Thoughts from a Chinese Train

Thoughts from a Chinese Train

Gliding through middle China; 25 hours by train.
Farmers finishing in their fields; scarecrows hanging in dusk light.
Constant tracks lulling passengers to join the now sleeping sun.
Misty dawn giving way to yellow-glowing fields;
Winding rivers, tree-softened mountains, simple farm homes.

A train ride away, but feeling ages removed,
From the grey concrete and smog veils of the surrounding cities.
Their towering high-rises huddling close;
Not-so-distant buildings half-hidden in haze;
Constant din of car horns and motors, construction and progress.

Gleaming countryside dotted with cars and construction.
Sprawling cities hugging enclaves of green and ancient pagodas.
The patchwork of old ways and new,
That stitch a country together.

Written on train journey from Chengdu to Guilin.



But before China were Kinabalu and Sarawak...

After leaving Daniel and Tina's place in Tamparuli, I headed to Kinabalu National Park, home to Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia at 4,095 metres. While there, I did day hikes and birdwatching in the park, and met some fun people along the way. To climb to the very top of the mountain, hiring a pricey guide is required, so I just went up about 80% of the way one day. While I missed out on the summit experience, I still enjoyed seeing the change in vegetation at the different altitudes, especially the pitcher plants about halfway up that the park is known for. Another highlight of the visit was staying at a hostel called 'Jungle Jack's,' which is run by a Chinese Malaysian man named Jack and a rotating backpacker crew of helpers. Jack is quickly becoming a legend with his recently opened hostel, given the rustic, but cozy setting he's created near the mountain and the camaraderie created by the group dinners every night with everyone staying there. It was fun meeting other travellers from around the world, exploring a few areas together, and swapping stories.

Mount Kinabalu from Jungle Jack's place

Pitcher plants on Mount Kinabalu

Jungle Jack's

From Kinabalu, I headed down to the southern state of Malaysian Borneo, called Sarawak, where I took a boat deep down the Belaga River, about eight hours to a town called Belaga. The boat ride itself was a great adventure, sitting on top of the boat roof with a few other passengers, watching all the longhouse communities whiz by on both sides of the river. I was very sad, however, when my lucky hat which I've traveled with for many years flew off my head into the brown waters of the mighty Belaga at the end of the journey. Hopefully, someone has found it and is enjoying it. My new $2 hat is very ugly, but at least I won't be disappointed if I lose it.


A longhouse community on the Belaga River

Cruising down the river on the boat roof

In the river town of Belaga, I got to watch the final boat races of the inter-tribal games, which occur every two years, and involve many tribes from the surrounding longhouse communities competing in all sorts of races and events. There was also a 'rainforest beauty pageant' one night where young women competed with their colourful costumes created with nature-inspired designs and answered various questions (which unfortunately I couldn't understand). Before heading back upriver, I did some rainforest trekking and got to spend a night in a longhouse with one family in the community. The longhouses often house 100 or more families with each family having their own section of room(s), but sharing common areas. While many of the buildings have been becoming more modern over the last decades, their age old values of the importance of community have remained strong. It was awesome learning about longhouse culture firsthand after visiting several museums showcasing the cultural diversity of different tribes in Bornean Malaysia.

Boat race at the inter-tribal games

Rainforest beauty pageant

My last major Sarawak adventures were visiting Kuching and Bako National Park. The morning I was headed to Bako, I broke/fractured another toe—this time the middle one on my right foot. (The toe on my left foot broken in NZ has mostly healed, albeit a tad crookedly). This time was a bit less painful, but still enough to turn it purple for a week! Nevertheless, Bako was incredible for its wildlife, which includes proboscis monkeys, endless species of colourful birds, flying squirrels, and so many more. The park also contains almost every type of plant life found in Borneo with its hugely diverse ecosystems including beach vegetation, mangrove forest, kerangas forest, and grassland. I spent a night there in the simple park hostel and did a guided night walk as well as two days of hiking (something my toe was a little upset about, but was still well worth it).

Beautiful Bako

Pitcher plants at Bako

Blue drongo at night

Large gecko at night

After Borneo and catching up on errands back in KL, I was off to China. When I was there two years ago for work, I didn't get a chance to visit the Li River, where I'd always dreamed of going, so this time I worked a trip around ending on the Li River, choosing three major areas to visit in China—Xi'an for its history, Chengdu for its people and food, and Guilin for its nature.

Once the capital of ancient China as well as the beginning and end of the Silk Road, Xi'an is a city drenched in history. While there, I visited the old city walls, the Muslim quarters, and the famous terracotta warriors, the site where thousands of life-size terracotta soldiers and horses were buried with an emperor in 210 BCE, and only rediscovered by a farmers in 1974. I also went to nearby Hua Shan, one of China's Five Great Mountains and which has a long history of Taoist importance with many shrines built on the mountain. While climbing up Hua Shan, I met two Spanish guys who bicycled all the way to China from Spain, crossing Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and many other countries over the past two years. It was so fun hearing about their adventure told with so much passion for the places they've been. During my time in Xi'an, I ended up randomly crossing paths with these two three times...go figure in a city of 8.5 million people!

Terracotta warriors - Pit 1

Warriors

Climbing Hua Shan with new Spanish friends

One shrine on Hua Shan

From Xi'an, I took a 17-hour train ride to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, the province of China revered by Chinese as well as people worldwide for its spicy, delicious cuisine. Being a big fan of spice, I had a blast entertaining my taste buds along with an awesome Servas hosting couple who had me stay with them. Heqian and Wong Lee are only a few years older than me and speak English, so it was easy communicating. We really enjoyed visiting and learning about each others' cultures. They also dropped me off one day, while they were working, at a panda breeding centre, where I got to see infant, child, and adult pandas. These animals, unique to China, are so endearing, and it's easy to see why the world loves them so much.


Spicy Sichuan dinner with Heqian and Wong Lee

Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Centre

Adult panda

Infant panda

After Chengdu, I took a 25-hour train journey to Guilin, a city on the Li River, known for its unique limestone karsts and proximity to beautiful countryside. I took a scenic bamboo raft ride down the Li River to Yangshuo, where I based myself for a few days, renting a bike and cycling around the countryside along rivers and between huge karsts and farmland. After spending time in bigger cities, it was refreshing to breathe the clean air and experience the peacefulness. In Yangshuo, I found out about the famous Impression Sanjie Liu show and got the chance to attend. It's a huge, incredibly impressive performance held on the Li River every night. More than 600 performers sing and dance on and along the Li River, using it as their stage with a backdrop of the surrounding natural limestone karsts, lit up with hundreds of special lights. The production is directed by the same director of the 2008 Beijing Olympics closing ceremony. The number of performers and their coordination was incredible.

Li River

Countryside around Yangshuo

While the Li River is what drew me back to China this time, I enjoyed the whole journey, and found that some of my favourite experiences were surprises I found out only as I went from place to place. A good reason to leave a large portion of travel to serendipity.