Jiu Zhai Gou National Park

The National Tourism bureau calls this park a "Fairy Land." Walking under green lichen clad forests and past the depths of blue-green pools, it's not hard imagine elves hidding under the reeds and tip-toeing across woody stems.

Since I first came to this park in 2000, tourism has skyrocketed to 20,000 people per day during peak season (spring to autumn). But the awesome wilderness that gives JiuZhaiGou it's name is relatively unafected. Even the old Tibetan family I stayed with on my first visit are still living in the same house with the same hand painted Buddhist images across the walls. Of course they've changed a little, we all have. I noticed their daughters have grown up, their old prayer drum has been traded in for a colour TV, and they now have space in the kitchen to seat 20 guests. Jo and I stayed for three nights, and shared the boardwalks with no-one. The few tourists there were huddled onto minibusses that zipped up the one road, stopping for 10 minutes here and there for guests to take memories.

Semi-submerged trunks of broad leafs and conifers
growing out of the river bed add to this valley's uniqueness.

These crystal blue pools are surrounded by fiery
red leaves in autumn.

It was well below zero C. every night, and never crept
far above during the day.

Garibaldi?

Self-portrait of elves.

You Stole My Money

I was originally going to write a whole story to go along with this video, but then I realised after a little bit of editing that the video says enough on its own.

This was recorded coming home on the bus one busy afternoon in Beijing. It was rush hour and the double length bus was packed from stairwell to window frame. Suddenly an elderly man sitting at the front yelled out, "Driver! Driver! Somebody stole my money!"

Even the shortest stay in China can let a person see how unpredictable it is here. From situations like being the only person to be pulled off a packed subway car, to watching street vendors run up the street with their bargain-carts to evade random police checks, to reading stories about free television sets given to peasant farmers to raise their culture and sophistication; one realises quickly that nothing can be expected nor surprising in the Free-Market-Socialist country called China.

So I was totally shocked and completely un-phased when our bus load of commuters hauled over to the side of the road to wait for police to resolve our onboard dispute. The old man lost 20 Rmb (roughly $3 Cnd) from his front pocket, and after 30 minutes of groaning protest bystanders were offering to repay him and move on. "It doesn't matter if it's 20 or 200," he said, "the fact is there is a thief on board who needs to be caught!" Jabbing the crowd with his eyes he swung a crooked finger towards me then settling on the guy to my right cried out, "it was HIM!"