<A> The Challenge of Trekking in China

Detain Waterfall

The Challenge of trekking in China
I recently underwent the most thorny, intricate, and demanding trek of my life. China is no walk in the park. The county is extremely diverse, and with diversity comes complexity. There is no smooth road laid for backpackers and attempting to do anything or get anywhere can be incredibly arduous. Every province, city, and even village, has its own “hua”, or dialect that only they understand. From place to place “Pootanghua”, or Mandarin is the only way that all Chinese across the country and the world can communicate. China is not equipped with English speaking helpers around every corner. China’s countryside cannot be explained by a Lonely Planet guidebook. China is an amazing, extensive and extremely interesting country.
I walked blindly into the unforgiving countryside and paid the price. My guidebook was out of date, my Chinese was not up to date, and the land was rugged and poverty-stricken. White means money and my innocent self had a lack of sagacity.
My first stop in a village was a Cambodian Dejavu. This small farming settlement consisted on one street. Deep rooted, grimy buildings lined this lone strip. As I sat alone on the side of the road three filthy kids ran enthusiastically toward me. The closer they got the slower they paced. Coming to a complete stop 5 feet in front of me they began whispering to each other. One of them pointed at my face, made a sly remark, which made the other children laugh, and they all ran away giddily. I instantly pulled out my pocket mirror to make sure there was no booger hanging out of my nose. It turned out he was just laughing at me in general. If this wasn't a blow to my confidence, what happened next was. The only transportation with wheels sat idling at the far end of the road. I approached the vehicle and attempted to explain where I wanted to go to a short fat man smoking a cigarette. He slowly turned his head and looked me up and down. I watched as his pupils turned to from two black dots to two large $ $. He uttered an outrageous amount of money to go the short distance. The battle had begun. I squared off with the man and began my quarrel. As we continued nattering, more and more locals rolled up. Before I knew it I was starting at 10 slightly irritated men in the middle of the countryside, alone with a thousand dollars in my pocket. Out of some heavenly place a motorbike came and he was my quick ticket out of the sticky situation. The next village was similar to the first except the people were a little friendlier. Instead of just laughing at me and walking away they tried to figure out what I wanted. I arranged my next bus and was one step closer to my destination. The last village I was dumped at was the worst. A small market lay in the middle of two mountains. The passing of trucks left all the umbrellas covered in soot. A small burner sent exhausting black fumes into the air. The people were here only to buy their goods. I couldn't imagine the places they came from. Obviously they had the same scrutiny about myself. I caught each of their eyes. I really needed a break and although this wasn't the best place to rest, I didn't know where I would be next. I sat down to a plate of rice noodles and peanuts. A hardy meal for a hardy man. A giant of a woman served me but with her giant body came a giant heart. With a quick phrase that I have become accustomed to, she filled me with self-assurance that I needed for the rest of my trip. “Man Zou!” She shouted with a big smile on her face. This literally translates to "Walk slow". To me this means more then just “be careful”. To me this means take the time to see the wonders of life. The woman said it like she really cared. It filled me with joy to know that even in the middle of nowhere, someone cares about you. Since there were no buses I assumed the only way out of this place was the passing trucks. I sat on the road side with my thumb out as countless large blue trucks flew past me sending rocks, dust, and smoke into my face. This obviously wasn't going to work. The only other option I had was using nature. A happy man passed me with his ox. This seemed legible to me. Why not? With some reasoning and a little bit of money the man was happy to bring me to where I wanted to go. I The day was passing quickly and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in some random village most likely sleeping on the side of the road. I finally arrived at the city I was looking for. I was worn-out, weary, and had no energy to argue with anyone. The man would not budge from his price for the last ride. I didn't care. I was so close.
The last road was stunning. Huge karst mountains escalated straight towards the sky. Light green pools filled the rice fields. Fresh untainted fragrant air filled my lungs with each breath. The man dropped me off at the gate and I walked to final 500 meters. I could here it before I could see it. Thousands of gallons of water crashing together into one gigantic pool. At long last there it was, the second largest transitional waterfall in the world. Its beauty swept me off its feet. Not a tourist there, not a hawker in sight. The place was mine. 3 lonely fishermen paid no attention to me. I stripped of my clothes and had my first swim. It was a huge relief to cleanse myself in this pure untouched waterfall. Vietnam lies on the other side of the river. Women with rice hats and long white dresses sauntered gracefully around the water. The fisherman above me sleepily cast their hooks into the water. The sound of each waterfall falling on top of each other was so passive and serene. All around me gigantic mountains with terraced rice fields engulfed the area.
Peace
The brief time I spent at this place will be remembered forever. The power it gave me changed the rest of my trip. From then on everything went smoothly. I met a nice man on the way to the big city. We chatted extensively about the beauty of the waterfall and surrounding area. The road we were on was extremely narrow. It rose high into the mountains. Sometime throughout the day a falling rock had sent a truck smashing into the side of the mountain. I counted the trucks lined up behind it. After 300 I gave up. The line of vehicles continued for an hour. The sunlight left and I landed in the big city. I welcomed any place to stay and lay down my bag. I slept well that night and the next day I was off on a whole new adventure.

I learned a lot from this Trek. I learned the beauty that exists just off the beaten track. I learned that anything amazing takes time. I learned just how much you could learn from people without even using language.

By talking the time to notice all the small things in life you can really appreciate who, where, and what you are. Patience, persistence, and practice makes perfect. Strive to find your perfectness in life. I'm sure you'll see its right before you.

Kyle Acierno