Day 7 – Trip to Dajong and a COMPLETE and TOTAL freak out!

First before you read another sentence, go into your bathroom and hug your “western toilet.” No matter how dirty a gas station is I will never complain again, because at least in the states it was a regular toilet. About 90 % of the toilets here are “squat pots” and there is a reason for the name. It is a hole in the ground that you literally squat over and do your thing. Even in NICE RESTAURANTS and fancy hotels there are only squat pots. The girls and I have learned that you look for “handicapped” bathrooms because sometimes they have “western toilets” and ironically they have never been used.

Oh and there is NO toilet paper, you have to bring your own EVERYWHERE. I have NEVER seen Tp in any restroom here. I am also going to come home with a kidney infection for “holding” it all day to wait until I can use my parents bathroom at their apartment.

With that out of the way….

We saw the MOST AMAZING place the other day. We left for 2 days and went to a city called Datong about 5 hours away. Outside the city they have a place called The Hanging Monasteries, and that is pretty much what they are. Some crazy monks in 450ad built on the side of a CLIFF a 40 room monastery. It is BEAUTIFUL.

This is the kids on the way up posing for a picture with a guy who grabbed them and wanted a photo.

Once up there, my 14 year old was excited to see that there were people who were smaller than his aunts and grandmother.

Paul and my Dad thought it was funny that I was starting to freak out about the heights. But notice that they aren’t exactly standing close to the railing.

This would not have flown in the US. It was completely unsafe for little kids, who at any point could have slipped through the rails. The rails were also not that sturdy, being “only” 1500 years old and all. Plus it was windy and we were on a cliff.

I can’t possibly describe how amazing it was that someone built this in 450ad. It is really incredible. Which is funny, because they valley seemed perfectly useful to me. 🙂

O.K. so I normally don’t have a problem with heights. They are not my favorite but I don’t think too much about it. I have done my share of rock climbing, spelunking and running around on some very unsafe heights. But for some reason I started to freak out. It was a little windy and everything is made out of wood and in pictures you can’t possibly see just how narrow and straight down the drop was. As we got higher and higher, everything got more narrow I was feeling really sick and having a hard time putting one foot in front of the other.

Paul and the kids want to pass me and I gladly let them, yelling at everyone to be careful and stay against the wall. As Paul passes I decide that I am done. DONE. I am going back down and won’t go any further. He asked if I wanted him to go with me and I started freaking out yelling at him to get up there with the kids! He went on ahead, and I was going to turn around and go back.

EXCEPT THAT I WAS COMPLETELY FROZEN.

I seriously could not move a muscle. I was pressed up against the wall, and literally could not tell my feet to move. IT WAS HORRIBLE. I stood there sweating for about 2 minutes, when my parents came up and around the corner. They were trying to encourage me along. The wood is so old it is slippery and trying to go back seemed even worse.

I decided I would go forward and follow my Mom and Dad.

What happened next is only what will be legend in our family for years. Once we climb the last section and turn to start coming back down on the highest and slipperiest part my MOTHER looses it. She actually dropped down on all fours and was CRAWLING down the walkway. I was in the middle of my parents and my Dad and I were laughing so hard I felt much better. My Mom even GAVE UP her camera, and almost dropped it in place and wanted my Dad to pick it up as he went by. Anyone related to me will understand the gravity of my Mom giving up the camera.

We made it down safely, but my sides hurt from how funny and how scared I was at the same time. My Mom however did not think it was that fun, but thankfully can laugh along with us at the entire thing! Plus we had to tell her how worried a little Chinese lady was that had to move out of the way for her. That poor woman was so distraught seeing my Mom freaking out, she might have turned around herself!

That night, my Dad took is to eat at a Hot Pot restaurant. To make it more exciting no one spoke English, and the menu was all in Chinese. Not that anyone was surprised, but often someone speaks a little English and my parents Chinese is good enough to order food. Not this time! But one of the other people eating there was a Chinese college student and he helped us order.

I was AWESOME and we were stuffed. Except that was got shrimp in places it should not have been and salt instead of soy sauce, but that makes it all the more fun!