And anyways, after 10 days in China, 900USD sounds so expensive. But I could never do it. It's my western view of things...
2. I was a minor celebrity in China. At the Great Wall, some soldiers walked up to it in formation, and when one of them turned and saw me, he fell out of step. I know my hair is very strawberry, but really? And then at the Pearl TV tower, I saw a pair of guys in their 20s looking at me and talking, and when I turned away but kept them in the corner of my eye, they whipped out their cells and took pics of me. I also had a lady point her water bottle at me and say to her family/friends "see her" (in Mandarin of course). Ahhhh...if I was only brave enough to dye the hair. Funny, I got most stares in the "big cities", not the small towns.
3. We had no life vests on 1 plane. It was a Sichuan Airlines flight from Xi'an to Chongqing. Brand spanking new A320, and a meal on a flight of 1.5 hours. But no life vests. I know, the chances of being in a position to use them, and survive initial impact are next to nothing...but it was a brand new plane...doesn't Airbus throw those in as a free gift with purchase?
4. One big guy on our trip asked a waitress if they had a "big plate" (i.e. dinner plate). He didn't like the appetizer ones that were always eating off of. She just cocked her head and looked at him and said "Big?" He just looked completely confused that she didn't understand, and she looked at him like he was a big dumb fat American. And she was right.
5. Everything about the Three Gorges Dam Project could fit under this heading, but it's also one I'm still thinking about how to post about. I've got very mixed emotions and thoughts on the whole thing. Still trying to sort it all out.
6. We were at what could be best described as a candy store in Shanghai. There were some "pre-mixed bags" if you didn't want to pick and choose. I understood different people at different counters seemed to be competing with each other. Commission or basically being seperate vendors or something. At the back of the store was a man and a woman with some bags between them. He started talking to us, and then she did too. They were talking to each other, and not in that chasing the other one away like they do when they've already pegged you as "their customer." So they seemed to be working together. She had a small pair of scissors, kinda like bonsai scissors. She offered us a tiny bit to taste. He spoke to her, then offered a price. All seemed well. I negotiated a little bit off - I know others could have gotten more, but I just wanted to buy the candy, as out time was short, so I got about 4 RMB off - I got him to agree on "er-shi", 20 yaun. I had the candy bag for P's coworkers in hand, in a shopping bag provided by the man. She was just standing there. P handed him the money. All hell broke loose. She started screaming at the man, and then, brandishing the scissors at him. P and I took that as our chance to vacate the premises. I did not know how to say "Ma'am, please step away from the scissors" in Mandarin, let alone make it sound authoritative enough. I didn't see any footage on the nightly news of a body under a sheet with something sticking out of his chest, so he must have talked her down.
I'm not knocking China in any way on any of these posts, please don't take it that way. I just enjoy seeing how different cultural things are - and not judging which one is better and which one is worse. I just somehow see the importance of travel in different ways than just showing you the picture of the Great Wall that everyone else shows you. Yes, I took it, and yes, P and I are also in one grinning like idiots, and it'll be in the family photo album, but, what's the fun in that here?
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