“The endless cycle of wake, work and sleep with no interruptions is its own type of death, but breaking that wheel is its own type of rebirth.” – Old Sean
Recovery Lapse
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything. The last time I wrote an update for my travels was back in August.
That’s largely due to my work schedule. I promised myself to settle in, plant my heels and earn a few more wrinkles on my forehead. It was time, I vowed, to slay the debt demon and free myself from that last, misshapen shackle.
I am currently 100% debt free. Every penny I’ve ever owed has been returned and I can sigh dramatically with that knowledge in my rearview mirror.
It was an uphill struggle. I doubled my working hours at my main job, taking shifts six days every week. Evenings were spent working two jobs online, slowly building up a reservoir of cash to immediately send away. Bloodshot eyes followed that dollar sign slowly ticking down, trickling from ten thousands, to thousands to mere hundreds of dollars before finally using an October paycheck to slam the door shut.
Now, I’ll have to pay a very slight interest rate at the end of this month to pay off roughly $1.38 cents, but I’m taking the liberty of calling my victory a tad early. Every dollar I earn from here is for my awkward self, not the companies that indebted me.
Done. Finally done.
Return to Life
To celebrate, I’ve slowly started taking my social life back. During my company’s fun little Halloween party, I took my foot off the online workload pedal, trimming it down to three hours, four nights a week.
At the main office, I gave everyone a one month notice that I’m going back to a semi-normal shift, meaning I should have my Sundays back entirely.
I found a couple foreigners here (one guy named Tony from Ireland) who invited me to a few DnD nights. I’ve gone out a few times to celebrate, finding a bar I’m very fond of, and a new coffee shop attached to my building that’s quiet and quaint.
I’ve located my favorite Chinese noddle-and-rice restaurant on my block and uncovered a bakery that makes a great baguette I’ve been bringing home once a week for peanut butter toast.
I also made a point of taking a couple trips around and out of Hohhot. For example, I had a lovely friend visit me during the October holiday (before I cleared my debt). We took a few trips around the city, visiting Hohhot’s art museum and the rather large green belt nearby my home. (Although with autumn, it’s less green than the last time I visited).
Amongst the Plains
I also made an extended trip out in to the Xilamuren Grasslands, riding on horseback through some bitter winds and low clouds to low stone cairns with faded prayer rags encircling the grey rock. The land, advertised as an emerald sea in the spring, was a dusky brown, with muddy tails snaking about. Despite the lack of shocking beauty, I still enjoyed my visit greatly.
I’ve sipped yak milk and munched on ground nuts while slouched in a saddle, my meager riding experience failing to serve me at all. (I’m not a skilled horseman by any stretch of the imagination).
Cold weather has finally settled in, and my building has turned on central heating. Unfortunately, there’s no way to actually control the central heating, and my tiny apartment grows too toasty every day. (My floors are heated, which is a great blessing for my feet in the mornings.) As such, I perpetually leave my balcony window open just to modulate the temperature.
I’ve finally broken out the autumn and winter gear I’ve brought with me, walking around town in a heavy jacket and long pants.
The trees of Hohhot turn a vivid and striking yellow this time of year, especially the willows. Their leaves absolutely coat the pavement, only to be swept up by diligent Chinese people creating clear sidewalks.
Thus far, we’ve had a couple of nights of snow, but nothing has stuck quite yet.
Back to Tourism
I’ve also had the chance to do a more thorough sweep of Hohhot in terms of sights.
I returned to Dazhao Temple on a Monday morning when the grounds were quiet and spacious, taking my time wandering through the structure.
Now, generally, taking pictures in temples is relatively discouraged, especially when capturing the visage of Buddha or other enlightened members of Chinese mythos.
However, Dazhao isn’t a single temple, but a broad network of structures. I was always given permission to take photos of the outsides of structures, but the interior was more of a hit-and-miss situation. When I asked the attendants, some of them said no, while others allowed it.
Hohhot temples are unique among China. They have a strong Chinese structure with the iconic sloped roofs, guardian statues and stone walkways. However, the interiors are decorated with vivid fabrics, hanging pillars and soft carpets. The color scheme is more reminiscent of Mongolian hues, and despite the sleepy light filtering into a temple, they are enormously vibrant.
Prayer wheels dot the courtyard, making an endless, somewhat soothing rattle and squeak as other temple visitors push them clockwise, pausing to kneel on cushioned mats in front of large, gilded statues. The ceilings are fabulous, great networks of geometric supports, painstakingly painted and crossed as heavenly rafters.
Notes on Tourism in China
An issue with China’s tourist destinations is the authenticity. Many Chinese sites that are tourist heavy were very much created with the intention of drawing a crowd. They feel bluntly faux and it’s difficult to appreciate even a stone wall when you know it’s just brushed concrete with rebar on the inside. Even natural features, like waterfall canyons have the risk of being artfully manufactured by China’s tourism industry.
That’s not to say these places aren’t impressive. They are. But when compared to the scarred structures of the Middle East, or the low, timeless stones of European villages or the Spanish-and-Incan mash ups of South America, it’s a bit hallow. China is a booming, developing country and a lot of its preservation is more oriented towards “re-building.”
Dazhao, fortunately, is one of the splendid exceptions. While some of the repairs are modern and a lot of the features are updated, the temple has a ring of authenticity in its mannerism. Well-cared for, the temple doesn’t go out of its way to appear ridiculously genuine. There are bicycles that monks keep under awnings, and other temple caretakers chat calmly on smart phones as groups of tourists tramp past.
Other Hohhot Temples
Interested in other aspects of the city, I continued to walk around visiting the Baoerhan Pagoda, a fantastic, white structure towering over a small park. The park itself is worth a visit in the early autumn, as the yellow willows are bright as flames, painting the sky with strong leaves and blanketing the ground with fallen ones.
Across the street from Baoerhan is the also impressive Guanyin Temple. This temple has an entirely different vibe than Dazhao.
With its yellow roofs and gradually rising architecture, Guanyin leans away from tiny, intimate halls in favor of huge ballrooms of the gods. Enlightened pseudo-deities stand as enormous statues, the largest indoor Buddha I’ve seen thus far (and I’ve seen enough to be pretty tired of them).
Rather than following the more traditional Chinese model, these figures are more reminiscent of the Indian pantheon to my untrained eyes, with fans made of gilded hands, sleepy eyes peering out from each palm.
And that’s the show. Starting next week, I’m returning to my traveling lifestyle (within reason, I’m still a little poor). I’ll be visiting Shanghai to kick off my return to a vagabonding lifestyle. I’ve managed to put together another trip for December, as well as some more ambitious plans in January.
Anyway, I’ve missed this greatly. I can’t wait to start posting these stories and events again.
Best regards and excellent trails,
Old Sean
Written November 11th 2019
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Ten years ago, I abandoned my military surplus store backpack for a Farpoint 40 Osprey Travel Pack. I’ve never replaced my bag since. The backpack has been with me around the world, through my departing Beijing and onwards through trips across Europe and South America. I have nothing but praise for Osprey Products.
