The theme for Contrast Podcast #167 is “Home,” because podcast master Tim Young and his wife will be leaving theirs in the UK soon to relocate to France.
I am still recovering myself from being away from home for 15 days. I had thought that jetlag would be easier in this direction, but I’m only just getting back into normal sleeping patterns. I have, however, stopped stopped waking up in wee morning hours wondering which China hotel room I am in.
Above, a mirror in the imperial bedroom at the Forbidden City. It’s hard to imagine anyone calling this huge place “home.”
Our main “home” in China was the Hua Feng Youth Hostel in Beijing, selected for us by The Professional Foreigner. The rooms are tiny, but otherwise it is extremely affordable, and everything is clean and comfortable, with Internet in the rooms. It is near the center of the city with good access to the major tourist sites. The staff do not speak English, but they are very helpful. The hostel is also within walking distance of the hutongs and shops of the fascinating Nan Luo Gu Xiang neighborhood. Hutongs are the courtyard-style former homes of the rich which were turned into residences of worker families in the Cultural Revolution. In some cases centuries old, many fell into neglect but are now being repaired and revitalized as national places of interest.
The fanciest place we stayed, also selected by the Professional Foreigner, was the Longshan Holiday Resort in Changping, just outside of Beijing. It is a beautiful place with large, comfortable rooms; however this hotel caters mostly to Chinese businessmen, and the staff do not speak English and are not accustomed to dealing with western tourists.
My favorite of the places we stayed was The Loft Hostel in Chengdu. The staff speak good English and are very helpful and accommodating to foreign visitors. Many foreigners passing through southern China on their way to or from other Asian countries stay there, and the design and decoration cater to European tastes, with weird German art posters on every upstairs wall. It has its own kitchen that even serves a western-style breakfast.
Both the Hua Feng and the Loft hostels are located in genuine Chinese neighborhoods, affording a fascinating view into typical, local lifeways. Our room at the Loft was only feet away from an apartment building where people hung their laundry to dry and watered plants on their balconies. Someone upstairs had a mynah bird in a cage that had learned to mimic the sound of a Chinese man spitting. Chinese men hawk and spit heartily, loudly, and often, so the bird had had plenty of examples.
Although I still haven’t completely settled back into a routine, it’s good to be home.
Alberta Cross: Ramblin’ Home
MySpace | RCRDLBL
Limbeck: Home (Is Where the Van Is) from Let Me Come Home (2005)
MySpace | Buy
Great news: Engineers have a brand-new album out, Three-Fact Fader. Must have.
Engineers: Home from Engineers (2005)
MySpace | Buy
The Airfields: The Long Way Home from Up All Night (2008)
Hear also “Home Is Always an Imaginary Place” on MySpace | Buy
Yet another wonderful band from Alberta, Canada, who play mesmerizingly gorgeous songs. Must get more.
Woodpigeon: Home As A Romanticized Concept Where Everyone Loves You Always And Forever
from September, and the Tragic End of Summer Like So Much Lost Love (2008)
MySpace | Buy
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