Wesley

Blog 1:  I have just reached the Yangtze river at last. I traveled all the way from Shanghai, my home, in search of wealth near the source of the Yangtze river.  Both of my parents are farmers, but many of the crops have caught disease and are now coming to a stop. I have come to start a new life, in hopes of money and more food. At the end of this journey, I wish to have enough money to be able to provide for both my parents and I. I will begin my travels at Suzhou. My friend, Olivia, lives in Suzhou, I hope I will be able to see her.  As I arrive, I can already see parts of a big wall being built. Emperor and ruler Qin Shi has decided to build a wall made of stone called the Great Wall of China. Qin Shi says the wall will help with defence, so no one bad will be able to get in. I agree with this, but it is a very long and loud job. I have discovered that many people live in Suzhou, many more than Shanghai. As I walk down the road, there are people selling things like fish, chicken and shrimp. There are also tall buildings everywhere. This must be what it is like to live in a town so near to the Yangtze river. I have never seen so many fish in a town. As I descend towards Olivia’s house, the sun starts to set. I finally reach her house. She greets me and welcomes me to the comfort of her house. This is my first time visiting Suzhou, so I pray for safety and and good health. Olivia and I pray to Buddha for about an hour, now it is time to rest. I have told Olivia about my travels and she has decided to join me. I am reassured, since Olivia knows the town and river better than I. it is time for me to sleep, I need a lot of rest for the journey ahead. This is where my story begins.

Blog 2:   

This is my second day in Suzhou. Olivia is not awake yet, so I decide to pray. I pray for happiness and health for both Olivia and I. My journey will start this afternoon, once Olivia wakes up. I have lit candles for a warm glow. Finally, I can hear Olivia waking up. Olivia and I packed our bags yesterday night, so we can start the trek.  As we walk out onto the busy streets of Suzhou, I wonder about if I have chosen the right path, to follow the Yangtze river. Should I have just stayed in Shanghai? I sure hope this is the right decision. As we walk out of the city, I can already feel the mean, hot sun staring down at me. At last, we reach the outskirts of Suzhou. I can smell the river and imagine all of the creatures living in the underwater realms. Fish, algae, shrimp, and scallops are what appear in my mind. There is a small shop right next to the river renting boats with a guide. I have enough money, so Olivia and I decide to rent one. Once we meet the guide, I can tell right away that she is nice. Our guide’s name is Han.  We climbed into the boat and began our ride. I remember telling the guide where our destination was, it ended up being a whopping 310 yuan, that’s 50 american dollars! Olivia and I dug up the money, luckily. We had traveled around 400 miles at that point and were going at a steady pace. About 2 hours later, we had reached Wuhan. I was very relieved, the guide had gossiped the whole ride, which had become annoying quickly. Olivia and I had grown suspicious of the ruler Qin Shi, though, because word is going around some people discussed how he was arrogant and got buried alive by him. I hope it is not true, but no one can be sure. This definitely set me on edge. The sun was already lower than it had been half an hour ago, so Olivia and I went in search of a place to sleep. We quickly found a building called “Sunset Paradise” which looked ok. I paid for a small room and we both trudged in. Finally, we prayed to Buddha. We prayed and prayed and prayed. I almost fell asleep while praying I was so tired! Now it is time for me to sleep, who knows what’s ahead!

Blog 3:

Olivia woke me up the next morning and we hurriedly made our beds and packed our luggage. We walked out of Sunset Paradise and bustled along the streets. Wuhan wasn’t as crowded as Shanghai, but there were still many people. We saw many boat rental shops, but I wanted to make sure there were no annoying guides like last time! We went into the shop, paid for a guided ride, and paid 75 yuan. Before we ventured inside, both of us prayed briefly for safety along the trip. 8 hours later, we had arrived safely at Chongqing. Luckily, our guide was very quiet and kept to himself. We asked for a nice place to stay, and the guide recommended a tavern called Wooden Shack five streets away. The city was buzzing with workers, all helping with the Great Wall of China. I could hear people in a nearby church praying to Buddha and others walking around buying groceries. We had reached Wooden Shack at last! We had heard from the guide Qin Shi was now burning books to terrify people, the guide’s brother was a writer. How scary! I really hope these crimes stops soon. Burning books is just wasting money! And burying people? I’m beginning to grow scared of Qin Shi. Why are all of these unnecessary things happening? Oh well, I’ll think about it more tomorrow. I can see Olivia’s eyes are red, which indicates we should get some rest. I hope all of these things stop happening quickly! Goodnight.

Blog 4:  

As I woke up, I could already see Olivia packing once more and people praying to Buddha. I quickly prayed, I forgot to last night! I can’t believe I forgot! I packed my bags and searched for a place to eat. We walked into a shop and ordered rice and fish. I paid 5 yuan and walked out. I could see people selling everything you could imagine, from rice to squirrel meat. Today we will venture near the source of the Yangtze river. There were many fish even here, in Chongqing, at least 10 miles from the source of the river! Olivia paid for a boat this time to keep, so we could go fishing once near the source. We got on the boat and started the journey. The boat ride was 2 hours, 6 miles. Once we got there, I immediately started looking for fish. There were tons! I felt so lucky to have come here, Olivia and I prayed to Buddha for all of our luck for 2 hours. Now, this is where my adventure ends. I have traveled the whole length of the river, had fun doing it, and have found a fortunate place to start anew. I will plan to bring my parents here, and maybe even start a family. Olivia and I will live here together for a while, and then she will go back to Shanghai. Once again, thank you Buddha, and goodbye.