Shanghai, Trains and Kunming
It has been an eventful series of planes, trains, and subway rides this past week for the New River Academy. Students and staff flew into Shanghai, China, with books, bags, and kayak gear. Upon arrival to Shanghai we were greeted by Shui-shui, our translator and guide through the metropolis twice the size of Los Angeles. We took the Mag-lev, a train that can exceed 250 mph to the metro subway. imagine a group of 20 white people in a foreign land carrying very large, bright, heavy bags in the midst of thousands. Awkward.
We exited the underground system and entered an arena of towering sky scrapers, bustling vehicles, and pedestrians everywhere. How do you manage 20 people in a metro area? We came up with a lead and a sweep, each person was assigned a partner, and everyone was assigned a number. We do a number call off at every turn. It is a simple working model for keeping track of everyone.
We spent two nights in the Shanghai International Hostel while we collected attempted to collect Sean Johnson’s and Tyson Rowley’s late arriving kayaks. Our school took advantage of this period to knock out two days of school, shop, and take in the big city. Students bought everything including fake Rolexes, fried dumplings, a variety of teas, and even two pet turtles. Sean and Kier Samuelson are now the proud owners of their baby turtles.
For me it was most exciting to observe the excitement of each person as they began to take in China. Cael Jones, Brian Boyle, Kier, Daniel Stewart, and Tino Specht were most psyched after going to the top of the Marriott Hotel and completing a time lapse of the bustling traffic stories below them. Charlotte Haride, Tyson, and Tino have begun to learn Chinese. The photo students are continually pointing their cameras at everything, but not too much. Claire Dibble was taking a photo of a lady's food as she cooked and Claire surprisingly had her camera smacked into her nose in disapproval.
Next, we caught a 37-hour train from Shanghai to Kunming. Eli Spiegel and Katie Kowalski pointed out that the train ride was a bonding experience. We took this opportunity to complete another day of school in preparation for our Mekong expedition.
Welcome to Kunming
Levin Brown greeted us in Kunming and took us to the Hump Hostel in the center of this metropolis. Morgan Tidd and Daniel stated that they liked Kunming more than Shanghai. Students now take photos from our balcony of both modern and traditional architecture. The city is almost too much to take in with its large buildings, bustle of traffic and pedestrians, never-ending billboards, and stream of culture.
Today, we are conducting classes and shopping with Levin at a nearby outdoor store. Students will stock up on expedition supplies and snacks that they will not find in Lijiang. At 7:00 pm we will catch an overnight bus to Liajang. We are all excited for the Shangri-la city of Lijiang at over 6,000 feet elevation. Lijang will be our last staging base prior to putting on the Mekong River. In Lijang we will meet with China rivers expedition expert, Jed Weingarten. Students and faculty will be part of the planning for expedition food, and the final decisions regarding our 6-day outing.