Exploring the Caves of Binglang Valley

We took a two night trip to the rural farming village nestled in the valley of Binglang after our time at the karsts. We were glad to venture off the beaten path for a bit and bright and early the day after our arrival we set out with a guide for the caves.
Our hostel was brand new, and I mean window-not-installed-yet new. During the day and into evening the ambiance was unique as we studied and relaxed to the sound of excavators and plummers sawing pipes.
Our hostess provided first class home cooked meals alfresco and it was while having a multi dish breakfast of rice porridge and fried rice when our guide strolled up. He must have been in his late 40s, short in stature and had a steady, calm and confident demeanor. It was apparent in the way he scrambled over boulders and loose earth at the mouth of the first shallow cave with the ease of a billy goat that he knew the terrain as well as the back of his own sturdy leathered hands.
The first cave we arrived at was more of a natural arch no less than 50 feet across and wide.
The walls were peppered with the scars rock climber’s anchors had left in the surface and climbers footprints were left undisturbed in the dust.

We cleared the cave and were instantly transported into a secret realm, concealed from all but the eye of the beholder. The valley floor was wide and lush and and beautiful pattern stained the gentle chasm’s walls. Our guide led us steadily forward into the onminous shadow in the rocks ahead. Entering it eerily reminded me of crawling down the gullet of the earth. It was cool and dark in the mouth but as we penetrated deeper into the throat, other than the trickle of water, it became deathly quiet, for we where more than 6 feet under. The weak beams of the flashlights would go a short distance before it vanished from our vision, overwhelmed by the endless darkness. The five of us had 3 flashlights together. Nick and I felt our way through the darkness without much guidance.

Our hands were our eyes, guiding us over invisible rocks and streams we couldn’t see. Once in a while our guide would stop us to point out some neat formations formed by dripping water and minerals. The cave itself was about a kilometer long. It wasn’t as grand in size and formations as Kentucky’s Mammoth Caves but the independent feeling of not staying on a lit path with plaques everywhere and the fact that you could actually get lost and die in there made it more magnificent, at least in my opinion. When we crouched, almost crawled to reach the exit, our eyes had little time to adapt to all the light even though we were still out of the sun’s direct light on an overcast day.

The ferns reaching for the light in the mouth of the cave were backlit just so that they appeared to have a radioactive glow to them, and we stopped to admire the resilient flora more than once, which was an excuse to catch our breath as we traversed the faint path back into the valley. It was quite a humid hike back to our hotel on foot, most of it was through brush and rice paddies with limited water. We really enjoyed our excursion to the country but there wasn’t anything to do for many miles, not even a convenience store to buy snacks, and the next morning we caught the early bus, bound for the river town of Fenghuang.

Avatar Adventure

Are you scared of heights? How about stairs? Both these phobias would be considered unhelpful in our past few days spent in Zhengjiajie National Forest Park, the inspiration behind James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar. After grabbing our favorite breakfast treat of pork boazi (dumplings) from our preferred family restaurant we made our way to the park entrance located just a block or so from our hostel. We lucked out on weather, it was sunny, blue and the warm breeze smelled of adventure and exploration. All of our wild spirit and thirst for a serene hike in the mountains was momentarily squelched when we saw the packs of Chinese tourists queued for the shuttle busses which appeared far and few between. It must have been twenty minutes of a hurricane upon the ears. Middle aged women jabbering over megaphones while babies cried for some peace and quiet, which evidently back fired. When a purple bus would pull up before the twelve lines, desperation was visible in the pupils of those around us. Rules, humanities and common curtesies were in the rear view mirror as sightseers kicked and scratched for a seat or at least a spot onboard. Drivers confidentiality took the hairpin turns at insane speeds, whipping around corners while some unfortunate passengers lost their lunches.  Team T was not alone has we pushed for the doors at the first stop. We had only caught quick glimpses of the towering Karsts from our sardine can of a bus but now the scenery unfolded like that on a stage.

The stone towers stood out again the blue sky and were dotted with particularly stubborn trees clinging to the slope. We walked with our eyes turned to the heavens, necks bent back awestruck with the grand wonders of nature. Until we saw the mini train. Gosh, just when you think you have seen every way one could draw in those on break like moths to a lamp........ The trains would pass every two minutes or so, insisting on blaring their horns whenever they did so. We spent the day on remote trails which most tours weren’t up to tackle, and the views were dizzying. There were lots and lots and lots of stone steps but we consider this training for our upcoming trek in Nepal rather than torture. The day was great, we got good weather, excercise, trails and visibility. On the way to a bus stop we even got to know some local monkeys who appeared out of thin air when we  opened up some snacks. They followed behind us for a bit, hoping for some nibbles.

The next day was rainy so we spent it studying, but we wanted to take advantage of our multiple day pass so we returned the day after dispite the clouds and showers. Deciding to learn from our mistakes of the first day we went later in the day and took a different route to hike which led us along the floor of the valley alongside a nice brook. We strolled along that for a while before tackling a trail that took us practically straight up a karst until we got to a crowded bit of trails completely over run with bus tours. The views were nice but the megaphones were deafening and it was more than we could stand before retreating to some steeper and quieter corners of the park. That’s more our style anyway.

Terribly Crowded at the Terra-cotta Warriors

Screaming crowds. Check. Battling selfie sticks. Check. More viewers than most of our state. Check. Tour guides shepherding their livestock. Check. Clear visual of the warriors. Check for those with x-ray vision. All of the above can be found at the popular tourist destination we paid a visit to on possibly the peak day. We had heeded the advice of Lonely Planet and went early but so had everyone else. Viewers around the largest pit were 6 deep around the railing, pressing into one another like a human trash compactor. We must have waited ten minutes, braced against the wall of people, just to push and shove into a spot wide enough for us kids to get belly up to the railing, snap a few pictures, soak inwhat has been called the 8th wonder of the world and wiggle out back out to a space large enough to lift your arms. Easier said then done. Mostly complete clay archers and swordsman  enjoyed their spacious glass boxes while phones and tourists alike were pressed against the glass.

Don’t get squashed Nick!

It was like this in all the pits and Michele and Justin were intrigued by just how much the place had changed since they had visited some 15 years before. What had once been residential neighborhoods was now paved courtyards specially designed for the vendors that covered it. A well oiled money making machine. On the way out all of us especially me and Nick joined many family photo albums, posing in more selfies than we could count. More than a few times we didn’t even pose and just noticed that we had mysteriously been the center of many photos when amateur photographers cleverly angled their phones toward us.The family passed on the museum as we were unsure if there would be any room for us inside. Even if there was a few square feet of extra standing room that doesn’t guarantee a view of anything. We learned many things from this field trip, both educational and cultural. First, the terra-cotta warriors were made by Emperor Qin to protect him in the after life and secondly don’t mess with Chinese tourists armed with selfie sticks.

Local Adventures in Dunhuang

As we bumped along off road, squished in the back of the sand colored van with some guys from our hotel and two strangers I reflected once again on how I had gotten there. I thought there was a rule something about not getting into vans with strangers you meet while your kids are on a camel ride. No? Well we were here now with not a clue where we were going or what we would encounter. The suspension strained to keep us from bottoming out on the dusty path up into the mountains. We switch backed through crevices just barely wide enough for our vehicle to squeeze through, as the driver laid on the horn, signaling that we were coming. The van drove past pagodas where the yellow and blue paint flaked from years of exposure to the elements and temples where the perfumed smoke of thick sticks of incense was visible in the crisp mountain air. Suddenly, like a shimmering angel in a sea of choppy stone waves we spied a gold statue nestled in between some craggy peaks. Once we got closer we realized how far away we had been when we caught our first glimpse and that the metallic Buddha we had assumed was maybe life size from a distance was a towering 7 stories tall! After seeing the outside and admiring its grandeur our friends revealed an otherwise concealed door into the statue! Inside it was hollow and quite darks. Beautiful paintings of the Buddha and all kinds of people and creatures adorned the walls. In the center of the cavity was a statue of the Buddha himself. What an experience! We had a good time trying to figure out what the murals depicted.
After a few more minutes of twisty mountain roads and a short walk up some steps we arrived at a small monetary, so hidden so high it could easily be overlooked. Mom and dad said this is what trekking in Nepal will be like as we climbed steep and narrow stone steps up to a shrine where you could see all the peaks jutting up from the range, scoring the sky like razor blades. It was really beautiful and we were all greatful to have an unique and unforgettable adventure while in Dunhuang. After a quick stop at a well sacred to the goddess of mercy we treated our new friends to dinner and tried some local specialties.

Justin with new friends

Camel Ride

I say ride but I really mean photoshoot, you’ll see what I mean.
We had seriously been considering an overnight camel trek and camp but after our other Chinese camping adventure (see post below) and a bit of research we decided to find a more off-the-beaten-path adventure. We asked our old buddies Shar Tru and Wong Sho Wa at the hotel to see what they could do for us and low and behold a few calls later our camel came to us. Have you ever seen a camel run? It’s quite a spectacle, running an least 20 miles an hour behind a motorbike it’s hooves flail out sideways. The creature bounced up and down and as it ran its humps swung left to right. Our jaws dropped. A camel came to our hostel just for us? It lurched to a halt and it’s jokey, a nice enough young guy, tugged on its rope, signaling it kneel over. I craned my neck searching for three rides. Nothing, just a dusty road. I nodded slowly. I guess we would take turns? Nick was beckoned on and once he settled behind the first hump I was told to squeeze on behind him. It was a tight fit. As the camel lurched up we almost fell backwards.
The Camel Attendant as I’ll call him leads us past the fields of grapes onto the busy road. There we were, two American tourist kids on a camel just on a ride down the interstate, nothing out of place here. Many people slowed their vehicles to a crawl in order to snap a picture on their phones. Camel Attendant eventually took us off the freshly paved road intended for cars not hooved steeds and off into a sandy area with some teeny tiny dunes. That’s when the ride became a photoshoot. First came the posing. Hands in the air, thumbs up, pet the camel, etc, etc ok can we ride now? Nope, next it was taking turns slouching against the camel, thumbs up, big smile then flashing some peace signs. Third was hugging the camels neck. Click click click. Ok, now every one get back on the camel, ride up this dune and then let’s run all those poses again. Hmm, what are some other excuses to take pictures? Ah, now let’s get some shots of you walking the camel. Mkay I got a great idea, let’s leave the camel here and take some pictures of you kids throwing sand in the air. Love it, looks great. Snap snap snap. We got back on the camel, rode no more than a hundred yards and... took more pictures. After 45 minutes as models Camel Attendant AKA junior self taught photographer took us out in the middle of the interstate and took some more. Yes, you heard that right, during a break in the cars he lead the camel out to the yellow line, handed us the rope and ran to the other side of the road to get some nice angles.
When junior self taught photographer brought us back to the hostel he got mom and dad up on the beast and took 15 more photos. After saying goodbye to the camel we rushed inside hoping to look through all 414 pictures before morning. Just kidding, read about our adventure later that afternoon in our next post.

Desert Camping, A Cultural Experience Opposed to a Natural One

After a family hike through the ancient graveyard and barren stretch of desert behind our hostel and up the local dunes, we unanimously decided we liked the desert. After befriending our hotel staff, they set us up to go sand camping. Two words, that’s all the information we got. We forecasted that we would be driven to a spot nestled in the dunes where many other tourist were setteling into tents, maybe have a campfire and go to sleep. That’s not what Chinese camping is at all.
Our driver, who picked us up from our hostel, took us down the length of the oasis and through a residential neighborhood to a building with dance music blasting from a stereo loud enough to hear clearly from inside the car’s interior. We paid our fee to a middle aged guy behind a table and proceeded out back. There was a stage with neon lights, roughly 50 Chinese twenty somethings and no tents in sight. Ok. We were given sleds and instructed to sled down the well trodden sand dunes. This kinda worked but it was pretty slow going until we found some steeper slopes.

Nick and I hiked out into the dunes farther away and watched sunset from there. We observed that there were at least 5 other camps along the edge of the oasis identical to ours. Dune buggy tracks cut through the undisturbed sand and the rises were dotted with evidence of camels. It was nice but we won’t be a sand free family for a long time!

Maybe it’s just us but when we picture a camping dinner we visualize hot dogs or sausages over a camp fire. Maybe some salad or snacks to go with it. What we definitely didn’t expect was a covered dining pavilion with dance floor, tables and Chinese hotpot. For those of you who have never heard of it, hotpot is a big pot of broth, which you put meats, vegetables, and noodles into to cook before fishing them out and enjoying. It’s a social style of dining and we were assigned to a table with a English fluent girl from Chengdu and a University student from Switzerland. While we ate, an MC tried to get everyone in the party mood, but it was more funny than rousing because he was trying to make everyone feel spontaneous and free but it felt so structured. After witnessing competitions, trivia, alcoholic beverage chugging and Chinese karaoke we were Shepard’s over to the “bonfire” AKA three pieces of thin wood doused in lighter fluid. The lighting was accompanied by the usual ohhhhing and awwwwing. We participated in some odd fire dancing movements and ended the night by chanting in Chinese about friendship and watching everyone wave their cellphones.

When the MC got the rest of the group jumping up and down and yelling back over by the stage we relaxed and talked to some of the others who had decided to sit this one out. All the other camps we could see were doing the exact same thing and were on the same schedule. Then, just like that, it was time for bed. We could but our tents anywhere we wanted as long as it was between the fire and the stage, so approximately 100 square feet to share with 20 other tents. The night air was cold but we all slept well in our sleeping bags and were up early the next morning to watch the sunrise.