Chengdu

After spending three dreamlike days on the Tibetan Plateau, we took a night flight from Shangri-la to Chengdu in Sichuan Province. The moment we stepped off the plane, we noticed several big differences from our sweet days in the high mountains. Warm, heavy wrapped around us and we were surrounded by the busy sights and sounds of a major urban center. The Mr. Panda Hostel helped us arrange an easy transport from the airport. Mr. Panda himself handed us two cold cans of Coca-Cola and invited us to join a dumpling-making party in a couple of days.

In the morning we got up early to join a tour to the Panda Breeding Center and Research Base. Natalie had been looking forward to seeing the pandas since we made plans to travel in China nearly nine months ago. It was not our guide's first trip to see the pandas. He knew just where to go to see the active pandas being their cutest. 

We were thrilled to see pandas eating and playing together. The research base works hard to make sure the pandas are content and comfortable in their designed habitats.

Pandas eat consume about 40kg of bamboo per day. After they've had their fill, pandas spend most of the day sleeping, so visitors must arrive early in the day to see the pandas awake and moving around. We were fortunate to visit the panda center on a cool day because the pandas were especially lively. 

In the afternoon we visited Wenshu Monastery, a quiet haven within the bustling metropolis of Chengdu. The monastery is still in use and features numerous historic buildings and gardens. 

Pagoda at Wenshu Monastery

Wenshu Monastery

Gardens at Wenshu Monastery

A couple streets over from the monastery we found a row of tea shops for which Chengdu is famous. Each shop had many outdoor tables. After a little trial and error, we found a table and ordered two mugs of tea. Green tea is the preferred beverage in China, and there are many different ways to prepare it. The easiest is to put a spoonful of dried leaves in the bottom of a cup and add hot water. You can add hot water as many times as you want until the tea is too weak to taste. We were pleased when our server helped us choose a tea and even brought is a giant thermos of hot water to refill our mugs as we pleased. 

Green tea in Chengdu

Later we found our way to a local restaurant. Chinese restaurants often have customers pay immediately after ordering and before any service has been provided. This approach is a bit abrupt from the Western perspective, but it does avoid the problem of getting the servers attention to pay the bill at the end of the meal when you really want to leave. We are getting used to this, but it still catches us off guard sometimes. 

Chengdu has two efficient metro lines that make it quiet easy for locals and tourists alike to navigate the city. Once again Natalie's proficient urban skills came in handy. We had no problem zipping around Chengdu from the monastery to the railway station to People's Park.

This is Shangri - La

Our travels were off to a picture perfect start. On Sunday, May 5th, we left Lijiang and headed to the Tiger Leaping Gorge on our way to Shangri -La. This route was recommended by our hosts at the Hidden Garden Inn and proved an efficient use of our time, and less time spent on busses, thank goodness!!!

Our bus departed from the Garden Inn, the sister guesthouse to Hidden Garden In. The drive was beautiful. As we watched the scenery go by, Lizzy and I chatted with Mike and Arber, two college students from the U.S. who had met studying in Shanghai. We arrived at Tina's Guest House located at the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge at noon and had about three hours to hike before catching our next bus.

Lizzy and Natalie, Tiger Leaping Gorge

We were thrilled to have a dry day to hike the middle gorge and overjoyed as the sun shined on and off.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

The hike down to the water was a bit treacherous. Giant boulders posed as a narrow stairway and a flimsy cable was affixed to the cliff.  Hiking with Mike and Arber was great as we were faced with decisions on which trail to take. My favorite was when we had to choose between "safe" and "ladder."  In case you're wondering, we took the "safe" route on the way down and the ladder on the way up.

Yes, we climbed this ladder!

An extra 10 yuan allowed us to cross the suspension bridge to the famous Tiger Leaping Rock.

Lizzy crossing the bridge to Tiger Leaping Rock

Tiger Leaping Gorge is one of the world's deepest river canyons and part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas World Heritage Site.  

Lizzy and Natalie relaxing at Tiger Leaping Gorge

Lizzy returning from Tiger Leaping Rock

Tiger Leaping Rock is found at the narrowest point in the gorge.  According to legend, a tiger used this rock to leap across the gorge and that's how Tiger Leaping Gorge got its name.

Tiger Leaping Gorge, Middle Gorge

Tiger Leaping Gorge

After the grueling hike out of the gorge, we enjoyed trading hiking stories with fellow hikers at Tina's Guesthouse as we waited to board our bus to Shangri-La. At Tina's, we had the pleasure of meeting many of the people who would coincidentally be staying at our hostel, Tavern 47.

Tavern 47, Old Town Shangri - La

We arrived in Shangri-La at about 7:00pm and the owner of the hostel met a group of us at the edge of Old Town and escorted us to our new home for the next few days.  A traditional wooden Tibetan house, Tavern 47 was a bit chilly that evening. Shangri - La sits at about 10,700 feet and can get quite cold in the evening.  

Prayer flags connect the storefronts in Old Town Shangri - La

Relieved to settle in to our new accommodations after a strenuous hike and an exhilirating bus ride, we were disappointed to find that the hostel had limited water and we could not shower until later that evening. Lizzy and I teamed up with new friends and headed out on the town to try a Yak Hot Pot.  Lizzy took care of the ordering and it was decided that of all the hot pots, Yak was our new favorite.

Lizzy was a rockstar with ordering for our all-time favorite hot pot

The next day, Lizzy and I wandered up to Chicken Temple located right up the hill behind Tavern 47.  Chicken Temple was one of the most inspiring places I have ever visited.  Prayer flags stretched as far as the eye could see, flapping in the wind, a brilliant contrast to the blue and white sky.

Prayer Flags, Chicken Temple, Shangri - La

Chicken Temple isn't a popular tourist attraction.  Lizzy and I enjoyed the 360 degree view of Shangri-La and watched as the chickens wandered about the grounds.  

View of Shangri - La from Chicken Temple

After Chicken Temple, Lizzy and I headed into Old Town Shangri-La to see the square and one of the world's largest prayer wheels.

One of the world's largest prayer wheels

Lizzy and Natalie, Shangri-La

Prayer wheel lit up at night, Shangri - La

Lizzy and I joined in and on the count of three the wheel began to turn. It must turn three times for your prayer to be heard and thankfully we helped move the wheel through three complete rotations.


Shangri-La is also home to the Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan monastery in Yunnan Province and the most important in southwest China.

Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri - La

You could imagine my surprise when we ran into a older gentleman we had met a few days earlier at the monastery's gate.  He had decided to turn around and skip Songzanlin because he, "Didn't do reconstructions."  He then proceeded to tell us about how there are more authentic temples in Burma!  See my note below about competitive travelers.  Lizzy and I awkwardly defended our excitement of being in China and Songzanlin being our first monastery.  Hilarious.   

View of Songzanlin Monastery from across the lake

After an awkward start, Lizzy and I spent the afternoon wandering about this gorgeous complex.  We ran into some people who were also staying at Tavern 47 so we joined forces and took a stroll along the lake in front of the monastery and then all bussed back to our hostel for Yak Burgers, yum!!!

Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri - La

Songzanlin Monastery was originally built in 1679.  Unfortunately, it was severely damaged during the Cultural Revolution and rebuilt in 1983.  Currently, it is home to about 700 monks.  The monastery was beautiful, I enjoyed viewing the Tibetan architecture and the prayer flags, of course.  

Songzanlin Monastery, Shangri - La

I bought a lot of stuff from this lovely Tibetan woman :)

Lizzy and I have fond memories from our days at Tavern 47.  Tavern 47 was an international hub of adventurous and occasionally competitive travelers. We met people from Denmark, Switzerland, Poland, UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Thailand and Boston :)

Tavern 47, Old Town Shangri - La

Many were traveling as teams two: couples, old friends, new friends, solo travelers who have transitioned to couple status, you name it. 

Tavern 47, Old Town Shangri - La

I have never experienced the hostel scene and Tavern 47 did not disappoint as our last night was sold out and as I sat by the fire and observed the common area, I could hear a variety if languages and accents. It was lovely. 

Lizzy enjoying Yak Butter Tea at Karma Cafe, Shangri - La

All in all, Shangri - La was the hands down favorite stop in our travels.  Since travel to Tibet is complicated (you must have a permit and be a part of a tour) Shangri-La is the next best place to visit.  Yunnan Province is a favorite among both the Chinese and foreigners and it did not disappoint.  I highly recommend anyone traveling in China to visit Yunnan.  

-Natalie

Beijing

Hello faithful blog readers! We wanted to give you a quick update. We're in Beijing and headed back to Guiyang on Tuesday. We're working on new blog posts to tell you all about our travels during the past two weeks. 

Keep in touch! 

Lizzy

Bell Tower at night in Xian, Shaanxi, China

Giant Leshan Buddah, world's largest stone Buddah and UNESCO Heritage Site

 

Lovely Lijiang

After asking many people for travel recommendations, signs pointed to Yunnan Province being one not to miss. On Wednesday, we boarded a 50-seat flight from Guiyang to Kunming. Having a few hours to kill, we grabbed a coffee at Starbucks in the gorgeous Kunming airport and found ourselves surrounded by western travelers and enjoying the first cup of real coffee we've come across in what felt like forever.

Old Town Lijiang, Yunnan Province

We took a bus from the Kunming airport to the train station. Gavin, a fellow bus rider was coincidentally on our same train. He showed us the way from the bus stop to the station, a brisk walk in the pouring rain through a construction zone as Kunming is in a period of reconstruction and the subway is in the process of being built. Kunming will be a wonderful city to visit after the work is done. Lizzy and I had decided we would rather skip it since we'd seen our fair share if construction in Guiyang. We boarded our night train at about 10:00pm and one of our roommates was a friendly college student from Xi'an. Hopefully we'll catch up with her for a meal later in our travels. The train was great, comfortable and on time as we arrived in Lijiang just past 7:00am to a woman (from the hostel) holding a sign that said, "Lizzy Douglas!"

Water wheel in Old Town Lijiang

Now that we're outside of Guiyang, we are realizing that we didn't have an easy eight weeks. Our hostel, Hidden Garden Inn, is run by a delightful couple, May from Inner Mongolia and Stefan from Holland. May and Stefan have shown us so much kindness during our time in Lijiang. If we're in the common area, they bring us tea. As we were looking at train tickets, they stepped in to help with booking. They have provided restaurant recommendations for fabulous local spots and took the time to write down dishes for us to try, considerate since we cannot read the menus when they are in Chinese and we all remember the time Lizzy, Melissa & I pointed to the first thing on the menu and ended up with intestines and blood tofu for breakfast!

Old Town Lijiang

Lizzy and I couldn't have asked for more gracious hosts to kick off our vacation.

Lijiang Architecture

And, they even made us a coffee! I am a coffee lover so I was pleased when I learned good coffee existed in Lijiang.

Enjoying a coffee at N's Kitchen, Lijiang

In Yunnan, Arabica beans are grown in the southern region of the province. Arabica beans are higher quality and preferred because they have a wider taste range while Robusta beans are mostly used in instant coffee.

Lizzy and Natalie exploring Lijiang

While in Lijiang, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Lizzy and I have kept things simple. We've enjoyed slow afternoons wandering around Lijiang's crooked alleys and sipping tea in tea houses while watching the world go by. At night, we hear a variety of live music pouring out of bars and restaurants, it's refreshing beginning our travels in such a vibrant place.

Tomorrow, we will head to the Tiger Leaping Gorge and then on to Shangri-La.

For now, we're enjoying a slower pace, speaking more English and simply easing into our travels.

Natalie

Planes, trains, and rains

Yesterday was our first day of travel in China after finishing our student teaching in Guiyang, Guizhou. We heard from many Chinese friends that Yunnan Province is a great place to visit, so it's first on our list. After leaving our big bags in Guiyang, we flew to Kunming. At the airport we eventually determined which bus we needed to take to get to the train station. Whew. We had a few hours to kill, so Natalie and I walked around the airport. In the first 20 minutes there we saw more foreigners at the airport Starbucks than we had during our entire two months in Guiyang. It was then that we really realized how few people visit Guizhou and that we hadn't had a decent cup of coffee during that entire time.

Train from Kunming to Lijiang

The number 2 bus took us straight from the airport to the city center and then we walked about 15 minutes in the pouring rain to the train station. Kunming is entirely under construction so we carefully dodged giant holes full of water while we kept up a good pace.

Old Town Lijiang

From Kunming we took a night train to Lijiang. I was especially excited about sleeping on a train! We reserved "soft sleepers", which is are single beds in a room with four total beds and a door that closes the room from the rest of the train. Our roommates were lovely and we had a great time. About 8 1/2 hours later we pulled into Lijiang and met the shuttle to go to our hostel.

Lizzy

Last Day at No. 4

Lizzy and I finished student teaching at Guiyang No. 4 Experimental Primary School today.  It was a bittersweet day for all.  It was also the the 7th day of school in a row and students will have the next three days off to celebrate May Day, the Chinese Labor Day.

Lost in a sea of second graders

I was disappointed that one of my classes was cancelled this afternoon.  Being the last lesson, I wanted to be fair and make sure all classes participated in the same activities.  Unfortunately, it had been decided that today was the day to practice an earthquake and fire drill.  

My spirits were lifted when I realized that, in fact, we were in the middle of a 

Chinese Fire Drill!

It's no secret that I've become attached to the third graders.  All four classes are great and we had a lot of fun with the lessons.  The students have lively personalities and are funny and spirited. Last week, I read Curious George and the students went bananas.  I read a different story on Tuesday and the students in all four classes started shouting, "Monkey!" They wanted more Curious.  As part of my last lesson we read, Curious George and the Pizza Party since we had just finished a lesson on food and drinks.

Grade 3, Class 1 loves Curious George

All day students dropped by our office between classes to give Lizzy and me thoughtful presents.  Helen, a third grader, gave me silkworms!

Matt (grade 3) and his mother gave me a set of ceramic Terra Cotta Warriors - perfect as Lizzy and I will visit Xi'an in a couple weeks!

Matt, my biggest fan

Lizzy and I have been reflecting on our time here at No. 4 and we realize that we did not have the typical set-up for teaching English in a foreign country.  In China, it is common for English teachers to be hired at private schools where the families of the students go to great lengths to impress the foreign teachers by taking the them on weekend adventures, hosting lavish dinners and showering the teachers with gifts.

For a Chinese public school, a relationship with an American University's teacher education program provides an affordable opportunity to host English speakers.  While Lizzy and I were not able to be paid for student teaching, the school did provide us with housing for eight weeks, our Chinese domestic flight and breakfast and lunch on school days in the school cafeteria. 

With Julie and Jessie, Grade 3

This partnership also provides an opportunity to live abroad for eight weeks and experience life in Guiyang, a city on the brink of rebirth.  Lizzy and I have been fortunate during our time in Guiyang.  We have taken advantage of every spare moment by joining tours, exploring the city and meeting new friends.

2nd Graders playing clapping games during a lesson

All in all, Guiyang No. 4 provided an authentic experience in a lesser known city in China.  Guiyang is virtually undiscovered.  When I Google places in Guiyang, it is not uncommon for our blogs to be within the first five search results!!!

In two days we will board our first flight to catch our first train to kick off our 3 weeks of travel.  We have been busy booking flights, train tickets, hostels and guides to ensure things go smoothly.  I'm looking forward to exploring more of China and celebrating graduation in Beijing!

Natalie