Escape from the city...tea picking

Waking up each morning to the sounds of cars honking, people talking, dancing grandmas and just the sounds of a city is something I have gotten used to lately.  Living in almost the heart of a city with a population of around 14 million people isn't always easy to find peace and quite.  So you have to find those avenues to escape the city sometimes and recharge yourself.  Recharge your mind and soul with fresh air, sounds of nature and the adventure of something outside the concrete jungle.

An epicurean lifestyle and taste has always found its way to my personal pallet.  From trying new

foods, to sampling exotic coffees and more recently learning where and how tea is harvested and made.  A few friend and a couple new ones ventured to the mountains just 2 hours outside of Chengdu to learn more about the popular green tea famous in the region.  Not always a big fan of taking tours, mainly because of the reputation they have in china for being a tourist trap to sell things, we signed up for this small group tour of tea picking. Why not give this one a try?  

We met our group and heading out for a full day trip.  The two hour bus ride out of the city was like a detox from the air, the noise and the high-rise buildings.  Once we arrived at the location, we were welcomed with the fresh mountain air, the lush green trees and bushes and the sounds of water flowing down the mountain.  We were immediately offered local green tree that was harvested from the fields we were gazing over.  A moment to sit and relax while sipping the pride of the Mengding mountains: MaoFeng Cha (green tea).  

Tea is more than a beverage here...it is a social norm and yet also a simple drink that always brings people together.   Saying that tea is a simple drink is actually not true.  When you pour the hot water over the tea leaves, one rarely understands the process that happened before those tea leaves were put into that cup.  The labor intensive tasks of hand-picking leaves at the just the right time of day or the goal of filling up your basket with fresh tea leaves and realizing the tiny leaves do NOT quickly add up.  We quickly enjoyed a local lunch and then grabbed our baskets and were ready for our tea picking adventure. 

Taking about a 20 minute hike down the mountain, we walked through the fields of tea and vegetables growing.  The sun was uninhibited by the city pollution and the air was crisp with the fragrance of mountain streams and trees.  We reached our "picking" location and our adventure began.  We were given a few instructions of how and what to pick.  "Looking for the top two-three leaves that are barely opened is what you really want," instructed our guide.  The new tea is what we were after.  The leaves that had not fully opened yet and were still left untouched by the scorching mountain sun.  After about an hour of picking, we all compared baskets and realized, we would starve if this was our full time job.  Yet, there was something very relaxing about listening to the stream nearby and the birds of the air chirp as we picked the tea.  No sounds of a busy city or screaming demands of sales and numbers from work...just the relaxing ambiance of a mountain and all that nature had for us. 

After our hour of picking, we combined our harvest and heading up the mountain.  Going back up to the top wasn't as easy as trekking down the first time, but we survived.  We were all excited that we had picked our very own tea.  Our leaves were combined together for the first inspection by the local tea guys.  They smiled politely...everyone realizing we actually barely even picked enough.  The men said we did "OK" picking and begin to sort the good leaves from the not so good.  Next began the frying or cooking of the tea.  The men took our harvest and in a type of huge frying wok, began to cook the tea.  This removes the moisture from the tea so that eventually you are left with the dried leaves.  The fragrance from this process was incredible.  Over and over the men would toss the leaves in the iron wok and then remove them to get the moisture out.  Eventually, our tea is ready.  The now dried leaves are separated into small portions for us to take home.  I must say, for all the work we did, we yielded maybe enough for two pots each.

Taking that bag of tea that we picked with our own hands, made us all a little proud and humble.  Understanding more now what is involved in picking a little tea gives a deeper appreciation for this wonderful drink that I am loving more and more.

All tea lovers from New Zealand, USA, England, Turkey, France and Australia.  Great Friends...Great Tea! 

Why not? A chance in life...

Why not?  It seems to be that these two words have opened more doors for me that ever before.  There lies deep inside me a sense of adventure and a willingness to explore.  Granted sometimes those simple words open the unknown and unpredictable future, but what it gives is a true meaning to life...for me.  We only have but a moment to live on this earth.  For me, I want to see and experience all that I can.  I know that my choices sometimes drive my family crazy.  Why would I chose to live outside the US for so long?  Why would I rather buy plane tickets instead of putting money back for savings in the future?  Why would I want to put myself in situations where I don't understand the language or culture sometimes?  To me...why not!

Growing up in a very small rural town in Tennessee, my surroundings were limited and small.  Very grateful for growing up in a small town for the values it instilled within me.  Just like a small little bird that eventually leaves the nest for the first time, you realize you can fly and there is a whole world outside after you leave that nest.  I read history books and watched the discovery channel when I was younger.  Seeing the different places and reading about history made me want to go there and see with my own eyes.  I wanted to GO!  Why not? Right!

That sense of adventure has allowed me to see more of the world that history books or TV would ever allow.  So many times, I have wished that I had the google glasses so that others can share with me in this experience of life.  Often pictures do not fully do justice the full beauty of the scenery or the surroundings.  Traveling is more than just seeing great places and sharing the moments on Facebook.  Its the full experience.  Its the people you meet.  The local foods you enjoy.  Its the experiences that open and expand you mind and help you become more globally minded.  What I have gained through experiences and the people I have met is worth more than any money in this world.

Yet again, I find myself in the dawn of a new adventure...moving to Shanghai.  The city is massive and the life there is quiet different than the city of Chengdu where I reside now.  But what excites me is the new adventures ahead.  Why not move to the largest city in China...or in Asia as a matter of fact.  With a city that boosts of its over 24 million people, there is surely some great stories, adventures and experiences to be had.  There are also some draw backs being in a city that is so populated.  Cost of living, crowded transportation, housing, and such.  However, the opportunities that are ahead outweigh the negative.

But this "why not" attitude has given me a chance to experience a whole world personally.  Its a growing experience to leave the comforts of home and of what we are familiar with, to taste and see the rest of the world.  In experiencing all that I have, I love sharing these experiences.  I often wish that I had the wealth to bring so many others with me to partake in these experiences.  For now, you
will just have to live vicariously through my pictures and stories.  Why not! :)