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Postcards from:
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Hello from Tianshui, The day I left Xi'an the weather had turned sour making the dash from the hotel to the train station a soggy proposition. The waiting room for "soft sleeper" passengers like me could not have been more comfortable or convenient. A large display of information about the day's train schedules alternated between Chinese and English. On the train four English speaking guys shared my compartment and all traveled with laptops to support their jobs with Western firms. Curious about my tiny camera, they allowed me to process the photos taken in Xi'an using their laptops. On arrival in Tianshui they guided me to a quite nice nearby hotel. Along the way local sellers offered fruits to passengers hanging out the windows every time the train stopped. Beer and apples shown here are only a couple of the snacks offered by industrious track side venders during the trip from Xi'an to Tianshui. According to one of my fellow passengers the enterprising venders are local people trying to cope with their abject poverty. I came to Tianshui to see the nearby Maijishan Grottoes. The road to the monument is unpaved and bumpy so the trip takes an hour each way. Several private bus companies provide the necessary transportation. As I surveyed the possibilities I noticed all of the waiting vehicles contained passengers puffing away on their smokes. Chinese cigarettes have a particularly foul smell and smokers seem to believe nearby companions enjoy the stink. After checking three possibilities and returning to the sidewalk, one of the drivers urged me to board his rattletrap. Using mostly gestures augmented by a few Chinese words I knew sprinkled among terse English phrases, I made it clear just how much I objected to people smoking in closed spaces. A couple other passengers took up my plea that the no-smoking rule be enforced and the smokers all complied good naturedly. Score one more point for the healthy air campaign. The impressive sculptures carved into the face of a huge outcropping of stone are surrounded by a park. Chinese tourists come here to picnic... and take pictures of the foreign tourists. I'm not sure which is the bigger attraction for the Chinese, the Buddhist sculptures or the foreign tourists. Everyone wanted to use me as a prop for their photos. I also took a lot of photos myself, both of the giant sculptures and the people taking pictures of me. I attempted to reach my personal web site without success... wonder if I am being blocked in China? I've finally learned to read and write a few Chinese characters, like the ones for cities I'm visiting and especially the one for chicken. In restaurants that proves to be very handy. If it has got chicken in it, it is probably edible!
Peace,
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 Reference photo:
authorAugust 2002 |
