Home of the Sage

Qufu, China

The Lonely Planet China really didn't like Qufu, home of the famous 孔子 (who us Westerners know by his Latin name Confucius). There was talk of high prices and being constantly hassled by souvenir vendors and paddy cab drivers. Don't know which Qufu they visited. I actually liked it quite a lot here. So much that I extended my planned stay by a day.
Yeah, sure, there are lots of tourists (mainly Chinese ones) around the centre of town with two of Qufu's "Three Kongs", the Kong Temple （孔庙） and the Kong family home （孔府）. And there's the souvenir alley where any foreigner (or any obvious tourist, for that matter) is just a walking wallet waiting to be milked of its contents. But it's not too difficult to get away from all that. Just a bit off the centre, e.g. just outside the city walls, hotels are affordable, food is cheap and people are very kind. I got invited for dinner on two successive evenings. First was a group of young local businessmen who called me over to share their noodles, fish soup and crispy chicken head. Then there was a big group of cab drivers who insisted I had to have a beer (or two) and some barbecued snacks with them.
The final highlight and my favourite was the Kong Forest （孔林）, the final resting place of the sage and all (!) 76 generations of Kongs that followed after him. Of course, all tourists get herded (literally!) to his tomb and onto electric buses for a tour. But the area is vast and has countless little paths. I ended up spending an entire day walking around the peaceful forest of ancient trees, purple spring flowers and silent graves. I can't imagine a more relaxing way to end the day than watching the sinking sun through the foliage at this ancient place.

Please, sir, I want some more ... presents

Qufu, China

An encounter that started very friendly but turned sour in the end.
I was eating at the Qufu night market. A stall owner seemed friendly and persuaded me to eat at his place. There were noodles, fried vegetables and mushrooms and a kind of large, stir-fried, crispy insect. It was a feast. I had a feeling it would be pricey but what the heck? This time I'd indulge and not mind the price.
Things weren't too busy so I chatted with some of the stall owners. They were eager to talk once they discovered I spoke some Chinese. My chef bought me a beer, another made me smoke a cigarette with him - I'm getting good at faking this. They asked lots of questions, introduced one stall keeper's wife and daughter. The little girl was learning English at primary school, she was eager to show me her exercise book. I listened to her recite some of the things she had learned.
Then someone asked if I had any German money on me. No, I hadn't, all changed into RMB. Disappointment. Oh, but I still had some US Dollars. I produced a one and a five Dollar bill, gave the little girl another one Dollar bill so she could see, too. Everyone gaped. American money. Then the stall owner made the bills I had given him disappear into his pocket. "I can keep these, okay? As a souvenir." I protested: "That's an expensive souvenir." I wasn't that drunk yet. Why was I being so stingy, his wife commented. That stung my ego. Fine, he could keep it. The company was nice and it was unlikely that I would find further use for the notes. The little girl's mother asked what her daughter would be able to buy in USA with one Dollar. So, I gave her another Dollar and told her now she should be able to buy a hot dog in New York.
I realised later that this was the moment I should have made my exit. I stayed because there was still some food and beer left. A while later another woman came to join the party pushing two little boys in front of her. The newcomers were introduced as friends and then stood and looked at me expectantly. And all of a sudden I knew where this was going. Word had spread that a rich foreigner was giving out money to children. And I had been warned! Never give money to children. Damn! It was obvious in the way the woman was pushing her boys forward, in the way that the kids were giving me their biggest smiles, trying to look like wonderful boys who deserved presents. I continued eating, drinking, talking as if I had no idea. Then the bigger of boys came up to me and popped the question: Did I have any more Dollars? I had already found him unpleasant from the beginning, the way he had eyed me, waiting for what his mum had surely promised him. If the laowai thinks you're really cute he'll give you money. But now I could see he was tired of playing the cute. He was in it for the hard cash. Everyone waited. Well, I could have another look. I "found" him another one Dollar note. How much was this worth in RMB? He looked at it as if he had found gold. It literally sparkled in his eyes. "It's a souvenir", my stall owner reminded him. I had a feeling he even gave the boy a meaningful look, as if admonishing: "Don't blow this." Neither of them looked like they were interested in souvenirs. The adult was just better at acting. How much was this? Seven. 7. He rather looked like he wanted to run to the bank immediately. Then there was the little boy. A chubby, equally unpleasant specimen. That was his brother, their mother introduced. Did I have a Dollar for him, too? That did it. No, I said even though I knew there was more. This would end now. The little brat looked up at me with big, sad eyes pulling a professionally miserable face. They must have rehearsed this. Was I really sure, his mother urged, wouldn't I give the little boy a "souvenir"? Even she was loosing it, seemed way to eager now. The big, sad eyes seemed ready to well with tears should the strategical moment come along. But my heart had turned to stone. No, I had no more. Now, at last, I paid and left as quickly as possible. “下次再来”, the stall keeper told me. "Please come again." Yeah, sure!
Taking stock, the meal had been 50 Yuan (expensive as expected) plus nine US Dollars. Grand total: I had paid the price of the meal again - almost 100 RMB. Please come again indeed! Their meals come with way too many hidden charges.

Beer Report

Qufu, China

I just remembered that pretty much from the beginning of my trip I made it a point to try the beer of the places I go to, so I should try to report on the "findings". So here they are. Unfortunately, there are gaps because I've forgotten some by now (shame, shame). I'll update this one as new candidates come along. :-)

Ferry to Finland:

• Unknown name, beer from one of the Baltic republics;
  comments: I believe it was quite drinkable

Finland:
None I believe - beer there is too expensive for a backpacker!
Russia:

• Baltica No 7 (I think it was, Baltica's are number 1 through 13 or something); comments: I wasn't impressed, sadly one of worst ones so far

Mongolia:
They do beer? Can't remember but I believe I only had vodka and milk liquor there.
China:

• Yanjing (Beijing); comments: Quite a good beer, had a lot of that during my time there


• Qingdao (Qingdao, countrywide); comments: Not surprisingly the best beer in China and probably the best of the trip. I hear the Chinese actually made the German brewing process more efficient and still kept the taste. Wow!


• Qingdao Dark Beer (Qingdao); comments: stronger than regular Qingdao, a bit like German Alt or Eisbock, didn't like it that much but I'm not a big fan of the stronger brews


• Qingdao Gold (Qingdao); comments: I didn't taste much difference with the regular ones but it's more expensive, still a good beer


• Qingdao Natural (Qingdao, only at the brewery I think); comments: A cloudy version of Qingdao without preservatives (if I understood that correctly), so you can only keep it a day or so - ab-so-lute-ly delicious!


• Laoshan (Qingdao, pretty much countrywide); verdict: not impressive, drinkable if necessary


• Hansa Pils (Qufu); comments: Brewed according to German purity laws but not according to German taste, drinkable in emergencies but that's it

Laos:

• Beerlao (nationwide); comments: a lager, nothing special, really, after one glass I didn't want any more but I blame new friends for making me drink much more than that

Cambodia:

• Angkor Beer (nationwide); comments: a light, very light lager, probably decieving because beers here have more alcohol than Chinese beers, not an extremely good beer but very good on a hot afternoon


• Anchor (nationwide); comments: err ... still looking for differences to Angkor Beer, are there any?

I'll try to remember more ... and try more ... :-)

The Long Way Up (And Down!)

Mount Tai, China

Here I wanted to make up for the day I added in Qingdao, so I only planned to stay two instead of three days. Up on the first day, down on the second. I only worried a bit about prices of accommodation on the mountain. I had also planned this as my days of meditation, time to think about the things that had been going round my head after leaving Beijing. I wasn't expecting any travel companions here.
Funny enough, when I least expected them I got them - a lot of them, too. Many people said hello to the lone foreigner climbing the Taoist holy mountain. I ended up climbing the mountain with three girls I kept running into. We started chatting and it turned out they were all final year medical students at the university of Taian. What a coincidence, I thought, I hadn't bought the offered medical insurance that came with the ticket but now I was surrounded by a group of three cute medics. As we climbed further our group grew as first two of their friends and then two other guys joined us.
On the last bit of the climb before the South Gate to Heaven - a flight of 1600 steps - I almost thought I'd need the girls' skills. We kept encouraging each other shouting “加油”. Still, we were all completely, utterly exhausted when we made it to the top. Apparently, up to that point the steps total 6600. I swear, I felt every one of them. I had started climbing around 15:00 - it was now 20:30 and darkness had fallen. They were also here to watch the sunrise, so we decided to be economical and all share a room. Prices for very simple rooms can easily be more than 200 RMB. We managed to find what people said was the cheapest hotel on the mountain top - 80 RMB for a four-person room. No need to mention that there were eight of us. 10 RMB per person on Mount Tai! It was a bit crowded with two persons per bed but it was cold at this altitude and the night was short anyway.
Then came the main event: the sunrise from the summit. We got up at 4:30 (!) to find that "sunrise from the summit" is also a major tourist event in China. More than half an hour before start when the sky began to turn grey almost every level piece of rock was occupied. People were pushing and shoving to get the perfect spot for the sunrise photo. And in the middle of all this touts were trying to sell their services as photographers: “拍一张！拍一张！” 15 RMB! I can do that myself. Only that they kept annoyingly getting in the way. When the big moment came and the brilliant sun disk appeared on the horizon all hell broke loose. The touts grew frantic shouting and hustling customers to the perfect position. I had imagined a quiet magical moment - but not in China, not on Mount Tai. A flurry of photographs erupted. And everyone was taking the same two shots: "I'm holding the sun in my palm" or "I'm poking the sun". Then 30 minutes later when the sun disk had cleared the horizon it was all over, everyone had gone. Then I finally got my private moment with the sun and a bit of magic did actually come up. The highest peak I've climbed so far, alone with the wind, the sun and the sky.
Then came the most difficult bit that I been afraid of: the long way down. Another 6600 steps. I'd never make it. My legs, despite endless hours of walking around cities, were feeling like jelly. But what goes up must come down. Unfortunately, I had lost sight of my friends from yesterday during the flurry of activity during the early hours. I found some distraction meeting another group of girls also on their way down. But they were so interested in all the souvenirs sold along the way that I eventually left them. So, bathed in sweat but happy I reached the foot of the mountain. I wonder when the pain will subside but I'm looking forward to climbing the next higher mountain.

Revelation on Mount Tai

Mount Tai, China

See things with your eyes, not just through the camera lens.

Admittedly, you don't have to meditate on the summit of Mount Tai for this revelation but it did come to me here. By coincidence. It should be common sense. But is it?
Taking pictures is getting easier and quicker and more and more people list "photography" as their hobby - especially travel photography. I do, I have to confess. With a digital camera you can take hundreds of photos, shoot everything if you want. So, when going to interesting places, doing interesting things you take lots of snaps to show off to friends and relatives - "check out where I've been!"
Unfortunately, the temptation is to look at something once, take a snap and turn away and move on - "I'll always have the photo to remind me." You want to go more places and then later look at the photos. But what if something happens to the precious pictures? Printed photos fade or can be lost, digital ones - well, it happened to me. Twice even. A single hard drive crash can erase hundreds - thousands - of photos. With my USB hard drive broken - for good, I have to assume for now - I know what that means. That moment more than 4000 photos went down the toilet. All that remains are memories.
So, now I hope that I really looked properly at all the places I went. I certainly try but sometimes temptation is too great to line up a shot and leave the rest to the camera. I know, from now on I'll look at everything with double attention. I still take pictures but from now on I want to make sure I don't miss a thing. As a friend said: "What's important are the memories in your head."

Sleeping in a Rat Hole

Taian, China

I arrived here in Taian late last night. Groggily I walked out of the train station into the usual throng of relatives, hotel touts and taxi drivers. The Station Hotel had been described as reasonable, so I was looking for that one. A taxi driver helped me find it but it was full. And I hadn't booked. Crap, I thought, it's late at night, I'm in a strange place, I have no room and I'm planning a difficult climb tomorrow. I told the taxi driver I was looking for something cheap and the helpful man instead guided me to what I had taken for a newspaper stand. On one side there was an entrance and stairs leading down underground. Several shady types were hanging around the entrance. This was a hotel?! I was introduced to the boss. The rooms were really underground. There was a long, dirty corridor littered with rubbish. Some more shady types were loitering. I was feeling more uncomfortable by the minute. The first room he showed me was right at the back. For RMB 65 he said. I laughed at him, told him I was prepared to pay 30. Then he showed me another room around the middle of the corridor. It all looked like a brothel. Some rooms did have girls in them. This room had TV and a VCR, he announced. Apart from that there was a single light bulb, the bed and table were cheap, ancient and rickety. It did have a shower. I thought about it: the backpack was getting heavy, I was tired, it was late, I hadn't spotted any other hotels nearby and it would only be for a night. I haggled him down to 30 and registered. By the way, where was the toilet? I was led further into the bowels of this warren to a dark doorway. The room had no light (which may have been a mercy) but it stank as if people had pissed and shit on the floor and it hadn't been cleaned in a decade. The stuff that grew and lived in there was probably better left in the dark anyway! And my door could only be locked with a makeshift latch and a padlock. I was having second thoughts...
Before sleeping I found myself a net bar to check my email. It's an interesting phenomenon that once you've made a bad choice much better alternatives seem so obvious. Now I realised the damn station square was surrounded by hotels. Some rooms were also for RMB 30 and they were above ground. Gah! Since when did I listen to taxi drivers at the train station anyway?!
In the end I decided I was too tired tonight to carry my luggage to another place. Besides, I had already paid. And how bad could it get? How bad exactly I found out when I went to bed later - after using that scary toilet one last time. I now found out that the walls of my room were only a thin sheet of plywood. People were shouting in the corridor and it sounded as if there was no partition at all. It also sounded like some sort of argument. And the door to my room didn't close properly and could only be jammed shut by a little latch on the inside. Lying wide awake on my bed I considered the situation: the shady characters outside were fighting, it was all happening right outside my room, my walls were basically paper and the door was not secure. I was so not feeling safe when someone actually started banging on the door. Now I was frightened. What did they want now? I tried to ignore it but it went on. Eventually, I opened. It was the boss. They wanted the VCR. I waited while they disconnected it and carried it to their room. I jammed the door shut again and went back to "restive guard mode", listening, staring into the darkness. Finally, I started listening to some music instead and that lulled me to sleep.
This morning I practically fled the place. Even forgot to take a photo to document it. I only felt comfortable again when I was outside in the bright morning sun. The boss wanted to help me find a guy that would watch my luggage while climbed the mountain. It turned out to be a little tent next to my "hotel". There were some suitcases and the "guard"'s sleeping mat in the middle. It had "theft" written all over it. No way, I was trying my luck with the left luggage office at the station.
Later a businessman from Beijing treated me to a massive breakfast and we chatted slightly awkwardly about Beijing, China, economy and the Olympics. He ordered some expensive seafood dishes and made me eat some of it. He refused to let me pay for any of them. That revived my trust in the kindness of people a little. Still, I'm never ever again going to go for the first hotel I see. Especially if it's a cab driver recommending it.

Ups and Downs in Qingdao

Train K208 Qingdao to Taian

On the first day I missed Vero terribly. I could hardy take it. I wanted to cry, to scream or at least be alone but there was nowhere private enough - that's the big disadvantage about China: if you want a moment alone it's almost impossible. I went for a long walk, tried to enjoy the fair weather but where ever I turned things reminded me of her. I ended up at an old, German-built Protestant church and after sitting down found myself praying. This was the first time in a long while - maybe ever - that I had done this. This time, all the pain, all the longing went into that prayer. I asked God to take good care of her, take make her happy. And even though I dared not consciously ask for it - I'm not a good Christian, after all - deep down was the plea to do the same for me. And I cried - probably the first time in my life I really meant it. Quietly I confessed all the mistakes I had made and asked for forgiveness - not happiness, just to be forgiven. I actually felt a bit better after this, so I continued my walk. Then, later, a ticket booth for boat cruises was playing Richard Marx's Right Here Waiting, a song she used to sing at karaoke. I stayed, listened to the whole thing and felt miserable like never before. The song and my fatigue (I get emotional when I'm tired) had me in tears again.
In the evening, after a lot of restless pacing I decided something had to be done. I had to get among people. Being alone would not help, probably just make me feel worse. So, I sent a message to my couchsurfing contact in Qingdao. She was not available but two friends, she told me, were going to Laoshan (a mountain near the city) the next day and would I like to go along. I hadn't intended to go there but I made up my mind it would be good for me. One of the friends, Erin, turned out to be the girl I'm hoping to stay with in Kaifeng later, so it was a good chance to get acquainted.
The next day the weather turned bad. I actually woke up very early and found it raining heavily outside. Add to that a strong gale. Cold and nasty weather after almost summerly days in Beijing. Laoshan was canceled. In the end we decided to head to the Tsingtao Beer Museum. The two girls were in good spirits despite the weather and even though we headed to the wrong place initially. They were giggling, cracking jokes and that (and a good night's rest) lifted my mood a bit. It turned out that Meredith, the other one of the girls, was even staying at the same hostel as me. Thus chatting we followed the history of Tsingtao beer and even got a free taster of a special cloudy Tsingtao which doesn't have (what I think are) preservatives, so you can only keep it a single day. After lunch we went back for some more beer sampling. At first, we ordered from the bar's menu and paid. Only later we noticed that other people just showed their ticket and seemed to be served beer. We asked the waiter - was it for free? Did we have a ticket? We presented it. Well, why didn't we say so before? Three tickets received a free 1.25 liter pitcher. Cool! The girls were shocked, they had already had enough after the first round. Still, I couldn't possibly let that much beer go to waste. I'm German after all. So, I just finished the pitcher mostly by myself. Buurp! Then, since it was still raining, there was nothing to do but make our way back to the hostel and sleep it off.
In the evening I ended up having a long talk with Meredith - after we both had sobered up a bit. Her ex-boyfriend had been German and she still missed him a lot. He seemed to be a strange type: she would once describe him as stern and distant, then as warm and loving. But she loved him nonetheless because she said he was a very good person. She actually talked about him endlessly. At the same time, I tried to tell her of the painful, longing thoughts that still held my mind. I wonder how much either of us really listened. We badly needed to talk.
The next day it was still stormy and rainy, a weather that strongly reminded me of the North Sea (was that how Germans chose their concession in China?). Me and Meredith wanted to see St. Michael's Church but it was closed - it was receiving a new wind organ from Germany. First the train station, now the church: closed for refurbishment. Maybe it's not so good after all traveling China before the Olympics. After that me and her went separate ways. She has a tourist guide pass and so doesn't need to buy a ticket anywhere. She can afford to go into any expensive attraction just for the heck of it but I didn't want to pay for all the tickets. I decided to give the beach a try - I ought to be tough after years in the UK and not mind walking in the wind and rain. At Bathing Beach No. 1 I already gave up. It was too much. It wasn't letting up. I was drenched. This was no fun. I turned back.
That evening came the second hard blow this week. I connected my USB hard disk at an internet bar to copy across some photos from my camera. At first, everything seemed fine, I could see my files and folders. Then suddenly an error popped up and disappeared, and with it so did my files and folders. I spent the rest of the evening frantically trying to connect the drive to various computers - without success. The assistant at the net bar tried to help me with a lot of things but had to give up in the end. It's no use, he commented, it's broken. My blood went cold. There are thousands of photos on that disk! Everything I have taken on this trip so far. Photos of friends, everyone I had known in Beijing and places before that. I was devastated, didn't know whether to cry or to scream. It had to have been that damn moisture from the rain. I had been so stupid! It had been in my bag all the time when that got soaked. Finally, the assistant at the hostel told me her friend said it should be repairable. If the fault was not too serious. That has given me some hope. Maybe, maybe there's chance to get everything back: my photos, my new Chinese music. At least, the drive is still recognised, just cannot be accessed. I hope that means it's just a software error, boot sector fault maybe, not a mechanical problem. Hope...
That final evening I tried to drown my sorrow in some special Tsingtao brew I had bought. It worked at least a bit - after two bottles the loss of my disk didn't seem that bad anymore. I met Chrystal and Jen, two Chinese girls learning English. We decided to visit Zhongshan Park together the next day.
The next (and final) day in Qingdao (I had already extended my stay by a day) the weather finally cleared up. I already thought my luck was improving when I tried to get money at the ATM. And failed. I was running out, so it was urgent. The girls waited patiently while I tried to resolve the matter. The answer: They hadn't filled the ATM yet. I almost thought they were joking. Was this a bank of not? Bank of China no less. At least, it wasn't my card's problem. That was a big weight off mz chest. At a different bank it finally worked. So, the day could begin, after all.
As the weather in Qingdao is clearing and the forecast for Taishan, my next destination, is clear, too, maybe my luck is improving. After these few days here it certainly can't get much worse. Still, as I leave Qingdao there's again the vague pain that I'm leaving new friends (even though they may only really be acquaintances) and that every next destination is taking me further away from Beijing and the girl I've realised I need so much. I begin to hope again that we can work something out. There must be a way. If my luck is getting better maybe that's a good sign. Let's try and be optimistic here.
Don't forget: learn from mistakes, make the best of what I have and don't be stupid. As Yorlin said, I may never get such an opportunity again, so I should enjoy the journey of my life.

Parting Thoughts

Train T195 Beijing to Qingdao, China

My train pulls out of Beijing station for the N-th time - the only difference: this time it's final. I will not come back. And as the wheels begin to roll I find out something about myself. Something unexpected. A no-brainer, sure, but it strikes home the most when you come to the conclusion by yourself. People have always asked: "Isn't it lonely traveling by yourself?" I always used to laugh it off. "No", I'd say, "you meet lots of interesting people on the road. It never gets lonely." But it does. Right now I know, I feel it. There are no real friends, noone to trust, noone to confide in. Everyone is just a passing acquaintance, no matter how interesting they may be. And you must always move on, leave them or be left by them. With a shock I realise I will spend the next half year without friends, without anyone constant in my life, noone I really know or can get to know. Vero tells me I'll be seeing some amazing things, some unique sights but still, all the ancient culture, the breathtaking scenery I may see don't take away the pain of leaving her. She told me this would happen. She's afraid of it herself sometimes, I think. And her being a lot cleverer than me she's right, of course. So, I leave behind another life I've built up: friendships, love, people and places I've grown attached to. And their lives will go on and mine also has to. Our courses diverge and I'm afraid so will our lives. Of course, that has always been the plan. From the very beginning. But I've now I've discovered that plans are not always as easily executed as conceived. There are always people, feelings involved. I envy my friends that they may stay and spend time together and they envy me for the chance to go and see the world. I guess, it is a chance to meet new, interesting people. It's a chance to see other old friends again and to make some new ones. And the world is getting so much smaller. It becomes easier and easier to see friends and stay in contact. The thing is, the thought should give me some comfort but it does not fill the emptiness I feel now. I'm afraid to forget or be forgotten. I go through all their - your - names: Vero, Sun Shu, Evonne, Yizhu, Peng Yi, Tian Chao, Jin Yuan and many more. The thing is that if I chose to stay with them, even cancel the whole rest of my trip just to be here with them, eventually it would be their turn to go instead. That's just the way it is. As Vero said: What's better - leave or be left? We're students. None of us know where we'll go yet - or we know it all too well.
So, I can only go on and hope to see you again someday, somewhere. I will miss you. 我会想你们！ And time passes so quickly.