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Blogging from the Boat!

After our relaxing day wandering around the amazing city of Dalian, we are finally heading South to Yantai to catch up with our bicycles and resume our epic ride. We’ve had a few days off after completing our first leg and we’re all  feeling a bit lazy (and are definitely ready to get back on the bikes). But these days off have given us a chance to “Man Zou” more than we were able to do while focusing our hitting our daily bicycle benchmarks. We’ve been able to explore some of the largest cities in Northeastern China, which has been a great experience and have had a chance to rest our weary bodies.

We have also finally achieved our goal of taking a ferry in China (which was no easy task) and are on the open sea right now as I am writing this latest blog post. Although getting to the ferry was a bit of a struggle, once we got onto the vessel…it’s really not much different than a ferry in the United States and has been a very smooth and relaxing ride. We decided to splurge a little and get private rooms (mostly to make sure our equipment, etc was protected) and it’s absolutely gorgeous today…sunny and 75 degrees.  The ferry ride will take about 7 hours to get to across the Bohai Sea.

Team Man Zou on the deck of the ferry as we sail away from Dalian

Team Man Zou on the deck of the ferry as we sail away from Dalian.

Leaving Dalian really gave us a better perspective of this rapidly changing city. As we pulled away you could see not just one major development like the one we walked around yesterday (more to come about this soon), but many others that were just as big or larger located across the massive shoreline…We were also able to get a better look at the vast industrial center and ports as well. It’s clear that in the future this is not only going to be a major tourist/vacation destination, but also a large metropolis with unlimited growth potential. The fact that the city of Dalian was only built in the last hundred years (and most of the major development in the last 10) blows my mind and I’d love to be able to see what this place looks like in a few more.

As we head South on the ferry, Dalian disappears into the horizon.

As we head South on the ferry, Dalian disappears into the horizon.

Now onto to Yantai where our bicycles are hopefully awaiting in one piece. We will leave tomorrow and cycle 4 days along a pennisula to Qingdao, our next rest day destination and home of the International Beer Festival (which we’re all looking forward to attending). We also getting closer to National day (October 1st) and the beginning of vacation for a large majority of Chinese. Needless to say, we’re all interested to see what that experience is going to be like as well. That’s all I got for now…I’m going to head up to the deck to bag some rays now and make the most of this amazing ferry ride.

Kevin and Sean check out my latest blog post from our stateroom!

Kevin and Sean help me choose some pics for the blog post from our stateroom!

This entry was posted on Friday, September 26th, 2008 at 12:04 pm and is filed under on the road. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

174 Responses to “Blogging from the Boat!”

  1. Grand China Buffet Says:
    September 28th, 2008 at 12:06 am

    I honestly think most people go here for the crab legs and dessert. I know I do. Unfortunately, there seems to always be people at buffets that have what I call “buffet mentality”. They go in, and, thinking that they’re gonna starve, they’ll take as much food as possible and not leave any for anyone else. C’mon! Who really needs to take 2 plates piled high with crab legs? What about everyone else waiting in line? The wait staff is attentive, talking to customers and refilling beverages. I go at least once every 3 months or so, mostly to “catch up” with friends. Don’t go on Friday or Saturday night unless you like noise though.

Man Zou is a common phrase in Mandarin. It is more of a philosophy than anything. Man Zou literally translates to "Walk Slow."

"Slow and steady wins the race," they say. This is at the heart of the meaning of Man Zou. Walk slowly and you won't fall. Act carefully and you won't go wrong. A slow walker is faster than someone who walks fast but always has to stop and rest. Persistence is important in learning or doing anything.

To explain a little more in depth, read this quote from The Challenge of Trekking in China by Kyle Acierno:

"I recently underwent the most thorny, intricate, and demanding trek of my life. China is no walk in the park. The county is extremely diverse, and with diversity comes complexity. There is no smooth road laid for backpackers and attempting to do anything or get anywhere can be incredibly arduous...I really needed a break and I didn't know where I would be next. I sat down to a plate of rice noodles and peanuts. A hardy meal for a hardy man. A giant of a woman served me, but with her giant body came a giant heart. With a quick phrase that I have become accustomed to, she filled me with self-assurance that I needed for the rest of my trip. ?Man Zou!? she shouted with a big smile on her face. This literally translates to ?Walk Slow?. To me this means more then just ?be careful.? To me this means take the time to see the wonders of life. The power it gave me changed the rest of my trip. From then on everything went smoothly...I learned a lot from this Trek. I learned the beauty that exists just off the beaten track. I learned that anything amazing takes time. I learned just how much you could learn from people without even using language...By taking the time to notice all the small things in life you can really appreciate who, where, and what you are. Patience, persistence, and practice makes perfect."