A Field Trip

Day 12

Monday, July 14

Bai Yang Dian Lake, Hebei Province, China

The summer camp where I am working is 10 days long, with one of those days being an "off" day where the school takes the teachers site-seeing. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. We'd been teaching for 6 days straight. We've had late nights out with students. We've had nights planning activities and shopping for the relevant materials. I've been going on less sleep than I like and am exhausted. I didn't want to go site-see. I wanted a real day off.

And then there was the plan. They told us ahead of time that we were going to a famous lotus "lake". They told us it would be very hot, so we should dress appropriately and bring lots of water and sunscreen. And they said we'd be walking ALL DAY LONG. Ugh. This sounds like my worse nightmare.

Then it got worse. We showed up that morning and they had packed a picnic lunch for us all. They said we'd stop somewhere between all the walking to eat. I was not amused. Picnic lunch almost always means something yucky. Yes I know this sounds high-maintenance. I keep these thoughts in my head most of the time. But dang. This day didn't sound fun at all.

It started with an hour drive to our destination. The driver dropped us off and we started the hike. It was early and still kinda cool. The walk was pretty.

There were a couple different parts of the "park". We took a boat to one section - it had a museum and a garden area. The school paid for a very nice big boat, where we were the only people on it. The ride was pretty, but very hot!

Me and An Meng, our handler and my Chinese BFF. Love her!

View from the docks

Look closely. You can see these people taking our picture :) and so it goes in China.

Here is a group shot going into this section of the park:

group shot

I have to say that I didn't find the museum and garden part all that interesting. So I don't have a lot of pictures. Well, except for one thing. You know that carnival game called  "Duck Shoot". Well this park had a live action version! I turned a corner and saw a man holding 2 dead ducks by a rope. It appeared he had just been duck hunting or something. He was holding them up, looking at them carefully. Then all the sudden he walks over to the trashcan and drops the ducks next to the can and walks away. I was horrified and ran over. I asked the group, "Why did he do that?!" and then someone pointed out the live action duck shoot. Literally, there was a roped off area with a net behind it, where the ducks couldn't get away. There was tent where you could pay to use a gun and shoot ducks. I guess this man shot his ducks but didn't want them. I couldn't believe it. First, the total disregard to the ducks' life. Second, the way they trap the ducks so that it's not even hunting, just shooting caged animals. And finally, the way he killed them and then threw them away. I was so upset. It was really the first time I was disappointed by what I saw in China. I had to talk myself down from how upset I was. "Yes Shaina, it's terrible. Yes, it's wrong. But this is a different country. They are still working on human rights and running water. Ducks aren't high  on the list. It's okay. It doesn't define the Chinese people. Just walk away, walk away." And I did, but not without a few pictures of the shocking scene:

you know this game :)

It's hard to see, but this is the game. Note the net in the back and the guns for rent. Those ducks don't have a chance.

Next, we got back on the boat and headed to the main attraction, the Lotus Lake: 

notice the guide at the front of the line. long pants, jacket, and hat. in 95 degree weather. INSANE!

Real life black swans. They were beautiful.

Overall, I have to say that this was a hard day. I didn't really enjoy it. Five to six hours walking in 95+ degree heat with no shade is not my idea of a good time. I don't care how beautiful the attraction is. I know that is spoiled and bratty. The Chinese are a hardy people. They don't seem to mind the heat all that much. In fact both of the Chinese women with us wore long sleeves to avoid getting darker (Chinese people like super white skin). It was worth it to them to protect their skin, even at the expense of their comfort. They are tough. I am not. I admit it.

Here are a few pics I found interesting:

Funny sign!

Fisherman. He has these birds tied to his boats with ropes around their necks. They retrieve the fish that he catches (and maybe catch their own), but are stopped from eating them by the rope around their neck. Crazy, huh?

pic of the famous "squatty potty" (that's what I call it). Full disclosure, this is a pretty dirty one. They weren't all this bad. You put your feet on the grooved part on either side of the hole and squat to handle your business. It was very interesting, but not as difficult or traumatic as I expected.