In a city full of people, in a country very far away. I was amazed at that all the friendly smiles I got. Saying good bye to Wuhan didn’t mean much to me at the time I experienced it, versus the time I write this. It’s very heartbreaking knowing what happened to this beautiful city after I left.
The subway station photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Got off randomly at a stop near the airport. Wanted to see a little more of Wuhan before I go. Everything was so clam and quiet in this neighborhood. Almost like a suburban area. You wouldn’t think that you were in the middle of a city with a population of 50 million. It’s hard to believe how calm and quiet was everything. Felt like some areas in queens NYC.
The local neighborhood sign photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Saw a huge sign and had a hint I was in wuhan’s linkong green ecological district. I mean it had large letters in English. It was hard not to know where I was at. Lost in my thoughts, I kept thinking about my time in China. Such a beautiful city that I hope to visit again. From the friendly people on the streets to the little girl in the subway that wanted to take picture with me because she never seen someone who looked like me in person. I had a great time learning and experiencing the chinese culture.
Marriott hotel photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Kept walking forward until I found a Marriott hotel. It was in the color red to match China. I have gotten so used to seeing american chains around the world that it didn’t surprised me to see a Marriott here. It was just another sign that the airport is nearby. Also, another reminder that I was leaving. Had to face reality, my time was up. I wanted to explore a little bit more. However, there was a seat on a plane headed towards NYC that had my name on it.
The sunsetting as if it’s saying good bye photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Saying good bye is always hard. Especially, now that I know what this city went through after I left. It’s currently happening where I live now. To the awesome people I met here, I hope they are okay. Grew so much as a person here. This is a trip that changed me in so many ways. During my time there and after I left. I will truly treasure my time in Wuhan and can’t wait to go back, once this virus settles down.
Got to the airport on time and went through the security line. As planned, my seat was waiting for me. Wuhan will become a thing of the past. A part of china nobody talks about. Or so I thought, who would had known the events that would happen here the months following.
Much love and safe travels! Please keep clean everyone!! Wash your hands!!
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My time was almost up in Wuhan. The clock was ticking. Saying good bye to a place that treated me so well would be hard. The bright smiles and the honesty I experienced was hard to replicate elsewhere.
Spongebob in wuhan photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
On my way back to the train station, I found this shop. It’s clear Pokemon and Japanese cartoons are big here. What surprised me was seeing spongebob. I could just picture all the censoring that show gets just to be aired on Chinese televisions. That show is not for kids at times. There’s a lot of hidden adult jokes. Plus, spongebob’s friend Patrick does nothing all day. Not sure if the Chinese government would let people do that.
The ticket machine of wuhan metro photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Went to the subway, it was business as usual. The subway ticket machines have the option to translate everything to English. So, I had no difficulties getting around. Just hard to think as what happened in current events. I was litterly in the belly of the beast when it comes to this virus. I was probably in a subway cart with someone had the corona virus. If not that, the subway cart at one point of the day had someone infected riding it. It’s almost hard to believe.
Side walk photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
I decided to get off at a random stop. I just wanted to see a little more of Wuhan and how the locals really live. The place I went was non-touristic. Expect the Highway, everything was very calm. Very few people on the streets.
The apartment buildings photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
The whole area was calm. It was just in front of a freeway. However, not many car passed by. I sat to reflect my on journey in Wuhan. I have had some amazing moments here. Been treated with respect everywhere I went. People with smiles trying to help me out without having bad intentions. This is a place, I would have to visit again. I have nothing but love and respect for the Chinese people.
Sunset photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
As the sun was setting, I had to walk back to the subway station. Every time I leave a country, I always reflect on how much I grown as a person. The negativity I was expecting when I came here was all in my prejudice thoughts. I wish I could see a little more of china before leaving. At that moment, I wanted to get off in another stop to see just a little bit more of Wuhan.
Much love and safe travels! Please keep clean everyone!! Wash your hands!!
We have partnered up with booking.com and working on TripAdvisor. Here are some links for each hope you all enjoy!Here are links to hotels and other deals.For Hotels, make sure to click here. For apartments make sure to click here. For Resorts click here. For villas click here. For bed and breakfast and for Guest houses, make sure to click the links!
My time in Wuhan was coming to an end. Sadly, most of us know what happened to this beautiful city after I left. Writing this gives me mixed emotions. Love the fact that I met some awesome people here. I’m also heartbroken to what they recently went through. Either way, this trip gave me a stronger level of respect to the Chinese people. They are very warm and respectful. Compared to the Chinese I met outside of china.
Entrance to the small garden photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Had one more part of the park to explore. It was another garden. However, it was a little different. Now, I know that panada bears weren’t running around freely here. To my surprise, another animal was.
The tree in the middle photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Once you past the entrance, you see a tree in the middle. Had no idea what type of tree it was. Nor, did I know what the signs were saying. One of the main eye openers that I experienced in china was how beautiful nature is here. When I thought about China, all I knew was from the movies and TV shows. There were only factories and grey apartment buildings. Also, panada bears..(yeah, I’m still a little salty). However, China is much more than that!
Another cat I want to take home photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
As you see in the pictures, China has so many colors. It’s truly a beautiful place. I really recommend going after the virus dies down. Might be best to get travel health insurance. Very different than the normal travel insurance. Don’t really need to explain in detail. I’m sure you all can tell by the name, what is the difference of the two. One focuses on health and the other on flight delays.
Anyways, back to the story. There was a little trail on the side to the garden. Started following up the steps and I felt someone was watching me. You know that gut feeling of someone watching your every move. Kept looking around to see if there was some type of camera nearby. When I found a group of wild domesticated cats in the bushes. Being the cat lover that I am, I started calling for them. Most ran away. Only one stayed looking at me. I wanted to pet it so bad. Of course, I don’t want more complications while going through US immigration. Like why you smuggling cats? Never want to be asked that. I’m sure there are special jails for cat burglars in airports.
The shrine at the top of the trail photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Went to the top of the trail. There was a little shrine. I wish I knew what it meant. This little shrine was like a relaxation stop to sit and watch. The trail went on but to get back to the entrance. Truly enjoyed this part of China. Sadly, it was almost time for me to head back to the airport.
Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels! Please keep healthy everyone!
We have partnered up with booking.com and working on TripAdvisor. Here are some links for each hope you all enjoy!Here are links to hotels and other deals.For Hotels, make sure to click here. For apartments make sure to click here. For Resorts click here. For villas click here. For bed and breakfast and for Guest houses, make sure to click the links!
After going around the yellow crane tower, there was a sign that kept getting my attention. The garden of black bamboo. Never heard nor seen bamboo being the color black. So I wanted to see it in person. Also, I knew panda bears ate bamboo. I was hoping to see a few of them around. Honestly, I thought they were just running around normally in China. Sadly, I was wrong.
The entrance to the garden photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
When you are at the entrance of the garden, you see a huge sign. Had no idea what it meant. However, I’m sure you all knew what I was wishing it said. “Don’t feed the pandas!” Or “Warning!! Panda bears nearby!” Of course, it probably means something about the black bamboo. Being ignorant to the whole situation, I was enjoying the sign with excitement. Like a kid thinking it was going to the ice cream shop. Sadly, the parents didn’t mention they would stop by the hospital first to get the flu shot.
The walkway in the bamboo garden photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
The moment I stepped inside, I felt a strong sense of calmness. Like this area has some special energy to it. It almost like, I was walking like into a cave away from all the hustle and bustle of Wuhan. I almost forgot that I was in the middle of a major Chinese city. The sound of the leaves being blown by the wind. Insects making noises to let you know there are there. It was a nice breath of fresh air from being in a major city.
A rock to sit on photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
All that was missing to make this moment priceless was traditional Chinese music playing in the background. Well that and of course, a Kungfu Panda voiced by Black Jack. Disappointment hit me when I realized pandas were not here. As childish as this sounds, I was hoping to pet one of those black and white bears. This why you shouldn’t have expectations when traveling. Don’t come into a place and expect the location to look or be a certain way. It might ruin the trip for you. Luckily, pandas weren’t going to stop me from have a good time! However, I really wanted to pet a panda.
A cluster of green bamboo photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Black bamboo photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Walked further into the garden and saw the black bamboo. Saw them earlier, just not in a group. They look almost painted. It was interesting to see them. Yet, it was like something was missing from this. I’m sure I was still salty over not seeing Panda Bears in China.
Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels!
We have partnered up with booking.com and working on TripAdvisor. Here are some links for each hope you all enjoy!Here are links to hotels and other deals.For Hotels, make sure to click here. For apartments make sure to click here. For Resorts click here. For villas click here. For bed and breakfast and for Guest houses, make sure to click the links!
When I first saw the tower from afar, it finally hit me that I was in China. The buildings and the Lion statues, this is the China I grew up seeing in movies and television. The atmosphere was relax. No pushing or shoving, just people enjoying their time. Getting lost in the moment, it was hard not to notice how peacefully things looked. The whole area surrounding the Yellow Crane tower reminded me of flushing, queens. Might be the fact that Flushing Queens was Nyc’s little China at one point. Still couldn’t help noticed the mixture of urban with the touch of suburban.
The yellow crane tower from a far photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Started walking closer and I noticed, this tower reminded me of that Pokemon game gold and silver. If you ever played them, there was a tower that was burnt down. It looks very similar to this. I wonder if the game developers were influenced by this landmark. Just a little reference to a childhood moment. Now back to the story!
The closer you get to the tower, the more you hear tourists walking around. As mentioned before, people from all over china come here to see this landmark. There is something special about this to tower to the Chinese. Which I will go in detail soon. You do have to pay to get into the tower. You pay upfront at the entrance to the park/landmark. Took me about 15 mins from the entrance to the tower. Along the way, I saw even more cats!! You know I had to stop and get close. Weirdly enough, this park had a lot of wild domesticated cats running around. I wonder if there some hidden mystery there.
Reaching the outside steps of the yellow crane tower photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
The history of this tower is very interesting. There has been many poems made about this tower. The tower we see today is actually a modern version. Over the years, the tower has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. This one was built in 1981; however, the original tower that stood in it’s place can be dated back to AD 223. That means, this place has been important to the Chinese culture for more than 1600 years! The yellow crane is one of the four great towers of China. It’s somewhat hard to think about because the USA and all the countries in the Americas have only been around for 500 to 600 years. Just a fraction of the age of this landmark. This is why I love traveling to places outside of the USA. Just wrapping your head around the fact you are standing in a building, tunnel or on a street that is over 1000 years old.
The entrance to the yellow crane tower photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Got to the very front and I was lost for words. It looks a lot bigger up close. Everybody around were getting their phones out to take a selfie. A little reminder of the world we live in today. Saw a few westerns here in awe like me. I’m pretty sure they assumed I was from India. Everybody kept asking me that on my trip throughout South East Asia. It’s hard not to appreciate, the detail put into this tower. It’s really a piece of art. Which makes senses why the tower has the hearts of many Chinese poets.
The stairs to get to the top photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
paintings on of the floors of the tower photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Once inside, every level has a form of art. The art shows different stories from Chinese culture. To get to the top, you need go up the stairs. There is an elevator for those that can’t do stairs. If you don’t have knee problems, I recommend taking the stairs. Seeing the different levels and the views of the city looks different at each one.
The view of Wuhan china at the top of the tower photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
At the very top, I walked to the sides of the tower. I wanted to see the city’s skyline. When I got there, to my surprise the city of Wuhan looks a lot bigger than I thought. It almost looked like a smoggy Manhattan. Although, I still saw San Francisco mixed with Chicago while going around the city. The skyline really looked like you are in Brooklyn looking at Manhattan. I’m still in somewhat disbelief to what is happening in Wuhan now. Since this was in the middle of December in 2019, everything changed so quick.
Ancient Chinese drawings with a modern touch photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Got back into the building and saw the inside art at the very top. The whole ceiling is filled with Ancient Chinese painting mixed with a modern style to match the building. There is a story being told through the painting. The local legend is that the tower was built in honor of a Taoist priest. The priest used to come visit a pot house and asked for wine. The owner of the pot house ignored him but his son did not. The son gave the priest wine regularly for about half a year. Then one day, the priest drew a crane on wall of the pot house. As a repayment for his kindness, the priest enchated the drawing. The crane was magical and would dance at the son’s request. The whole city heard about this and the family became rich. They built the yellow crane tower as a symbol of gratitude. If you want to read more about the legend, here is a link.
Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels!
After a long and confusing journey, I finally made it to the Yellow Crane Tower. Well, the entrance anyways. When you get there, the first thing you notice are all the traditional Chinese architecture. Believe or not, Wuhan is a very modern city. You don’t really see much of the traditional buildings around the city. You might see them as landmarks but not as normal everyday buildings. Wuhan can be mistaken as any major city in the USA. To me, the city of Wuhan kind of looks like a flat San Francisco mixed with Chicago.
Tourist map of the Yellow Crane River photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Once at the entrance, you are greeted by a Chinese lion. Fun fact, lions never lived in China. They only heard of them from their trades with the Persians and Indians. To the Chinese, lions means strength and superiority. The statues were used for scaring off evil spirits and harmful people. The male Lion was always shown to be with a ball and the female lion with her cubs. The lion statues were usually used for imperial Chinese places and tombs.
Traditional Chinese lion with ball statue photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Traditional Chinese Building with writing photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
The entrance fee is about 12 usa dollars per person. They also offer river rides for an additional cost. The river tour is on the Yangtze River. The Yangtze River is actually the second largest river in the world. Only behind the Nile river, the Yangtze River is a world wonder. It starts in Shanghai and passes through Wuhan. After Wuhan, the river continues further into China. So if you have the time, I would recommend going on that tour. It would be an experience of a lifetime. Of course, travel to Wuhan after the virus has been controlled!
A cat in an alley photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
You aren’t allowed to bring luggage or big bags in. I had to put my bag in a holding office for a fee. Also, forget about bathrooms. It’s literally a hole in the ground with no toilet paper. Tons of fun..
As I was getting ready to walk up the steps, I found a little cat hiding. In facts, I saw a few cats running around. Animals just put a smile on my face! Tried to petting the little one but it wouldn’t let me. It just kept meowing with it’s baby voice. If sneaking a cat on airplane wasn’t so hard, I might’ve brought the little one with me. I would be that weird person smuggling animal in my luggage. Sadly, this is actually a thing. A lot people smuggle live animals in their carry on and even in their pockets.
The pond at the yellow crane tower entrance photo courtesy Hugo Morel
Once I got over the steps, you are greeted with a pond. I saw Chinese people from every part of the country. Saw some that looked Muslim. I found out later than Wuhan has a Muslim community. They are minorities to the Han Chinese. The Uighur Muslims is what they are called. Uighur Muslims are a Turkic ethic group. The Chinese government has been criticized heavily for putting the Muslim minorities into working camps and reprogramming schools. However, the guy I saw was extremely peaceful. He had the brightest smile. I knew what was happening to the Muslim community in China then. Seeing this guy smiling peacefully made me smile as well. It went to show you, even with all the negativity there is always a reason to smile bright. Currently what is happening now in Wuhan, I’m sure this guy is at peace.
Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels!
Before we go explore the Yellow Crane Tower, one question I kept getting from friends and family about China is the question this post is titled as. Is china Communist? Now the answer to that question is much more than just a yes or no. It’s has layers like an onion. China is a weird mixture of capitalism and communism. First of all, I want you all to know that China is much more than just communism. I’m not writing this for the idea of that I think China is just a communist country. Like I mentioned before, China is a mixture. I want to spread light to this topic because some people in the USA and the West think China is some kind of a rich North Korea. I want to make sure that people know what is really going on in china. For that reason, my friends in Wuhan requested that I do not show our conversations on this blog. This is to make everybody just a little more informed about this topic. So, enough of me rambling and explaining myself like I was guilty of something. Here we go!
china soviet flag
In my short time in China, it’s clear China is not as communist as we in the USA believe. When you are there, people live very conformable. When I compare China to Cuba, you can tell that Cuba is more communist than China. I will write a post about how the people really live and feel about living under a pure communist rule in Cuba. I didn’t write it yet out of my safety because I plan to travel to more communist countries. There are two in mind that I still have to go before I can “spill the beans.”
Cuban flag
Fidel Castro with the soviet union
So going back to China’s vs Cuba’s communism, Cuba is pure communism to the core. A college professor gets paid the same as a front desk worker at a hotel. They have to live on about 20 dollars a month, according to my local friend. A taxi driver makes more money than a medical doctor because a taxi driver can charge tourists more than what is recommend by the government. Which is highly illegal but they do it anyways. However, there have been economic reforms since I last came there in May 2019. In Cuba, the locals also have a card that allows Cubans to get a monthly supply of food. Sometimes, it’s not enough but that’s another topic. While in China, a kid that works at a fast food place can start up a company called Alibaba. The CEO will not get paid the same as his/hers employees. From what I saw, there was no one in line at the supermarkets and shops waiting for their monthly supply of food. Everything is bought with a supply and demand without an equal share mentality. Very different than Cuba.
China’s and Russia’s flag
Now, comparing China’s vs Russia’s communism things get more complicated. China and Russia ( once known as the former soviet union) were once very similar. It wasn’t until the after the death of Joseph Stalin, that the Soviet Union wanted to be less oppressive to the common people. In other words, Russians didn’t want to be ruled under such a controlling government. China disagreed with Russia’s new ideals. China wanted to keep control of the general masses. Which in some forms, still goes on today. Currently, Russia is moving more towards a capitalistic economy like China. However, China kept it’s iron rule over the people. Meanwhile, Russia became less aggressive but still had some control over the lives of people.
Which now goes into the question that I keep getting asked. China is communist in the way they control the way the general masses think. They do not want the Chinese people to think negatively about their government. Religion is allowed but the holy scriptures like the Quran or the Bible have to be modified to fit their narrative. If one is caught with original copies, that person can go to jail for a long time or be sent to reprogram schools. Which is now currently happening to the Muslim community in China. The government wants order and people to be in that order. No chaos just order. So freedom of speech is not so free in China. There is a program that China has been pushing for. It is called a social credit. Instead of having a score based on the financial decisions you made. This social credit will be based on your good deeds. If you do something bad, your score will go down. You will not have the same privileges as someone who has a high scorer. In other words, the Chinese government will be watching over you 24/7. This is where China starts becoming communist. Through the country’s control of it’s people. For that reason, I do not feel safe sharing my conversations with friends I met in Wuhan. I do want them to have more issues than they already facing.
ps. I love the Chinese people and their culture. China is much more than the communist party. Once things calm down, I will definitely go there again.
pss. The death toll has risen to 1,400. All we can do for them is to pray and hope their souls are in peace. Please remember, life is a gift and not a right. Make sure you tell your close ones how much you care about them.
Blog update! There will be more content being pushed out on Tuesdays around noon. It will be about travel hacks, travel tips and showing love to places not many people think of traveling to. Hopefully, we can convince you all to go to some of the places someday!
Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels!
The further one goes into this park in Wuhan, the more you are reminded of China’s Communist past. One of the cool things about going into parks are the statues. The historical meaning of them have always made my inner nerd happy (yeah, I got an inner nerd….so what?). I truly wished I could had read Mandarin at the time I was here. I would loved to have know what these statues meant.
Statues of national pride photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Being an outsider in a forgien country is always interesting. However, being an outsider that doesn’t speak nor read the local language is a whole other experience. You can only really guess what the signs mean. In order to survive, you have to learn to adapt and read people. It’s a skill that everybody should learn! These survivor skills have helped me in so many ways. I have gotten out of some diffcult situations because I read the energy people were throwing out. Put me any where in the world and I will survive.
The garden at the park. (My shadow looks like it gained 100 pounds) photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Kind of got lost while looking for this “epic” landmark google told me to go. Nothing wrong with the landmark, I was just annoyed about google knowing where I was going. To the point, I had a few notifications from the “know it all” empire. It’s like they are saying, “hey, we know where you going at all times because we got you on a gps.”
Anways, started asking people where this yellow crane tower was. I kept getting pointed to the same direction. I was surprised at how well some of the locals knew how to speak English. The others that didn’t just pointed. It’s really crazy how warm and welcoming the Chinese were to me. To be blunt, I was expecting some form hostility. Not even from the immigration officers at the airport, not once was I treated with disrespect. I’m sure you all can understand why I feel the way I do. Hearing about the virus on the news is one thing; however, meeting the people effected in a warm light can really cause conflicting emotions.
Old man statue photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
After some time, I eventually found this statue. Once again, my feeling of wanting to read the local langague pop out. There was a level of disconnect. I felt this before in other countries. If only humans didn’t have to sleep, imagine the possibilities of learning.
The area where the statue is located was a square. Looked like a lovely place to just relax and let the minutes pass by. It was calm like people didn’t have a care in the world. An atmosphere some people around the world can only dream of. Makes me wonder how the park looks like now during the civil unrest.
Entrance to the museum with interesting flag photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Kept walking and I found this entrance. It looks like some type of museum. I loved how the flag looked. One of the people that told me where to go, tapped my back and waved no. Well, more gestured no. She pointed me to the right direction. After about 2 mins, it was clear I found the yellow crane tower.
Ps: Update on some of the friends I met here. So right now, they are doing fine. Worried but they are doing fine. Currently, there is a civil unrest. The people of Wuhan feeling like they are not being told the truth about the media. There has been alot of push back on censorship. They are speaking through social media before the government can censor. This started because a doctor died from the censorship. He was told to be quiet about it. For you want to read more about this here is the link.
Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels!
After looking like a crazy lost tourist, I was able to make some new friends at Starbucks. Looking back, it kind of hurts to think that these kind people are probably in a hospital now. It’s crazy how everything can change in such a short time. I was here in December 2019. Fast forwarded a month into the future and the corona-virus took over. It’s really sad to think about. However, getting back into the story, my new friends gave me directions and sites to see in Wuhan. They were surprised to see someone that looks like me in this part of china. I was seeing a pattern, I started to noticed they do not get travelers from all over the world here. The more time I spent in this central Chinese city, the more I enjoyed it. I’m just lost for words at how nice the people were to foreigners. Especially me being an american citizen, did not expect this type of treatment.
China’s verison of forever 21 photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Following the directions of my new friends, I ended up in a commercial strip. Saw stores from all over the world. Brands, I was familiar with and others not so much. As shown in the picture above, you can see a lot of local stores take inspiration from American brands. It’s really hard to believe this is a “communist” china. I even saw people openly wearing cross necklaces and the Muslim hats called kufi. China is not like what the media tells us. I keep getting told that most Chinese have to be atheist. From just looking around, I see that people practice religion here. To what level of freedom, I will explain in another post.
Sign pointing where the yellow crane tower exit is photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Got back on the subway, the original subway worker that I asked directions from. It looks like what she said got lost in translation. I ended missing the stop I was supposed to go. It wasn’t that bad because it was only like two stops away. I followed the poster pointing to what exit I should take. As seen above, everything was in Mandarin. Expect for some reason, the word “exit” was translated. I guess they want tourist like me to figure out the yellow crane tower might possibly be that way.
Red banner photo courtesy of Hugo morel
Got out of the underground and I was taken to the front of a park. I really wished I knew what these signs meant. They looked very important. Luckily, there were pictures of what not to do on the right. Still, the red banner made me wonder. Are they saying, “we don’t like Americans!” Or maybe, “All Americans eat cheeseburgers and french fries for breakfast!” Jokes aside, it could be government propaganda or just stating the park’s name. Which, I still do not know the name of this place. If any of you can read Mandarin, please let me know what the banner says. It would be greatly appreciated.
Art- I have no idea what that means photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Walked more into the park, everybody seemed at easy and stress-less. I’m sure a complete 180 degree to the current events happening right now. Still, it’s hard to believe how peaceful everything was. Old people watching the birds and kids running around without a care in the world. Everybody was just enjoying their day. An atmosphere, I just had to sit down and enjoy. For once on my recent trip around Asia, I felt relax. No one wanted to scam me and no one harassing me. Wuhan, China isn’t so bad, it’s actually very enjoyable. I just hope everything calms down, so that you all can experience this someday.
The beautiful nature photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
The one thing that stood out to me about china is the natural beauty. You see it on the subway. The leaves and plants look so beautiful. I always thought China was nothing but apartment buildings and packed streets. So far, I have been wrong! Couldn’t wait to see what else China had to offer.
Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels!
After a long flight, the plane landed in Wuhan, China. If you asked me about a month ago that I would be going to China, I probably won’t have believed you. Well, I had to believe it because I was here. In the land of the dragons, kung fu and panda bears.
Southern China airlines screen letting us know we are near Wuhan photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
For those who don’t know, if you are coming from certain countries you can go to China through Wuhan’s international airport visa free. You get 144 hours to travel around all of China. Which equals about 6 days of time. The crazy thing is that Wuhan is just a train ride away from almost all the major Chinese cities. So this is a great way to get into China visa free (as of 2019, hopefully it doesn’t change). If you want to see if your country applies for the 144 hours entry click here. Definitely, visit after the virus dies down.
Advertisement for gold at the Wuhan Airport photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
After going through customs, my first impression of China is it’s not as communist as I thought. Actually, the economy is very capitalist. They love capitalism so much that they do not provide free toilet paper in public bathrooms. You have to buy it in a vending machine. Nor do they have the water hose. I had to learn the hard way. Which is a topic for another story. Still, China is a lot nicer than I expected. Compared to Cuba, which runs on a pure Communist system.
Once you get out the Wuhan Airport you see this sign photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Finally, I completely got out of the airport. I didn’t really had any plans to visit China. So everything was last minute on this trip. I just wanted to make sure I get to see the Yellow Crane Tower. Everybody kept telling me about it, even Google. A notification came on my phone suggesting I should visit the tower. Google knows everything…. Had to ask one of the Wuhan subway workers for directions. She didn’t speak English and I had no idea how to even read mandarin. So, we spoke through google translate. Through my surprise, it actually worked. I was having a full blown conversation with someone who doesn’t speak any of the languages I spoke. Yay, thank you technology.
Wuhan Subway train photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
Getting tickets on at the ticket machine was easy. They translate everything in English. When I got on the train, I was surprised to see how advance China is. You hear it in the news; yet, seeing it in person is another experience. Their subway system is a lot more advanced than most cities in the USA. I got a few looks from the locals. It wasn’t of hate like you get in other countries. It was more of curiosity. They don’t get much tourists that look like me in this part of China. I must had looked like a rare limited edition Pokemon card to the people of Wuhan. Had a little girl wanting to take a photo with me. She got shy and the mother just smiled. The mother thanked me. No words were exchanged just simple hand gestures. It hurts me to think that the mother and her child might be sick or possibly worse as I write this.
Street of Wuhan photo courtesy of Hugo Morel
As I stepped outside of the subway station, I was instantly hit with air that made my eyes tear up. Little did I know, Wuhan has an air quality issue. The first three minutes were just me rubbing my eyes trying to keep them open. Still kept walking around just wandering. Eventually, I found a Starbucks. I knew people had to speak English there. Walked inside and started asking for directions like a wild crazy lost tourist. My adventures in Wuhan were just starting! Couldn’t wait to see what this place had to offer.
As I wrote this, I kept holding back tears. I try to keep everything positive for you all. It just hurts knowing that the people who were so kind to me are probably in a hostipal somewhere on their death beds. Please remember to enjoy life. It’s a gift and not a right. So, enjoy it doing the things you love with the people you love.
Thank you so much for reading! Much love and safe travels!
