A traveling man in need of a plan
i’m planning a cross-country trip of china this summer … wanna help out? ok, here’s the plan:
well, that’s the problem. i don’t really have a plan. i know i want to start somewhere in the far northeast, perhaps near the north korean border. i know i want to end in tibet, somewhere pretty damn close to mount everest. and i know i want to write and blog from the road (or trail or rail or river) as much as possible.
but that’s about all i know. and that leaves the rest of china as a pretty big blank canvas. that’s where you come in. i’m looking for your thoughts, your suggestions … and maybe your floor to sleep on (i’m funding this trip with my savings from being an english teacher and freelance journalist — which basically means i’m barely funding this trip at all).
i’m planning on setting out from shanghai by train in june. i’m not sure when i will return. whenever i get to where i want to go, i guess. along the way, i’m looking for stories: the weird and the wild, the humorous and the heart-rending, the uncommon and the ordinary … the type of stories you think should be written about china, but rarely see. to me, the most interesting stories are found far away from what is considered “famous,” far away from tour busses and tourist sites marked by colorful flags. i want to see the china not often seen … so my readers can see it, too.
so, i’m hoping you can point me in the right direction, point me to the interesting people, places, activities, habits, customs, cultures, vices, occupations, hobbies, foods — the interesting anything — you think deserve to be included in a collection of offbeat travel essays from china. there are few things that i wouldn’t try, few places i wouldn’t go, in search of a good story. here’s proof.
there’s a good chance that i might be making this trip alone — and my chinese language skills are just a little bit better than bu hao. so, wherever i go, it would be great to have a guide or a translator or just someone to have a beer with. interested? actually, if you are fluent in chinese and english, have a sense of adventure — and have some time to kill this summer — maybe you could tag along for part of the trip. and if you happen to be an unemployed documentary filmmaker, all the better. (but you’d need to be able to pay your own way … otherwise, i’ll probably be broke by beijing).
this is where i stop writing, and hopefully, you start. china’s a big country. there are many possible routes i could take. i need your ideas. please email me your thoughts and suggestions. or post your comments below.
see you on the road?
7 Comments
This comment comes with a disclaimer: No, I do not hate you. How could I? I don’t even know you.
Now to my suggestion, when you get to Beijing, or if you get to Beijing (there are some possibly interesting detours via Inner Mongolia and northeren Shanxi), go immediately to Lize Qiao long-distance bus station (SW third ring road) and jump on a bus, perhaps to Baoding, perhaps to Shijiazhuang, definitely to Taiyuan. Maybe to one of the smaller places along that south-westerly route. Now, I added to disclaimer because Taiyuan is a fucking shit-hole, and not a particularly friendly place either. But it has its charms, places such as Shuangta Si and Jinci. Also, if it’s somewhere way off the beaten track, Taiyuan’s a good place to try. It has the added advantage of connections to plenty of historic sites, both within and without the city, place connections to more distant areas. It’s off the beaten track, but it’s not a dead end. Be warned: coal mining is the mainstay of the local economy. Heavy industry is second.
I know a great young Uygur guide in Kashgar that speaks Uygur, english and Chinese and really knows his way around. Contact me for details (anyone else for that matter as well)
shit-holes can make for good stories, chris. thanks for the suggestion. and no, i don’t think you hate me. as for the rest of you — those who have not responded — i’m not so sure …
This should make for an awesome summer! You are living the dream, my man! Have you considered starting by boat over to Dalian, which is suppesed to be pretty nice. A ferry over to Tientsin would allow you to follow the path to Beijing of the Western rescuers during the Boxer Rebellion. Heading to Xi-an would be good, visiting the ancient head of China…. seriously, this should be a fantastic trip. Have you considered contacting CCTV to see if they might want to put a cameraman with you? A little sales job on the possibility for profit selling to the Travel Channel? Or the great pub for China in advance of the Olympics? How could they turn you down? You’re a model, for gosh sakes!! Also, a extensive report on the various beers will be a must - you KNOW you’ll be trying out the pijiu!!
Wowza! Just found your site from Jian Shuo’s comments about your trip. What an adventure! Being in California, I have, of course, no useful suggestions whatsoever. Being in California, I will, however, become a faithful and fascinated reader of your reports. Go forth, young man, and experience! The world will surely become a smaller and better place for your having been there. Stay safe!
Dan, please do not feel it is your obligation to show people that they do not usually see. You are not going to start your own discovery channel, are you? I just hope you will have a relaxing summer.
you’re gonna die. or get eaten. whatever. good luck!