(9) XI TANG - CRUISING AT YANGTZE RIVER

Hore….Naik perahu lagi …. Wah seru banget!! Kita naik perahu di sepanjang sungai Yangtze yang membelah kota Xi Tang. Rumah-rumah kuno di sepanjang sungai dan jembatan-jembatan penghubung sungai yang kita lewati menjadi pemandangan yang sangat menarik. Sungai Yangtze terkenal memiliki banyak jembatan-jembatan penghubung yang berbeda-beda bentuknya satu sama lain. Di sisi kanan kiri sepanjang sungai terdapat corridor untuk para pejalan kaki. Hampir semua corridor memiliki atap untuk melindungi dari panasnya matahari ataupun hujan. So pada waktu jalan kaki di Xi Tang, kita nggak bakalan kehujanan ataupun kepanasan sinar matahari. Ada juga panggung teater kuno di sisi kiri sungai yang menyajikan atraksi Chinese Opera seperti di film-film China yang sering gue tonton. Orang-orang menonton opera dari seberang sungai. Lucu juga rasanya ngeliat perahu-perahu lewat begitu aja diantara panggung dan penonton, termasuk perahu yang kita naikin. Malah gue juga sempet lihat orang-orang mandi dan nyuci baju di sungai persis kayak orang-orang desa di Indonesia.

Oleeee… Cruise again! …. So cool!! We ride boat at Yangtze River where divided Xi Tang town. It’s interesting to see the ancient houses and the bridges along the river. The Yangtze River is very famous with many bridges cross over the river. At the left river side there are corridor ways for walker. Mostly, it is tile-roofed and built along the riverside, providing shelter for people to avoid either the baking of hot sun or the rain. So, while walking in Xi Tang, you can never be caught in the rain or exposed to searing sun. There is a Chinese opera performance at the left riverside like in the Chinese movie which I watched. People watch the opera show from the cross of the river. Looks funny when I saw boats passed away between the opera and the spectators included our boat. I actually also saw people wash clothes in the river same likes Indonesian people in the villages.

Begitu turun dari perahu, gue serasa berada di dunia lain. Jalan kaki di sepanjang corridor, ngeliat perahu-perahu di sungai, ngeliat kios-kios tua dan penduduk setempat yang berjualan, gue serasa ada di kehidupan jaman dulu. Di kota tua Xi Tang ini, orang-orang yang tinggal bukan orang-orang kaya, jadi nggak ada rumah-rumah modern yang dibangun di sini. Mungkin itu salah satu alasan bangunan-bangunan tua di sini masih utuh semua. Bahkan di atas atap beberapa rumah tua di Xi Tang, tumbuh rumput-rumput yang tingginya sekitar 30 centimeter. Ini menandakan bahwa kemajuan, kedamaian dan keabadian rumah tersebut merupakan kemakmuran dari seluruh kota.

When I got out from the boat, I feel like in the other world. Walking along the corridor, watching the boats in the river, seeing around old shops along corridor and the seller, I feel drown into the meditation of the past. In the old town of Xi Tang, people who lives there are not rich, so no newer modern houses have been build there. That’s maybe one of the reasons why the old constructions are preserved as a whole almost without damage. On the roof s of some old houses in Xi Tang, the grass is about 30 centimeters tall. It is said that the spirit of the former owner of the house joints with the grass, making it flourish and blessing the peace and permanence of the house as well as the prosperity of the entire town.

Sampai di jembatan yang paling terkenal, gue lupa namanya, lumayan rame orang-orang berdesak-desakan untuk ambil photo. Habis ini tempat paling strategis dan keren untuk ambil gambar seluruh kota Xi Tang. Apalagi pas akhir film MI-3, film-nya nge-shoot Tom Cruise sama Michelle Monaghan di atas jembatan ini. Berdiri di atas jembatan ini, gue ngebayangin jadi Julia, tunangannya agent Ethan Hunt di MI-3 …. he he he he he he……

We were walking at the corridor until to the famous bridge. I forget the name of the bridge. So many people and crowded with people who would like took a picture in here due to this place very nice scene and strategic to take a picture of the whole town. Moreover, at the ending of MI-3 movie shot Tom Cruise and Michelle Monaghan on the bridge. Standing on the bridge, I image to be ‘Julia’ the fiancé of agent Ethan Hunt in the MI-3 …. He he he he he he he…..

Snapshot 1

Ternyata sejak turun dari perahu, Koh Ian dan temen-temen group yang cowok diikutin sama 2 orang tukang semir sepatu. Adduuuhhh….gigihnya mereka merayu koh Ian dan yang lainnya untuk disemir sepatunya. Dari mintanya RMB 20, lama-lama turun jadi RMB 3.00. Akhirnya Koh Ian diikutin Pak Agus luluh juga dengan rayuan mereka … he he he he he ….. Yang menarik perhatian gue, biasanya kalau di Indonesia anak-anak kecil yang kerja jadi tukang semir sepatu di mall-mall ataupun di stasiun kereta. Sedangkan di sini, semua orang bisa melakukan, yang penting mereka bisa cari uang untuk makan. Mereka begitu semangat dan gembira sekali sewaktu berhasil merayu Koh Ian dan Pak Agus. Memang betul kalau orang-orang bilang kehidupan di China sangat keras dan orang mau bekerja apa saja asal bisa makan.

Actually since we got out from the boats, Mr. Ian and others were followed by 2 shoe polishers. Aaahhhh … They very persisted in to persuade Mr. Ian and others to polish their shoes. They offered from RMB 20 become RMB 3.00. Finally Mr. Ian and Mr. Agus gave up and let them to polished their shoes he he he he he … The interesting for me, I usually met kids doing this job at some malls and train station in Indonesia. But in here, everybody can to be anything as long as they can get money for buy foods. They were so enthusiasm and happy when Mr. Ian and Mr. Agus allowed their shoes to be polish. It right that people said live in Chine is very hard and people have to work hard.