Reluctantly we left Langmusi and the best lodging we had had yet for Zoige. Even though our nice Chinese family directed us to stay by the gate and wait for the bus to Zoige we did not believe them and walked twice, one block to the corner to inquire if the two buses waiting there were headed to our destination. After the first time and given our track record that in China everyone else knows where we are going except us, I don't know why we did not believe them and just stay still. Eventually we heard the bus honking as it blasted thru the other end of town getting louder as it got near us, the bus that every other morning had woken us up at 6AM with it's honking--today we were up and ready to go. We entered the plume of smoke, I tried to think about how wonderful it was that the Chinese government does not take away there right to this vice. I braced myself for the potentially scary bus ride. It was blessedly uneventful, however finding a hotel in Zoige was another matter.
With all our crud a back pack on front and back and holding water bottles and plastic food bags, we trapsed up and down the street looking for a hotel our guide book recommended. After a half hour we had been up and down the blocks a few zillion times and did not see anything that looked like a hotel except a very rich hotel so we decided to go in the hotel thinking maybe we would just have to spend more for this one night than we wanted to. One glance at their prices told us that we had to find other accomadations; the priciest rooms being more cash than either of us had on us and the more affordable ones still being way out of reach.
Back on the streets a woman offering carriage rides asked us where we needed to go. Emily told her the name of the hotel that our guide book recommended and she knew where it was. Now here is the really embarrasing part the makes me blush to even admit on a blog site, she of course offered to deliver us and reluctantly we agreed. At the time I was incredibly humilitated, but I think admitting it in writing is even worse. I wanted to put my bag inside and run along the cart but I knew this would draw more attention to us. So Emily got in first and she arranged her bags and then I had to hand her my smaller bag and water and other garbage to get in the carriage. Of course my backpack was so tall that it got stuck in between. The silver lining to the big bag was that it hid my face from view. The back pack is really that big. Now for the most humiliating part, this small waif of woman hauled our asses down the street by peddling in heels. She looked like she was struggling to move the heavy load; we were both really relieved to have here only go three blocks. For the road we payed 5Y--not even a dollar. Emily paid her and I tried to find more money to give her, thinking I could relieve part of the guilt with more money but before I could dig anymore out, she was off.
Our hotel had been right where the guidebook said but it was through a large door that led to a dark room and didn't seem very inviting. We were desperate and marched thru and despite the loud noises headed up to the second floor where the activity was, relieved to be at the hotel. On the second floor it was obvious that the hotel was under major construction, in denial we headed for the 3rd floor thinking there might be a bed for us here somewhere. On the third flood, we found the owner who gave us a look that was somewhere between shock (what the hell are you doing here?) and pity. Emily had her wits about her (I wanted to beg in Chinese for a floor space for the night) quickly found a phrase that asked for a hotel recommendation. He pointed us down the street but really we didn't understand the directions.
Back on the streets again, we were looking and feeling really grim. We headed down the street, decided to check out an alley we had not yet explored. In the alley we found a apartment/gambling? complex and asked them for a hotel recommendation. Well meaning people pointed us in various directions. We were back at our original corner feeling discouraged, when the woman with her cinderellesque carriage found us again. A decision was made to head for the really cheap quarters in our guide book and so we asked her where these were. She asked us if we wanted deliverance to our hotel but I just coudln't get in the buggy again so we trudged off in the direction she pointed us. Walking down that street an old man gave us the sleeping signal (hands in a prayer position, under your ear with your head tilted and eyes closed). With a new speck of hope we nodded listlessly and asked how much; he told us 20Y each so we decided to take a look. The first step into the place, as desperate as we were though, we knew it wasn't going to work. Even with all the windows open, I thought we were in the midst of a raging housefire. Emily and I dumbly gasped and wheezed (we both had chest colds at this point) our way up the stairs to take a look out of politeness but barely glanced at the room, fleeing down the stairs, our eyes watering, with the rolly polly owner barreling down after us saying things we coudln't understand. Emily has wildland fire fighting experience and commented that this was worse than what she experienced on the fire line.
Back on the streets again, I started to scout out clean corners as possibilities in case we had to spend the night on the streets. Finally after many hours we found "The Red Star Hotel." It was a roof over our head, two warm blankets and nothing more. Well actually the more part was when you flushed the toilet you had to step aside or you would get wet around the ankles but the room was good enough. It was a nice day out and after feeling really frustrated a walk was in order. We headed out of town and walked in the yak fields. It was quiet, the yaks didn't seem to mind and there weren't any dogs (although instead of scanning for bulls in the pastures as I would in Wisconsin, I kept scanning for wild dogs bounding towards us). Besides the yak fields, Zoige had vendors selling vegetable seeds, fruit, and other essentials. After our walk with the yaks, we found a nice tea house and settled in for a card game and tea. The only other table, a table of men (seems to be the case with tea houses and card games--men are playing while the woman work) borrowed our phrase book and asked us questions. It was fun and the tea was good.
No comments:
Post a Comment