Just another dimension?

Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sichuan Trip part 2 -vvv

Day 2: 10 Nov 2007 - Bus to Rilong

Day 2 was another day reserved for traveling. Our destination, Rilong town, is about a 6-hour drive west of Chengdu. Due to road repairs between Wolong (卧龙) and Rilong (日隆), the normal route over Mount Balangshan (巴郎山) was closed. The alternative bus route was 12 hours to Xiaojin (小金), which was about 60km west of Rilong.

China’s citizens have some really boorish habits, like spitting and littering. For example, one of the passengers (I call him Giant Hamster) left a mountain of sunflower seed shells on the bus. Most of these behaviors are within my threshold of tolerance. But what I can not tolerate is the incessant smoking. There was so much smoke; my lifespan was probably shortened by a week that day.

Fortunately, this was a problem I had foreseen (although I had underestimated the severity of it). Despite the single digit temperature outside, I opened the window to get fresh air. I was prepared and sufficiently dressed for the cold; the smokers can freeze their asses off for all I care.

Controlling the window is an art. You want to get as much as fresh air as possible but not freeze the smokers to the extent that they start lighting up. The strategy seemed to work. From the conversation I overheard, the smokers had learnt the correlation and causation between lighting up a cigarette and getting icy wind in their face.

Upon reaching the outskirts of Xiaojin at around 7pm, the bus dropped off the passengers who were heading for Rilong. A woman with a minivan was already there waiting. Seeing that there were more people than can fit into the vehicle, I quickly threw my bag into the minivan and hopped in while the rest were still spinning around in the chaos. This was no time for being indecisive. I most certainly did not wish to be left stranded in the dark.

The woman’s name was Yang San Sao (杨三嫂). She attempted to pack 13 people into one minivan but the other travelers rejected her idea as being unsafe. They would rather wait in the middle of nowhere for another vehicle. So we left them to their own devices and headed for Rilong.

Sansao is a very friendly person. I was quite cautious when she offered us accommodations at Rilong, especially after yesterday’s experience. But after seeing the conditions of the place, we decided that this was where we will be staying for the next three days.

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Yiheng made 1:20 PM

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Categories MyLife Opinions OnTheNet Shows Miscellaneous RandomKnowledge Links My Sister S & M Jiangzheng Yiheng's Photos Shuquan's Photos Pei Yee's Photos Yun Qin's Photos #!/usr/bin/girl Archive February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 November 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009	Sunday, November 25, 2007 Sichuan Trip part 2 -vvv Day 2: 10 Nov 2007 - Bus to Rilong Day 2 was another day reserved for traveling. Our destination, Rilong town, is about a 6-hour drive west of Chengdu. Due to road repairs between Wolong (卧龙) and Rilong (日隆), the normal route over Mount Balangshan (巴郎山) was closed. The alternative bus route was 12 hours to Xiaojin (小金), which was about 60km west of Rilong. China’s citizens have some really boorish habits, like spitting and littering. For example, one of the passengers (I call him Giant Hamster) left a mountain of sunflower seed shells on the bus. Most of these behaviors are within my threshold of tolerance. But what I can not tolerate is the incessant smoking. There was so much smoke; my lifespan was probably shortened by a week that day. Fortunately, this was a problem I had foreseen (although I had underestimated the severity of it). Despite the single digit temperature outside, I opened the window to get fresh air. I was prepared and sufficiently dressed for the cold; the smokers can freeze their asses off for all I care. Controlling the window is an art. You want to get as much as fresh air as possible but not freeze the smokers to the extent that they start lighting up. The strategy seemed to work. From the conversation I overheard, the smokers had learnt the correlation and causation between lighting up a cigarette and getting icy wind in their face. Upon reaching the outskirts of Xiaojin at around 7pm, the bus dropped off the passengers who were heading for Rilong. A woman with a minivan was already there waiting. Seeing that there were more people than can fit into the vehicle, I quickly threw my bag into the minivan and hopped in while the rest were still spinning around in the chaos. This was no time for being indecisive. I most certainly did not wish to be left stranded in the dark. The woman’s name was Yang San Sao (杨三嫂). She attempted to pack 13 people into one minivan but the other travelers rejected her idea as being unsafe. They would rather wait in the middle of nowhere for another vehicle. So we left them to their own devices and headed for Rilong. Sansao is a very friendly person. I was quite cautious when she offered us accommodations at Rilong, especially after yesterday’s experience. But after seeing the conditions of the place, we decided that this was where we will be staying for the next three days. -- permalink -- Yiheng made 1:20 PM 0 Comments: Post a Comment	Previous Posts Sichuan Trip part 1 -vvv 天路 -vvx Groundhog Day -vvw Guess where I'm going -vvv 斷袖之癖 -vww Tough PSLE -vvw Taxi Incentives -vvw Depreciating Asset -vvx So difficult to catch a show in China -vvv vvz Days in Isolation -vvv Current Read 七侠五义 Last Three Books 道德經 The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology Arthur Cotterell, Rachel Storm Momo Michael Ende Those Before 孫子兵法 Paycheck: And Other Classic Stories By Philip K. Dick Mirror Mirror: A Novel Gregory Maguire American Gods Neil Gaiman Maya 5 Fundamentals Garry Lewis, Jim Lammers Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J. K. Rowling