China Romance
All About China => Your trip to China => Topic started by: Paul Todd on August 02, 2010, 10:43:03 pm
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We set off yesterday morning for the 12 hour drive up to Neimenggu or Inner Mongolia to you and me. It started with the usual 2 hour drive from Baoding to Beijing and then we headed up north past Badaling and the Great wall of China. We where discussing this in the car when I asked what the literal translation of " Cheng Chung" that's what the Chinese call it [ that's my spelling of it!] was and it's " Long City" which I found interesting along with the "Great Wall Shop" Well It's not like the Chinese to miss a marketing opportunity is it!
We spent the next few hours steadily climbing past beautiful green countryside and the classic Chinese jagged mountain profiles then the trees disappeared and the scenery gave way to bare rock cliffs. We past a few unbelievably bleak small towns that looked like there only reason for existence was to service the numerous beat up trucks that plied there trade between the Provence's. These towns had a single black top road heading through them and to both sides it was compacted earth that had been churned up and filled with stagnant water and diesel oil along with the general rubbish that is discarded along the way. Add to that piles of rusting scrap metal and used tires and you get the picture. I had one of those moments when it hits you, just how lucky an privileged you are purely by an accident of birth.
Then it was on to the Mongolian plateau, rich red fertile earth with all types of crops growing their.It was here I saw my first "Yurt encampment". In the past I had spent time living in Teepee's in the Welsh valleys and numerous converted bus's and camper vans so I was quite excited to see my first "wild" Yurt as it were. I have some friend s who have land in Portugal that are living in one and I always quite fancied it. I was disappointed I have to say, not in the yurts themselves or the fact that some had new 4 wheel drive SUV's outside them but because in this vast landscape that was just made for nomadic living the had pitched them in perfectly straight lines! Then we past through a wetland nature reserve and as the miles ticked by the landscape grew more and more arid and the fields where replaced by scrubby desert.
We got within 100 km of our target, the small town of Xilinhote where Ming Zhi's aunt lives and our first port of call. We gave her son a call to tell him were we where. He told us that the road ahead had been dug up for the best part of 50k and advised us to drive down the wrong side of a duel carriageway into town. This was not as bad as it sounds but still a bit scary. It unfolded that the old 2 lane road was being resurfaced and a new 2 lane road had been built paralleling it for traffic running in the opposite direction. So we followed his advice and crossed over the central reservation and headed up against the oncoming traffic. To be honest when you get into central Neimenggu there is not that much traffic but what there was were quite surprised to see us coming straight at them along with the traffic policeman who flagged us down a few miles latter!
He was not happy with us and I can't blame him really but Ming zhi was having none of it. She made a quick phone call and then a couple of minutes latter her phone rang and she passed it to the traffic policeman. He became a bit flustered wrote down our cars registration number apologized and said we could carry on! It seems her cousins who is an architect's best friend is the chief of police and it was him who had call the hapless traffic cop! Poor guy I really did sympathise with him. Anyway we drove into town and met up with Ming zhi's cousin in his brand new Lexus 4x4, who directed us to the best hotel in town and insisted on paying for our whole stay. After a quick shower it was off to dinner.
We drove across town to an old courtyard type house and were led into the one room dining area. Two tables where set out for about 10 people each. As the other dinners arrived we where all introduced. Other architects, one being the owner of the practice where Ming zhi's cousin works, the chief of police,doctors and the like. The restaurant if that is what it was had no signs outside or any way of identifying it as such. The food was served and the toasting started. These guy's where seriously heavy drinkers 3 bottles of the Mongol white spirit disappeared in the fist few toasts. Also present were a couple of younger women who were obviously the mistresses of one or two of the guests, first time I had witnessed this. They too were knocking back the stuff ,much to the amusement of all concerned. Our host slowly degenerated into a babbling mess as did his wife and the rest of the guests. I held my own but tried not to catch the eye of anyone proposing the next toast although being the only Westerner there made this tricky! The food on the other hand was fantastic whole roast lambs and lots of spice veggies. Any cuisine that puts a roast lamb in front of you and a sharp knife to slice chunks off with is alright in my book!
Dinner finished it was off for a cruse around town to see the sites in the Lexus, our host's wife driving and him working the indicators. I was not too comfortable about this and was quite pleased when we finally got back to the hotel in one piece.
So today were off to meet my wifes aunt, which I'm looking forward too. More latter....................
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Paul , you got THE Life . How exciting your Story , need to find some Mongol White Spirit and I'll toast to you and Mingzhi's
always on some kind of adventure . Driving on the wrong side , now what is wrong with that .. in China . People do it here .
More to come ... I'm used to waiting . ::)
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they do love their lamb in this part of china, great part 1 Paul looking forward to 2
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Great update buddy, makes you feel you are right there with you... ;D
Haha I had an incling that you were a 'hippy' haha... ;D ;D
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Great story Paul, looking forward to the rest as usual. Question. Did you write travel guides in a previous life? Hmm...
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A great read Paul , Sujuan's daughter Sun Yao who is here with us has been there so I am asking her questions as your story developes , regards Robert and Sujuan .
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oh did you take the new guitar with you to entertain everyone???? forgot to ask
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Today I have the mother of all hangovers, even typing is painful. The day started out well enough with a great lunch at a local restaurant with my wife cousin and his family. Then it was off to see Ming Zhi's 80 something old aunt. She lives in the old part of town in courtyard type house. She is a very kindly lady who spends most of her days tending her vegetable garden and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours together. It's been close on 5 years since the two of them last met so there was a lot of catching up to be done.
Then it was back to the hotel for a nap before dinner. I was told we where going to eat in the hotel so that was OK and at 7 we headed down to a very plush private dinning room complete with glass chandeliers. Our 15 other dinner guests where mainly policemen and there wives who as soon as they sat down they started knocking back the evil Mongolian white spirit. It was a hotpot dinner which is not my favorite but eating was secondary to the drinking session that followed. Each of us had a glass jug filled with with the said spirit and a shot glass and the toasts just carried on and on. After maybe half an hour everyone decided that the shot glasses where too small and they moved on to drinking out of the jugs it was then that everything started getting messy. I had been watching how the toasts were done and decided I should have a go much to the delight of all concerned. I figured that I could not do this singly so I raised my jug to 3 or 4 people at a time this still left me having to drain 5 or so. Next one of the wives got up an decided to sing a song! She was brilliant and sang this traditional Mongol folk song as a welcome to my wife and I. More heavy drinking followed and one or two more people got up to sing. Then the jugs where just to small and they stepped up to drinking from bowls. After that point things got a bit hazy and I don't remember getting back to the room, always a bad sign! Apparently I made a good impression with everyone and made some new friends.
Boy am I paying for it this morning! What possessed me to start drinking bowls full of that evil spirit I'll never know. Never Never Never again.
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Try using some WD 40 on your finger tips. :o :-X Never mind.
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Try using some WD 40 on your finger tips. :o :-X Never mind.
hahaha...too funny.
Great trip update Paul. Its always good to make new friends!
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What possessed me to start drinking bowls full of that evil spirit I'll never know. Never Never Never again.
Famous last words!
Great story Paul, you have had an interesting trip.
It seems to me that the older we get the longer it takes to start feeling human again after a little drink.
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great update Paul i have had a few days like that here in China and now i will just have a beer or two at home
or when we go out alone together. when we meet people i just tell them i dont drink anymore
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Well, back in the land of the living and fighting fit after my brush with the local firewater we headed off at 8am with Ming zhi's cousin, wife and 20 year old son for a slap up breakfast. I had a serious appetite and cleared everything that was put in front of me eggs, beef, flat bread fried dumplings and other stuff that I have no idea about but it all tasted good to me. Then it was back to the hotel to round up more "friends" who were going to come out with us for a look at the famous Mongolia grasslands. In all there were the best part of 20 of us packed into a couple of landcruiser's an X5 and of course the Lexus.
We drove out of Xilinghot for an hour or so then headed off down a dirt track, by all accounts the grasslands turn into vast wild flower meadows for about a month every year and its a sight to see. Unfortunately we had just missed the height of this but there where still enough for it to be impressive. Yellow, blue, purple and red flowers could still be seen and I said to my wife that we must come back next year in early July to see it at it's best. We drove around from one beautiful spot to the next stopping to take pictures and generally marvel at the size of the landscape,big skies. I know you guys from the states are use to this, but for a lad from Liverpool well lets just say I felt real small.
The yurt encampments we came across manly housed sheep or cattle farmers. This time of year it looked idyllic but come the 9 months of winter they have here you would have to come from hardy stock to survive it. Last year I was told that the average depth of snow was 6ft and it was always windy!
After 3 hours or so of this we made our way to a small cluster of yurts where we were going to have lunch. The biggest of them had been turned into a dinning area and the extended family that lived there were cooking up a storm for us. I latter found out the the price of one sheep butchered and cooked is 1400rmd, not cheap but I guess they make a good living for the few months every year that tourist can make it out there. Along with the sheep there was a range of fresh water fish from the nearby lake add a good selection of veggies and dairy products and you have a fantastic meal.
Inside the yurt where three big tables one of which was going to be for those that fancied a drink or two. Having been bitten before I was not keen to be seated at that particular table and did my best to slope off to one of the less dangerous ones. Only to be dragged back, but with much protesting on my part a bottle of the local beer was opened and I was allowed to join in the toasting with that. Of course as the rest of the dinners got into there stride more and more pressure was put on me not to be such a wimp and start downing the white spirit.Not a Chance! Every thing was going well I resisted all attempts and really enjoyed the food and the company until the chief of police arrived. I had been trading jugs with him a couple of evenings ago and it was like old friends meeting, much laughter at the state we got into and genuine pleasure at seeing each other again. Once he worked out that I was drinking beer he told everyone at the table about our exploits and that was it, well I wasn't going to turn the chief of police down now was I! We knocked back half a dozen shots each and the when he was distracted I snuck out. To be met by howls of laughter by others that had done the same. I grabbed my wife and told everyone we where going to climb a nearby hill and we set off. There was no way I was going to have a repeat performance of the last time. We spent an hour exploring and then went back to the inevitable scene of devastation.
The one good thing about the Neimenggu people when they get drunk is they get stupidly happy drunk and not arsey smash your face in drunk and even better because of there inebriated state I was give the keys to the V8 Lexus!!!!! Yippieeeeeeeee. The chance to drive off road in Mongolia in a car that I could never afford to rent back home let alone buy! When I started drifting it round corners there were a few nervous faces but what the hell it's not like there ever going to let me do this again.
We made it back safe and sound and I managed to get out of another dinner this evening. I now know that dinner is really all about getting wasted and nothing to do with eating at all. So Ming Zhi and I are off out for a pleasant and peaceful dinner together...................................
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Paul, are you trying to say that we American are used to feeling "real small?" :o ;D You cracked me up with that one. I used to get the feeling of smallness when I was in my later teens and early twenties when I smoked... Oh that is another story.
Really Paul and excellent read. Can't wait for the next installment. Yes I did know what you meant by feeling small but I couldn't resist poking a little.
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??? what??
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Great story Paul. I am really enjoying your trip. I can totally relate to the dinner/drinking thing. I had it happen to me in Hunan as well. Keep enjoying yourself, and thanks for the updates.
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Paul, are you trying to say that we American are used to feeling "real small?" :o ;D You cracked me up with that one. I used to get the feeling of smallness when I was in my later teens and early twenties when I smoked... Oh that is another story.
Really Paul and excellent read. Can't wait for the next installment. Yes I did know what you meant by feeling small but I couldn't resist poking a little.
Ok what is it with this site..everyone is becoming heightist...lol ;D ;D I hope you two are not having a go at me?.... :o ;D ;D ;D
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Paul great read as always.I'm enjoying reading the story of your adventure
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dont think they were doing that and as usual the read was good Paul
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Paul , glad you snuck out of that second drinking series of the W. Spirt . Because you are not over the first one yet completely . 1400 rmd for a Sheep ? hahaha
Or is the laugh on me and their money is indeed rmd's in Mongolia ?
From you great Post's , I can see .. you English ladd's are not far behind the German's whenit comes to drinking .
If I was to drink like that , Qing would kick my A** home to Shanghai for sure .
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We had planned to go and see Ming zhi's brother in Wula Gai today but it turns out that the one and only road in now impassable due to ongoing road "improvements" and as its a 8 hour drive into the mountains we decided to give it a miss.
So we accepted the offer of going on a two day tip out onto the grasslands from my wife's cousin. After another great breakfast we rounded up everyone who was coming with us only about 10 this time loaded up the 4 wheel drives and set of East.We soon turned of the main road onto a gravel track that gave way to two ruts and then disappeared altogether. We crossed the flatland and headed up into small rolling hills, sometimes skirting around the base of larger ones and sometimes climbing to the top for some breath taking views. We arrived at another yurt encampment for lunch, I'm beginning to think these "lunch stop yurts" are a regular thing here either that or my wife's cousin knows everybody! There was no chief of police around so I had an alcohol free lunch well apart from the two cold bottles of Heineken that was produced from some where.
Then we set off again, the white spirit consumption was moderate so I didn't get the car keys but you can't win them all. About an hour latter we found ourselves in a beautiful isolated valley with a scattering of yurts and herds of sheep and cows as well as some horses. We stopped at one to buy fresh cheese apparently from another friend of the family I joked that I would love to live here and have my own yurt [no I hadn't asked my wife] but the ever present Mr Fixit that is my wife's cousin disappeared and came back with the headman. It was all sorted he said for 2000 pounds I could buy a state of the art yurt have it placed on a wooden base and live there for 5 months of the year with all my food provided. What a temping offer............The wife was not impressed so I told them I would think about it.
The locals where a very happy bunch of brown as a berry Chinese people and they offered us milk tea with slices of cheese in, not half as bad as it sounds. Some guy came by on horseback and asked if we wanted to go for a ride but unfortunately we had to get moving to get to our hotel for the night. The more time I spend amongst these Naimen people and the amazing landscapes they live in the move I'm total smitten by the whole thing.
Surprisingly enough we arrive at the Hexonlet Unesco Geo Park for the night. I don't know why I said surprisingly because I didn't know where we were going from the outset. Still the park has yurts for rent with on-suit bathrooms so both myself and my wife were happy. We gathered for dinner which of course consisted mainly of lamb and spicy veggies again and I took a lot of pressure to start on the white spirit road but manfully refused well maybe not manfully so I was fairly together for what followed which may not have been the right move. We left after dinner and went for a wander about the site. There must have been the best part of 100 yurts as well as small shops to buy provisions and the like. Then there it was the "Disco Yurt" in all it's finery. Dangling multi colour lights and a big sound system, unfortunately all they played was sugary lyrics over a euro disco beat a poor excuse for music. What the hell, everyone was up for having a good time so we hit the dance floor and strutted our stuff. Me being the only white guy soon attracted attention from the best and prettiest dancers. Oh to have been knocking back the white spirit in advance and be 20 years younger, but maybe not and of course the prettiest woman in the Disco Yurt was my wife! Even when I was not dancing people where coming over to ask if they could have there picture taken with me, all very nice but a bit over whelming to be honest so I grabbed my wife and headed back to our own private yurt!
This morning it was a 6am call for breakfast and then on to the wonders of the "Asihatu Granite Stone Forest" First you take a bus for about 15 minuets up this beautiful wooded valley [silver Birch trees] to a car part and the transfer to electric buggies to be ferried about. The main point of the park is large granite stone formations which over time have been eroded into various shapes. The landscape was indeed beautiful but the company of Chinese people was even better. They really are great fun to be with and are always looking to have some fun. After a few hours we headed back to the cars and set off to a nearby town for lunch. Again a fantastic meal and great company, I'm finally getting used to being called Bao lua and not needing to be prodded when someone wants my attention!. During the meal the two girls that worked there ask if they could sing for us, just beautiful voices and haunting Neimen folk songs.I was of course totally blown away by them and their performance and made more new friends into the bargin.
Then it was a fast 2 hour drive over the plains and then back to Xilinghot. We are all meeting up again in an hour or so for dinner and the usuall round of giving me abuse for not drinking is bound to happen but it pails into insignificance when you place it next to the hangover that will inevitably follow. I think tomorrow involves the use of automatic weapons.....we shall see.
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hope your getting some great pics to share with us Paul sounds like a great visit
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Again, another great story.
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Paul, you are a great story teller. I totally enjoy reading your updates!
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It's not everyday you see your wife with a Kalashnikov in her hand but yesterday, I did !
I was told that we were going shooting after breakfast so as normal we headed off in a convoy to where? as usual ,I wasn't too sure. As we approached the Chinese military base I though to myself that this is just not going to happen. Me a westerner with automatic weapons inside a Chinese army base highly unlikely to say the least. When we stopped at the gate and watchtower the guards where visibly nervous once they had worked out that I was in one of the cars. Everyone got out to stretch there legs while the guards made a few phone calls, I felt it wise to stay in the car! The gate opened and everyone was issued inside apart from me who was put in the back of the Chinese version of a hummer. While our party where given AK 47's to play with I had to stay firmly on the back seat and watch out the window. It was still an experience but when I produced a camera it was most defiantly a no no.
Then it was off to lunch. This time in a farmhouse out on the grasslands. In all there was 15 off us and I was led into a small stone enclosure and shown a very fat sheep that was to be killed for our lunch. The time was at hand for said sheep and I was ushered to the front to watch the beast being dispatched. Now I'm the sort of guy who goes to the shop and buys nice fresh joints of meat and not the type who likes to see his next meal breathing it's last. The deed done I was given an expert class in how to skin and butcher a sheep. I was thoroughly impressed by the skill theses guys showed, obviously not the first time they had done this. Made me think that if civilisation were to collapse for whatever reason these peoples way of life would still go on much as it is now. Nothing went to waste everything had a use. Then I hung out in the kitchen to see how the meal was prepared. The farmers wife was maybe in her 30's and was one of those very capable women incredibly fit and with a very infectious smile. She had bowls of hot sweet milk tea for everyone and cooked the entire meal on a stove powered by dried dung.
Then it was sit down and start eating time and I tried not to thing about the poor animal from a few hours ago. As normal out came the white spirit and before long the first singer got to their feet. As the afternoon progressed it became a mix of feasting drinking and singing even the farmer's wife sat down with us and boy could she drink,no way I could hope to keep up! Then she had to check on the flocks of sheep out on the plain so she fired up an old motorcycle and disappeared, to say I was impressed by her would be an understatement. Her husband arrived not long after and joined us in the laughter and songs, it was a really good afternoon and when it came time to go there was lots of hugging and a few tears where shed. Once back at the hotel I fell asleep watching the TV while the rest of them carried on drinking until the early hours.
This morning it was off to see.....? all I really new was that horses were involved, possibly the army and the number 100. What's new, why would I want to know the details anyway? We set off across the plains again until we met up with a fleet of military 4x4's and joined up behind them. I was starting to get a bit nervous after yesterdays morning spent peering out of the back of a Chinese military vehicle! Still this time went better and I was introduced to a General no less and he seemed quite pleased to meet me so that was quite a relife. I still had no idea what was going on or why. We waited on this dirt track for maybe 20 minutes and then we moved off. My wife's cousin pointed ahead at two rows of Chinese cavalry caring red flags lining each side of the track, they then proceeded to escort us slowly down the road and into a military parade ground. This was set up with various things for the horses to jump over or go around and straw dummies for what I could only think was going to be target practice. Nobody seemed phased by me being there and I was even allowed to take pictures! the next 90 minutes we where given a spectacular display of horsemanship attacking with both sabers and rifles. Then I had my own chance to ride one of the horses! Ok I didn't stun them with my riding skills, in fact I was led tamely around the ground by a soldier who looked about 14 years old. I was introduced to one of the other guests who I was told was one of the top police guy's in Beijing, looked like a member of some Colombian drug gang to me!
Off for another lunch but this was in a very upmarket restaurant and we had lamb dumplings mmmmm. As none of my wife's cousin's drinking buddies where there I had my first alcohol free lunch and it was fantastic! Tomorrow we are off to another town and no I don't know where it is, why we are going there or what we will do when we get there. From there we are going to drive back to Baoding I think!
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Great stories Paul.
Do you have any pics of the sweet milk tea ? Do they use goat's milk and do they include a slice of cheese / millet grains ? I believe that they use a brick tea, is that a type of black tea ?
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A camera at a military base? is a no brainer. It does sound like your clearance came after you met the general? I am interested how they ride their horses? Here in the US we have two ways (acually 3 but this 3rd has few riding this way, Indian or bareback (no saddle)) we have western and english. Even though it depends on how you ride it also depends on how the horse was trained? That's what I wonder how the chinese ride? Wonder if they have their own way? In all it sounds like a fun trip to be remembered a long time.
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Yes Chong your right they use black tea "bricks wrapped in muslin bags. They drop them in a pan of boiling water and them simmer until the required strength is achieved. They then add cows milk and serve in bowls. The cows milk is fresh and not heat treated so the flavor is different. You can then add millet seed and slices of cheese. The cheese does not dissolve it just gets softer and you pick them out with chopsticks. Have you tried this Chong? I will see if I can get any pictures, it does taste a little like western tea but I'm a big green tea drinker my favorite at the moment is from Oulong.
Vince,sorry but I don't know anything about horse riding so I can't answer your questions but I'll post some pictures of the Chinese Cavalry and maybe that will help. As for when or how the clearance came your guess is as good as mine!
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vLove the story; it’s an adventure every time. Amazing what a man can experience travelling with your woman.
Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to read more
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Super updates Paul, experiencing all that is living life to the fullest, i wish it was me experiencing all that. Keep the updates coming , i am quite fixated :)
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Back home safe and sound. As usual all the plans changed at the last minute and Instead of going where ever we where supposed to go we drove back home. Ming Zhi's cousins wife's mother（I was never good with stuff like that) was taken into hospital for minor knee surgery so the family all rallied round and our side trip was cancelled.
For our final night in Xilinghot we went to the opening of a new restaurant, well it was actually a run through for the staff ahead of it's official opening. The owner a very jovial man comes from Sichuan and his wife is Naimen. The food was the best I've ever eaten in China a fusion of traditional Mongolian dish's with the heat of Sichuan cooking. The duck cooked in mushrooms was better than anything out of Beijing. We will defiantly go back there on our next visit.
I found out that Xilinhot has an airport and it's only a 2 hour flight from Beijing. That makes it an easy long weekend destination for us. I would really like to live there and my wife cousin has several houses and has offered us one, but my wife is none to fond of the cold and to tell you the truth I have no idea how severe a winter there could be.That leaves only one answer fly there and see!
The drive home was eventful. We have my wife's cousins son with us. He's 19 and was one of the off road drivers for us on our trip. He needs help with his English so he's staying with us for a month or so, it was the least I could do to help repay all the kindness that has been shown to us. He drove the 10 hours back to Baoding and it was interesting to see his preparation for the trip. We own a Nissan Tillda and first thing he did was to lift the bonnet and check all the levels and the the condition and pressure of all the tires including the spare. You just knew that he was used to the idea that your life could depend on small thing like that out here. The high spot or the low spot was driving through a 5 mile tunnel with no visible means of extracting the exhaust fumes. The tunnel was 2.5 lanes full with lorries and cars weaving in and out. The lighting was one dim yellow bulb every 100ft. The fumes where so dense it looked like fog and the blasting of horns was deafening,if there had been an accident I would not like to think about the consequences. We got though ok but a couple of miles further on 2 lorries had hit head on, one guy was dead in a ditch and at least 4 others where in bad shape. The time it would take to get help there I doubt they would have made it. I will never drive that road again so I was pleased to hear about the local airport.
So now it's back to that comfortable urban Chinese lifestyle, well until next time that is!
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Great all around Trip story , I'm glad to have had the opportunity ( thanks to your vivid writing ) to enjoy that in great detail and excitement . Back to Tea & Beer only .. right ?
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Absolutely Arnold,
No more Bai ju for me. We went round to my mother in laws yesterday evening and the first thing she asked was how I got on with the white spirit, she being from that part of the world new all about it! Then my brother in law told me that he would never go back after his first time! I asked why nobody told me about the whole drinking culture before we left and they just laughed. So for the next half an hour I had to put up with lots of ridicule about my exploits in Neimengg. Plus a demonstration of me weaving my way down the hotel corridor after drinking the stuff by my wife that had everyone crying with laughter and me looking rather sheepish. Being part of an extended Chinese family is an experience I could recommend to anyone such good people.