Day11
On
day 11 we got going late. This may or may not have been my fault. Getting up
early is not my thing. While we were having breakfast we heard loud drumming music coming up the street. It was a group of dragon dancers and their drummers.
Children ran to watch and I ran with them. Annimal thought it was silly for me
to get so excited about watching the dancers pass. But I thought they were
amazing. They must have been practicing for the Chinese New Year festivities,
which begin on the 18th of this month. We had a rough morning. My body
had aches and pains for the first time on our trip. I was exhausted and all I wanted
was an ice cream cone which, of course, was nowhere to be found. The positive
side of the day was that we were walking through beautiful green country at the
base of a mountain range. At one point we both stopped and keeled over in
misery. We were sore and exhausted. But I had an idea. We needed a dance. I
set up the camera and taught Annimal a few basic hip-hop steps. I blasted a
Macklemore song through my headphones and we did a ‘daily dance’ on the side of
the road. Afterward, we watched the video and laughed. Ann claims that teaching
her these steps is ‘like teaching a piece of wood how to dance.’ We stopped for a small lunch with a
biker who had seen us on the road. We ordered soup and a beer, which he paid
for before he left after a good conversation about our journey. On account 
of
me being exhausted (and a big baby) we called it a day and checked into a
hotel. I slept all afternoon and had bad dreams interrupted by the firecrackers
that children have been setting off in the streets all week in anticipation of
the new year. We had a poor man’s dinner of noodle soup in our room because we were too tired to go out. We talked to our families and went to
bed early. My favorite thing about Day 9 was our room. It wasn’t a spectacular
room by any means (though, it had not rats, which I REALLY appreciated). See, I
had been quite homesick for a few days and I was deeply missing home. As I was listening to my National Public Radio podcast that afternoon, I heard an interview
of a man who plays Saul, a lawyer, on the show Breaking Bad. The show is a
wildly popular drama about a high school chemistry teacher who turns to making
meth when he finds himself in desperate need of cash. It takes place in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it seems to be the only reason anyone understands where I'm from. The man being interviewed was talking about the filming location and
how it was sometimes so awful to be in Albuquerque, enduring sandstorms, trashy
people, and cold weather. Even though he was complaining about my home state, I
was filled with nostalgia of home. That night when we checked into our hotel,
we ended up in room 505- our room number for the night and the area code of New
Mexico- of home. Even though it was just for a night, it felt good to be back
in the 505.
Day
12-
In
the morning we had breakfast and met one of the volunteers whom had hosted us in Qingyuan and was joining us for the day. It was a cold and foggy morning. The road was a
mountain pass that wound us through beautiful, hazy, soft peaks. After a few hours we stopped to stretch
and do a daily dance,
which our guest respectfully and bashfully opted out of.
Just before noon we came up to a house inhabited by a very kind family. Ann
talked to them, explaining our story and purpose. The matriarch of the family
invited us for tea, then for lunch. As we drank tea, Ann talked with the adults
and I found a friend. Actually, she found me. As I snacked on pistachios and
walnuts, the woman’s two year old
and granddaughter inched closer and closer to me. Eventually, the
little girl was right in front of me and we were sharing my snack. One piece
for her, one piece for her cousin, one piece for me. Repeat. Before lunch, the
woman’s son took us to the family’s orchard. The family owned many starfruit and banana trees, a pig farm,
a fish farm, many foul, and a large vegetable garden. Her son guided us to the
orchard and picked us fresh starfruit off of one of their trees. I took my first ever
bite of star fruit and melted with happiness. It was freshly picked, organic,
and absolutely delicious. We spent time walking through the orchard and
watching the adorable piglets, then went back to the house for lunch. We ate
rice from the family’s field, fish from their farm, and vegetables and herbs
from their garden. It was delicious. After lunch I played with the kids for a while before we
had to go. The little girl whom I shared my snack with wanted to come along.
When her Grandma held her back, the girl cried and cried My heart broke into
pieces as I said goodbye. I’d only known this dirty, ornery little girl for a
few hours. I don’t even
know her name. Why was I so sad to leave her? Later
that afternoon we arrived in Yinde and got hotel. Just before we arrived into
town, I found fake money on the side of the road. As legend has it, burning
this money as an offering to your ancestors will bring good luck. I pulled out
my lighter, set the faux cash ablaze, and pleaded my ancestors for a double
chocolate fudge Blizzard with Snickers and brownies added in.
‘And ask for safety in our travels’ Annimal added.
‘No’
I said, shutting down her ridiculous remark. ‘I mostly just want ice cream’.
Ann
is so patient.
That
night we said goodbye to our walking buddy, went out for a quick dinner and got
some sleep. We were very tired.
Km count- 178.3
Km count- 178.3
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