Thanks for all the well wishes we have received from back home. I wanted to follow up with a few of the notes I have received.
From Brett K.:
From Winter K.:
A number of questions about my health have come in. Basically, I have been very healthy. I have not been attacked by snail, which is good. I have eaten lots of weird stuff with little effect.
About 5 or 6 days ago my face broke out into some sort of rash. It was a bit painful. After about two days the skin started to dry and split. This was painful to the touch and stung after being in the smoggy air (combined with sweat).
Yesterday it started to peal. Today I look like I have scales. Huge flakes of skin falling off. Very gross to look at, but feeling fine.
I should be back to normal by tomorrow.
MORE SEARCHING FOR ART
I met my first unhelpful person on the trip today, but I don’t blame her.
There is a “Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital” a few block away. The plan was to walk over and ask for someone who spoke English. From there I was going to show them the picture I was trying to find. Hopeful they would have a lead.
When I got to the hospital I went to the receiving window and ask, “Do you speak English?”
“Sorry.”
I pointed to the phrase in my book, “Is there someone else who speaks English?”
She thought for a moment and then she had this most amazing look. It said, “Yes there is, but I am not going to disturb them, so you can talk to them.”
Oh, well. I will try again at the next stop.
INTO TOWN
I needed to head down town for a few things. One, I needed to track down where the Catholic Church is for mass tomorrow. Two, my mother asked me to get her some local fabric.
Once again, with phrase book and dictionary in hand, I started with the bellboys.
After letting them know I was looking for fabric and not clothing, they asked if I wanted to head to the “ancient town”?
No, we were there yesterday. I want to buy stuff were locals buy, not tourist.
They tell me there is a market in town. Point to a general area on my map and hand me this piece of paper.
So I get in a cab and hand the note to the cab driver. He nods and we are off.
Side note: It is an amazing feeling to head into a city you don’t know, with a driver who you can’t communicate with, hoping to end up in the right place. All I could do was hang my arm out the window, bob my head to the music, and enjoy the skyline (and the sheer number of other cars and bus we are just missing).
I have been down downtown and can tell we are heading in the right direction. After 10 minutes, he stops and nods as to say, “We are here.”
I pay and get out. I was not prepared for what I would find.
Later I saw in my travel guide it is simple labeled “market”. That doesn’t do it justice.
It was 7 stories tall. Must have had 1500 little shops, some not much bigger than my hotel bathroom. The aisle was not more than three feet between stores. Stuff floor to ceiling. You could barely move.
It was so intoxicating.
Everything you could need for your home could be found. Fake flowers, school supplies, office supplies, toys, clothing, dishes, cleaning supplies, safety signs, and everything else.
Most stores specialized. Some to the point they carried only one thing. Like umbrellas. Yes a store with 600 umbrellas. Or tape. Floor to ceiling rolls and rolls of tape. Or tooth brushed. Thousands of them.
I would have liked to have taken pictures, but I felt a little self conscience taking pictures of peoples livelihood.
It took me hours to walk the whole thing. I bought a bunch of stuff I didn’t even know I needed.
Here are some of my favorites (and yes I really bought them and have no idea why)
After a few hours I realized that I was not going to find the fabric I had been in search of and moved on.
HAPPY ACCIDENT
I started heading for the center of town. The information that I was given led me to believe the Catholic Church was near the city center. As I trying to match my map to the street signs (which is hard to do when there are no Roman characters on the signs or the map). I find a sign for “Arhat Temple”.
Cool. I read about this and here it is.
It is a Buddhist temple. There are 20 or so monks in residents. It has stone carvings that are 1000 years old.
That is amazing for a number of reasons. 1) That is really old. 2) It is in the city center. There is an office building to one side and an apartment to the other. 3) A little thing called the cultural revolution.
I wish I knew more about what was going on. In the Buddhist tradition, an “arhat” is someone who has reached enlightenment. Siddhartha was the first to do so and is called the Buddha. As Buddhism changed and morphed as it moved through Asia it was believed that more and more people also reached enlighten. This temp was to 500 individuals who had done just that.
It had the same feel as Guadalupe (on a much smaller scale). Mostly locals visiting (me being the only exception). The vibe ranged from tourist to devout. Lots of candles and incenses being lit.
Again, much of it I didn’t understand. At point a woman gave a monk a red cloth. He took it up to an alter. He prayed. He lit incenses. He sprinkled water on the cloth in a specific fashion. After she received the fabric back she kneeled and bowed a three times holding her hands in the “first communion photo” prayer hands.
There is so much I don’t know.
The temple.
Candles
and incense.
1000 year old carvings.
I AM WEAK
I am sorry. I gave in. I am weak. I am a coward.
For lunch today I ate at “The Pizza Hut“.
Not because I needed American food.
Not because my stomach was having trouble with the local food.
I did it for the air conditioning. I am so ashamed.
Hours in the market. Walking around town. The temple. A peeling face. Not enough breakfast.
I couldn’t even look the hostess in the eyes when I told her “seating for one”.
Even worse…I ordered the “American” a small pepperoni pizza.
I apologize to my mom, my country, and my God.
I will do better the next time I promise.