Tag: travel

Spring blossoms and mountain hikes

Have you heard the saying, “April showers bring May flowers”? Well, here in China’s northwest, the saying would be more accurately altered to “March sandstorms bring April flowers.” Some days, the skies are grey with dust blown in from the Gobi Desert and you can barely see the skyscrapers outside your window. But other days, you can enjoy strolling through town taking in the fragrance of the flowered trees in bloom. This is our first spring in China, and we are thoroughly enjoying our time exploring the city.

Lanzhou University

The campus is gorgeous in spring time. Various kinds of flowered trees, bushes and tulips drape the campus grounds. Our kids love playing by the pond, with its koi fish and tadpoles swimming about.

White Pagoda Mountain Park

Just past the famous Zhong Shan Pedestrian Bridge along the Yellow River, this is a favorite place for the locals to visit. The trees provide ample shade and you can enjoy beautiful views of the river and the city. Today, the river is green, not yellow because the water is calm and there are not strong enough currents to shake up the sediment underneath.

Five Springs Mountain Park and Lan Mountain

This is another popular spot of the locals to enjoy a weekend hike with the family. At the base of the Five Springs (Wu Quan) Mountain, kids enjoy amusement park rides and playing with the tadpoles in the spring water flowing down the mountain. There are also many vendors selling local delicacies and trinkets. You can either hike up the mountain or take a chair lift. The path is well paved and we enjoy trying to spot different buildings around the city that we are familiar with.

Shi Chuan Pear Orchard

This past weekend, some friends took us to an ancient pear orchard just outside of town. It was so peaceful and relaxing. There are many private gardens where owners set up large tables to offer tea and meals to visitors. Some have bouncy castles, swings or a trampoline for kids to play on. You can literally stay there a whole day if you like and only have to pay for the reasonably priced meal and tea. The trees around us were mostly around 300 years old, but there were older ones as well. Our friend said they could get to around 800 years old. Pears were originally cultivated in China and there is a rich history of pear cultivation along the Yellow River. The dry climate of Gansu province is ideal for growing many things, including pears, apples and peaches.

Most people think there is nothing special about this place besides beef noodle soup. After living here for a year, we beg to differ. The people are friendly and easy going, there are so many wonderful local delicacies and produce to enjoy, the Yellow River and mountains are fun to explore, and the scent of spring blossoms in the air is such a treat.

In between worlds

The last few days in Vancouver before our flight to Shanghai felt like a crazy whirlwind. In an unexpected turn of events, we received an email the day of our flight informing us essentially that my husband could not fly. We scrambled to confirm with various people that myself and our three kids would still be allowed to enter China without him as our visas depended on his. Before we knew it, we were at the YVR airport checking in. Exhausted and stressed out, we hastily said our goodbyes and got in line to pass through security. Almost 24 hours later, we arrived at our quarantine hotel in Shanghai.

Though to many, this time in quarantine is an unwelcomed inconvenience, this time for me is a gift from above. I need sleep. I need recovery. I need to hit the reset button. This past month, I’ve been so busy packing and dealing with administrative tasks that I have not had enough time to prepare emotionally.

Stepping into my quarantine room and closing that door to the world, I finally had permission to digest the fact that I was here without my husband, and to grieve all the things that I am leaving behind, while looking to the future with all my hopes and dreams.

And so, I started journaling again. Having recently gone through the process of digitizing all my old journals, re-reading entries about falling in love, getting married, moving overseas, having my first child, and so on, I have come to realize again just how good it is to journal. I was beginning to see how each event doesn’t just shape me to become who I am today, but also sets me on a path to who I want to be tomorrow.

My goal during quarantine is to take advantage of this time in between worlds, to ponder the unanswered questions of my life, and to intentionally process through the good and the bad parts of me and see what I can learn. It will take time and courage, but I believe it will be time well spent. May I come out of this time stronger, healthier, and in a place to give more of myself to others.

We ourselves are “saved to save” – we are made to give – to let everything go if only we may have more to give. The pebble takes in the rays of the light that falls on it, but the diamond flashes them out again: every little facet is means, not simply of drinking more in, but of giving more out.

L. Trotter