Tripping in Jinan

After a couple of weeks in Tangshan and having been advised that I’d not start teaching classes for another week I jumped on to one of my various travel spreadsheets (one should always have a spreadsheet handy for any and all circumstances) and chose a town to travel to over the next weekend.

Fortunately the bullet train (super speedy, can reach up to 300kms per hour) opens up options to travellers, especially given the places I most want to see are more than 500 ks away from Tangshan.

As I’ve mentioned Tangshan does lack the level of nature I’m used to (that being… taking Willow the dog to the park, to the beach, to the river, to an inlet… sitting in a pub and watching the weather make its way across the Albany quay, meeting my sister in a hideaway cottage encompassed by trees and wildlife for a weekend… heading to a rocky expanse to watch the ocean and eat a BBQ with my parents… or most recently sitting infront of the fire watching the changing horizon of Loch Leake).

Here, you’re unable to sit on the grass as that it where people often spit or defecate, so sitting idly under a tree reading a book isn’t an option. There are a couple of nature reserves I’m yet to investigate, but I felt the need to see a wee bit more of China before starting my new vocation as a teacher!

My eyes kept returning to Jinan… It’s apparently known as the ‘City of Springs’, boasting natural springs and a man-made moat that encircles the city. It boasts a mountain and some ancient relics, as well as Daming Lake which looked like nirvana to me from the expanse of cement I was coming from.

So… I let Therese knowing my plans and asked if she’d like to come along. She was keen, so Friday after the 4pm lesson we wandered through the humidity along the road (at times closely avoiding oncoming traffic, at other times… by-passing a herd of sheep (whom I suspect were looking at us as much as we were looking at them… 

“are they human do you think?”, 

“Odd looking humans if you ask me… look at the size of their noses!”, 

“some sort of hybrid I’d say then…”, 

“yes… that must be it… excellent grass this evening though.”

We slipped our backpacks through the security conveyor belt, stepped up on the block inside the x-ray machine, waited for the guard to give us the once over with a metal detector, plucked our bags back from the conveyor belt before they slid off into oblivion and spent time squinting at the giant display board to identify where to catch our train. Fortunately we had a wee bit of time so took a seat in KFC and enjoyed a bite of inappropriate and unnecessary Western food.

Two and a half hours later we emerged from the train and made our way to a taxi rank. Sometimes being a Westerner works in your favour… there was a line as a long as long as the Ganges, but when the taxi conductor saw our pasty exterior and wondering eyes they hailed us to the next cab, jumping the line – delightful!

I showed the driver the address in Chinese on my phone and figured, yeah… he’s got this. Twenty minutes later we arrived in the heart of the city at a nice looking hotel. Outside the streets were bustling, lights flashing, street food sizzling.

“No booking for you”

“Yes… see… booking…. Fiona Leake”

“No… not here”

I stared at the lady… was I sure she was correct? Had I not made the booking correctly? Did I accidentally pop in the wrong dates? I showed her the confirmation email,

“Not here… “ she pointed to the right of the hotel.

“Far?” I asked

“No” she said… and I hoped she knew that far meant distance, not something else.

I jumped on to google maps and popped the address in… Therese and I, backpacks in tow, started our traipse through the Jinan streets. It was dark, coming on 10pm, but while we walked (sometimes alone on an empty street which was somewhat confronting) we enjoyed the tree lined roads, heard a bird or two (of which we’d not heard since moving to Tangshan)… felt at peace with this city already, in such a small amount of time.

A left, a right, a few silent moments of frustration with one another and we finally reached the red dot on Google Maps indicating that yes, we had either reached our direction… or had met our makers enemy. The red dot was through a barred off parking lot with a few lights. The building to the right looked unoccupied so we continued a few meters more and came to what appeared to be the entrance to a motor-lodge looking establishment.

As we entered the door the two workers scattered… their eyes wide in fear of the complications these travellers would create! I waited until one of the ‘employees’ stood still long enough for me to thrust my phone at them to show that we had a reservation.

“No, no no”

“yes… see… booking… this address”, I continued to point at my phone.

“Leeee-akkk-eee”?

“YES! Leakkeee!”, oh what relief, it was past 10pm, I was ready for a shower and a feet-up. Thank goodness…

“no foreigners”

“No what? But we have a reservation?”

“No foreigners”

I suddenly wondered if I could pretend I wasn’t a foreigner, could I pass for mainland Chinese?

Suddenly some familiar words entered the atmosphere, “Are you ok? Can I help”,

This was who we’d soon know as Steve. Steve was from Shanghai and was visiting Tangshan as an English teacher. Steve spoke English and interpreted for us.

After four phone calls, some googling, an apology or two and A LOT of gratitude from myself and Therese, Steve arranged a free taxi for us to get to another hotel, one that would accept foreigners.

This is a common thing… hotels need a special license to accept foreigners, apparently it doesn’t have to do so much as with standards as with the Chinese being aware of where their citizens are, and in contrast… where the visitors are. However at the time I wasn’t aware of this and felt completely prejudiced against! I certainly would not have destroyed the room or flushed loo roll down the loo… I was also a wee bit tired and had no intention of napping on the street.

So… HURRAH! We arrived at this marble floored, chandelier lit, hygienic smelling foyer, I felt the frustration of the last few hours slip from my shoulders and be replaced by the silk scarf of relief. I handed over my phone with our details, our passports sat anxiously on the marble counter, the woman tippidy typed keys on the keyboard and then… she… looked at me…

“For next week?”

“Umm…. No… for today? Someone just called you?”

“yes… booked for next week”, she turned the monitor back to me… the dates clearly indicated a twin bedroom apartment for five days from today.

My blood seemed to turn into oil and boil at a higher temperature. It was not their mistake, it was no ones fault, but for goodness sake, could we not get a bed for the night!

I cleared my throat, I counted silently to ten in German (it takes me longer to get to ten that way!) I used my Google Translator and asked:

“Room for two nights… one room… same price… here?”

The assistant looked at my query, she tippidy typed on the keyboard again nodded; “no window”… “That’s OK” Therese and I said, our feet aching, our eyes drooping, our desire to just retire for the evening.

After a rather heated discussion around prices and deposits, some keen investigation of our passports and speculation of our cash, the assistants’ assistant gave Therese and I the key and indicated where to go to…

8502... We jumped in the elevator… I pressed 8… nothing. I held the key card to the reader and pressed 8 again… nothing.

More German counting.

We got out of the elevator and started to wander, then found a cleaner around a corner. I showed her our card and key number, she led us back to the lift, pressed “5”… apparently 8 is just the hotel, so you go to level 5, not level 8, and then we found room 502. PHEW!

One enormous king sized bed greeted us, a perfectly pristine bathroom with a shower head like something from a celebrity house… Window? Who cares… we were going to have a glorious shower, a night in a crisply clean bed and…

Well, who knows what will come of tomorrow.

……………………………………………

Jinan is in the North West of China, originally famous for its ancient springs, most of these have now been incorporated into conventional waterways. It is known to be a very aesthetically pleasing city and its been occupied for around 4000 years.

Why did I decide this was the place to go? The Thousand Buddha Mountain. It is located 285 metres above sea level and is now situated in a public park filled with other relics. I was determined to see this, to wander into the cave and spend time with the stone carvings.

We woke, we found food (in the way of bread and then the most expensive cup of tea I’ve ever had… and will likely ever have! $8 for one pot of English Brekky Tea! Can-ya?!), having translated the directions to Thousand Buddha Mountain on my phone, we jumped in a cab, I waved the phone screen at the driver and twenty minutes later post the stop-start endless traffic we arrived at what seemed a paid-for-entry public park.

Tickets bought, we ventured in… stairs ascended before us, we took a sip of our water bottles and started the long progression. Along the way we took in sculptures of Buddhas in various emotional moments… waiting… itching an ear… holding his sore knee… displayed an extended eyebrow… the lady Buddha laying back and relaxing while Chinese persons bowed and made offerings of incense and fruit and cigarettes and crisps.

Oooohhh I cannot tell you the spiritual relief of being near nature, the trees, the ferns, the birds, the grass. Watching the light dance in shadows through the leaves… a slight breeze, the scent of earth. It made the walking, the incline, a lot easier to deal with.

We stopped to observe a tree littered with red and gold strips of silk. Chinese apparently wrap these silk strips on the trees while making request to Buddha, or making wishes at worst. Various times Therese and I would see one of the strips tied to a random location that would have taken quite a lot of bravado to get to… like the side of a cliff, or the top pillar of a building!

As we wandered up the incline I spent time considering the stones under my feet, the rubbing that had caused shinning and thinking of how many toes, boots, shoes and sandals had stepped the same steps as I. There is something quite humbling to that.

Finally we reached what I thought was the top (I’d be sadly corrected in short order), but at this plateau we took in the beauty of Chinese architecture, the decorative nature of the buildings… I sense that at no time a building was just shelter, it feels as if there was a spiritual purpose, more meaning to four walls and roof than what we have now in the west.

In perfect ignorant honesty, I just love the roves, I love the flick and ornamentation at the edges, the peaked peaks, the writing above the awnings…  The display of architecture really truly being art… without intent.

We came across a wall littered with ancient Chinese characters. A woman, who we’d been taking over and over taking during our trek to the peak, came to tell us about some of the images… this is elephant, this is home… I would love to be able to read and understand each and every of the ancient characters, but to be honest… I’m having enough bloody trouble with current Chinese characters!

Isnt it amazing that that’s how their written language developed though? Taken from images of the thing itself. Home is a picture of a house with a pig (a pig means you have wealth and its where the family will eat), scenery is a mirror image of sky and land… over time these characters were simplified to become the current Chinese written vernacular.

Enough of a history story? If I was anyone else I’d have bored myself by now!

One English writing moment was a sign I noticed:

“KEEP OFF THE GRASS… GIVE IT A CHANCE TO GROW”

Oh! Perfect! and “MAINTAIN MORALS AND OBSEVER THE DECENCIENS: BE A CIVILIZED TOURIST”

Can I mention to the sign makers about people hocking and spitting willy nilly?

Seeing the city of Jinan from this height was nothing less than spectacular. You can see how green it is, with different parks and plots filled with trees and water.

As we wandered through different levels along the mountain we witnessed Buddhists paying their respects to their gods, incense floated serenely in the breeze and I took a moment to simply appreciate that I was here, in this moment.

We found more stairs and so UP UP UP we continued! We stopped, we breathed, we sipped water and started again… and again… and again… and finally we arrived at what appeared to be the top.

The view was incredible, to understand the cities expanse from one horizon to another. There is also a ‘promise wall’, similar to that in Paris, people bring or buy padlocks and ‘lock’ their love on the wall… don’t know about you but it gives me the heebee geebies! Unless you happen to keep bolt cutters with you at all times!

The final leg to the peak of the mountain was somewhat precarious… when I was growing up on the farm I’d jump from rock to rock, over gully and literally into a damn… Sadly, since turning 30, I’ve developed this unexpected fear of death so even walking down steep stairs causes some leg-shaking and deep breathing.

One foot at a time, using tree branch or jutting stone where available I finally made it to the stony, rocky top of the mountain and took a moment to take in the view…

Then wonder… “where the heck are the Buddhas?”

I mean really, you cant be calling a mountain 1000 Buddha Mountain and not have a bluming Buddha… can you?

Therese and I made our way back down the mountain, we were determined…

Is that a slide?... YES!

Therese and I paid our stipends, we sat with excitement on our separate plastic carts… as I sat, holding the rudder it began to move and I was moving up the mountain once more (just with less leg strain).

It was a relaxing and less stressful way to get to where we’d originally wanted to go… but ten minutes later there was the opportunities to go DOWN the mountain!

Having gotten to the top, we dashed around the barriers and prepared ourselves for the way down! There was a family infront of us and we mimicked to suggest that they were first so should go first… NO NO NO… Westerners up front and up front we were!

The best bit? You’re in control of your speed… press the bar forward you go faster, pull it back, you go slower… when you’re going around a corner you lean left or right – WHAT FUN!!!

I zoomed…

I zipped…

I wheeled…

I whisked…

And I wish I could do it every day! If not, someone sort me out a rollercoaster! Its just too much fun!

We got back to the bottom of the mountain, we walked left, we walked right… we left the park and came back again… Google Maps didn’t know which way to go, the Chinese didn’t know what we wanted… my blood pressure rose… and then when I was purchasing water, having had to bargain our way back into the park, I showed the assistant my phone in a final hope… the assistant said…

“yes! Buddha Cave! That way… ten minute walk”

RELIEF! ENGLISH! DIRECTIONS!

And off we went.

Legend says the Buddha Temple was originally by the ocean, but a god became angry and threw the temple in-land which is why its located in Jinan. The people then chained the temple to Jinan d this is a representation of the ‘chain’ itself.

Buddhist monks came to this area and chiselled imaged of Buddha into the stone around 581, many of these still exist, however many had been rebuilt post various wars, after 1468 during the Ming Dynasty. The Cultural Revolution saw further destruction, only to be resurrected years later and now the Thousand uddha Temple is an international draw-card.

History is one thing, but to see, to hear and to be amongst this, is another. These painted caves, the scent of damp and darkness, the flickering lights and chill of stone.

From dancing gods bulging from the walls, to Golden Giant Buddha staring serenely down at you, the drip drip drip of water from the caves ceiling, the subtle characters emerging from stone walls, light reflecting from chiselled cheeks and silk robes laid upon sleeping gods.

As we walked, Chinese wandered past bowing at each image of Buddha, many bearing sticks of incense to honour their gods.

We emerged back to the glaring sun and took in the giant Buddha overlooking Jinan City. To witness such a cave in person was an experience in itself, it almost made me wish I had some kind of faith like they.

So.. Mission accomplished?

I think not!

Rather than take a cab back to the hotel we decided to walk (to be perfectly honest I find it frustrating to be sat in a cab, watching the dash click Kwai after Kwai… and there is an invalid person getting to the end of the street faster than I?... My legs are free!).

Handy Google Maps showed us the way! We headed into the centre of town, only about a thirty minute walk from the Giant Buddha.

We watched the music fountain for a moment or two, this is a mountain in the CBD that was erected by the government. It plays every hour but at night, it not only squirts water to certain tunes, but also has a light show.

Therese and I decided to go and grab some food and return later. We found a Western type restaurant just along the moat… I enjoyed some pasta and wine, Therese has a whole chicken and a cocktail.

We returned later in the evening and, after a photo shoot with 75% of the Jinan Chinese population, Therese, myself and two wonderfully kind and helpful Chinese students watched in delight at the water / music show.

Imagine a 50 meter two lane swimming pool, at the end is a large circular water-stage… as the music played the water would fly up into the sky with lights changing in accordance with the beat…

The area was packed, families with their kids donning rain coats, couples holding hands, siblings playing with mini sling-shots, the slung part lighting up in the sky before twirling down... the kids running about to catch them.

At the climax of a song the water from the fountain would splash over the crowds, the people calling out eeks and ooo's and wow's, the kids screaching with delight.

During the chorus streams of water would fly up in the air, the water would cut off and for a moment or two gravity allowed rockets of water to hover unassisted in the atmosphere.

Oh it was beautiful…

Its something that my mother would have LOVED!

Therese and I immediately decided we should move here… This city was simply too beautiful, the people too open and kind, the environment too natural… stuff the contract, we were not going back to Tangshan!

We wandered back through the crowds, having said good bye to our short-lived but forever-remembered friends, we observed the tower lit up by water and lights, groups of children spinning along the cement in skates, men kung-powing with sticks, others dancing to mamba music and acrobatics with swords…

We wandered along the moat, enjoying the peace, the water, the weeping willows, tree trunks and… although there were cars kicking distance, the silence?

Jinan seems to have so many areas for natural respite… After booking out from our apartment the next day Therese and I headed on foot to Daming Lake – we got distracted…

There were men writing Chinese characters with black paint on lengths of rice paper, again… more dead rabbit looking things on key chains that, although feel so soft, still freak me out… I wanted to play the throw a dart at a balloon game… but we simply observed and carried on!

We crossed the road – alive… hooray!... paid our entrance fee and started our wander.

Daming Lake is the largest lake in Jinan and a very popular place for mainland Chinese.

It was a blowy and rather polluted day but strangely this didn’t take away from the beauty of the place.

Therese and I wandered through the gardens in the hopes of jumping on what looked like a floating temple… We suddenly came upon a shouty shouty woman near a boat and we decided this might be what we had been looking for…

Ten minutes later a raftish barge arrived… 10 kwai? Why not…

It dropped us off to an island that had:

1.   A toilet

2.   Nup… that’s it… a toilet

Ten minutes later we were back on the barge and off the island…

Therese decided enough was enough, we needed to go on a speed boat and no excuses!

We wandered back, another twenty minute walk… I cannot tell you how excited I was… a speed boat? A SPEED BOAT?!

Finally, we reached the entrance again but took a right, rather than a left. We handed over some cash and popped on a life jacket (between you and me, if you couldn’t swim… this jacket would likely cause more problems than less, but who am I to suggest OHS and China?)

Thump… Thump… we are on the boat… NIIIIINNNGGGGGRRRRRR – we are off! We sped across Daming Lake… water flicked off the side of the boat, the sound of the engine buzzed in our ears and our hair flicked and flacked in our eyes, across our backs… aaaahhhhhh how can you not love a speed boat?

Ahhh can we go again? Ehh not for that price! Instead we decided to spend the next hour wandering around the park until it was time to take a cab back to the train station.

Sometimes the unexpected road it the better… as we wandered about we saw giant dinosaur like lilly pads with flowers too-boot, a wedding by a pagoda, volcanic rock formations, more weeping willow trees, stone bridges, and an ancient temple.

Oh the temple… or was it a pagoda? Well it was amazing, sadly we didn’t have enough time to investigate… But just standing there looking up at this piece of historic architecture… that was almost enough.

The time to taxi-it to the train station had come, and with sad hearts we waved good bye to the beautiful city of Jinan…

Since coming to Tangshan I’ve not felt inclined to stay in China for an extended period of time, but having visited Jinan… a city like that, I think I could take up a contract for a good year and be very happy…

We arrived to the staton on time… we went for a bite to eat at Maccas. At the time written on our ticket we returned to the entry point… WE WERE DENIED…

“too late”

“Too late? It says this time?”

“Train gone…”

“What do we do?!”

“Buy new ticket!”

The assistant was as kind as she could be, I did feel she should have been able to get the train to come back, I mean, how rude that it left before the time stipulated on the ticket…

Lesson learned: get to the station 1 hour before the train leaves…

Anxious… I was concerned getting a new ticket would cost a good few hundred kwai… so I left my bag with Therese and dashed across to the various ATM’s to get cash out

NO – do not take foreign card…

I tried another…

NO – do not take foreign card...

and ANOTHER….

NO – do not take foreign card… Eeek!!!

Fortunately

1.   Transfer of train ticket was free

2.   Therese was able to take money out

We got back to Tangshan safe and sound. I spent a good few days trying to get money out of eight different ATMs before calling the bank and finding out that the issue was infact that they had put a hold on my card thinking that it had been stolen….

“nope… that was me… I was putting money on my Chinese SIM”

“hahahah….oooooo… wonder why they cancelled it – OH!”

“What?”

“It looks like you tried to get money out of, like.. eight ATMs”

“Yup…. Cos I needed to get money cos I’m in… CHINA”

“HAHAHAHA…. Well you wouldn’t be able to do that cos we banned your card”

“Really… you want to have this conversation…?”

“No no no… yeah, I’ve sorted your card its all good”

“mmmmm thanks…..”

So... one day to recover from my adventure and then... my first ever day as a teacher... :)