My first stop in China was Nanjing. After arriving, we hustled bustled to Confucius Temple – which is where scholars and officials used to study for public examinations. About all the studying you’ll be doing these days is how to haggle, eat street food, and navigate massive crowds – as the area has been overrun by shopping, street venders, and hawkers. Having been turned into a tourist trap and shopping haven, the ‘Temple’ was less inspiring than hoped. This is also where I got an immediate introduction to the children with split pants. Turns out little children [think under 4 or so] run around with big splits in their crotches in many areas of China – and when they need to do business, they hunker on down and do it wherever they are. Public park or street? OK. Grocery store? That’s OK too [an ETA totally got a picture]. It never stopped making me laugh but sidewalking was definitely full of hazards.
Hustle and bustle was the theme for Nanjing. The streets of China are like computer circuitry – firing automobiles, bicycles, and pedestrians down pathways non-stop. I swore I was going to die in a taxi as he weaved past cars and cyclists. The best description I have heard of traffic in China is that it is a bicycle culture that suddenly got automobiles. Crossing the street [though more dangerous in other places] basically involves a frogger approach, willingness to stand in the center of a street while cars whiz past, and an empty bladder.
My second or third day of Nanjing had me awaken with a cold-like snot factory – a symptom that I would keep thoughout my entire journey of China. Whether I contracted a little virus or if the haze of the cities was to blame – I’m not sure. Since my time was limited, I only saw two more sites – the old city walls of Nanjing and the Nanjing Massacre Memorial. The walls were cool – little beautiful barriers. The Memorial site deserves its own entry…
