Xinjiang Day 3: Kanas Nature Reserve

Today was to be a shorter drive to get to the reserve. I was able to go for a run and enjoy milder temperatures without humidity. Not too far away, I ran along a Russian street.

Another checkpoint and a few bathroom breaks. This woman sold a variety of yummy grapes and cashews which made a nice snack.

Outside of the reserve we stopped for lunch. From there we would need to go to the main entrance and then have several bus transfers to get into the reserve. But the day would just get really weird from the start. I’m the end we were pretty disturbed.

Homemade noodles (lamian) with spicy shredded potatoes on top. It was really good.

For an idea of where we are, we are close to the border of Khazakstan and Russia. One of the people on our tour bus noticed that the same car followed us no matter where we were or what buses we had changed to. It sounded unbelievable at the time but we noted the license plate.

We first went to a viewing platform that is 1068 steps to climb. The steps are all numbered. What a beautiful view and it really felt like you were in a European alpine village as the climate and vegetation were the same.

The weirdness really started here. The same car followed us and when we took 2 more buses to Kanas Lake, two men left the car to follow us down. We were not aware of it at that time. Most of us went on a boat cruise of the lake while another went back to a little village in search of coffee. He was the one who noticed one of the men staying at the pier while the other followed him.

On the boat cruise, it was a little sunny. I think it’s great that Chinese women take care of their skin and use umbrellas.

You can rent a scooter to go down to the lake.

The village was pretty cute and many of the houses can be rented.

Back at the hotel, we were pretty riled up. The car followed us to the gate and as there were no other restaurants or places to go, it seemed obvious we were in for the night. The staff were withholding the passports until the police came. We were told that you could not get a breakfast voucher unless you bought dinner at the hotel, and that breakfast was not until 8 am. It was already past 8:30 pm and for the second night I was not happy to be eating so late. I was going to skip dinner having snacked already on cashews.

Waiting around to push working on the passports.

I did go down while others ate and joined them for a beer. The guide and the driver joined us with baiju. The stuff is nasty and is grain alcohol. We did meet a local Khazak chef from the hotel.

One of our group had a French diplomate visa. They are usually not allowed to be in one of china’s autonomous regions (that includes Tibet). Another is ex-military for the UK. Both kept receiving phone calls throughout. But, maybe tomorrow is another day…..

Xinjiang Day 2: Burqin county

We started the day early as it would be a long day of driving (over 9 hours). We drive through the Kalamaili nature reserve which is a preserve for arid steppe wildlife. We saw some camels, cows, and donkeys but not much else as there were no places to stop.

There were however many checkpoints to check ID. This was more difficult as they had not seen foreigners in some time and do not know how to enter our information in a Chinese ID system. At one checkpoint, we needed to take a COVID test.

After checking into the hotel in Burqin County, we had a moment to go to the night market. We walked around. The people were very friendly and wanted to take pictures with us.

After such a long ride, we still went back to the van to go to Five colored beach, where the sandstone and mudstone asking the river have beautiful coloring. The nature here is very beautiful.

Back at the night market, we did get something to eat and Wusu beer to drink. Kebabs and nang bread are the specialty. I found fish on a stick.

The next day’s travel is to go to Kanas nature reserve.

Xinjiang Day 1: Urumqi

Urumqi is famous in its claim to be the most inland major city in the world and the farthest from any ocean. There are three major ethnic groups here. The Han Chinese which is the majority ethnic group of China, the Hui which are Han people who are also Muslim, and the Uyghur Muslims which are a Turkic ethnic group (pronounced weeger). This last group has much of the world watching what China is doing with this ethnic minority.

We arrived early as you never know what documentation you will have to provide unexpectedly and often. We had time to wait in the airport lounge. Never mind it is not even 7 am.

A view of Xinjiang from the plane. This province is large and covers 1/6 of China.

We arrived in Urumqi. Besides COVID policies, foreigners must produce documents and be registered in every city due to political tensions. I am fine with that even though it is tiring. When I arrived in China in 2018 it was closed to foreigners. Upon arrival, we also had a COVID test before leaving the airport. Every city here will require one. We found out that other planes with foreigners on our tour did not have to provide documentation…… And their health code does not work with foreigner ID, so teaching test results will be tough.

Not sure what the recording was saying, but this camel made the rounds on the luggage belt.

After checking into the hotel, we went for a walk towards a Ferris wheel we had noticed. It was a beautiful long walk along the streets. It is hot in the sun but very little humidity and a nice breeze.

At Hongshan park, we strolled through the gardens and by a temple…..

…….rode the ferris wheel (this first picture is our hotel on the left side of the picture)…….

…….found another temple known as the Temple to suppress the dragon which was rumoured in folklore to have caused a deadly flood 200 years ago……

……. And rode the luge.

We met as a group to go to the cultural emporium to look at Muslim food and other goods. Despite letting others through with the same specific travel code, it looked like they were not going to let us. There were some arguments and eventually they relented. It is unfortunate that there is more anti-foreign sentiment going around again…. Checkpoints were everywhere.

Many of the shop keepers were very friendly.

Many different parts of the animal are used in dishes including sheep lung.

I stick with the naan bread and the local beer.

A mosque and other different architecture.

Back at the hotel, we needed another COVID test to enter the next village. Travel is seriously more difficult now than ever, but this is a place I have been wanting to go.

As China is only one time zone, this is the view outside at 10 pm!

Dongchong beach weekend

For the three day dragon boat weekend I headed to the beach! Normally I would be paddling a DragonBoat but it has been cancelled again …

We hired a car to go what should have been a 3.5 hour trip, but 6.5 hours later we finally arrived. At least we had snacks and my friend’s dog to keep us company! I have not been able to travel with Michael and Amber for over a year. They were great buddies for travel in 2020. My friend Fran also joined us.

Some of the traffic snarls were accidents but others were people stopping to give their child a bathroom break. I think moving over to the shoulder is more appropriate or at least placing the child between you and the car….

Finally we arrived and went to check out the beach. A negative 48 hour COVID test was required to enter the village. No one was allowed to enter otherwise.

Our dinner included scallops, oysters, clams, and mussels.

The hotel allowed dogs and was pretty decent for a Chinese hotel. Some things have me scratch my head….

The village temple

The next morning I went for a run. The village was small but beautiful to look at parts of the village. This village charges to enter the beach and the prices of food are more expensive, but we are far from a city and the village takes great care with their spaces to maintain a clean and nice beach.

We noticed that the old village was being destroyed. I had heard that sewage used to be dumped into the sea and the government put a stop to it some time ago. China is looking to expand tourism and provide money for updating the villages.

On the beach we ate the hummus and veggies we brought with us and spent the day enjoying the sea air.

To keep sun off you, go into the water with an umbrella!

Fish for dinner!

On the last day, we could not go back to the beach as our COVID test was after 72 hours. Never mind the fact that we did not leave the village at all….

Crazy rules here in China.

Chinese smashed cucumbers

These cucumbers are really amazing and there are a few ways to make them.

The ingredients

This recipe vinaigrette uses soy sauce/vinegar instead. Use the cucumbers that you like but ideally the seeds should be small. There are many options here to change based on your taste. It is my favorite way to eat cucumbers in China.

  • 1 or 2 cucumbers
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • Pinch of sugar to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 Tbs. Sesame oil
  • 1 Tbs  soy sauce (this is optional as it makes the salad darker. A light soy sauce would be better here)
  • 1 tsp black vinegar (this is optional but this vinegar has a nice flavor though it makes the dish even darker. You can eliminate or use other vinegar that you like such as apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 tsp or more chili oil to taste (this can also be optional or you can use chili flakes here instead which is what I usually prefer)

Wash the cucumber. If skins are tough, they can be peeled. Cut in half lengthwise and put the cut side down. Cut into chunks.

Using the side of the blade of a knife, smash the cucumber pieces. This will smash much of the seeds out and split the pieces even further. Remove the loose seeds.

Add the rest of the ingredients in a bowl to mix. Pour over the cucumbers and serve as a dude dish or pair with rice. This looks not as beautiful as I have made in the past. I used a darker soy sauce and also the chili oil. The result is a darker sauce. I have made it before without the dark vinegar and using chili flakes and it is good as well.

Beans with Thai style peanut sauce

Beans are my favorite vegetable and I loved Thai peanut sauce. Here is a recipe I’ve put together from different dishes I have tried.

This dish has a few variations.

  • 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 kg or about 1 pound green beans

For the sauce

  • 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon fresh or ginger powder
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste
  • Whole peanuts toasted
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Salt, to taste

Rinse and trim the beans.

Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl until blended.

In a wok or skillet on low or medium heat, brown the garlic until fragrant.

Add the green beans and peanuts and cook until almost done. Add the sauce and stir until thickened and beans are cooked but still having some crunch. You can add more water as needed. I served it over quinoa but you can serve with rice.

Guangdong Grand Canyon, Shaoguan and back to Huanghua

We stayed in great cabins by the lake and at the top of the Grand Canyon (where the waterfall begins).

We then started the descent into the Grand canyon. Lots of stairs and very steep declines. Fresh air and exercise: a perfect combination.

There is a hydroelectric station at the bottom with a way to move huge equipment.

On the climb back up we crossed a barrier and took a plunge in the very cool water.

We found this cool insect of the family Flatidae. They are leaf hoppers that suck the sap from the phloem of plants. It is peculiar add it looks like a flower on top.

Finally at the top of the canyon again.

One of my friends had to get a COVID test as she was missing the one being taken she requested from her apartment building that morning. As we were going by Huanghua again, we stopped there for her test, ate lunch, and then took a bike ride.

We ate at the same restaurant that smokes chicken. They also cook corn that way. Yummy!

We rode bikes through the village. It was a beautiful day and a nice ending to the trip. We were to have the bike ride on the second morning but could not with inclement weather.

Moliu mountain in Qingyuan and Ruyuan scenic spot

This is a May holiday here in China. Our school has the weekend plus Monday off even though the Chinese holiday lasts until the 5th. It means we return before the traffic is large! Due to some outbreaks of COVID in China, travel out of the province is discouraged. There are some beautiful scenery and hiking here in Guangdong still worthy of exploring. Yingde and Shaoguan is a beautiful area.

After a few hours driving early on Saturday, our small group arrived in Huanghua (“yellow flower”) to take a COVID test. We already had one to travel but needed another less than 24 hours to go to the scenic spot on the second day. We then continued to the mountain.

These mountains are called karst formations. The limestone wears away from underground water making the unique landforms. They are more prevalent in other areas. The connected mountains give a wavy landscape view and are called the wavy mountains. We hiked up and then down for 8 hours.

At the top, another hiking group was dancing while their drone was filming. They asked us to join. I took this picture from behind them after we joined in.

Also at the top you could buy water and tofu dessert with ginger. Yum.

The pony helps bring supplies up the mountain.

Heping village is at the base of the mountain where we ended the hike. The climb up was steep and the down muddy and with rocks but it was fun. Great to be out in nature and smell fresh air.

We then walked to a cave in the village. It was massive. The wall and outer house was built in the 1800’s to protect the cave as it houses ashes of ancestors in the barrels.

Inside the front part of the cave looking out.

The goats were foraging and followed us around. Actually they were finding the rest of their group!

The hotel in Huanghua was beautiful. It had a hot spring pool on the roof and as it was raining when we finished the hike and into the next morning, it was perfect.

Lunch was at a really great restaurant that smokes chicken and corn in concrete pits.

After checking out we headed to Ruyuan and the Xianmenqixia scenic spot. Along the drive there were many rural farms with many crops including corn and other veggies interspersed with rice paddies.

The scenic area was stairs going up to a temple and was peaceful (the rainy day helped).

It is a scenic spot so places to take selfies and a few kitschy things like fake flamingos and golden monkeys hanging from a tree across the river…

Next stop: the Guangdong great canyon in Shaoguan.

Enjoying spring in Guangzhou (no more quarantine)

This has been an interesting two weeks. I was cautious when I was in the US. I came back to China with cases already increasing in Shanghai. To be honest, I was already concerned as China has not had large case numbers and recently had made it more difficult to travel even within its borders due to more cases of the omicron variant in multiple cities. But the case numbers are nowhere near what they are in other countries.

After my release from quarantine on March 30, there were two school days before Spring break. I finally was able to see the new building!!! This picture is taken in the media center looking upwards. There are many places for students to sit and work including these enclosed boxes. The classrooms are on the back side of the hallways on each floor.

Not my classroom…. I’m still organizing it!

After spring break, classes are online….. Teachers can still go to school and get a little opportunity to play during breaks.

I could not travel so I planned to do outdoor exploring and dining. I had been inside for over 3 weeks. See the end of this post to learn about the two codes China uses to track infections and why I could not travel.

I connected with friends, went to dinner (outdoor generally), took walks, and enjoyed the beautiful flowers.

I went with my friend Heidi to Haizhu Lake park. Beautiful! The self driving drink vehicle was interesting.

Of course dragon boating and stand up paddle boarding are some of my favorite activities!

With large group activities, each individual had to sign in, record their temperature and show their health and travel codes.
This pastry is delicious and has a filling of taro and mochi. It was a great snack before paddling.

The sights at night are still beautiful here!

English translation is always a mess.

It felt great to go back to volunteering with homeless love and seeing my friends Shalini and Sai.

There are less people out generally than normal and everyone wears masks. In my travel in China these past years, people in Guangzhou wear masks at a higher rate than other places. In fact, the lax mask wearing rules has had me concerned. When SARS broke out a decade ago, it was here in Guangzhou. The citizens have a more protective mentality.

And now there are more requests for community testing. It is an annoyance and some places have to test everyday. But they identify areas of concern and control it much easier this way. I wonder how long they can continue to do this as it is disruptive on people’s lives and those that cannot go to work and work from home are really suffering.

They scan your code which keeps track of your test so that the results are posted where you can see it.

Of concern are the lines of people being tested who have yellow codes (green is good, red is not so). Yellow means you have visited or been near a place that had a positive case. Your location history is used and you would have to have been near the area for over 10 minutes. It is a precaution but you cannot go to work out travel by mass transit. You cannot enter buildings and must stay home except to take 3 tests in 7 days. This is the line for those people. I know, they are out in public and it is not a perfect system. At least they are not taken to quarantine. If they were in close contact of someone who tested positive, then they would be.

China has two codes, one to show whether you may have been in contact with people who may or may not have COVID and to show your latest test results. I am always happy when my red quarantine code is changed to green.

The other code shows your travel history. If you traveled to another destination that is considered medium risk, an asterisk appears next to the name of the city. As my quarantine was in Shanghai, I have the asterisk and therefore cannot travel, join a tour, or check into a hotel. I was actually lucky to leave Shanghai at the time that I did as most flights out have also been stopped since.

After the mark for Shanghai was removed, Guangzhou had cases and now I have another mark for this city.

I am really hoping to be able to travel this summer and the next school year. I signed another one year contract and will leave China after next school year. Of course all of this is subject to change as who knows what will happen next here or in the world.

Chinese tomatoes and eggs

As a record of what I have enjoyed eating abroad, I will post recipes from time to time.

One of my favorite dishes is so simple to make and flavorful to eat. Make rice to round out the dish but it is perfect on its own. This is a dish you serve along with other dishes and though good for brunch it is rarely seen here as a breakfast food.

The ingredients:

  • 4 medium tomatoes
  • 2 scallions
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 + 1/2 tsp salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1-2 tsp rice wine (not vinegar!!!! You can also use Sake)
  • 2 + 1 Tbs Vegetable oil or light olive oil
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 c water

This is best prepared in a wok. You can cook this in a skillet but be sure to get it nice and hot to cook as fast as you can. You will also need something to act as a lid. Have all the ingredients ready on hand.

Prepare the veggies by cutting the tomatoes into smallish wedges. Chop the scallions.

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat thoroughly with half the salt, pepper, sesame oil, and rice wine.

Preheat the wok or skillet until it smokes and then add the 2 Tbs vegetable/olive oil. Quickly cook the egg mixture and remove as soon as it is cooked.

Add the remaining oil to the wok/skillet and cook the tomatoes and scallions for 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar, remaining salt, and water. Add more water if needed.

Add the cooked eggs back to the wok/skillet and mix together.

Cover the wok/skillet and cook for another 1-2 minutes. It is done when the tomatoes are completely soft.

Uncover and cook until the sauce is thickened to your liking. Serve with or without rice.

This is actually one of my favorite foods to order. It is simple, but don’t think that it is just tomatoes and eggs. It has an amazing flavor. You can also adjust this recipe and I know there are many other recipes out there. As with any family dish (like spaghetti, chili, etc.) there are many variations. A Cantonese friend taught me this dish.