As We Go: January 2017

Dujiangyan is very close to Qingcheng Mountain. We are constantly being asked if we have visited the mountain, and we haven't been able to go until recently. Now we understand why it is a popular sightseeing spot for tourists and even for the locals. Because we had been advised that the back side of the mountain is more beautiful than the front side, we decided to trek up the back side.

While it was still stairs the entire way up the mountain, it was breathtaking and magical, making it very difficult to choose only a few photos for this post. Enjoy!

The sticks are a superstition (mostly held by older people) that if the stick can hold up the mountain, your back pain will be bearable. Apparently the size of the stick compared to the mountain is proportionate to the pain in the person's back.

Fun friends!

~ Jesse & Sara

We received a package from family last year, and it was quite an adventure to get it.

Normally, packages sent via U.S. Postal Services (USPS) arrive with no problem, but FedEx, UPS, and other shipping companies like to change things up a bit, requiring paperwork to be sent over email and customs fees to be paid. We had been emailing a lady in the FedEx office about our package and finally decided to just go into to the big city of Chengdu to pay and pick it up in person. Chengdu has the population larger than New York City (but just more spread out) and is about an hour drive by car, if you're not traveling during rush hour.

However, we were taking a bus, so this trip would take up most of our day, with 50 minutes on the bus and 40 minutes or more on the subway or taxi. We didn't know where the FedEx office was located, so we decided taxi would be better than subway.

China life is slower than the fast pace of America. Most simple things take just a little longer to get done, and "quick" trips to Chengdu take about 5 hours, even if you spend only 20-30 minutes at your destination.

This aspect of life here has been a lesson in patience.

Even so, we have grown to love using public transportation are embracing the slow pace of it all. It's so nice to take a bus, taxi, or subway because someone else can drive for you while you read or talk to your friends! However, soon after this trip, we did discover the joy of taking the high speed train, which takes 20-30 minutes on the train and then a 30-40 minute subway ride to the center of the city. We have also convinced other teammates to ride the train more just because of the smooth ride. It still takes a while to do things in China, but the high speed train does help it be a little more relaxing!

We decided to document this last minute trip to the big city of Chengdu just for fun... and to encourage anyone who would like to send a package our way to only use USPS, so it will come to the post office down the street from our school;)

Leaving our apartment...

Leaving Guangya School's front gate.

Sad because the bus left right when we got the bus stop:(

Finally made onto the city bus that takes us to the main bus station... and the man behind us was creeping.

Gave the bus driver our tickets after purchasing them to head to Chengdu. The buses from Dujiangyan to Chengdu leave every 15 minutes and are convenient but also smelly, loud, and a very bumpy ride. Naps are hard to come by in a bus, which is why we love the train these days!

We had to sit on the back row this time.

All of our bus riding companions!

In a taxi on the way to the FedEx warehouse. We're spoiled with cheap taxis in Dujiangyan (they start at less than a dollar). The trip from the bus station to FedEx was 100 RMB, which is about $15!

The largest building in the world by square feet: the Global Center. It has a mall, skating rink, and many other activities.

Christmas trees are pretty common for malls to have outside their front door. It's a nice touch!

Crossing a busy intersection to get to the FedEx warehouse. You just have to play Frogger and go when there's a small break in traffic. Just keep walking and hoping no one hits you!

Finally talking with the FedEx people. They DID in fact have our package. Hooray!

Huge FedEx warehouse. Interesting place! They even let us use the restroom before we made our journey back to the bus station.

Successfully obtained the package.

Yes!!!

Thank you, for the package and sweet note, Mom!

Delicious dark chocolate:) She knows the ways of my heart!

Crossing the intersection calmly with the chocolate in my backpack. Yay!

Back to the bus station to go back to Dujiangyan.

But first, snack time: delicious hot sweet potatoes.

Heading back to Dujiangyan via the Chadianza bus station (in Chengdu)

It was close to dinner time, so we knew the sweet potatoes wouldn't hold us over. We grabbed some fried sausage wrap things for the rest of our meal:) Yummm.