Jinggu Rally- What Was I Doing There, Anyway?
Apologies dear readers: being busier than usual this past week delayed this upcoming series of Jinggu-related posts. I'm still gathering information, but in the meantime, let me explain how I got involved in the first place.
Several weeks ago, over a Korean barbeque dinner, my friend Matti asked me if I'd be willing to serve as an interpreter for a 4x4 off-road competition he was organizing in a town called Jinggu. The event organizers had invited four Malaysians and an Australian to serve as marshals, and translators were needed to help them communicate with the Chinese competitors and referees.
I explained that while I got around fairly well, my Chinese wasn't that great, and certainly not good enough to do any real interpreting. Matti smiled and said, "Don't worry. It'll be fairly easy. You won't have to learn the names of engine parts or anything.".
"Good," I thought, "because I don't even know those in English."
I said I'd think about it, but before long I called Matti and signed up. In retrospect, the decision to go was obvious. All meals, drinks, and accommodation fees would be covered. We would stay in a comfortable hotel for three nights, then camp beside a reservoir three nights (the last featuring a wild-boar roast), and finally stay one more night in the hotel before coming home. I'd be given a free sleeping bag, t-shirt, baseball camp, and possibly other bits of memorabilia. I'd speak Chinese all week, thus giving me a productive feeling even while on vacation. There might even be a bit of money thrown in too, he said.
The alternatives were less than appealing. The first week of October is China's Golden Week, and in celebration of their national day (Oct. 1) the whole country packs their bags and goes on vacation. Yunnan, even off-season, is among China's most popular tourist destinations. I had nightmarish visions of fighting for hotel beds, being poked in the eye by a sea of umbrellas, and finding that no buses would be returning to Kunming- ever. I also imagined my already tight budget being stretched by the costs of traveling, and frankly- in a week it's sort of pointless going anywhere far away. Staying in Kunming didn't sound fun, either.
So off I went. Along the way, I learned that:
1. There is a difference between rallies and 4x4 off-road competitions.
2. Off-roading is not the world's best spectator sport.
3. Interpreting, especially on camera, is stressful as hell.
4. Baijiu isn't so bad if you mix it with mango juice.
5. Camping without a sleeping back sucks. Fortunately I only had to do this one night.
More to come...much more.
The Off-Road 4 by 4 Jinggu Driving Extravaganza- On Its Way
I'm still sifting through various notes and photos from my trip and am loath to publish anything until I've organized things properly, which should hopefully require only a couple of days. I'd also like to gather more information from some of the sources I met (including Chinese journalists and the event organizers) as to complete a more thorough picture of what happened in Jinggu last week. So apologies- I'll be back soon with more on this subject.
In the meantime, I've a few other things to write about to tie (tide?) you over. Stay tuned!
Back In Kunming
Last week, I announced that I would be going to Xishuangbanna to act as an interpreter at a rally. In fact, the rally was in Jinggu, a city not in Xishuangbanna but rather a few hours northwest. And the rally wasn't a rally at all; it was a 4x4 off-road challenge, which (I learned) is a vastly different type of event. And while I did do some "interpreting", I mostly wandered around, took photos, talked to the various spectators present, and generally just tried to stay out of the way.
In any case, I'll have more to say once I get some sleep, upload some photos, and try to rid my fingernails, jeans, and boots of mud.
Rally Rally
China's "Golden Week" National Day holiday is right around the corner, and this year I've managed to arrange a rather unusual and exciting adventure. I'll be heading to Jinggu, a small town in southern Yunnan's Xishuangbanna region, to work as a translator and gofer at an off-road rally organized by a friend here in Kunming.
I still don't know all of the details, and having never been to a rally before I can't even imagine what it'll be like. All the same, I'm sure I'll take plenty of photos and have some stories to tell when I get back to Kunming on the seventh.
Internet access will be sporadic or non-existent so hang tight. If you're looking for a China-blogging fix, check out the sites listed in my blogroll on the right sidebar.
And for those readers and friends within China, have a great holiday 
(Photo by Flickr user Fabiano Marques under a Creative Commons license)