Okay I know that I have been the worst blogger ever! So basically since my last blog I have been skiing, went to a city called Xi'an (see lmerv blog on blavel), and hiked the Great Wall.
Friday we took a bus an hour or so out of the city and then got picked up in a tiny van and a car to transport us to a little village called Sancha with a population under 200. We stayed in a villagers house that was somewhat converted into a hostel but the wife cooked us wonderful food for dinner, breakfast, and lunch. They were a warm family of four a dad, mom, 12yr. old boy, and an aunt. The mother taught me how to make a dish with cauliflower and tomatoes. I can't wait to test out my chinese cooking skills in our dorm kitchen! Saturday morning we hiked up a steep mountain for about 45 minutes and reached the Great Wall. The Chinese refer to it as "ChangCheng" or the long wall. Most people think that one dynasty built the wall but it was actually numerous who worked on it try and keep the foreigners out. The Ming dynasty was the last dynasty to complete what we now consider the Great Wall. The place where we hiked was on the Ming wall. Most parts were fallen down but some parts were completely intact. Brian and I came across a huge slab that had traditional chinese transcription that was still visible. It is truly amazing to be standing on something soooooo old. Sorry I am not better with words but that is the only way I can explain my feelings at the moment. The wall was something built to keep others out and protect the people from foreign invasions. Today the wall is a tourist magnet that draws even more foreigners every day. Even though the area of the wall that we went to was completely deserted and we could feel like we were on something sacred there are parts that are huge tourist attractions where you have to pay to enter. The tourism brings technology, jobs, and new ideas to some smaller villages which otherwise would have been just living off the land. However, I feel like even though it may seem like it is better opportunity for the locals there is something about it that makes me wonder if it is truly better. As we hiked up the mountain we passed many terraced fields that one man was working early in the morning. On the way down I saw the same man sitting beside the fields he had just worked. His face had a look of pride and content after a days hard work. Who will continue this agriculture and pass on the precise mastering of the land that this old man had learned all his life if tourism took away younger generations to become tour guides? I cherish this man's knowledge and sometimes wish I could disappear and just work the land. Well I must go but I will try and be more diligent as far as keeping my blog updated from now on!
Oh I almost forgot... I made friends with the owner/worker at my favorite dumpling place!!! Her name is Zhang Su Ping...
