Harbin: Better Not To Ask

Sometimes in China, it's better to not ask questions.
Today is our full day of ice activities, starting pretty early with the full breakfast at the hotel. After getting suited up in our snow outfits, we jumped on the bus and went to the river side. We joined a bunch of people from other tour groups to watch the morning's ice swimming show. These swimmers were crazy! No wet suits, no bathrobes, no fancy heat warmers. These brave (stupid) men and women came out in Speedo swimsuits and their bare skin, climbed to the edge of the diving stand, and jumped into the freezing water below. Some dove more gracefully than others, but all fully submerged themselves into the water. They came out to rounds of applause and high-fives. I'm not sure if they are sane or bat-shit crazy, but it was sure impressive.

After seeing the ice swimmers and riding down ice slide #3 (yes, this is my third in China), we departed for the island north of the city that houses the tiger park. The park is based on the safari rides of Africa, with the big cats roaming freely as the vans drive around. It was a bit depressing, like all the animal parks in China. In the US, we make a big deal about recreating the natural habitat of the animal while they're in captivity. If there were a tiger park in America, they would have access to water, diverse landscapes, and imitated nature scenes. Not here. Gates, fences, dirt, and tall stone watchtowers. Desolate, barren, and cold.

The tigers themselves were beautiful. Sleepy, large cats roaming around without a care in the world. Except for being the first cat to attack the feeding car that delivers their daytime snack. A small SUV covered in caging drives in loaded with chickens inside. This brave (stupid) driver slows down, opens his driver side door, and throws a chicken out. This happens so quick, and the cat jumps on top of the vehicle as the driver barely has time to shut his door. Again, crazy but impressive.

We wandered around to take pictures of the different cats. They had more tigers, leopards, lions, cougars, jaguars, and even a white liger! Amazing big cats!