A Trip.
15 min read
1. Morning. Didn’t know (actually I forgot) what time it was. We left the house and took a Uber car to the coach station. 2. We hadn’t planned to take a Uber. The original idea was to take a public bus to the station. The night before. we looked for possible travel options. Neither Xi nor I could find a suitable bus route. Xi suggested we just take a car to save some time. I said OK. 3. Xi and I stood by the roadside waiting for the Uber. It was rush hour. There were so many cars and people on the road. mainly cars. People were either driving or sitting in buses. From this. I figured that we must have left the house around 8 a.m. 4. We stood by the road waiting for the car. It was a foreign city in a foreign country. This was our first time here. We were two foreigners. and in this country. there weren’t many people who looked like us. Standing by the road. we stood out a little. People passing by would often turn their heads to look at us. 5. It felt like we had been standing there for quite some time. but the Uber car still hadn’t shown up. 6. Xi checked the map on her phone every now and then. It showed the location of the Uber car. At one moment. it seemed like the car was almost here. and the next. it was far away again. The driver seemed unfamiliar with the area or was trying to find a faster or shorter route but couldn’t. Eventually. the car stopped about a kilometer away from where we were standing. stopped moving. Maybe it was stuck at a traffic light or caught in a traffic jam. anyway. it stayed there for a long time without budging. 7. Xiaoxi and I continued waiting by the roadside. There was nothing else we could do but wait. I don’t remember if we changed our spot during this time. Maybe we did. or didn’t. I think we probably did. 8. The Uber car finally arrived. The driver called Xi to say he was here but couldn’t see us. We didn't see him or his car either. 9. Xi described where we were standing and the color of our clothes to the driver. He told us he was on the other side of the road and asked us to cross over to meet him. 10. Xi and I prepared to cross the road. As I mentioned earlier. there were a lot of cars. all driving at quite high speeds. It was hard to find a chance to get across. 11. Finally. we waited for a gap with less traffic to cross the road to the other side. The Uber driver was talking to a police officer in a traffic police uniform. It seemed like they were discussing how. even though this wasn’t a designated parking area. the driver had to stop here to pick us up. The officer didn’t seem intent on giving him a hard time. 12. This was an armed officer. The shiny black grip of his handgun was exposed outside the holster. All the police officers I saw on the streets here were armed. Sometimes they were alone. and other times in small groups. 13. The officer opened the car door. gesturing for us to get in. and stood there watching as we drove away. 14. The route to the coach station wasn’t as complicated as I had imagined. It was mostly along the coastline. The seaside avenue was smooth and wide. with a tram track running down the middle. Earlier in the day. while playing by the sea. Xi and I had seen a red tram with two cars gliding along the tracks. 15. This is a coastal city in a seaside country. 16. The distance from the coach station to where we were staying wasn’t as far as we had imagined. At first. we didn’t know this. It was something we realized later. 17. According to the navigation description. the station was located on the basement level of a shopping mall. The drop-off point was along the seaside avenue. near a small plaza in front of the mall. 18. We didn’t immediately spot the entrance to the coach station. After a quick look around. we followed a group of people through an entrance and walked along a downward spiral ramp. 19. It turned out we were on the right path. Soon. we saw a large open area with many parked vehicles. mostly buses. However. we didn’t see the long-distance coach we were supposed to take. 20. Both Xi and I wondered if we had taken a wrong turn. But before long. we found the departure area for the long-distance coaches. 21. This wasn’t an official long-distance coach station. It was primarily a hub for local buses. serving as one of several pick-up points for long-distance coaches scattered around the city. 22. We looked for a ticket counter but couldn’t find one immediately. A middle-aged man sitting behind a shabby office desk in the corridor told us we could buy tickets from him. He didn’t ask where we were going or mention how much the tickets cost. 23. Xi asked him how much it was per person to the old town. He said. “49.” 24. We handed him a 100 bill. He gave us two 1 coins as change but didn’t hand us any tickets or tell us the departure time or boarding location. 25. The coins looked a lot like British one-pound coins. round. with a gold-colored outer ring and a stainless-steel nickel alloy center. One side had a large “1.” and the other featured the profile of a person’s head. 26. On the bench next to the ticket desk. a few people sat. seemingly also waiting for their bus. It wasn’t clear if they were locals or tourists. 27. More people arrived one after another to buy tickets and then waited quietly nearby. No one said much. 28. Xi and I didn’t sit down (there weren’t any available seats anyway. and the weather was cold). nor did we just stand there waiting for the bus. 29. We didn’t dare wander too far. so we strolled aimlessly around the area. keeping an eye on every vehicle that came by. in case it was the bus we were supposed to take. 30. From where we stood. we could look up and see the mall building. 31. I told Xi there was a tree on the mall’s rooftop. a real tree. I took a picture of it with the sky in the background. I couldn’t tell what kind of tree it was. but I’ve always had a fondness for all kinds of trees. 32. The mall was a brand-new modern building with a geometric design. Xi suggested we check it out when we came back next time. 33. A police car drove up and stopped by the roadside opposite to the ticket desk. where a bus had just pulled out. After a while. the police car drove off again. 34. Nothing happened. Some people got up from the bench and stood nearby. still waiting for their bus. Others sat down on the bench. There were at least two benches along the wall. 35. A vehicle pulled up. a medium-sized coach. Xi immediately said. that was the one we were taking. 36. I walked closer to take a good look at the vehicle. The sign behind the front windshield clearly displayed the name of the ancient town we were heading to. 37. We boarded the coach. Someone came on and asked everyone to fasten their seatbelts and wear their masks. The medium-sized coach didn’t leave right away. it stayed parked for a while longer. 38. Shortly after the coach left the station. it stopped by the roadside behind the mall to pick up a few more passengers. The driver got out to help them load some items into the luggage compartment on the side of the bus. Only then did the coach get on the main road and begin the journey. 39. The ancient town is a very famous destination. often featured in travel guides. However. I wasn’t particularly interested in such descriptions. and neither Xi nor I had read any of them. We were simply visiting this city and decided to check out the nearby ancient town since it wasn’t far away. 40. The road to the ancient town mostly followed the coastline. In some areas. the road was closer to the sea. while in others, it was slightly further away. Even in the more distant sections. it was likely no more than a few hundred meters from the shore. 41. Between the road and the seaside is a strip of land with houses and trees. They all look quite charming. or at least unique. In some places. there are a few rowing boats lying around. possibly near repair shops. or small vegetable gardens. From a distance. it’s hard to tell what vegetables are being grown in those gardens. 42. Trees and houses block the view of the nearby coastline. but beyond the houses and trees. you can see the bay and the houses on the hills across it. The sea is a bright. vibrant blue. 43. On the other side of the road are mountains. Houses are built from the foothills all the way up the slopes. From a distance. they appear densely stacked in layers. while up close. they are more scattered and irregular. 44. The coach carried us (me. Xi. and some other passengers) farther and farther from the city. The houses along the roadside became increasingly sparse. but they didn’t look too shabby. On the hillsides, all that was visible were clusters of low shrubs. mostly typical plants of this climate zone. 45. After more than an hour. the coach arrived at a small town about 20 kilometers away from our final destination. the ancient town. 46. Xi suggested that we could get off here first and then take another ride to the ancient town. 47. The road cut through the centre of the small town. and the coach stopped by a signpost along the roadside. 48. Xi and I got off the coach and stood by the roadside. It was a cloudy day. and a light rain was falling. 49. We opened a portable umbrella but were unsure which direction to take. We didn’t know much about this small town. 50. On either side of the road were stores selling construction materials and sparsely scattered residential houses. It didn’t feel like a typical small town with many residents bustling around. 51. Our destination was the site of an ancient village near the town. We only knew it was nearby but had no additional information. 52. Walking along the roadside with the umbrella. we looked for a restroom and found a public toilet guarded by an elderly local man. where a small fee was charged. The rain stopped, and we put the umbrella away. Up ahead, a low hill was visible in the distance. 53. The map didn’t show any clear markers for the ancient village ruins. 54. Xi suggested asking someone for directions. Nearby. there was a supermarket that appeared to be part of a common local chain. We had shopped at one of their stores in the city twice before and found them reliable. 55. Xi went inside and asked a slightly overweight young employee about the location of the ancient village. The shop assistant. who could speak a bit of basic English. was standing with another young colleague behind the meat counter. 56. The young shop assistant tried to explain but couldn’t clearly describe where the ancient village was. Eventually. he wrote down an address in the local language on a piece of paper and handed it to Xi. saying. maybe this is the place you’re looking for. 57. We crossed the road and headed toward the location the shop assistant had pointed out. Ahead was a gentle hill dotted with houses of varying heights. following the natural contours of the land. 58. Not far across the road. we saw two round stone houses. Outside each one. a darkened wooden windmill stood attached to the wall. 59. I pointed toward the windmills and told Xi. “Let’s go there first to see the windmills and figure out what those round stone houses are.” 60. The stone houses were perched on a higher spot. As we got closer. they didn’t appear as tall as they had from a distance. It was hard to tell what they were used for. They looked like granaries but didn’t quite fit the type. If they were mills. the interior space didn’t seem large enough. The windmills no longer turned but still retained the appearance of windmills. 70. This seemed to be the entrance to the village. Moving past the stone houses. we found more low stone buildings ahead. Some had two stories. while others were single-story. Some appeared run-down. while others had recently been renovated. looking much more appealing. 71. I told Xi that while these houses looked nice. living in them might not feel very comfortable. That was just my impression—I’d never actually lived in such houses. 72. The ancient village was reportedly built by a group of foreigners who once settled here. For unknown reasons. they all later moved away. leaving behind this old stone village. It must have been densely populated at its peak. with many small alleys crisscrossing the area. Now. some people run guesthouses. bars. and various small shops here. but most of the buildings remain vacant. 73. The alleys were quiet. with few people around. The ground was somewhat messy. and in some places. construction debris left over from the renovation of these houses still lingered. The alleys carried a mixture of smells—burning wood. fermenting hay. and horse manure. 74. There was no visible wood or manure around. yet the smell seemed to emanate from the old houses and streets. 75. This used to be a bustling village. home to farmers. vendors. and merchants. The streets were once piled high with firewood. and many horses. even camels from distant places. would have been tethered here. Those low stone houses might have been stables and livestock shelters. and the lingering smells seemed to come from those places. 76. This village is somewhat similar to a seaside village we visited when we were in Hangzhou. stone houses. all built along the coast. 77. Perhaps due to the pandemic. it’s much less crowded here compared to that village on the Zhejiang coast. 78. Xi said this village is prettier than the other one. but it’s too deserted. We didn’t come across a single tourist here. The only people we saw were a few middle-aged local men lounging idly outside their shopfronts. staring at us as we walked past. 79. After wandering around the village. there wasn’t much else to see. Xi suggested we head to the ancient town instead since there was still enough time. We’d initially planned to have lunch here. but we could eat when we reached the town. 80. As we tried to leave the old village. we ended up back where we started. We were lost. 81. We saw two middle-aged. slightly older local women walking by. carrying shopping bags. We had met them earlier when we first entered the village as they were heading out. Now they were returning with their shopping. One of the women was carrying what looked like milk in her bag. 82. We hesitated for a moment. Xi decided to approach them and ask for directions. After a brief conversation that didn’t seem to go anywhere. the woman carrying the milk gestured for the other woman to head home first. She offered to take us to the bus station herself. This surprised both Xi and me. 83. She spoke a little English and switched between English and the local language as we walked. We understood bits and pieces. From what we could gather. she had been living in this town for four years. She said it was a beautiful place and that she loved it here. 84. Xi and I used a phrase we had just learned in the local language to tell her that we also thought the place was beautiful. She was delighted to hear this. She had a distinctly East Asian face. with flat features and a matching skin tone. 85. The woman carrying the milk took us along a different route. It turned out that the path Xi and I thought was correct was actually wrong. The route we had dismissed as going in the opposite direction was actually the right one. 86. The old village and the entire town are located at a high point. a hilltop of a massive slope. The area at the top is so large and flat that it doesn’t feel like you’re on a hill. Only when looking out at the distant. the lower slopes make you realize how elevated the ground beneath you is. 87. The path the woman with the milk took us on runs along the edge of the town and the old village. On one side of the path. you can look down into a vast. open valley. At the valley’s base lies a cluster of houses with red-tiled roofs. which might actually be the main part of the town. The spot where we had gotten off earlier was just along a road on the outskirts of the town. 88. The woman led us along the road for a long time. At one point. Xi and I started to doubt if we were even on the right path. Did she really understand where we wanted to go. Could she be a scammer. Her shopping bag looked heavy, too. 89. After passing a scrapyard filled with rusting. abandoned vehicles. we finally saw the two round stone houses we had noticed when entering the old village. Not far from the stone houses. we also spotted the road we had arrived on. 90. Both Xi and I were relieved. She had understood us after all. and the path she took us on was the correct one. 91. She walked us to a bus stop shelter and didn’t leave right away. She insisted on taking my phone number and even tried dialing it once to confirm. 92. Xi and I couldn’t understand why she wanted our phone number. Since we didn’t speak the same language. even if she called us. we wouldn’t understand what she was saying. 93. Later. Xi brought it up at least twice. She suggested it might have been in case we got lost again. so we could contact her for help. That explanation made some sense. 94. This stop was for coaches heading back. The bus stop for the route to the ancient town was across the road. at the exact spot where we had gotten off earlier. 95. We stood by the roadside waiting for a coach. The one that arrived was a minibus headed for the ancient town. The driver pointed at a fare chart posted inside the minibus. indicating we should pay the amount listed. 96. It was a short-distance minibus. and apart from Xi and me. all the passengers were locals. mostly elderly people and women with children. 97. The journey to the ancient town was noticeably longer than expected. Along the way. people frequently got on and off the minibus. At one point. we went up a steep slope only to go back after reaching the top. We didn’t understand why. Since we weren’t familiar with the area beforehand. we later looked at a map and realised the entire route passed through a narrow peninsula. The ancient town we were headed to was located at the very tip of the peninsula. 98. By the time we got off the minibus at the ancient town. it was already noon. The ancient town was bustling with people and vehicles. noticeably livelier than the small town we had passed through earlier. Most of the people here seemed to be local residents. whereas the other town was primarily a vacation spot. mostly frequented by tourists. With it being off-season and many countries having closed their borders due to the pandemic. the vacation town had naturally been quieter. 99. Xi said she liked the ancient town more because it felt more alive. I agreed. We had lunch at a restaurant that was clearly run by locals. The menu featured a traditional local dish (which seemed popular since most people in the restaurant were eating the same thing). 100. After lunch. we left the restaurant and walked along a narrow. crowded street without any particular destination. I wasn’t sure if it was the town’s main street. but I wasn’t worried. The ancient town wasn’t very large. and it would be easy to cross it from any direction. Perhaps from sitting on the coach and the minibus too long. my stomach didn’t feel great. 101. On both sides of the street were all kinds of shops. 102. Xi bought a can of drink at a small shop. I noticed a local brand of beer, which is one of the country’s best-selling beers. In the end. I thought about buying it but didn’t. 103. I saw a tall stone building with a very spacious interior. From the exterior. it seemed like it might have originally been a church or a government building for public use. Now it’s an exhibition hall. with some stalls inside selling clothes. 104. Continuing forward. at the end of the street was a small square. From there. we could see the bay. Near the coast. many boats were docked in the bay. mostly white-painted sailboats and yachts. A large cargo ship was anchored near a pier a little farther away. Around the square were cafes and restaurants. 105. I told Xi that in ancient times. this place was a military fortress and an important port. I wasn’t very familiar with its history. so what I said was somewhat speculative. You could say it was an analysis and judgment based on limited information. At least a third of what I usually say contains things I’m not entirely sure about. This is one of my many flaws. Sometimes. even though I know it’s inappropriate. I can’t help myself and end up saying it anyway. 106. On the left side of the square stands a massive stone building resembling a castle. Its scale is enormous. and what we see here is only a small portion of it. The stone is a common gray-white material found in this region. The entire castle shares this gray-white hue. blending in with the surrounding mountains. which are covered in stones of the same color. When I first arrived in this region. I remarked to Xi about how extravagant the people here must be—using marble even for paving stones. 107. Along the roadside outside the castle. a few iron cannons are on display. Their thick barrels are coarse and heavily rusted. clearly aged. These are authentic historical artifacts. likely many years old. 108. The castle was once a critical military facility. a strategic fortress. Historically. it was the site of a famous large-scale naval battle. Today. it serves as a museum dedicated to that chapter of history. This is something I learned after visiting the museum. which also confirmed some of my earlier observations. 109. The interior of the castle is vast and complex. Thousands of years ago. this region was occupied by another very famous empire. In addition to artifacts related to the castle’s history. the museum houses numerous relics connected to that ancient empire, primarily sculptures and architectural carvings made of white marble. 110. I saw some glassware dating back to before the Common Era. almost identical to the glass items you’d see in modern laboratories. There were also ceramic water jars that were clearly salvaged from the seabed. still bearing traces of marine life like barnacles and shells. 111. Xi. feeling tired. sat down to rest in an exhibition hall. I continued to climb to the higher parts of the castle to see areas that couldn’t be observed from nearby outside. 112. The castle seemed to be built on a small hill or perhaps merged seamlessly with one. From the outside. the hill itself was invisible. In a way. it felt as though the castle had enveloped the hill. making it an integral part of its structure. 113. Climbing higher. I reached a slightly sloped rectangular flat area. which could also be described as a small plaza. At one end of the plaza. there was an abandoned piece of machinery of unknown purpose. Scattered across the center were fragments of white marble carvings from ancient architecture. exquisitely detailed but somewhat damaged. I noticed a small shard of colorful pottery and considered picking it up but ultimately didn’t. 114. Light rain began to fall again. The sky had been overcast since leaving in the morning. with intermittent rain. Apart from me. there were a few other visible tourists. a couple. and a pair of men who might have been close friends or possibly a couple too. it seemed more like the latter. 115. One of the men stood on a narrow staircase. striking various poses while the other took photos of him. On a platform in one corner of the castle. I spotted two women. one younger and the other middle-aged. 116. At the highest point of the castle. the view stretched wide and far. From here. the entire bay was visible. I snapped a few overhead panoramic shots of the castle and recorded a 360-degree video circling the entire structure. I was ready to head down and show it to Xi. 117. On the right side of the castle (below. near the small square and behind the restaurant). there’s a small hill with several houses scattered on it. At the top of the hill stands a high-voltage transmission tower. 118. I didn’t take the same route down as I had on the way up. I ascended one side of the castle. but descended on the other. Along the way. I passed a middle tier of the castle with a stone parapet facing the bay. This was not the route I took earlier. On this level. I spotted the two women I had seen before—they were at one end of the platform. I now noticed many firing holes and lookout points along the walls. At regular intervals. there were heavy iron cannons. each accompanied by piles of round iron or stone cannonballs. The cannon barrels pointed directly out to sea. 119. I made my way down and reunited with Xi. who was still sitting in the same exhibition room where we had rested earlier. From the time I left to when I returned. the entire trip up and down took about half an hour. 120. For the return trip. the bus stop wasn’t at the same spot where we had gotten off earlier. Xi asked the coffee shop owner (we had a cup of coffee inside). but he couldn’t give a clear answer. He went to ask another person sitting outside the shop. That person spoke a little English and managed to give us a rough idea of the location and directions. 121. Walked 2 kilometers to the long-distance coach station. The station was hidden in a secluded courtyard by the highway. Went to buy our tickets first. but the young staff at the ticket window said tickets could be purchased on the bus. 122. On the way back. felt unusually drowsy. Both Xi and I fell asleep for a while. When we woke up. it was already dark. The coach was nearing the city. We could see the lights in the houses along the roadside and on the hills around the bay. 123. Got off by the roadside near the mall where we had boarded the bus earlier. Xi asked if we should sit in the mall for a while before heading home. I said. Okay.
Author: Fish Lu is an independent writer based in the UK, where he writes daily short reviews of contemporary English-language poetry on his X account. He is the author of several Chinese-English poetry collections, including Fire Hydrant (消火栓). He lives with his wife, writer and translator Xi Nan.
Translator: Xi Nan is a writer and translator working in English, Spanish and Chinese. Her work explores memory, time, displacement and the complexities of human relationships, often drawing on everyday life and personal experience. She currently lives in England with her husband Fish Lu.