just in case you haven’t looked recently, new pics in the photo gallery and updated “where we are now”.

here’s the pics of the new ink…

… for the tuk tuk driver who tried to rip us off by roping us into going to some shady warehouse “just to look”, forcing us to jump out of the vehicle and spend an hour walking back to where we were before.

evil son of a bitch better hope we never cross paths again, because i will not be held responsible for my actions!

on the train en route to guilin, and i am transfixed by what is unrolling outside my window. like something out of a fairy tale. towering karsts and caves and rice terraces and milky aqua streams winding through a backdrop of green like i’ve never seen before. greener than green. water buffalo and horses grazing in flooded plains, while farmers till the soil in straw hats. golden bundles of hay set to dry against the sun, and children bathing in clear pools.

a verdant picture postcard scrolled to life.

later:

an evening lightning storm illuminates the stark black hills from behind, twisted craggy silhouettes against a flashing grey sky, while rain slashes sideways against the window pane, sparkling drops in the streaking light.

cute: all the toddlers here wear these little pants with a split in the crotch, and no undies. so everywhere you go, you see cute little baby bums. i’m dying to take a photo, but afraid of being seen as a paedophile!

funny: finally broke down and bought lotion today, for my poor parched skin. the lady who was trying to sell it to me was such a great salesperson. she kept enthusiastically miming putting lotion over her whole body, and trying to point out from the bottle, the many benefits of each lotion (as if i understood a word she was saying) and all the while saying, “shuka, shuka. shuka, shuka.” it was so hilarious i was tempted to prolong the transaction just to watch her jump around lotioning herself some more saying “shuka, shuka”.

i know. i’m going to hell.

showing a relatively tenuous and newfound grip on the whole “christmas” concept, it seems festive yuletide decorations are commonly used in these parts to add some random sparkle and cheer, or just left up year round in a nod to the trailer trash tradition of the southern u.s.a. either way, it’s eternally christmas here in china, no matter where you go. and for some reason, that makes me happy.

the street sweeper vehicles in kunming play “happy birthday” as they go along. lord only knows why.

balls of steel and eyes in the back of your head. every time i arrive safely at the opposite corner, i kiss the ground shouting, “i’m alive! i’m alive!”

a few more photos up from wutai shan. not all of them, but a good handful. check them out at the photo gallery.

also we’re currently in xi’an, looking to go see the terracotta soldiers today. you can get a little more interactive info through the “where we are now” page. check out pics and info about xi’an, beijing, kunming, lijiang, and guilin (our next probable destinations).

my motto is p.p.p. : paper perpetually in pocket. toilet paper, that is. i take off my clothes at night and pull wads of tissue from everywhere. i feel like my mother.

china is *dry*. it’s getting greener the further south we go, but i feel like evry drop of moisture has been sucked from my skin, my hair, my nose. i’d sell my soul for a humidifier.