Yearly Archives: 2007
the grudge
This post is about an 18km walk from Baijing to Pingding. I start walking with a grudge, and I end it with an even bigger grudge. …of course the radiator didn’t work. The coldest night so far. Arctic. I woke up with a grudge and couldn’t get rid of it for the rest of the […]
achromatic – again
This post is about a 21km walk from Jiuguan to Baijing. It snows for the first time, and I see my first bit of the Great Wall. Everything was white, and it was… SNOW!! I said goodbye to the friendly farmers where I had spent the night: Then I rushed out the door. G307 was […]
choice
This post is about a 29km walk from Tianchang to Jiuguan. I leave the highway to see the Yujia Stone Village. Then I get lost in the hills. Sick of me going off about all the terrible sins against the environment? Well, things went in a slightly different way today. But first things first. It […]
bird and man, milkshake and blood
This post is about a 14km walk from Jingxing to Tianchang. I see a lot of polluted water and coal dust. In the end I get a German capri sun. Back on G307, I saw something unexpected: Beautiful. No idea what kind of bird this was, but I thought: majestic wings over the gates of […]
definition of hurt
This post is about a 23km walk from Luquan to Jingxing. I walk past a prison, a lot of environmental damage, and a funeral procession. I woke up and went down the hallway to brush my teeth: Then I put on my backpack and started walking on that long winding road. I had no idea […]
out like a soldier
This post is about an 18km walk from Shijiazhuang to Luquan. I am back in the countryside, and I see my first mountain. I walked west today. That’s a good thing, because west is where my home is. There shall be no more walking south for a while. On the way out from the city […]
living large in the dust
This post is about pollution in Shijiazhuang. I take a leisurely walk around town and wonder where all that dust might come from. I stayed in the city today. In “civilization”, as someone had put it. But first, I opened another door in my advent calendar: 5 doors open, 5 pieces of chocolate eaten, 19 […]
templicity
This post is about a 24km walk from Zhengding to Shijiazhuang. I visit a few temples and help out a Buddhist monk. For those of you who might have been wondering what my room (my cold room) looked like last night: The glowing disc is the electrical heater I paid 8 yuan for yesterday. It […]
history lessons
This post is about a 9km walk within Zhengding. I visit the Journey To The West Palace, the Tianning Temple and the Longxing Temple. War! When I woke up this morning I thought I could hear a military conflict going on outside: gunshots, detonations, laughter… Laughter? You might have already guessed it: Someone was throwing […]
easy yokes
This post is about a 26km walk from Xinle to Zhengding. I hang out with some middle-school students in their work unit. I said good-bye to my friends in Xinle today. Life in the spa was very pleasant, but eventually I had to get going, no matter what. On the road I saw someone who seemed […]
advent
This post is about how I get my repaired lens back while I’m in Xinle. It’s also the first of December, the beginning of Advent. Where I am from, Christmas is on the evening of December 24th. Today is December 1st. That’s not Christmas. But for me it is, at least a little. I’m still […]
leather & art
This post is about a visit in a leather factory near Xinle. After that I go and see the Eastern College of Fine Arts. I was waiting for my lens to be fixed, so I took the day off and hung out with my new friend. We had some tea and conversation, and he took […]
faces and the birth of man
This post is about a 21km walk from Cheng’anpu to Xinle. I hang out with villagers and visit a mythical place called Fuxitai. Today was all about people. I wandered around fairly relaxed, except for my feet that had still not quite healed up. And because I was hurting and because I like resting more […]
good news
This post is about a rest day behind some orange curtains in Cheng’anpu. There’s a cheesy poster on the wall. My hotel room has orange curtains. They make everything orange in the room. I like it, because it feels warm. I have spent a whole day in this orange light, writing my blog, sorting my […]
farewell in blue
This post is about a 24km walk from Dingzhou to Cheng’anpu. The weather is good, but my foot is bad. I think about exoticism. The sky was azure and made everything look like Indian summer today. There was clean air and there were golden sun rays, it was cold in the shadows and warm in […]
class
This is a post about a 3km walk within Dingzhou. I look at the Liaodi Pagoda and teach an English class in a vocational school. At nine in the morning I looked at my breath: it was a white cloud disappearing in the quietness of my hotel room. The inside of my sleeping bag was […]
no love today
This post is about a 12km walk from Wangdu to Dingzhou. I see a bunch of dogs in cages and try to have a conversation with a kid. The reason for today’s title is right here in the first picture. NO LOVE TODAY 今日不爱 – the translation is a bit rough, I know. Actually, this […]
the fog
This post is about a 13km walk from Fangshunqiao to Wangdu. An immense fog has swallowed up the land, and I see a few accidents. I could hardly see. Everything was white, and it wasn’t snow. the fog Holding the land in its soft embrace, the fog brought destruction to the ones who drove haste-fully. […]
back on the map
This post is about a 23km walk from Baoding to Fangshunqiao. I get lost in a hole in the ground, and climbing out isn’t easy. I woke up and I continued my walk. There was not much to see on the way. Mainly because of the fog. It was a misty day that made buildings […]
play day (the donkey shuffle)
This post is about a day of amusement in Baoding. I make a friend and play air hockey, then we look at old men flying their handmade kites. Today was a day of leisure, and today was the first time that I’ve ever had my own personal business card. It’s in Chinese and in English! […]