sitting on a plane some 30,000 odd feet in the sky while making my way
back to the U.S. To put it in perspective, we passed over Siberia
just a bit ago. The trip has come to an end. While each day seemed
to last forever, it is as if we left New York yesterday.
Before I begin this conclusion, I want to thank everyone for their
warm responses to this account of our trip to Chengdu. For all of us,
it was our first trip to China and I know I speak for the group in
saying it was truly amazing. It was an honor to be able to help
document it in even this slightest of ways. When I get home, I'll be
creating a Picassa album available online so everyone can see the
extent of the photos taken by all of us.
I also want to thank Peter Graves. A little over a month ago, at the
Trinity v. Princeton race, Pete came up to us and asked if we could go
to China for free to race, would we want to do it. All of us were
shocked and most doubted it would become a reality. Yet here I am,
following a great circle over the North Pole, returning home from the
far east. Without Peter, this trip would not have happened.
On to the last account....
Our final day began with the finals of the regatta. Again there were
swarms of people lining the shores. In the boat area, the oarsmen
made their final preparations while the Dragon Boatmen relaxed waiting
for their final event.
The A final was made up by Peking University, Trinity, Otago
University, and University of Sydney (from left to right in the
lanes). Rowing up to the line, the Sydney six man broke his foot
stretchers, slightly delaying the start. The officials got the matter
fixed and all crews were poised to go. The air was one of
excitement. Every oarsman sat at this start line literally in the
middle of China because of his love for rowing. That love managed to
carry us to a new land which gave so much to us over the past week.
Here we were at the culmination, and everyone was ready to give their
all.
They polled the crews, and it was "Attention, go!". Only so much can
happen in less than three minutes. The race was both quick and
intense. Otago and Sydney jumped off the start. We held on, along
with Peking, for a bit, but Otago and Sydney were strong and powered
ahead. As they did, we increased our lead over China, but could not
catch the two lead crews. In the end, Otago took the gold, followed
by Sydney, ourselves, and Peking.
Once back on shore we stretched and recovered for a bit. All the
teams made the rounds amongst eachother, going from one area to the
next passing along congratulations, trading some kit, and sharing some
beers in celebration of a terrific end to the week.
The lot of us made our way to the grand stands to watch another round
of Drunken Wet Duck catching. Some even were able to try their hand
at it! Peter, as our team leader, accepted an award for our third
place finish. Right now it's sitting in the overhead compartment
above me, waiting to be delivered to the Trinity boathouse. I highly
recommend taking a look at it next time you pass through Hartford.
Now just past noon, the remainder of the day was slated for two of
Chengdu's finest attractions. Hot Pot and Pandas. Hot pot is sort of
the Sichuan version of fondu. A large pot, with a smaller separate
containment space in its center, is placed in the middle of the table
on a burner. The outer area has a traditional spicy broth/sauce,
while the inner circle has a non-spicy version.
To give you an idea of what is spicy in Sichuan, one of the spices
they use is called ma. On Saturday I bought a handful of it in an
open air market not terribly far off from el Mercado Central in
Valencia (this one is just more portable). Its texture and look is
that of a peppercorn, but when chewed you experience a buzzing of the
tongue and a combination of flavor and aura which stays with you for a
good fifteen minutes, enhancing anything you eat thereafter. Not for
the faint of heart, but quite delicious.
To dip in our pots, they brought us what can only be described as a
feast. Platter after platter of dumplings, raw meats, and oddities.
All were adventurous and very tasty. The afternoon went on, with the
food and beer flowing. With the Chinese, toasts are cherished and
frequent throughout any meal. "Gan bei!" roughly meaning "dry cup" is
a standard. Adopting the "when in rome..." mentality, the teams
closed in on one another, toasting to any and all. The dining hall, a
swarm of cheers and toasts and singing, was a sight to be seen.
After finally gathering everyone back onto the busses. We made our way
to see Pandas! The ride was about an hour and a half, and given our
raucous lunch, high spirits, and continuing thirst, there were many,
many laughs to be had.
Visiting the Pandas a true treat for all of us as originally we were
told it wouldn't be able to happen because of the earthquake. The
facility in Chengdu is the largest Panda breading center in the
world. They have a number of pandas there which were just amazing to
watch.
It was Geordie however, who seized the day. He had the most unique
opportunity of actually holding a panda cub (video to come). Sitting
in Geordie's arms, the cub was very docile, laying back and enjoying
being scratched, petted, and having his feet massaged (not to mention
the apple he was eating). According to the Panda Whisperer, aka
Geordie, the cub was surprisingly light, with an estimated fluff to
body weight ratio of 65%.
I cannot think of a greater conclusion to the trip than the bus ride
back from Chengdu to Xinjin. It was the last cornerstone in creating
a brief yet full vision of China. Over the course of the week we had
seen so much. From the wealthy to the beggars, the city sprawl to the
sweeping farmland, the insanity of the drivers to the generosity of
the people. On our bus ride back, we caught a glimpse of China's path
yet to come.
Leaving the fully developed part of central Chengdu and beginning to
reenter the countryside, we started to see numerous developments.
Within an hour and a half of driving we passed, at the very least,
five-hundred buildings at various points of construction. Think of co-
op city outside of New York only 100 times larger. In the distance,
the setting sun approached the horizon, colors amplified by the slight
haze of pollution and humidity. In awe of the massive push for
development, we talked about China's vision and what could possibly be
in store, as well as the effects that it could have on the Earth if we
all continue to follow that same path indefinitely.
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