Seeking Water in the Desert

It's probably a good thing that we're only going to be at the field station for another week before we head back to Beijing, because I think we're developing a serious case of cabin fever. We've collectively decided to head out each day to do something to explore the region a bit further, even if it's just to wander the streets of the same three towns we've already been to. Today we went in search of a spring-fed swimming pool that the chair of the field station drew us a map to. It was an adventure getting there since his directions weren't so great, but after about 10 miles winding along a bumpy sandtrap road, we finally found the pool! We had to go through a couple of farmers' fences which made me proud of my country-girl upbringing. I was the one to jump out of the jeep and pull back the gate, then refasten it once the jeep drove through. This was a self-appointed job since the gates are wooden post and wire a lot like ones I grew up opening and closing with my dad. The top and bottom of the tree branch making up the end "post" of the gate have to slip into wire loops attached to the fence to latch the gate shut. I think my companions were surprised by my hidden "skill".

Sadly, the pool was closed and empty. It's a proper tiled pool measuring about 40 square feet with a deep end and a shallow end, and it's fed by the same pipe that irrigates the local crops. We stopped at a nearby farmhouse and learned that the pool doesn't open until the end of the first week of June when it gets "hot enough". It's already in the 90s here, so I shudder to think what they consider to be hot enough for a swim.

Failing at a swim, we stopped in the nearest town for our twice-weekly shower and found what must be the seediest hotel on the planet - and this is coming from a gal with pretty low standards. Thankfully we weren't staying the night, just hoping to abscond with a bit of cleanliness, but after undressing and standing in a moldy bathroom with a sink, a urinal, and two shower heads (what I originally imagined to be a spittoon must have been a chamberpot), Ms. Xia and I quickly realized that there was no water to be found there either. Our shower would have to wait until after dinner in another town, so we consoled ourselves with ice cream.

We stopped again at the temple from my last post, but everything was closed up so we decided to let three young boys be our afternoon entertainment. They were between the ages of 6 and 8 and the cutest giggly little guys. One of them has been learning a little bit of English from his father who is apparently a computer teacher in the village. The boy kept saying "I'm sorry, and you?", and he could count at least to 39. He might have made it higher if his friends hadn't knocked the Ultraman hat off his head. After a bit more wrestling, the little Ultraman quickly jumped up and skated to a nearby store on his little roller blades and came back with two ice cream bars. He was such a sweetie and opened one of the wrappers and handed the ice cream to me. Only about 6 years old and so considerate and bold! Then he opened the second bar, licked it a few times, and handed the rest to Shaoyuan. Hehehe. I thought they were all so cute and considerate, so I went and got them each an ice cream of their own. I can't imagine kids back home especially at that young age buying ice cream bars for total strangers, but apparently that's not uncommon here. They probably learn hospitality from a very young age from their parents since folks here are very warm and welcoming.