August 7, 2010 - Wuhan, Hubei, China

"He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe,

is as good as dead; his eyes are closed."

~Albert Einstein

After departing the Victoria Princess cruise yesterday, we quickly realized that Yichang is part of China’s rapid development, in an unprepared way. Everything around Yichang (airport, dam, cruise liners) is developed except for the actual city. The cost of a cab ride from the boat dock to the bus station was around $40 US. Deciding to travel today and tomorrow with new friends for the Netherlands, we knew getting out of Yichang fast was our only chance at success. Taking a bus to Wuhan and finding the Pathfinder International Youth Hostel, we were able to finally relax and explore another massive city with little context to its importance in China.


Growing up in the US, education in the west, and common-sense indicates that when looking at a map, North is always at the top. Not the case in China. The nautical compass was perfected in China thousands of years ago, but established North as a consistent for cartography. Trying to locate the Yellow Crane Tower and Changchun Temple, we whipped out a map. Random Chinese men began closing in from all directions, standing within inches, to peer over our shoulders for a peak at the disoriented map. Eventually eight men pressed up against us making it impossible to identify landmarks, and created a claustrophobic atmosphere. Overwhelmed, laughing became my coping device. Dropping the map and pushing out of the crowd, luckily my Netherland friends were unfazed and continued seek our destination.

Finally we arrived at the rebuilt Taoist Chung Chun Temple which was originally destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. My excitement for Asian culture was overemphasized by the lack of enthusiasm by my Netherland travel companions. They were unimpressed by the local people’s desire to reconstruct a cultural relic, regardless of communist mandates. The Yellow Crane Tower, originally constructed in 223 AD, is a five story tower to immortalize poetry. Viewing the tower can be done anywhere in town, but to visit one must pay $20 US. I am more impressed by the sidewalk calligraphy artist.