10/25/2007

China 4--around Hangzhou

So a bit of what I have been doing around Hangzhou.


There are blind massage guys here in China, one below, and for $5/hour... I've gone for a few. Although not as often as some Brits who I was living near--who got 2 a day!


I got foot massage today, divine. They lay you out in this ultra cozy reclining chair, soak your feet in hot water, wrap one foot in a towel like a mummy to keep it warm while they go at it on the other. With King Britt- "Deep and Sexy" set flowing through my head, i was in heaven. afterwards, i noticed they had glass suction cups and a gua sha blade, so i asked for some of both. After scraping my entire back, he slid a large fire cup up and down my paraspinal muscles--my favorite. and to top it off, he put on 10 stationary fire cups all the way up my back, so strong i thought my skin was going to be sucked off my back! Apparently he thought the same as he kept saying "oh my god! oh my god!" Good thing i knew what was going on. Strongest cupping I've ever had. The kid didn't really know what he was doing; it was too much.


I moved into a youth hostel a couple days ago, not because the YHA was cheaper ($7 vs 12) but because I didn't like the luxury of what was like a hotel room I was given by the hospital. Besides, there are more people here, mostly Chinese, to hang out with after the hospital. It's a bit out of the city, in a more quiet woodsy section of town with a little farm next door. Kinda cool.



It's funny, in China they spit (and i mean really hok loogies) everywhere (inside and out) like it's there civic duty. And the only thing cleaning up the streets are these trucks that drive around all day, everyday spraying two streams of water out the back and plyaing ad noseum an ever-lasting loop this 15 second long hyper-patriotic tune--the kind that really gets stuck in your head.

Went up to an ancient Buddhist temple in the mountains, called the Lingyin temple. It was really cool. In the surrounding mountains there are heaps of caves/rock faces in which hundreds/thousands of years ago people carved out Bhuddhist images. Both kinda spooky and really interesting.




The original temple dates back to 326AD, since updated of course. It was a really special place, I reckon--in a lush mountain side with sculptures, large statues, and pools around. I happened to have rocked up when the resident monks were chanting/drumming in the main temple. Not that we haven't all heard it before, but in person, in their element, it is something special.

I also went for a walk around Hangzhou's West Lake--what really distinguishes Hangzhou in China--with some Chinese friends I've made. It is quite beautiful.


Much of what would otherwise be the natural attractions of China are often helped out with man made additions. Around the Westlake are stone walkways, gardens, bridges and speakers playing relaxing music. In Wushan park just near me there are caged brids hanging from the trees/on the walls to ensure the forest is filled with the sound of birds.

On the West lake they also have a colored fountain like that of Barcelona. While it doesn't quite stack up to the "Magic fountain of Montjuc" in Barcelona, the one here is still pretty damn neat. The water jets are in sync with the music they play, moving in different patterns and pulsating so that each jet of water splashes down on itself in time with the beat... Pretty nifty. I reckon we should build one in Boston; on the Charles somewhere...I think I'll have word with Menino when I get back.

Like other third world coutries I've been too (although Hanghzhou looks far from 3rd world), I have been getting the celebrity treatment by the public, especially at tourist sites (where throngs of Chinese tourists go), where everyone says hello to me, takes a picture of me and occasionaly wants a photo with me. Kind of annoying at first, but if you just play along it can be kinda fun.

Some other memorable sights include parents squating down facing the street while they hold their babies/young chidlren's knees to chest so it can piss/s#*t into the street. Baby clothes have built in evacuation slits/holes in the crotch so that parents don't need to take any clothes off, just spread the legs and point. Better still, at the Hangzhou train station, there were no doors to the bathrooms and some of the stalls didn't have doors or people just didn't even bother to close them so that one could see right in from the hallway people's asses as they squated over the holes in the ground and did their business....sorry no pics these. :)


On a brighter note, I was walking with a chick through a park at night and we came across a little plaza/circle in the park in which there was a stereo playing hokie music to which about 60 people in their 40-60's were dancing. Neither of us could really ballroom dance, but we gave it a whirl anyway; one (older, single) lady was nice enough remind us, though, that "you guys stink".

2 comments:

  1. great entry, hud. those details you point out are fascinating (and hilarious). just the sort of things that make reading about another person's overseas experience so interesting. with all the goodies left on the ground i can't help but recall those traditional chinese platform sandals. it all makes sense now. and that lady's remark is priceless. what a bitch.

    :)
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