I read the book Wild Swans by Jung Chang during my very first trip to Spain. Though I had been abroad before (most of my family lives in England and I had visited there throughout my childhood) Spain was different. I was intimated by the language barrier and cultural unfamiliarity. I shied away from speaking with locals even though I had a few years of Spanish under my belt. I comforted myself with croissants and wine, focused on climbing, and stuck my nose in my book to deal with my unease.
Since Wild Swans I’ve become more comfortable with international travel, visiting Mexico, South Africa, and Morocco among others. I discovered that not being shy and not being afraid to make mistakes was the best way to delve into a culture and find out about the place I was given a unique opportunity to experience.
When this year’s Petzl Rock Trip was slated for China I knew it would be the pinnacle of my travels thus far, breaking the crust of a shell of misinterpretation and ignorance about a culture so huge, far away, and complex as any. I thought of that book Wild Swans and the impression it made on me. I had always been interested in Asian culture, and realized I knew next to nothing about its history or its present cultural significance. This memoir follows Chinese history through three generations of women in the author’s family. I was continually taken aback by stereotypically inaccuracies pinpointed in the book, many of which I had mindlessly ingested throughout my childhood. In one chapter she writes, “Growing up in a upper class Chinese family we were taught never to waste any food, ‘Think of all the poor starving Americans out there,’ my mother would scold.” This quote was one of many that reminded me I didn’t know what to expect in China. I decided to do minimal research in an effort to let the experience take over, and take in a new culture the best way I know how, by being there.
When the parade of Petzl Rock Trip Athletes marched into the Getu Valley, the locals were as amazed by us as much as we were by them. Imagine tourists face-to-face with locals each holding cameras a few feet from each other’s faces, each capturing an image considered intriguing and different. Within my first few hours in China I had more photos taking of myself than I had of the new country. I made a mental note; ‘Being modest with taking photos was not the custom; check.”
Needless to say this event was a spectacle before even considering its location. Over 50 Petzl Athletes and 500 added international climbers from all over the world met together to climb, chill and party in Getu. There are people I’ve met on Rock Trips, that I would never see otherwise and usually never see again until the next year’s event. But often you meet a new person, swap plans, trade beta and touch base along the way on your next climbing trip. It’s really a very cool thing, and something Petzl has nailed in terms of celebrating what it means to be a climber and traveler. They bring this feeling to a new community in each event, and later display the experience for the entire world through video, photos and blogs. Bravo!
Though it goes without saying I suppose it must be said that of course the climbing was incredible, all found on features and in a scenery that can only be described as completely foreign. Mountains jut out of the Getu Valley in endless giant lumps canopied with lush bamboo greenery. When rock becomes visible through the plants it’s blue, white and grey streaked pieces of limestone. Every walk to and from the cliff you’d pass through the tiny farming town where we stayed. There the locals walked the streets with farming supplies and various bushels of farmed and wild plants on their backs. Motorcycle would speed by you while chickens, dogs, goats and water buffalo roamed freely through the roads and patty lands. In the distance a foggy hue laid between the teeth like mountains creating different shades of blues and greys as the sun set. On special days, the clouds cleared enough to see a thin moon slice lay in the backdrop behind a foreground of dark drooping bamboo limbs. To say the climbing was awesome is an understatement, but the fact that Petzl had the best of the best equipping, creating and vision-ering lines out what I considered the most majestic area, The Arch, obviously helped. There are always climbers of all abilities at these events, but I can’t help but be motivated by the exceptional performance put on by the top athletes. I always leave an event like this wanted to get better and motivated to do so.
Maybe the funniest thing about this trip was finding what I expected and then feeling differently about it than I would think. We were warned China might have harsher accommodations than some past Rock Trips. No clean drinking water, no hot shower water, a cuisine that didn’t vary and wasn’t recognizable at times. And that was right. Our hotel rooms were actually very nice considering what we were warned they may be; wooden beds, no running water. But after a few days of lax cleaning regulations, even these rooms weren’t quiet up to par with what we’re accustomed to back home, ie sinks that work and water that’s hot. Personally I thought the food was incredible, spicy noodles in savory sauce, rice with a variety of veggies and meat dishes seasoned to a delicious flavor, but even your favorite meal can get old at about day 12, we had it for 16.
As a traveler we all know food (coffee!!!) and comfort are all expendable, what was the most difficult part for me was feeling so helpless in terms of communication. This area of China wasn’t very dramatic with hand gestures or body language. Plus the language and culture are so foreign the most simple of ideas felt impossible to convey, and often left you and your fellow interact-ee looking at each other with blank stares. In the end Google translator was a God-send, and I became incredibly impressed with the information that could be transmitted through numbers alone. Our most impressive cultural send definitely goes to Dave Graham on our last night out. With all odds set against him, and nothing but single word Google translation, intense hand gesturing and award winning intensity Dave G got our entire group to and from the city of Guiyang for an incredible dinner and story I’ll remember for a lifetime.
So I guess what I found surprising was at the end of feeling out of my element, gargley bellied and like a communication disabled person, I wasn’t homesick at all. In fact I’m feeling more stoked to travel than ever. Turns out being lost, hungry, disoriented and incommunicable is something I like? Who knew. Until the next adventure, here are half of the million photos Joe and I snapped along the way. Enjoy!
