River running high -- Run deep, run wild

This last weekend, Lindsey and I took advantage of the first open chunk of time we've had since we arrived in Shanghai. We live on completely opposite ends of the city, and so to cure the separation anxiety I pretty much spent the night at her apartment all weekend while we explored during the day. The first night, we attempted to go out and explore some of the nightlife. The strategy we adopted was 'follow the neon lights,' which, in the US, is usually a safe bet. However, as we quickly learned, China uses neon lights for everything. Neon lights for cell phone stores, neon lights for book stores, neon lights for travel agencies, neon lights for sock stores...  So using this strategy, we found ourselves in a business district that resembled a scene from a zombie apocalypse movie, minus the zombies of course. All the lights blinking eerily, advertising to an empty street. We did, however find a great KTV (karaoke bar), and by great I mean full of old people slow-dancing to Chinese power ballads.We had better luck on Sunday night, when we met up with a handful of laowai (foreigners) for drinks on a street that had a pretty substantial looking evening scene. 

Tibetan prayer flags?

On the days in between, we explored the city and even ventured across the river to hike Moji Mountain. Moji Mountain is actually a long grouping of hills that go along the river, and there are no trails, only steep stairs that go up and down each hill. A little different than what I'm used to, but it was so refreshing to 'get out of the city' and have some fresh air. It's amazing how different things are on the other side of the water. A lot less developed, a lot of green, and the small town we hiked to seemed a lot older and even more 'Chinese' than Yichang.  The bridge we took over the water is massive--about 3000 feet long.  Walking over it made me nostalgic because it reminded me of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Chinese-style roadside entertainment. The goal of the game is to throw some hoops and make them land around these figurines.

stairway to heaven

So many oranges!

After the hike, Lindsey and I reflected on how amazing it is that (in Lindsey's words) "we're just casually living on the banks of one of the largest rivers in the world."   I see this river every day from my office, and Lindsey gets to walk along it for her daily commute to and from work. As I get to learn about more about this new place I am living in, one thing I am particularly interested in is the role this massive vein of water plays in defining the people who live here in Yichang. I think about how the rolling wheat fields of Spokane are a part of me and my family--as the seasons change we witness the fields transition from bright green to deep gold, year after year. I think about how the essence of the Rocky Mountains flows deep in the veins of every Coloradan I know. Especially when I feel homesick, I think often of the Puget Sound, wondering sometimes if I left a piece of myself there. 

For now, however, the Yangtze remains a mystery to me. Lots of plans for down(and up)river explorations this year!!