The Mountains Beyond the Mountains

Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there's no end in sight

Sprawl II (Arcade Fire)

Mountains Beyond Mountains

The fact that I'm living in Guangzhou often overshadows the other significant, concurrent change in my life. That change is that I've gone from living in Limestone, Maine (population 2,314) to living in a city of 12.78 million, in the midst of the largest urban area in the world after Toyko. I'm a rural Maine girl in an endless city and there are days where I would sell my soul to see some stars.

Am I living in the Doctor Who "Big Bang" world without stars? 

 

This city is never quiet. It is never dark. The natural haze and unnatural smog blur the distance, leaving nothing but ranks of skyscrapers fading into grey. I now have a skyline, not a horizon. There are always people, always voices and sound. My neighbor's son practices the piano. There is a construction site in the block outside my window. Now, this is not to say I live in Hell. No, there are quiet moments in the apartment courtyard. There are evenings when the courtyard is crowded, but with children and families, and the atmosphere is fair-like. My neighbor's son is actually not a bad pianist. And, while I can't see stars, on most nights I can see the moon.

Happy MidAutumn Festival from Xingping

Still, I was overwhelmingly happy last week to be able to get out of the city. A large group of fellow teachers and I took the bus about 6 hours to Yangshuo, a town in Guangxi province. Yangshuo reminds me of Old Orchard Beach, without the beach. The main tourist area, West Street, is lined by day with vendors and shops selling all the usual Chinese souvenirs. At night, it transforms into a bar street. At all times, it is crowded with foreigners.

West Street, Yangshuo

But I didn't go for the silk scarves and bars. I went for the scenery: limestone karst mountains that rise up from the level plain of the land like dominoes carelessly discarded there by giants. I spent my time rediscovering nature, by boating on the Li River and biking through the countryside.

It was worth the sunburn.

We also went a little further to Xingping, a small town with fewer foreigners (but also a wonderful hostel, called This Old Place: so, on the one hand, rural; on the other hand, still clearly tourist-oriented). It was quiet and relaxing and I really, really didn't want to go back to the city.

Do I have to go back to the asphalt jungle?

Alas, back to the city I went. I suppose the epically neat sleeper bus helped in the transition (who know they were a real thing?!). Really, the city is a wonderful place, full of opportunities and wonders. But, oh, it was nice to see mountains made of stone not of steel.

Night bus!

For 100 more pictures of mountains, you can see all of my photos from vacation here.