Introduction... 

Jasmine and I took this trip as a celebration for her earning her Master’s Degree in Education from UC Davis. We wanted a trip together that would be memorable. This trip really fit the bill. If you are interested in touring China (or any of the other places offered by OAT) I HIGHLY recommend Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) http://www.oattravel.com/gcc/general/   They offer a lot for your money, and give you experiences that the run of the mill tour group does not offer. The tour group is small (16 people) and you will be well cared for. OAT is fantastic. They also have a “sister” tour group Grand Circle Tours, which looks like they also offer amazing trips.  If you mention my name (Sigrid Wynne-Evans) and use my customer number (001063053M)  to either of these two companies, they will give you a referral discount on your booked tour.

I will not get into much of the historical points of these countries. That is better left for those who really know what they are talking about. If you are interested, there are plenty of books and information on the net. And if you do go, a little primer on the history of these countries will help you understand a lot of what you will see. I will only tell you my personal impressions of what we experienced. Remember, these are my personal impressions. I am sure that some of my fellow travelers will have a different viewpoint on some of what we experienced.

China is at once familiar and exotic. It is familiar if you have ever visited “China Town” in a major city (particularly San Francisco). And also because you have likely eaten Chinese food. You have also seen photos of The Forbidden City, the Great Wall and Tiananmen Square. But that is where the familiarity stops. Everything else you will experience while in China is dizzyingly new, wild and surprising.

Tibet and Cambodia are not familiar to the average American. They are countries that are very different from each other, but both will amaze you with the same intensity. Both will leave you breathless just trying to take in all the history, art, culture, and sensations. They need to be experienced to be understood.

People, Lots of People 

China has a large population. There are some 1.3 billion people who live in China. That is nearly 20% if the world’s population. It is staggering. 

Unless there is a population of 1 million or more, the municipality isn’t even considered a City, but just a rural town. Beijing has a population of about 17 million. Chongquin and its administrative area has some 32 million people. 

Jasmine and I went to a grocery store in Beijing, which we always love to do. We can learn so much about the locals when we go to where they shop for daily needs. It was a big store. Kind of a super Wal-Mart. Assorted household goods, and groceries.  

It was mid week, late afternoon. The store was as packed as Wal-Mart would be on a ½ off everything sale the night before Xmas. But this was no holiday. Just an ordinary day. People were clambering for this and that. Hustling for yet something else, everyone was in some sort of frenzy for something. 

The realization struck me. The stereotype of Chinese being pushy and rude had its reasons. It’s purely Darwinian. In this kind of atmosphere, you have to be pushy or more nicely put, assertive just to survive. There is a lot of competition. They need to learn to be pushy just to get what they need, in order to survive. 

While as a group of people, I think I would have to agree with the stereotype that the Chinese can be rather pushy, if not rude. But on a one to one basis, the Chinese are incredibly hospitable and kind. They are a real delight to be with. There is a gentleness to their spirit that is admirable. 

City vs Country Folk 

In China, you can’t just pick up and move from the country to say, Beijing. Nor can you simply move from a city with a significantly smaller population. 

When a baby is born in China, the baby is issued an identity card, forever (for the most part) linking him (or her) to that City. Out tour director for example, was born in a city to the north of Beijing. She went to college and received her degree from a Beijing University, and she married a card holding Beijing resident. She also gave birth to her son in Beijing (who is a card holding resident of Beijing). She has lived in the city now for some 10 years. But she is not yet a card holding Beijing resident.  

Being a card holding resident allows certain privileges. One is medical treatment in the city. If you are not a resident, you must get your medical treatment (other than emergencies, I presume) and Dr.’s visits in the city you have your ID card from. Your employment is also to be in your city, unless you have a special work permit. 

In China, there is a large number of “migrant” workers. When we think of migrant workers, we think of immigrants (legal and non-legal). In China, a migrant worker is simply a worker from another city, or from the countryside. 

As a result of the Cultural Revolution, certain social benefits (such as health care and pensions) are afforded to City dwellers.These benefits are not given to Rural citizens. In trying to develop the nation, the government has decided that the benefits can only be given to the City dwellers. It’s simply a matter of economics. They decided they cannot afford all of its Citizens with the same benefits. It is hoped that one day, when the nation has enough revenue, that all will enjoy benefits equally. 

City dwellers are also held to the one birth per couple rule. Country dwellers are allowed two. Although, some in either case may have more, and elect to pay the monetary fine imposed of not adhering to the law. 

Many rural families hope that their children can become city dwellers. Education is one way they can become one. Although entrance exams are more difficult for the rural child than the city child. It seems like an effort to keep people where they are. Yet some do get into the University, and have earned the ability to get their work permit, and eventually over a number of years (I think it is 15) become a resident of the City. 

When the Three Gorges Dam was built, and the farmers needed to be relocated, some of them took the option to be moved to a city and become a City Dweller. A rare opportunity for many.  

Paranoia or?? 

Upon landing in Beijing, you will learn that things are just a little different in China. Sure, you may have experienced the thermal heat sensors while coming off an airplane. In Beijing, you will have to sit and wait for the Health Officials to come through, and take a reading of each and every traveler! They were efficient. They zipped down the aisles with amazing speed while aiming the temperature guns at each of our foreheads. Luckily, we all cleared.

China appears to have a paranoia regarding the H1N1 virus. People everywhere are wearing the surgical facemasks. And they wear them in all sorts of ways. Some have them hoisted up to their eyeballs. Some are perched at the tips of their noses, while others only have them covering their mouths. None of them seem to understand that these masks will do little to protect them. About the only thing these masks will do is catch the huge lugers of phlegm they might cough up. And by the same token, they might protect the masked person from the huge lugers of phlegm that an unmasked person might cough up. And yes, they do hawk up a fair amount of phlegm as pollution does take its toll on the average person’s respiratory system.  But the mask will do little to protect against a flying virus. They are just too small for the large pores of the mask, especially as ill-fitting and badly worn as they are.

Are the masks paranoia, or just precaution? In such a large population density, perhaps it is more self-protection afterall.

FOOD 

The food that was provided on our trip was outstanding. I have come to accept that food on tours is simply acceptable. That was not the case with this tour. We did sample the local Cuisines. We had Hot Pot, Szechwan food, Yak burgers and Yak butter tea in Tibet, rice wine, sheep lung, a variety of vegetables that were absolutely fresh and wonderful. 

While not everyone liked every dish offered, there was enough to choose from so you never went hungry. We always walked away from our meal tables groaning with our full bellies. Cambodian food is especially tasty. It is more aromatic than Chinese food is, as they use more spices. Not that it is spicy hot, just very flavorful. Everyone really loved the soups in Cambodia. 

Asians tend to eat most anything. In Beijing at the “Food Street” the outdoor street food market, all sorts of things were offered speared on sticks, waiting to be grilled for the customer. Seahorses, scorpions, sheep testicals and penis, silk worms, all along side other items I was more familiar with. All tasty treats. 

In Cambodia, a local dog was run over in one of the villages.  The village people did not let the poor dog go to waste. It was promptly picked up and become dinner for the family, I may not want to eat dog, but I certainly do not think it’s a bad thing for the people to be as resourceful as they are. 

The produce sold in the markets and the stores were incredible. Such a variety. There were fruits and vegetables that I had never seen before. They all looked market fresh and so good. 

A lot of fish is eaten in Asian countries. In the markets there were so many variety of fish, shrimp still alive, crabs, and even turtles. To my amazement, with all the seafood that was piled up, and the amount of it, there was no “fishy” odor. I have smelled more fishiness at my local grocery store with probably 1/100^th of the amount of fish as the average Chinese seafood market had. That much fish, with no odor, you just know its fresh. 

Panda Reserve

The Panda reserve in Chendu was amazing! I was so thrilled to have my picture taken with a Panda. Jasmine had her picture taken with a red panda.  The reserve has many pandas who do little more than eat and sleep, and the occasional romp. They were a delight to watch, as were the red pandas.

Yangtze Cruise 

What a wonderful cruise! Three days on a small ship. A room with a private balcony, entertainment at night, great food, and our own shore excursions. We visited a farmer that was relocated as a result of the building of the dam, took a smaller boat ride through areas that the larger ship could not go. It was so beautiful. I was almost sorry that it was over at the end of the third day.

Tibet 

Tibet is a magical place. It is so different from China. The people have an entirely different look (very similar to Peruvians, even their dress has similarity to Peruvian dress). 

Tibet is a deeply religious nation. In Lhasa, you will see many Tibetans walking about with their prayer wheels, and many at the temples praying. The Dali Lama’s palace looms over the city. An incredible structure that is worth seeing. 

The altitude may get to some people. It is between 12-13 thousand feet in elevation. So you will experience some of the high altitude symptoms such as headaches, and shortness of breath. I had trouble sleeping. Every time I would doze off to sleep, I would jerk back up gasping for breath. By the third night, I slept through a good part of the night. I guess it takes a few days to acclimatize to the altitude. 

We visited an orphanage that OAT donates money to. A lady single handedly started this orphanage with no outside help. She now continues to help these children with some assistance from OAT and other people who donate clothing and money. 

The children sang a song for us. They then took us by the hand to give us a tour of the orphanage, proudly showing us where they slept, showered and ate. Their needs are met at a basic level, but at least they are not on the street fending for themselves.  

I found it sad that the Chinese government does not allow Tibetan children to become adopted. I have no idea of the reason why. 

Cambodia 

The lure to Cambodia is its temples. In particular Angkor Wat.  It is a magnificent place, in a large park setting. There are other temples besides the magnificent structure that has become the area’s icon. You could spend days exploring. 

We also went through the villages surrounding Siem Reip.  Homes are on stilts in case of floods, and in case of wild animals coming for a visit. Many homes are built of bamboo and have frond roofs. The more well to do have homes built of more substantial materials. 

Not everyone in the villages has a TV. For those that do, it is their pride. Their friends will come over and they will watch TV together. Passing one building, there must have been 25 people gathered around the TV. I can imagine the excitement they must have waiting to see a soccer game, or their favorite TV series. 

There is so much more about this trip that I could write about, but then it would fill pages and pages that I am sure you would not wish to spend time reading. This trip, with OAT is certainly one I highly recommend, 

A Sense of Home 

If there is one thing I took away from this trip, it is the definition of the sense of home. Our tour leader, and local leaders for every portion of the trip had a pride of his or her community and of their nation. 

In Cambodia, when we passed a home of an obviously well to do owner (the stilt home was still quite simple by our standards). Our tour guide said the house is owned by Cambodians who emigrated to the US, and that upon retirement, they were going to return.  

My first reaction was WHY? After living in the US, why would they want to retire here, were good medical care is in Vietnam, or  else where miles away from Siem Reip. Why would they want to live here where people are so poor, when they must be living well in the US with having a life style that is so far removed from what I saw in Cambodia, I could not imagine choosing it. 

Then it all came to me. It is a sense of home, a sense of belonging. What you consider home, may not be voted the best place on earth to live. But it is the best place for you. It is where your family is and where you laugh with your friends. It is where your roots are, and where your soul feels comfort. That is where you feel the most comfort, and you feel that you are “HOME”.