Chowderheads

As our bus neared the entrance to the "Diversifolious Poplar Forest, I noticed a disturbing trend along the highway: scores of Chinese tourists parked along the side of the road, posing for pictures. There were discrete piles of garbage, as well, indicating the location of previous picnickers.

The Chinese Gong Show had begun.

We pulled into the parking lot where we were told that we would walk for about an hour and the bus would meet us at the other side. We started off across the parking lot, where more tourists were posing with a big tree. (I love you this much! seemed to be the theme of the poses.) So after throwing down my own pose, we headed off into the woods.

TC3 was raring to go. Although our local guide made no indication that she was moving on and our Beijing guide was not in sight, she had walking on the mind.

You know my friend, the Pied Piper. The one who leads me down random roads in small towns and lands us in police custody. That one.

We took off after her, I with some trepidation. The way was difficult. Walking up the ash-covered slope of Mt. St. Helens is easier. This is not sand, neither is is dirt. It is dust. Dust like would cover my apartment if I left the window open all year. It seems to me it should be more trail-like, but the Pied Piper is undeterred.

Fortunately, a voice behind us calls out that we are going the wrong way. Well, I knew that, but it's good to have back-up. We head off in the direction the guide is going and it turns out we are just walking up the road. Ooh, fun.

Well, when life hands you a road, start walking. So there we were, a gaggle of Westerners walking down the road that all the Chinese were (wisely) driving down. We were having a great time, laughing and taking pictures. And there it was, we might not have been a gong show, but we were certainly the chowderheads.

After about ten minutes, I caught up to our group. It seems that we were going to wait for the bus to pick us up. There was no trail, there was just a road. And a somewhat boring road at that.

We walking back into the woods for a hundred yards and then heard that the bus was on its way, so we stood at the side of the road in a big group.

Soon, a car of tourists came by. Well, if we were all standing there, there must be something to see, so the car slowed to a stop. One of the snarkier tour members said we should all look in the same direction, and he pointed to one tree.

Of course, we all looked. I pointed too. He mentioned it looked like an ice cream cone; I said I saw a unicorn; a third said it was broccoli. The Chinese were hooked: the stood in front of the tree and posed for some photos.

Meanwhile, a few more cars ahead pulled over ahead of us and were checking out the surroundings.

Oh yes, we really are that bad.

Just then, our bus pulled up and we hopped on.

I have no idea if they knew they had just been punk'd by a group of Western chowderheads.


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Location:Diversifolious Poplar Forest, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, China