Unfortunately, Urumqi is much like any other cookie-cutter city in China. It has very little character; it has no soul. What uniqueness it does get is from the resident Uyghur population. In my opinion, the Uyghur culture present in Urumqi is the only reason to actually visit this city. Otherwise it seems lifeless and boring without much to hold one’s attention.

My reason for stopping in Urumqi was for something far outside the city. About 110 km outside, in fact. That reason was Heavenly Lake.  At an elevation of 2000 m, the lake covers an area of 4.9 km².  It is, simply put, an amazing sight to behold.

The weather was much better during my visit to Heavenly Lake than my stay at Karakul. I would have to say that Heavenly Lake is much more beautiful. However it is also much more touristy. It is a large tourist draw for the region and the government has built up the area a lot (an $100 million project) to accommodate the people.

This resulted, for me at least, in a much more inauthentic, plastic experience. In comparison, my night at Karakul Lake was exhilarating. We were way up in the mountains, completely isolated and so far from civilization.  It was amazing. While Heavenly Lake is incredibly beautiful, the overall experience paled in comparison.

A lot of the information and guidebooks that I’ve read bill Heavenly Lake as the place to spend a night in a yurt.  I say screw that.  Obviously I don’t know what it’s like there, but judging from the kitschy feel of all the other tourist crap I assume you would have an infinitely better experience staying up on Karakul Lake.  That’s just me, though.

There are a few other tourist attractions around the lake, like this small temple going up the side of the mountain. I believe it is called the Temple of Maternal Grace, but I can’t remember for sure. From the main tourist area it’s about 1 km walking around the edge of the lake. Of course, they don’t tell you until you’ve walked all the way there and climbed half-way up the mountain that you have to pay an extra 20 RMB to visit the temple. A very common, very annoying trick to bleed tourists for money in China.

There’s not much to look at in the temple; it’s much like any other one I’ve seen in China (but I’m not going to get into that again). However, one bonus is a great view of the lake from high up on the mountain.

Well, there’s not much else I can say. In summary: Heavenly Lake is gorgeous but it is chock full of tourists (I was there during the off-season and there was still a ton of people). It really is an amazing sight, though, and I’m very glad I made the trip out. If you only have one day to spend in Urumqi, as I did, I strongly suggest you use that day to visit this lake.  Oh yeah, and don’t waste your time visiting any of the other “tourist sites” in the area.

Related posts:

1. A Night on Karakul Lake in a Yurt
2. My Last Stop in Xinjiang: Turpan
3. A Few Days On the Lake

While I was in Luoyang I visited three important sites: Longmen grottoes, Guanlin Temple, and White Horse Temple.  Originally I was planning on staying longer and making a day trip out to Song Shan to see Shaolin Temple.  In the end I decided to skip that part and head home early.

Why did I decide to do that?  Why did I decide that seeing the birth place of kung fu (actually, it’s gong fu, but that’s not important) just wasn’t worth the three hour round-trip travel time?  Because I’ve been hit with travel fatigue.

What is travel fatigue, exactly?  Brook Silva-Braga puts it succinctly in his backpacking documentary, A Map for Saturday:

You just get to a point where doing all those same things that have been so fun for so long aren’t fun anymore.

One of the travelers he interviews in the movie expresses exactly how I’m feeling right now:

You go off to see these waterfalls and mountain ranges and gorges and it’s just spectacular.  But when you see so many waterfalls, you just go, ‘Oh yeah, it’s another waterfall.  It’s another mountain range.  Yeah, it’s another beautiful landscape.’

Over this past year I have been traveling all over China.  I’ve seen so many incredible things and had so many new, exciting experiences.  But something hit me while I was wandering around White Horse Temple.  I am sick and tired of busting my ass running all over China to see the same thing over and over again.

Namely, the temples.  I’ve seen so many temples in China and they look almost exactly the same.  Different location, but same damn buildings.  Same damn statues.  Same funky little trees, and incense holders, and prayer halls.  The repetition and sameness is maddening.  Sometimes I look back at the pictures from these places and it’s hard for me to remember which temple they’re actually from!

White Horse Temple is the first Buddhist temple ever built in China.  I was expecting something unique and grand and mind-blowing.  I was sorely disappointed.  It looked exactly like every other temple I’ve seen in China.  And I’m fed up with it.

To give you an idea of what I’m talking about, here’s a list of all the temples (as far as I can remember) that I’ve been to in China:

• At the Summer Palace, Beijing
• Qingyang Temple, Chengdu
• In Seven Star Park, Guilin
• In Qingling Park, Guiyang
• Lingyin Temple and 2 others, Hangzhou
• White Horse Temple, Luoyang
• Guanlin Temple, Luoyang
• Confucius Temple, Nanjing
• Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai
• Fuxi Temple, Tianshui
• Daxingshan Temple, Xi’an
• Da Ci’en Temple, Xi’an
• Temple at Heavenly Lake, Xinjiang

Fortunately there are not many more temples on my list, so it won’t be too hard to avoid them in my remaining time here.  But the feeling was such a unique experience for me.  I love traveling and couldn’t imagine doing something more fun and fulfilling.  But at that moment I was tired of it.  I wanted to go home and sit in my living room with my computer and do absolutely nothing all day.

It seems like no matter what you do, eventually travel fatigue will hit you.  So how do you deal with it?  In my case, I’m not a full-time traveler so I can easily take a break from my weekend trips to recharge my batteries.  There’s no problem there.

But what about the long-term travelers?  The ones who are out there for months, even years, at a time?  Boris Glumpler at Travel Junkie gives a few interesting suggestions on how to fight travel fatigue:

Find something to do. Get yourself a job. This will structure your life even more.

Don’t be hasty. Take as much time as you need. Only once you’re ready to head back out into the wild again, do so!

Don’t close yourself off and keep an open mind. Sometimes, even if you don’t feel like it initially, you can have a great time by just saying yes, when asked by fellow travellers [sic] to come out for a drink or two or go see a temple or something.

As my time here in China comes to an end, I look at the list of places I still want to go and it seems so long.  Part of me is not excited for that.  Part of me is not looking forward to all the traveling I plan on doing in January.  Because you know what?  Traveling is work.  Sometimes it’s really hard work.

But I’m not going to let that stop me.  I’m determined to see as much of China as possible with what little time I have left.  I do look forward to when classes end and I can travel a little bit more slowly.  Making short weekend trips, as I have done, can take its toll.  It will be nice to have a change of pace. I’ll be able to take my time and not push myself too hard.

The month of January will hopefully see me do plenty of traveling.  I just hope that I don’t burn out in the process and become travel fatigued all over again.

Related posts:

1. Have Cool, Will Travel

For reasons I can’t remember, I had decided that Karakul Lake was the main reason why I came all the way out to Kashgar.  Leaving without seeing this famous lake would be a big defeat in my book.  And I just can’t have that, now can I?

It was surprisingly easy to arrange for a travel permit and a guide through my hostel.  For anyone thinking of visiting Kashgar, I strongly suggest staying at Kashgar Old City Hostel.  It’s an awesome, laid-back place with a very nice staff whom all speak very good English.  To top it all off, the hostel is right on the edge of the Old City.  Or at least what’s left of it, anyway.

I ended up forking over 600 RMB for my permits and guide.  And another 50 RMB for my stay in the yurt.  Obviously if I could have waited around for some other travelers to join up with it would have been much cheaper.  But I was on a tight schedule and was determined to make sure I got to Karakul no matter what.

I’m serious about never going back to Kashgar.  So what’s 650 RMB for a once in a life time opportunity?  Money well spent, if you ask me.

The 5 star accommodations of the night. There are five of these cement yurts sitting in a row. Each yurt is about 15 feet in diameter and 12 feet high at the peak.  Each has a single stove in the middle to generate heat and cook food.  There’s not much greenery to speak of, let alone trees or bushes.  Therefore the Uyghurs use animal manure in the stove.  Although it does burn well, it creates a none-too-pleasant odor that stuck to my clothes for the next few days.  That is definitely one part of the experience I would not want to repeat.

Being that I was visiting during the off-season there were only two yurts open. The other three lay empty.  In the background you can see a sliver of Karakul Lake and the mammoth Muztagata Mountain partially hidden by the clouds.  We slept literally a stone’s throw away from the lake and in the shadow of the mountain.

A proper look at Karakul and Muztagata. I’ve read that during the summer the water is like a mirror of the mountains and sky. Unfortunately the cold winter winds never stopped blowing, resulting in the choppy water before you. The surrounding area was generally cold, damp, and gray. Not surprising, really, considering it was October.

Despite the fact that I didn’t get to see the “mirror lake” I was still surprised at how beautiful it is.  For the most part the clouds obstructed the full view of the mountains.  Nevertheless they made for an impressive sight.  The pictures don’t really do them justice, I’m afraid.

I implore you. Don’t make the same, stupid mistake I made. I went up to Karakul Lake with only the clothes you see me wearing. And a vest. Holy crap is it cold up there. And in October? Forget about it. Literally within 5 minutes of being outside my limbs were numb. It was incredibly stupid of me not to think that a lake at 11,800 feet would not be cold at that time of year. Even in the summer I imagine it gets chilly.

Anyway, here I am reclining on one of the many bright, colorful sleeping pads the family laid out for me. It was surprisingly soft and the equally colorful blanket they gave me was quite warm. Sleeping inside the squat, round, cement home was definitely a pleasant experience.

You’ll also notice I am holding a beer. I was joined in my yurt by four foreigners traveling together. It just so happened to be one of their birthdays so they had brought a case of beer up into the mountains to celebrate.  They were kind enough to share with me.  They all made it through one beer before passing out due to the altitude. For some reason I had no problem with it. Either it was the first few days spent in Kashgar (4,100 feet) acclimating me or my asthma medication (I have no idea why that would help, I’m just venturing a guess here). Actually, you would think that due to my asthma the altitude sickness would hit me worse, no?

We were treated to this wholesome breakfast in the morning. Possibly the hardest bread I have ever attempted to chew. It was like a rock. The Uyghur bread is very flavorful, but also very difficult to eat. The easiest way to eat it is to soak it in the infamous Yak milk tea.

I would describe Yak milk tea as an acquired taste. Immediately following the first sip I nearly gagged. But after cautiously sampling it throughout the morning, I came to conclusion that it is indeed possible to enjoy this concoction. Yak milk tea is regular green tea with, you guessed it, Yak milk in it. Also, a TON of salt. It is really, really salty. It reminds me a lot of Turkish ayran; a salty yogurt drink. But this Uyghur drink is hot and more liquid-y. Basically a lot more unpleasant to drink.

By the end of breakfast I was nearly half-way to actually enjoying it. I enjoy almost anything I eat or drink so that can give you an idea of how bad I think it is. But I do see the merits of it buried way down underneath the salt. It might have been the delicious bread I was dipping into it, i don’t know. Regardless, this salty drink is not for the weak stomach’d traveler out there. You have been warned.

Despite the overcast skies the day before, the sun did decide to come out bright and strong the next morning. There was a thick fog coming off the lake, providing for a really beautiful glow over the water. The previous day’s weather disappointed me a bit; I was expecting much more picturesque scenery.

By the end of my stay on the lake, in a yurt, I was in high spirits and satisfied that all of the trouble and expense I went through to get there was well worth it. I can only imagine what the lake and mountains look like during the spring and summer. Absolutely beautiful, I’m sure.

Related posts:

1. Yet Another Lake in Xinjiang
2. A Few Days On the Lake
3. Why I am Never Going Back to Kashgar

Frankly, there is not much in the way of tourist destinations in Kashgar. I think of the city as a jumping off point for other sites such as the Taklamakan Desert, Tashkurgan, Karakul Lake, and access to neighboring countries. Despite some difficulties I did manage to visit Karakul Lake but I didn’t have time for any of those other things. Fortunately, I did manage to find a few things to do to keep me occupied during my stay.

But really the reason to go to Kashgar is for the above sites and the culture.  Even though Chinese modernization is quickly steamrolling through the city, it is still completely saturated with Uyghur culture and their way of life.  It is so radically different from the rest of China that it’s like stepping into another world.

In my mind, that reason alone is good enough to make the journey to Kashgar.  And I suggest you do it quickly.  Eventually the Old City will be replaced with high-rise apartment buildings and shopping malls.  The fantastic character of this unique city will be gone forever.

Near the center of town you can find the 59 ft (18 meter) tall statue of Mao Zedong. I’ve heard somewhere there is a saying that the further you get from Beijing, the bigger the Mao statues are. I don’t know if that’s true but this one is pretty darn big. Unfortunately the location is not exactly the most grandiose place.

The statue sits in front of some banal government building facing a small square and a less-than-stellar park.  Being not so picturesque, I think visiting the giant Mao is more for novelty’s sake than anything else because it really is a huge statue. Go see it, take some pictures, and leave. There’s not much else to do in the immediate area.

The Id Kah Mosque is the largest mosque in China and is located inside the Old City. It was built around 1442 and can house up to 20,000 people at one time. The entrance is quite striking and rather large (as so many things are in China) though it didn’t exude the deep feelings of culture and history that I had originally associated with such an important site.  To be honest, I think the Great Mosque in Xi’an is way better. Other than a series of lackluster gardens, there’s not much to see inside the mosque itself. I suggest forgoing the 20 RMB entrance fee and sticking your head in for quick peek. That’s really all you’ll need.

Id Kah Mosque sits at the center of a large square surrounded by a plethora of shops and stalls selling all manner of trinkets and snacks. Couple that with the fact that the Old City is just a few blocks away in any direction makes for a pretty neat area to visit. There is a very big downside, however. While I was there I always saw a platoon of soldiers “guarding” the square. They literally stood there all day staring at the mosque. During prayer times there were three or four platoons, about 100 soldiers in all.

Given the riots that occurred back in July it doesn’t surprise me that there was a large military presence. But I find it offensive that the government thinks it’s necessary to station troops outside a place of worship. I’m not religious in any way, but I can easily see how someone would be disgruntled by soldiers standing outside his church/synagogue/mosque/what-have-you watching him like a hawk. The heavy-handed gesture of placing soldiers there really typifies my perception of government attitudes towards China’s minorities.

Kashgar’s Old City is really the biggest draw for the town itself. You could spend hours, if not days, wandering the streets of this quickly disappearing area. I wrote about this place way back in October, and I don’t think there’s a better way to sum up my feelings than what I’ve already written:

The Old City is a glimpse into the traditional Uyghur style of living that, unfortunately, is slowly being demolished to make way for high-rise apartments, plazas, and reproductions of Islamic architecture. If for whatever reason this is of interest to you, I implore you to make the journey to this town before the demolition is complete. It’s a tragedy that an area so full of history and culture is being swept away for the sake of industrialization and modernization. It’s so full of character and charm while the high-rise apartments I see being erected all over China are so completely lacking in it.

Kashgar is known to host two very big markets every weekend: the bazaar and the animal market. Can you guess which one I went to?  Unfortunately I only had time for one over the weekend due to my overnight stay at Karakul Lake.  I’ve seen plenty of different bazaars all over the world.  Also at that point I was on a pretty tight budget so I wasn’t planning on buying any souvenirs so early in my trip. Therefore it was an easy decision to head to the animal market.

I’ve never actually been to anything like an animal market before and let me tell you I was not disappointed. There must have been thousands of animals for sale. Sheep, goats, cows, donkeys, horses, chickens, and all manner of fruits and vegetables. The animals seemed to go on forever. It is a really impressive sight. Though I must say that the smell isn’t pleasant at all.

I spent about an hour walking around viewing the animals and watching the mass of Uyghurs conducting business. For only the price of a bus ticket, visiting the animal market is a great way to kill a few hours.

The Aba Khoja Mausoleum is an easy bus ride about 5 kilometers outside of town.  Built in 1640, the tomb is supposedly one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Xinjiang.  As you can see from the picture, it is very large and very beautiful.  It is covered in green and blue glazed tiles that glitter in the bright sun.  The building is a tomb so there’s not much to see inside aside from coffins.  But the outside was more than enough for me.

There are a number of small attractions in the area, including two decaying mosques, an orchard, and a graveyard.  General admittance to the mausoleum also allows you to visit the two mosques.  While they have fallen into disrepair, they are still nice for a quick visit.  You will be charged extra to visit the other sites (a common tactic to get your money in China).  I didn’t bother with those as it didn’t seem to be worth it.

So that wraps up my stay in Kashgar.  Coming up next is my trip into the mountains to visit Karakul Lake where I stayed in a yurt overnight with a Uyghur family.

Related posts:

1. Yet Another Lake in Xinjiang
2. Why I am Never Going Back to Kashgar
3. A Night on Karakul Lake in a Yurt

So anyway, I present to you the last step on my summer trip through China.

Huangshan is a mountain range in the Southern part of Anhui province, near Tunxi.  In 1990 it became a UNESCO world heritage site and today is one of China’s biggest tourist destinations.  There are over 50 kilometers of footpaths in over 140 areas of the range, as well as numerous cable cars in the more popular areas.  There are a variety of hotels at the top of the mountain for tourists to stay.  I’ve been told that the sunrise at Huangshan is an incredible sight.  Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to spend the night.  For me it was up and down in one day.

There are two important things to know about Huangshan.  First, it’s expensive.  Just to enter the park is over 200 RMB.  If my memory serves me correctly, my entire visit cost me over 400 RMB.  That’s including a shuttle bus to and from Tunxi, a small city about an hour away where I spent the night.  Also, food and drinks are incredibly expensive on the mountain because you literally have no other option unless you’re willing to lug that stuff around all day (I wasn’t).  A bottle of water costs 8 RMB up there.  When a bottle will cost you 1 to 2 RMB everywhere else in China, that’s highway robbery.

The second thing to know is that Huangshan is big.  Like, really big.  I spent seven hours hiking all over that damn mountain and there were still plenty of areas I didn’t have a chance to visit.  To see everything, to get the full experience, you need to spend the night up there.  And don’t forget to get up for the sunrise!

Huangshan is notorious for it’s fog and rolling clouds. Sometimes they literally take you by surprise. One minute your hiking a trail on a nice, clear day and the next you’re completely enveloped in fog. It got so bad at times that I couldn’t even see more than 20 feet!  It was especially creepy when you would find yourself looking out over a ledge into a fog bank, and a minute later it would blow away to reveal a thousand foot drop.

There were so many missed opportunities for fantastic pictures because I had to pause and absorb the beauty before reaching for my camera. And wouldn’t you know it, as soon as I had my camera out a big cloud would come rolling in and ruin the shot. Foiled again, as they say.

As you can probably imagine, there are a ton of stairs on the mountain. Stairs going up, stairs going down. Stairs, stairs, stairs! On the initial climb of the mountain, it seemed like the stairs would never end. I must have spent a good two or three hours just getting up to the first peak. How exhausting.  A favorite sarcastic joke of mine that day was, “Oh look, more stairs.  I did not see that coming.”

Traversing the many peaks requires you to continuously climb up and down stairs. In most places it wasn’t so bad, but sometimes I came across an area packed with tourists and would have to wait. Hanging on to a steep staircase in a precarious position with many people in front and behind is not fun. Needless to say, I had nightmares about climbing stairs for a few days afterward.

Huangshan has some pretty unbelievable scenery.  From the ancient trees, to the rock formations, to the peaks, to the valleys, to the small lakes.  Huangshan has it all.  It’s no wonder that this mountain has been the focus of countless stories, poems, paintings, and pretty much any other kind of art form found in China, for thousands of years.

Related posts:

1. A Night on Karakul Lake in a Yurt
2. Visiting the Second Tallest Building in the World
3. Finally Home

I left my apartment at 5 PM.  I caught a bus and arrived at the airport shuttle about half an hour later.  As soon as I was within walking distance a tout approached me asking if I was going to the airport in very broken English.  It was really just “airport?  Airport?”  I said yes and continued walking.

“Taxi? You want taxi?”

“No, I will take the bus”  [NOTE: the italicized parts are in Chinese]

“What time is your flight?”

“8 o’clock”

“The bus takes two and a half hours to get to the airport, you need to take a taxi.”

So here are the things working against this particular tout: I live in Xi’an, I have taken the shuttle bus plenty of times before, and I’m not an idiot.  So instead of telling him all of these things in Chinese, I simply play the dumb tourist.

“What?  Huh?”

To another guy, “Can you speak English?  [Something I didn’t quite catch because by this point I was ignoring him]”

The second guy tried to tell me the same thing but I was already half-way on the bus and didn’t care what they had to say.  Boy are touts annoying sometimes.

So I make it to the airport in the usual amount of time it takes (about an hour to an hour and a half).  Unfortunately I made a mistake on my flight time; it was actually 8:40 PM so I had a bit of waiting to do.

After checking in and going through security I waited again.  At about 8:20 the announcement was made that my flight was delayed until 9:50.

More waiting.

Finally we boarded the plane at 10:15.

More waiting.  For four hours.  Four hours on that Godforsaken plane.

We returned to the terminal at 2:15 AM.  The flight had been canceled.  The weather had become so bad that all flights were canceled until 10 AM.  Fantastic.

So I took the shuttle back to the city.  Stepping off the bus, another tout approached me.

“You need a taxi?  Where are you going?”

“Foreign Language School”

“40 RMB”

For a 13 RMB ride?  I don’t think so.

“40 RMB?  That is too expensive!  Use the meter”

He gave the universal sign for no (waving his hands and shaking his head) and directed me to a different taxi.

So I entered the taxi.

After telling him my destination, he opened up with, “20 RMB.”  Seriously, what is it with these touts?  Do I really look like that much of a dumb tourist?

“Use the meter.”

“No, no no.  I can’t use the meter.”

“Use the meter or I will get out of the taxi!”

Finally he flipped on the meter and away we went.  I didn’t make it into my apartment until 4 AM.  What a horrible ordeal.

And I still haven’t been to Beijing!

Related posts:

1. First Snow of the Season
2. The Plane Has Hit the Tarmac
3. Why I am Never Going Back to Kashgar

Just like Mom used to make!

It’s easy to feel homesick when you’re living abroad. It happens to everyone.  If you’re a new expat or a perpetual traveler, you will feel it at some point.  You know how in class the teacher always says that if you have a question don’t be afraid to ask because chances are other people have the same question? Well it’s the same with homesickness.

You are not alone; you are not the weak person who can’t bear to be away from the home you love and know so well. We all experience this feeling at some point (or multiple points) during the time we spend abroad.  Don’t be afraid to admit when you’re homesick.  Don’t be afraid to reach out to others for help.

There are plenty of tricks for alleviating homesickness.  If you have to, try them all!  Find what works for you and stick with it.  Granted, it won’t eliminate that overwhelming feeling entirely.  But hopefully it can stave it off for a while until you’re reminded of all the great reasons why you left home in the first place.

So what do I do when I’m feeling homesick?

1. Call Home

Skype is a God-send for expats.  It has never been easier to phone home across oceans and continents.  Computer-to-computer video conferencing is absolutely free and long distance calling is not prohibitively expensive (calling from China to the US is only $0.021 per minute).  On the occasion that I’m feeling homesick, I’ll make a few phone calls to my family and friends to catch up on events.  Just hearing their voices is enough to keep me going.

2. Exercise

I’ve found that going to the gym and running are fantastic ways to relieve stress and distract myself.  When I’m lifting weights or out jogging on the street, my mind is completely absorbed in the task at hand.  There are no other distractions to weigh me down.  I don’t think about all the work I have to do, I don’t think about rifts among my friends, and I don’t think about how much I miss being home.  All my troubles just melt away during that short time when I’m using my muscles instead of my brain.  And if I did it right, then afterward I’m too tired to worry about anything anyway!

3. Eat Food from Home

Food is a great way to remind yourself of home.  There are so many senses involved that sometimes you feel literally transported back to your kitchen table or your favorite eatery.  Cooking is one of my passions so it’s easy to motivate myself to make something Western and delicious.  If I’m feeling really homesick and I’ll slave over my grandmother’s pirogis or I’ll whip up a batch of my mother’s Hungarian goulash.  And sometimes I’ll even make a batch of chocolate chip cookies (my most recent effort is pictured at the top).  My parents weren’t big on baking, but for some reason a kitchen filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies just smells so much like home to me.

Even if you can’t cook it is becoming more and more easy to find foreign food worldwide (not to mention McDonald’s is EVERYWHERE).  Sure, it may taste nothing like what you usually have back home, but at least it’s not the food of whichever country you happen to be in.

4. Have a “Bashing” Session with Friends

This one is really just for letting off steam.  My friends and I go out to our favorite bar, order up a couple of gin and tonics, and relax.  Then we proceed to complain about all the things in China that have been annoying us lately.  Hence, we “bash” China.  I know it’s not the best method for curing homesickness, but it’s a great panacea for the stress and anxiety that can accrue when dealing with a different culture and language every day of your life.

And let’s be honest, there’s always something to complain about.  No place is paradise.  No place is completely without faults.  If there was such a place we’d probably all try to live there!  Even if it’s the most minor incident that happened a week ago, it feels good to not hold it in any more.  I liken it to mental vomit; it may me inconsequential, incomprehensible, or you may be overreacting.  Nevertheless, spending some time with your friends complaining about all the things that drive you crazy in a light-hearted manner is like therapy.  But be warned, if you find yourself complaining too much you might need to reconsider where you’re living.

What if these don’t work for you?

The above examples are simply the tricks I use to prevent homesickness from setting in.  In essence they are distractions to keep me from thinking about home.  Or in some cases, such as the cooking, to have a little bit of home with me in my life.  They all work great for me, and hopefully for many of you out there experiencing the melancholy.  But they won’t work for everyone.

You have to keep trying different things until you find what works.  Perseverance is key.  Sure, home is familiar and safe, but isn’t the place you’re at new and exciting?  Focus on the reasons why you are so far away from home; what made you decide to leave in the first place.  And then give it some time.  Elisa Bernick over at Expat Exchange writes:

So what can you do about homesickness? What if your kids are really bummed out about being away from their friends and their school? What if you become obsessed with life back home and being away from everything that is familiar? Truthfully, nothing but time will make homesickness go away completely. Eventually, your life will fill up with friends and activities in your new home and you will make peace with the minutes and hours that click by.

No related posts.

OK, I know the above photo is probably the worst splicing you’ve ever seen.  I don’t care!  I didn’t take these two photos with the intention of sticking them together so I didn’t try to line them up.  But there’s not much missing between the two, so what you see is pretty much exactly what West Lake looks like.

I traveled to Hangzhou with the express intent of visiting West Lake.  Up to that point, so many people had told me how beautiful West Lake is and how much they enjoyed visiting the city.  So I figured, after my stint in Shanghai, that the short bus ride to Hangzhou was warranted.  Besides, I really wanted to visit Huangshan and this city happened to be on the way.  So why not stop in for a few days?

Hangzhou is a very nice city.  West Lake is a beautiful lake.  The fact that such a large reservoir of water is man-made makes it even more impressive.  But to be perfectly honest, I was a bit under whelmed.  From all the talk I had heard, I was expecting something much more grand.  Growing up on Long Island I’ve had easy access to the ocean for as long as I can remember.  Seeing this lake seemed ho-hum comparatively.

It’s as if I went there and thought to myself, “OK, there’s some water.  There are some pretty plants and flowers, and some nice buildings.  What else?”  Definitely a “been there, done that” sort of feeling.  My CouchSurfing host in Shanghai had similar sentiments.  He grew up in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, and therefore was equally unimpressed with West Lake.

Now don’t get me wrong.  West Lake is a great place to visit and I did spend hours walking all around it.  I did enjoy my time there, and from the picture above you can see it’s a beautiful place.  I don’t mean to discourage anyone from going there.  I think anyone with an interest for nature and natural beauty should see it.  It’s just that my gut reaction was not positive because I have lived on or near water pretty much my entire life.  But I am still very glad to have gone there and seen it.

I had a pleasant time walking around the shore of West Lake and over the Bai Causeway to Solitary Hill Island (Gushan).  The island is basically a large recreational park with some pavilions, ponds, and terrific spots to absorb the view of the lake and the surrounding flora and fauna.  The Zhejiang Provincial Museum can also be found there, but I don’t find those sorts of places terribly interesting so I didn’t visit it.

A statue and pavilion on Solitary Hill Island

Walking along the southern part of the lake led me straight to the Evening Sunlight at Thunder Peak Pagoda (Leifeng Xizhao).  Originally built in 975 AD, the pagoda collapsed in 1924 due to disrepair.  The current tower was completed in 2002 and on the bottom floor you can view the active archaeological sight of the original brick foundation, which I thought was a pretty neat feature.  There are also two elevators for an easy ascent to the top, as well as other modern features.  The top of the pagoda provides excellent views of the surrounding area, especially West Lake itself (the top pictures were taken from there).

Lingyin Temple is easily the most impressive temple I have visited thus far in China.  Each of the yellow buildings are so large that I couldn’t fit one in the frame of my camera; they’re just that big.  The buildings contain statues that are simply massive and incredibly imposing.  I wish for your sake that I could have taken photos.  Words alone can’t describe the feeling of being overwhelmed I had when I stepped into the darkened, cavernous shrines and came face to face with the monstrous statues.  Though, to be perfectly honest I don’t think photos could have done it justice anyway.  It really is something you have to go and see for yourself.

Lingyin Temple was founded in 328 AD during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.  From the very beginning, Lingyin has been a famous temple and even today attracts large numbers of tourists.  It is also regarded as one of the richest temples in all of China.  Despite it’s fame and fortune, the temple has not been spared from destruction, having been rebuilt 16 times.  During the Cultural Revolution, the temple was protected by Premier Zhou Enlai though it did not escape without some minor damage from the Red Guards.

The hills surrounding Lingyin Temple are littered with ancient stone carvings.  There are a few in particular you’ve probably seen in many guide books (presuming you’ve ever picked up a guide book for China).  The particular one above is smaller than I had imagined, but impressive nonetheless.

There are several other smaller temples in the mountains which I made a point to go visit.  It’s nice to see the big, important tourist attractions like Lingyin.  But sometimes it’s even better to go off by yourself to some secluded, quiet place where there are much fewer people around to disturb you.

There was a ton of walking and climbing steps; it was totally exhausting.  Little did I know that it couldn’t hold a candle to what awaited me in Huangshan.  Despite being dead tired and barely able to stay on my feet by the end of the day, I had a great time.

If you ever go to Hangzhou, make sure you visit Lingyin Temple.  And be sure to take the time to visit the other temples.  Walking through the peaceful courtyards and climbing the mountains completely by yourself is surreal (if you’ve ever been to China, you know how rare it is to be totally alone when touring around).  Sure they’re not as grand or famous, but they are no less beautiful.  For me it was an experience on par (if not better) than visiting the big ones.

On a path leading to some small temple

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3. The Past Few Days

The subway system in Shanghai is purportedly the one of the fastest growing in the world.  From what I’ve been told, that conjecture is pretty accurate.  The first line opened in 1995; as of this year it became the 11th busiest system in the world; by next year there will be a total of 12 lines in operation.  The subway network is a huge underground sprawl that provides easy access to pretty much anywhere in the city you want to go.

My favorite part of the subway is the cleanliness.  I grew up outside of New York City and therefore, in my early years, I assumed all subways were like those of Manhattan: old, dirty, and smelly.  This is definitely not the case (you only need to go as far as Washington DC to see a great subway system), as I eventually discovered.  Like many of the more affluent places throughout China, there is an army of workers that clean the subways every day.  Late at night the trains stop running and everything is cleaned.  While so many things in China are dirty and smelly, this is not one of them.

Couple the cleanliness and great expanse with new technology (sometimes it seems like Shanghai is light years ahead of the rest of China) and you have a winning combination that’s difficult not to like.

Parks and Gardens

Parks and gardens are a fantastic way to escape the hustle and bustle of a big city while not actually leaving it.  I love visiting parks because I enjoy the greenery so much.  The cities I really enjoy visiting are those that are able to incorporate a sense of nature and natural beauty into the cityscape.

While in Shanghai I visited People’s Square Park a number of times, the Yu Gardens, Century Park, and Zhongshan Park.  They are all great places in their own unique ways.  Each one was a great respite from the crowds and the noise that a place like Shanghai can generate.

There’s a great list of other parks I did not get a chance to visit, such as: Lu Xun Park, Chang Feng Park, Fuxing Park, Jing An Park, Gongqing Forest Park and more.  You can read more about them here.

Museums and the Arts

Shanghai is home to a plethora of museums, like the Shanghai Museum pictured above.  Shanghai was widely considered the cultural and economic center of East Asia for the first half of the 20th century and is therefore considered the birthplace of everything modern in China.  With that in mind, there is a huge range of subjects covered by the many museums scattered about the city.  There is the Art Museum, the Shikumen Museum, the Urban Planning Exhibition Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Bund Museum.  The list goes on and on.  If you enjoy visiting museums and art galleries, you will not lack for places to go in Shanghai.

Walking the Bund

Taking a stroll down the famous Bund is an experience one does not soon forget.  The transition from the rest of Shanghai to the Bund is like stepping into another world.  It is a showcase of early 20^th century architecture from the West that is so distinctly not Chinese.  For me it was a surreal experience.  How could this collection of European-style architecture be found in a Chinese city?  And all in one place?  It just seems so bizarre and fantastical.

Normally a walk down the Bund also provides a fantastic view of the Pudong district.  Unfortunately there is a lot of construction going on along the waterfront for the 2010 World Expo, so the view was decidedly not good.  I can only imagine that it is quite a sight to behold.

Nightlife

Of course a city as metropolitan and international as Shanghai will have a burgeoning nightlife.  Any kind of scene you can imagine, you will find it somewhere here.  Like the club pictured above; a blues and jazz club.  A really nice blues and jazz club that has live music every night.  In the middle of China!  I visited this place more than once during my stay and I loved it.  There was even a DVD of a live Muddy Waters concert playing on the flat screen TV behind the bar.  Awesome!

There are a seemingly endless number of bars and clubs throughout Shanghai.  There is also a growing music scene that rivals Beijing (commonly considered the musical epicenter of China).  No matter what your style or taste or preference is, I guarantee you can find something you will enjoy.

Related posts:

1. Shanghai: My First Day
2. Visiting the Second Tallest Building in the World
3. A Few Days On the Lake

Construction began in 1997 but was halted by the Asian Financial crisis. Work did not restart until 2003 and was finally completed in 2008. The skyscraper is home to a variety of areas including offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls. The SWFC is also home to Park Hyatt Shanghai, the highest hotel in the world with 174 rooms and suites.

There are 3 observation decks in the SWFC. The lowest deck is at 1,388 ft on the 94th floor, the second is at 1,440 ft on the 97th floor, and the highest is at 1,555 ft on the 100th floor. The highest bathroom in the tower is located on the 97th floor. Yes, I did use the bathroom. Yes, I did go number two. Just think of the potential energy of my excrement! If we assume the mass was 0.5 kilograms (a rough guess-timate), the energy is 9.8 * 0.5 * 439 = 2,151.1 Joules. That’s like … a lot of energy.

Anyway, each observation deck has it’s own price tag. I don’t remember the price for just the first two decks, but to reach the very top cost 150 RMB. A pretty steep price tag just to go to the top of a building if you ask me, but I live a relatively frugal lifestyle so that I can afford such things when I’m traveling so I wasn’t about to let that stop me. And really, if you were going to visit the SWFC, why would you not want to go to the very top anyway?

Each incremental ticket gains you admission to the decks below (buying the 100th floor ticket allows you to visit the other two decks, the 97th floor ticket allows you to visit the lowest deck as well), which briefly extends the life of your visit. The tour takes you through all three decks in order, so it provides a kind of build up to the very top of the tower.

At the start of the tour you have to sit through some kind of weird introductory movie that talks about the design of the tower and the elevators and whatnot. I found it uninformative, boring, and a little disturbing (there were these weird anthropomorphic animals talking, it was strange). After the few minutes I was forced into spending watching the movie, I was ushered into an elevator and whisked up to the lowest observation deck. I went there to get to the very top so I didn’t waste much time on the first two decks.

OK, so here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Here are a few pictures I took from the highest deck on the 100th floor.

The highest observation deck

The neighboring Jinmao Tower is clearly dwarfed by the SWFC

A beautiful view of Shanghai. Also, candor while performing one of the scariest jobs ever.

Related posts:

1. Visiting Plattsburgh: 1/30 – 2/1
2. A Few Days On the Lake
3. The Jade Buddha Temple