| One of the five sacred Taoist mountains in China is Song Mountain. At the base of the mountain is the Shaolin Temple and Monastery, a tranquil Buddhist retreat. I love visiting Shaolin and Song Mountain and I can't wait until spring 2020 for the ChiNamaste adventure (see "Upcoming Trips" tab at the top of the page) because we will visit Shaolin and hike around Song Mountain. Like most other Chinese mountains, there is a cable car going up to walking paths near the top of the mountain. I love how the Chinese do this because it allows us to spend all of our walking/hiking time in the most scenic spots, as opposed to spending hours trying to get to those spots. There is a two hour walk from the cable car to Sanhuangzhai Monastery which is on the mountain. The walk takes us along beautiful cliffside paths (see picture at right), well-paved with safety railings and spectacular views. Join me on ChiNamaste 2020 (May 20, 2020 - June 3, 2020) and take this incredible walk with me! |  |
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Don't worry, celiacs! Just because I love gluten doesn't mean you have to eat it when you come to China. In fact, I think it's easier to avoid gluten in China than most places. Rice is king, even in places where dumplings and noodles are preferred. And the myth that they douse their food in soy sauce, just because it's China, is false. WE douse food in soy sauce. They don't use soy sauce.
So whether you are "oodles of noodles" or gluten-free, China has lots of delicious cuisine for you.  Imagine waking up and stretching to the sunrise in the picture to the left. This is one of the moments that participants in ChiNamaste 2020 will experience! Namaste literally means "I bow to you," but it means so much more than that. From Rita Geno: "Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness (www.yogajournal.com/practice/the-meaning-of-quot-namaste-quot)." Connection to the people, places and practices of China, that's our goal. We will be on two of the sacred mountains in China, Song and Huang (Yellow). Go at your pace. Conquer hours of the mountains or walk leisurely and observe the magnificent surroundings. We will walk on the Great Wall. Ellen Brown, a yoga, fitness and mindfulness expert, will come along with us on our journey and lead a few sun salutations on the wall, if you choose to practice a little yoga. Every day, Ellen will lead one or two yoga sessions that you may join...or not!
We will visit quaint, countryside villages and spectacular gardens and lakes. We will witness the enormity and magnificence of the Terra-cotta Warriors in Xian. The dates of the trip are May 20, 2020 - June 3, 2020. Take a look at the brochure for this amazing journey and sign up asap. Limited spaces! Check out the "Upcoming Tours" tab on this site or call/email for information.
We will walk on the Great Wall. Tami Reilly, a yoga, fitness and mindfulness expert, will come along with us on our journey and lead a few sun salutations on the wall, if you choose to practice a little yoga. Every day, Tami will lead one or two yoga sessions that you may join...or not!
We will visit quaint, countryside villages and spectacular gardens and lakes. We will witness the enormity and magnificence of the Terra-cotta Warriors in Xian. The dates of the trip are May 20, 2020 - June 3, 2020. Take a look at the brochure for this amazing journey and sign up asap. Limited spaces! Check out the "Upcoming Tours" tab on this site or call/email for information. When traveling in Guilin, the common way to see the breathtaking karst peaks that line the rivers is on a large boat. This is still the travel method of choice for most, but I have come to appreciate and love the slower and more peaceful method of the bamboo raft. The one and one half hour ride goes in one direction downriver, with a local farmer poling travelers like a gondola. The farmers get to be gondalier only once per day. Because of the tips, rafting is a lucrative job. The government wants all to benefit from this industry, so each farmer is limited to one trip per day, in order to give the opportunity to as many farmers as possible.
In order to make the rafts, the bamboo is heated in order to bend it to the right shape. The bamboo is lashed together and two bamboo chairs are lashed to the raft. The result is a safe, buoyant and fun method of travel. Join me on a Chow Fun Tour and experience life on the river.
Crickets and birds are popular because of the noises they make. Their owners love the chirping. I find the sound incredibly annoying, but the cricket culture is fascinating. There is also a cricket fighting culture, which allows the owners to compete, but also gives those attending the matches an opportunity to bet on the fights. I have not had the pleasure of attending a cricket bout, but I'm not sure that I would want to. Come to China with Chow Fun Tours and check out the local markets!
I don't want to write about Xiahai Temple because it's little known to foreign travelers. I don't want to give away my "off the beaten path" secrets. Since I have very few readers, however, I don't think there will be an influx of tourists the next time I am in Shanghai.
The most striking thing about Xiahai, in my opinion, is the preponderance of gold: buildings, monks' robes and fish. The color is warm and inviting, which is just how I would describe the temple and the grounds. When we visited in May, the only people on the grounds were employees, monks and local people coming to light incense and pray. When there are no other tourists, one's presence is felt, which is generally positive or neutral. The people are often enchanted by those different from themselves. They like to share their place of worship. On our recent visit, one of the men praying overheard our local guide telling us about the temple and the Buddhist religion. The man stopped her and told her to make sure to tell us about how the mayor of Shanghai saved some of the Xiahai statues from certain destruction during the Cultural Revolution, an act that surely would have been punishable if discovered. My goal when I travel is to find hidden gems like Xiahai. Join me on an adventure, off the beaten path. Perhaps it was the potato itself, the cooking over hot coals or the joy on the faces of the women peddling their bounty. It was the best sweet potato I've ever eaten. The women sell the potatoes and hard boiled eggs for about 20 cents each. I'm not really sure to whom they sell. Most foreigners would be disinterested in the ash-covered potatoes, but they would be missing out. I guess domestic Chinese tourists would be their target market.
The women live in or around Ping'an Village, in the Longsheng (Dragon's Backbone) Rice Terraces in the Guilin area of Guangxi Province. The rice terraced farms in this area are about 800 years old. Most of the people who live and work there are from the Zhuang and Yao minority ethnic groups. The hats the women are wearing are part of their Zhuang traditional clothing, as are the black jackets with blue sleeves. The women pictured range in age from 70's to 90's. In every neighborhood park around China, the mornings are filled with music and merriment. Dancing, singing, playing instruments, laughing, playing cards, practicing Tai'chi, socializing, playing ping pong or badminton and exercising. I envy this joyful aspect of Chinese neighborhoods and communities. By comparison, American parks are virtually devoid of activity. This community aspect of Chinese culture is particularly important to the retirees who are eligible for retirement at age 60 (women) and 65 (men). I try to get up early on several mornings, whenever I am in China. I look at the map, find the closest park (never more than a 15 minute walk) and join whatever is going on that morning. One of my favorite destinations is People's Park in Shanghai. Across from the Radisson, there is a crowd on almost every day of the week, playing music and dancing. The music selection is more Greek than Chinese. It does not matter that I am an uncoordinated dancer, the local people welcome all to participate. I hope you get the opportunity to join me at People's Park on a Chow Fun trip soon.  |
Lauren DrazenI have traveled all over the world, including adventures in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, England, Denmark, Russia, Costa Rica, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Dominican Republic, Canada and Mexico. My greatest love is introducing Americans to the sites, traditions and people of China. My hope is to give travelers a new lens through which to see the world. Archives
November 2019
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