Liberation
Ah, freedom… I can taste it again! I am happily writing this on my way away from Songshan and the hellish Kung Fu training experience endured there.
A bit of research revealed that my replacement bank card has been idling in the nearby city of Zhengzhou. After a few calls confirming it was really there, but that they weren’t willing to deliver it for another week, I made arrangements for the four hour trip to collect it myself. Much to my surprise the envelope I had spent two and half weeks waiting for was ironically marked “UPS Urgent Next Day Air”!
I returned to the school with peace of mind, injuries subsiding, head-cold clearing up and a renewed sense of optimism. Under these latest circumstances I went against the previous urge to escape immediately and decided to give the training another chance. This allowed opportunities to explore the surrounding area; most notably the Shaolin Temple, Mt. Taishi and the FaWang Temple. Alas, less than a week of masochistic physical exertion, frequent blackouts, inexplicable water outages and the unavoidable reliance on tasteless cafeteria grub swayed me back to the idea of moving on as quick as possible.
See all of my photos from the Xiao Long Kung Fu Training Academy
See all of my photos from Deng Feng City
So now I’m off towards Xi’an, home of the Terracotta Warriors and Mt. Hua Shan. More third class travel on a hard seat train again, but luckily this time is only for eight hours. I recall that during my childhood a six hour flight reclining in a plush seat always seemed like an eternity, but the anticipation for the adventures ahead pushed any impatience aside. This happy nostalgia brings me back to the sense of wide eyed ideology which clarifies the importance of a long crescendo before the drop into unknown territory. Even the foul stench of train smoke and burning trash, which I first despised about China, is beginning to give me the same giddy butterflies as my favorite childhood smell: airport fumes.
All thoughts are now focused on the future. It will be nice to return to abject freedom and not having to overexert my body fifty hours a week. There are also hot showers to look forward to, along with a soft bed, not having to wake up with the sun everyday, enjoying frosty beers and diverse, quality food! There is a smile of indescribable proportion stretching across my face!
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Tags: - Photography, - Reflection, - Transport & Travel, Asia, China, Chinese Kung Fu, Henan, Shaolin, Train
Adam Shane
inhale white light, exhale dark smoke…
Outstanding. We may be the two happiest travelers in Asia. Here’s to hot showers and cold beers!!!
Amen…! I’m not too far behind, I’ve got a train ticket burning a hole in my pocket now and I leave in 1 week. 6 training days. Wooohhooooo! 🙂 Glad you are enjoying the good life my friend.