Finding a new apartment

We have decided it is time to find a new apartment. We have lived in the Changping district of Beijing for the past two years and we love it here. But to accomplish more of the goals we have while in Beijing, we have decided to find an apartment more towards the center of the city in the Haidian district.

For the past couple of days, we have been going from rental agency to rental agency of which there are many in Beijing. Agents try to find suitable apartment for us to look at. Rent prices are much higher than in Changping. Our present apartment is quite nice, and our rent is RMB 1,500 ($200) per month. For an equivalent apartment in the area we are looking in will be around RMB 4,000 and maybe more. So we are diligently looking and praying for a great deal. When we tell agents our expectations (1. very clean; 2. two bedrooms; 3. RMB 2500-3000), some have actually laughed. We will see...

Trip West -- Chengdu

When I first planned our trip, I knew that the bus ride from Songpan to Chengdu would be the longest. My hope was that with recent road improvements, the ride would at least be faster than the 12 plus hours it had taken me the first time I made the trip from Chengdu to Songpan. My hopes were confirmed when I bought the tickets. The trip would take an estimated eight hours, which is still a very long time with two children. On our walk on the last evening in Songpan, we had purchased some creative toys and art tools to help keep Josiah and Amelia occupied.

Around six in the morning we boarded a comfortable, new bus. The old, cramped, bouncy buses I had to take only three years before had all been replaced by these beautiful coach buses. With the children still asleep and the sky still dark, we set off on our way. The road followed the river flowing through Songpan as it twisted through deep, narrow valleys almost all the way to Chengdu. Becky and I both knew we should get a little more sleep before the children woke up, and the motions of the bus soon induced drowsiness. But, alas, sleep was impossible because the scenery was too spectacular! Streams plunged down rugged, steep mountains covered with forests into the ever-widening river. Tiny plots of ripe corn and other crops nestled onto small terraces on the hillsides dotted the scene. Villages flew by with their picturesque wooden cottages. Villagers dressed in fabulous traditional clothes walked along the road with their flocks and herds slowing down our bus. Unfortunately, my seat on the bus was in a bad spot to get any pictures, so I had to content myself with just cataloging it all in my mind. As we drove on, the climate and the scenery gradually changed. Forests became bushes and then dessert. Then everything became tropical as we went lower and lower into the heart of Sichuan. At about three, we arrived in Chengdu.

Our hotel was called Bob's Guesthouse, and it is pretty well-known among backpackers. It cannot be called luxurious, but it was relatively clean and inexpensive. Most importantly, it is located in the center of the city. The courtyard of the hotel has a very lush garden and tea house creating an old-China feel.

On a previous visit to Chengdu, I had been introduced to a special place called Peter's, Chengdu's Mexican restaurant. I now had a chance to take Becky! The place was well decorated, and the atmosphere was very fun. We were shocked by the number of foreigners who all seemed to know each other. Our food was delicious, and Becky and I even got a few moments alone as the kids played in a little play area.

The morning we got up early to head to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. We fun morning strolling along bamboo lined paths watching the pandas. Our favorite spot was the baby panda enclosure. Josiah and Amelia were thrilled watching the one-year-olds playing, wrestling, and chasing the keepers. Josiah even pointed out that their play resembled how he and his sister like to play (and fight).

The night before I had used the internet to reserve a special hotel as a treat for Becky having endured so many nights in one and two star hotels along our journey. Anyone who knows Becky knows how much she loves cleanliness above most else. She had learned to endure and possibly enjoy our less-than-immaculate places. Now I decided to make our last night in Chengdu really fancy. So I hunted down a good four-star hotel at a good price. After lunch following our visit with the pandas, we walked over to our new hotel. We were delighted by the luxury and cleanliness of our new room, and we spent the afternoon reveling in it.

After a wonderful nap, we went out to explore downtown Chengdu. We especially enjoyed the large, lively pedestrian street lined with lots of store and restaurants. While meandering, we stumbled across a pleasant surprise. To our delight we found ourselves standing in front of a Swenson's Ice Cream restaurant! We could not pass up that kind of treat, but dinner would bust the budget. So after an inexpensive fast food dinner, we returned to our scrumptious discovery. We have saved on dinner, so we went all out for dessert. Memories of my childhood came flooding back as I stared at the Earthquake pictured on the menu. Sentiment overcame sensibility, and I ordered it. An hour and ten scoops of ice cream later (of which I ate the majority), we sluggishly and happily headed back to our hotel for a night of sound, comfortable sleep.Through mutual friends I had contacted a foreign family living in Chengdu. On Sunday morning we had an opportunity to go to their home for a time of fellowship with them and a few other foreigners. They were a blessing and encouragement to us. Although our time with them was much too short, we said goodbye after lunch to our new friends. Then we made our way to the airport.

Several day before, unable to obtain train tickets, we had no choice but to buy plane tickets. Now, late on Sunday afternoon, we experienced a smooth ride to the airport, and anticipated a smooth flight home. We had saved telling Josiah about our decision until the last minute. Now, Josiah was ecstatic. He was going to fly! We walked up the check-in counter presented our passport. The lady behind the counter began searching on the computer for our reservation. Then the smooth day came to a sudden halt. Our reservation for some unknown reason had been canceled. We been a flurry of phone calls to track down the travel agent. He profusely apologized. He had mistakenly canceled our reservation! Now, there were no tickets available until early the next day. We explained that the next evening we had an important engagement, but they insisted there was no other way. Josiah was devastated at being deprived of his flight. We were stuck in Chengdu for another night.

So we were forced to return to our hotel for another night. We used to extra time to check out a pizza restaurant that an American friend had recommended that morning. The calzone was indeed quite good, but the Hawaiian pizza was just plain excellent. In three days we eaten Mexican food, Italian pizza, and American ice cream. We had to admit it. We were spoiled!

Monday morning we made our second attempt to leave Chengdu by air. This time we were successful. Four hours later, we walked back into our pretty, comfortable, familiar home having just completely a very special trip. Almost instantly, it seemed incredible that we had done it. And almost instantly, we began looking forward to our next adventure.

Trip West -- Songpan

At seven in the morning, we left Longmusi. A two hour drive on a packed bus filled with curious locals brought us to the city of Zoige. Along the way we made stops in small towns, nomadic encampments, and arbitrary places along the road. At one point we passed an older man beside the road prostrating himself over and over again.

About 9:00am we arrived. Like Hezuo, Zoige was just a place to change buses. Unfortunately, I was informed upon inquiry that there were no buses going to Songpan that day. Either we could hire a car, or wait until the next morning. Adding the cost of three tickets (Josiah is too big to go free these days.), plus a night in a hotel, I decided to spend the RMB 350 ($50) for a taxi.

The driver we obtained was an interesting local man who several times tried to come up with reasons to hike up the price. In spite of that, we got along pretty good. He really took a liking to wearing my "Adidas" sunglasses, which I had purchased in Beijing for $5. Over the next five hours, we discussed him, his life, his culture, and his Buddhist religion. We discussed the contrasts in our two religions. He had never heard anything about Christianity and asked some questions, so I tried to explain the basics to him.

One fact he did clear up was that Tibetan Buddhists believe a dead person definitely comes back as another human, not as some other creature. I asked why, then, was the population of the world getting larger? The number of souls transmigrating back into bodies is not multiplying. They are just being reborn, so the number of people should remain the same instead of growing larger. He was perplexed by my question, and professed ignorance about how to answer. If you know the official Tibetan Buddhist opinion on this, I'd be glad to hear it.

As we talked, we passed through absolutely beautiful scenery. Occasionally, we were slowed by groups of nomads crossing the road with herds of yaks and sheep. Grasslands suddenly became forest-covered mountains. Streams tumbled down the mountains into the river which the road we were on was following. Around 2:00pm we arrived in Songpan.

Becky was immediately impressed with Songpan. It is a small city tucked between two mountains. A beautiful river runs through the town. It has recently been given a face lift. There are many Chinese and foreign tourists that come to visit, so the town seems to cater to them.

Having been there before, I thought I knew right where to go. We just needed to go to the far end of town to where the hotels, bus station, and horse trekking company were. Unfortunately, I failed to realize that the previous time I came to Songpan I had come from the south. This time, I was coming from the north. As a result, I got mixed up, and we had driven right past the place where I wanted to go. The driver dropped us off in the middle of town, and we proceeded to walk with our bag to the other end. As we neared the end, a sinking feeling filled me stomach. I am usually quite oriented with my surroundings, but suddenly I was faced with a city that had recently changed a lot--seemingly entirely! After wondering around a little while with my ever-straggling family in tow, I stationed them on a corner and went alone in search of my bearings as fast as I could walk. After a few dead ends, I finally headed in the direction we had come from. After a block or two, I began to get reoriented. I realized my mistake and everything fell into place.

After recollecting my patient family, we got settled into our hotel, ate a good lunch, and made reservations at the horse trekking company for the next day. Then we spent the evening exploring the town and doing a little shopping. We found a cowboy hat that fit Josiah well both in size and style. For dinner we stopped by a restaurant named Emma's, which caters to backpackers, for a delicious meal which included a burrito and a great calzone. The kids preferred regular Chinese fare of fried rice.

The next morning we were up early in anticipation of our horse trek. Actually, it can't rightly be called a trek. With our two little ones plus Becky's general apprehension at spending cold nights in a tent, we had elected to go on a one day trek, which probably should be entitled a long ride. However, because trek sounds so much more impressive, we've stuck to that.

After a hearty breakfast, we made our way to where the horses were waiting. About thirty tourists, Chinese and foreign, had gathered to go on treks of various durations. Ours had by far the most people with eighteen in all. Josiah and I were given a white horse and the girls rode a dark horse. (Fate is strangely accurate =).)

At nine in the morning we set out on our ride leaving town and climbing a steep path up into the fog-shrouded mountains. The misty atmosphere made it chilly but it also combined with the green mountainside and a gurgling stream to create an absolutely beautiful ride. Oh, what our Creator has so marvelously made! We climbed for a couple of hours until we literally had our "heads were in the clouds."

Near the top, we stopped to give the horses and our back ends a brief rest. About that time, the clouds lifted and glorious sunshine brought stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. In the valleys, picturesque hamlets were surrounded by picturesque patchworks of fields.

Resuming our ride, we began our descent. Soon the mountainside got too steep, and we had to walk as a precaution against hurting ourselves or the horses. Our guides had been walking the whole time up and now down, but they hardly seemed winded. They were half goats! One of the "cowboys" (guides), took Amelia and headed down the mountain. Another held Josiah's hand and led him down. I carried Becky.

Just kidding.

By the time we came the small hamlet that we were to have lunch, Amelia was already seated on a villager's lap surrounded by caring folks. We were hot, dusty, and thirsty. We were instantly greeted in typical Chinese style: a cup of hot tea. We ate a simple and good noodle lunch at a local family's home. While there we got to watch our guides shoe some of the horses.

As we got ready to start on our final stretch into town, Josiah and I were having trouble finding a comfortable position for both of us on our horse. One of our guides noticed our predicament and offered to let Josiah ride on the back of a motorcycle. Josiah agreed to try it and I swung him down. A moment later he called my name. I turned around to see my son riding alone on a horse of his own with a huge, proud smile on his face. The guides had decided to let him ride on the horse they had been taking turns riding. While a guide held the reins and walked in front, Josiah sat up straight and tall as he rode his horse into town.

We arrived back in town tired, dusty and thrilled with what we had just done.

That evening took a walk through some of the little winding streets of Songpan until we came to to the river. After a little exploring, we discovered a pretty little stretch that was accessible to the public. That began a fun session of throwing and skipping rocks into the river. During the trip Amelia had become very fond of throwing rocks into water, so the rocky bank was a paradise for Amelia, Josiah, and me. Becky enjoyed it all as much as possible while still remaining almost paranoid about the kids falling into the chilly water and soaking the only warm clothes they had.

We then proceeded back to Emma's for a rerun of the previous night's meal. Those calzones were good! After dinner we headed to our cute hotel for quick baths, family devotions, and a much-needed early night to bed.

The next morning were up early to be on the six o'clock bus to Chengdu, our final destination. It was still dark, and the kids were still sleeping when the bus pulled out.

We said goodbye to Songpan, but we don't think it was for the last time...

Trip West -- Langmusi

Leaving Lanzhou at 7:00 in the morning, our bus set out into the Chinese countryside. For the next five hours, we watched the scenery transform from semi-arid, brush covered hills, to green, tree-covered mountains, and eventually into beautiful grasslands dotted with herds of sheep and yaks. Even after a few hours when our relaxed eyes began suggesting sleep, Becky and I were far too fixed on the endless string of new, interesting, strange, and fascinating sights and people. Livestock of all sorts often appeared on the road, and people from various minorities strolled along in their traditional dress.

Around noon, we arrived in Hezuo. This pretty good sized town was just a transfer point for us. It is just a dusty, quiet city with nothing much to set it apart. A local man asked us why we had come since there was nothing interesting to do. The fact that we were just passing through made perfect sense to him.

While we were waiting for our second bus, we got a bite to eat in a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The cleanliness of the place didn't impress Becky, but the noodles did! They were very good.

Having a one-year-daughter going through potty training and a three-year-old son still learning how to "hold it," it was imperative to find a place for them to relieve themselves before embarking on the second phase of our journey. That's where we ran into trouble. The rather large bus station had no toilets. Fortunately, we are used to that, and we are also used to it's solution. Children and men are completely free to relieve themselves practically wherever they want to in China. When Amelia cried out, "Poopoo!" Becky sprang into action and rush with her to the dirt by the side of a building along the street which according the evidence of damp soil and small piles of toilet paper had already been well-used by numerous others. Becky took off Amelia's diaper, handed it to me, and continued to assist her. I now had a new mission: dispose of the used diaper. Scouring the area, I could find nothing resembling a garbage can. I asked a couple of local men observing nearby what to do. They told me to just throw it on the ground. Now this I am NOT used to. I can honestly say that even in the farthest back-country I have never knowingly littered. Now I was being told by local folks to dump my refuse on THEIR street. I hesitated. I repeated my inquiry about how to dispose of my trash. Again, gesturing with their hands they insisted I could throw it on the ground. Having no other choice I heaved the diaper comically in the air. It landed with a thud. I couldn't help apologizing as I walked away. I am now a litterer.

A few minutes later we were rolling toward our final destination for the day. For two hours we watched as beauty around us became more and more breathe-talking until we arrived in the quaint town of Langmusi. It lies right on the border of Gansu and Sichuan. There are very few Han Chinese living there. Almost everyone is either Tibetan or Hui. The Tibetans are Buddhist and nomadic, and the Hui are Muslim and entrepreneurial. The Hui seem to own most of the shops and restaurants.

There are two major lamaseries in this small town, so the town is dominated by Tibetan monks dressed in robes. These two lamaseries are the main source of attraction for most foreign visitors. The admission fees ($2/lamasery/person) seem to be the major source of income for the Buddhists. Though I found several back streets that could have gotten us in for free, we declined to visit either lamasery while there. However, I did get to talk to a few of the monks around town.

Arriving in Langmusi was like arriving in another world or another time. The afternoon we arrived just happened to be the day of a festival at one of the lamaseries. As a result, the town was packed with Tibetans coming to celebrate. Their clothes, manners, modes of transport, language--everything was so different from what we were used to. It was better than a science fiction movie. It was real!

We made our way to the hotel and checked in at a counter behind which was a plaque proudly displaying one star. After settling in a bit, we took a walk around town to build up an appetite. The kids were objects of great attention, but everything was an object of great attention for the kids too: horses, pigs, chickens...They were having fun!

Another thing that caught us a bit by surprise was the cold. Even in August, the evenings were very chilly. Very few local kids had much skin exposed, but our family was dressed for midsummer heat. So a rare and instant shopping spree came about in this little town. Becky and Amelia got sweaters, and Josiah got a little sweat suit.

Then we made our way to the most famous place in town among foreigners: Leisha's Restaurant. They cater to backpackers from all over the world who often come through the area. They feature delicious Yak Burgers, but they also have a good selection of other western food which is all creatively made from local ingredients.

After feasting on yak burgers, we took a peaceful stroll around part of the town. The kids threw rocks in the river that flows through town, chased pigs, yelled at horses grazing on the mountain side, collected sticks, stirred up clouds of dust, and picked themselves up after falling time and again. Meanwhile Becky and I walked along exchanging smiles with the local folks, taking in the scenery, admonishing our kids to stop getting so dirty, and dusting them off when they inevitably fell down in the dirt once more. We could have stayed out there forever, but bathes and beds were calling.

The next day after breakfast, we changed hotels to a smaller, quainter, and cheaper place. There we washed out our dirty clothes and hung them up. Then we went out and bought pretty hats for the ladies to ward off the bright sunshine. Best of all, I had an excuse to get myself a genuine cowboy hat! Looking cool and feeling cool, I led the family off on a long hike into the hills. There we enjoyed a picnic lunch surrounded by all the glories nature. While on our hike, we met two very friendly young girls who chatted with us for quite awhile. They invited us to their yurt, which was too far away, and they warned us of the wolves that lived in the forest ahead of us.

That evening after another delicious dinner of yak burrito at Leisha's, we took other evening walk following the river to the end of town. How beautiful everything was! Just as we were walking back into town, an older Hui couple was bringing in their cows for evening milking. They invited us into their courtyard so the children could see the animals. Josiah and Amelia had blast! Their favorite animal of all turned out to be a kitten, which they almost straggled. We got to watch the woman milk a cow. Then their daughter, a college student on summer vacation, heated it up and served us the fresh warm milk. It was excellent--especially once they had us add a little sugar. We spent a delightful hour at their home getting to know them and their fascinating culture better. They were very kind us, and refused to take any money that we offered.

The next morning we had to be up early again to catch the bus out of town. Langmusi was special place that still felt very little affected by the outside world.


Here are a few more miscellaneous shots of our time in Langmusi...