The sun is setting on the Aussie part of our trip. We got the sleeper train down to Brisbane and arrived this afternoon to torrential rains. The experience could not have been more different to the Chinese sleeper trains we were on. We had our own compartment for a start and it was air conditioned to a very pleasant temperature. The places we passed were also a stark contrast - vast swathes of unpopulated landscape and the towns we did come across looked like they may have had one horse at some stage, but those years are now behind them. The Lonely Planet (this version of which sounds like it has been written by the Aussie Tourist Board) describes towns of 10,000 as "major centres". There was much of the stereotypical red Aussie soil on show.
Tomorrow it'll be time to fly to Singapore for the last couple of days before touching down very early on Sunday morning (4.50am) at Heathrow. The good news is that I hear is unseasonably warm in London at the moment, so it should be a smooth transition, oh no, hold on...
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
The Whitsundays
After the first day of the Ashes, it was time to jump on a place up to Hamilton Island. We stocked up on provisions in Airlie Beach and made our way out to Whitsunday Island to camp for a couple of nights. The campsite, which was a couple of yards from a pristine beach, was made up of a bit of flat land and a composting toilet - felt like the edge of the world. The campsite was only really accessible by boat and there was only one other couple there. Along with some bushwalking, the highlights are the wildlife - wallabies, iguanas (good news I'm told because it means that there aren't any snakes in the near vicinity), various birds and the loudest insects I've come across. Oh, and the turtles popped up for air near the beach. We had a great time, but two nights was well judged - we were ready for a warm shower and fewer insects!
We returned to good news from the Gabba - despite the fact that it was a draw, the Aussie press have slaughtered their team.
We returned to good news from the Gabba - despite the fact that it was a draw, the Aussie press have slaughtered their team.
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
The Gabba
Simon and I took in the first day of the Ashes at the Gabba (with a guest appearance from Ant who flew up from Wagga Wagga for the day). It's not your typical cricket ground - looks a bit too uniform and ordered to have the character which other Test ghrounds have. Sadly England showed a little of the old brittleness faced with average Aussie bowling, but we had a good day out all the same. Finishing with beers by the river as the sun went down. Tragically, we left the sombreros in the pub.
The Aussies from Brisbane whom I have met have been a little negative about Brisbane - I wouldn't be so down on the place myself. It's not Sydney or Melbourne, but is wonderfully less pretentious than either place and has some fine eateries and a nice setting.
The Aussies from Brisbane whom I have met have been a little negative about Brisbane - I wouldn't be so down on the place myself. It's not Sydney or Melbourne, but is wonderfully less pretentious than either place and has some fine eateries and a nice setting.
Monday, 22 November 2010
Melbourne Museum
We stopped by the Melbourne Museum yesterday. It contains some of the usual depressing story about how the white folks turned up and got rid of anyone or anything local which was inconvenient. Sometimes that was by deliberate means (primarily shooting), but introducing a few new diseases was also pretty effective. One chap (the wonderfully named Mr Batman) tried to buy the land of modern day Melbourne from the locals in return for a few household appliances - doesn't really work where the land belongs to your nation, so buying and selling is not on the agenda.
The museum also reveals a bit of insecurity vis-a-vis Sydney - various comments strewn around the place about how Melbourne was the top city in Australia... As always with these things, it was also slightly selective - very proud of being the first place in the world to introduce the secret ballot, not so much detail on the "White Australia" policy or the fact that aboriginal peoples were listed as "fauna" in the census until the late 60s.
The museum also reveals a bit of insecurity vis-a-vis Sydney - various comments strewn around the place about how Melbourne was the top city in Australia... As always with these things, it was also slightly selective - very proud of being the first place in the world to introduce the secret ballot, not so much detail on the "White Australia" policy or the fact that aboriginal peoples were listed as "fauna" in the census until the late 60s.
Yarra Valley
Saturday took us out to the Yarra Valley - the wine region just an hour or so's drive from Central Melbourne. I went out there with Simon three years ago, but the place has been transformed by the recent rain. Wonderfully green. We popped to Domain Chandon for lunch, which produces for all intents and purposes Champagne - they just can't call it that because they're in the wrong bit of the world. It was then on to a couple of other wineries - finishing at Yearing Station. Simon bought a fine bottle on the understanding that he'll open it in about 10 years (when it's supposed to get even better) as long as Eve and I come to visit. That was later revised to 8 years when we realised that there was no Ashes series in Australia in 10 years.
Gino
After the wettest season they've had in over a decade, the sun has been beaming ever since we arrived. It's been up in the 30s the last couple of days and summer looks like it's settling in (although I'm told no weather patterns never really settle in here - the classic four seasons in one day). It could all only mean one thing: the time was nigh for my well overdue haircut. Simon booked me in with Gino (whom apparently he visits once a month - which explains why his hair never seems to grow). Gino is a great hairdresser and a good questioner, but sadly a poor listener. The haircut was great, but the conversation was a little circular. For example, after explaining that we had spent 2 months in China, he then asked me if we had flown straight to Australia from the UK or whether we had broken up the journey. Mmh
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Melbourne
From Tassie we flew into Melbourne (on Wednesday). They've been having a poor weather run we were told - but at least the drought which has been going for the last decade or so is almost over. We were told that one solution proposed was to pipe in water from Tassie - not sure that got very far.
Tassie
After a couple of days in Sydney, it was off to Tasmania. Generally derided it would seem by the Aussies for being full of inbreds, it's a beautiful part of the country (most of it is yet another World Heritage Site) with wildlife galore. The first animal (a possum) we saw for approximately 2 seconds before it disappeared under our front left wheel. After driving for a couple of hours through thick fog and driving rain, we got to our cabin in the woods - open fire, jacuzzi bath - the works. Self catering has massive benefits for me with Eve working her magic in the kitchen. We woke up the next morning to find a wallaby feasting on the plants on our front lawn. We also saw a fair few wombats on our treks.
Two days of trekking around Cradle Mountain later (with some parts being more akin to rock climbing) and it was off to Wine Glass Bay on the other side of Tassie (I'm sure that's some kind of World Heritage Site too). Thankfully, no wildlife was harmed in the making of that journey. The beach was beautiful - almost as clean as the one at our fancy hotel in Cambodia - although the staff did sift the sand there to keep it clean. I kid you not.
Two days of trekking around Cradle Mountain later (with some parts being more akin to rock climbing) and it was off to Wine Glass Bay on the other side of Tassie (I'm sure that's some kind of World Heritage Site too). Thankfully, no wildlife was harmed in the making of that journey. The beach was beautiful - almost as clean as the one at our fancy hotel in Cambodia - although the staff did sift the sand there to keep it clean. I kid you not.
Sydney
Sydney served up what you might expect - beautiful temperatures and beaches. Although perhaps we shouldn't take that for granted as we were told it was the first nice day they'd had in six months - I assume that is all relative though.
We also took in a museum. I hadn't previously realised that transportation of convicts was not a new thing when we decided to colonise Australia - we'd been doing transportation to America for a while apparently (that was sadly interrupted when the Americans decided they didn't really want us any more). I also didn't realise that the convicts effectively became indentured labour - indentured to the free inhabitants of Australia, which often was just the spouse of the convict in question.
We also took in a museum. I hadn't previously realised that transportation of convicts was not a new thing when we decided to colonise Australia - we'd been doing transportation to America for a while apparently (that was sadly interrupted when the Americans decided they didn't really want us any more). I also didn't realise that the convicts effectively became indentured labour - indentured to the free inhabitants of Australia, which often was just the spouse of the convict in question.
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Bangkok
After a six hour bus journey on Monday, we got to Bangkok around early evening. Eve's friends have a got a cracking place - an enormous flat, a lady who has now done all of our washing and a swimming pool on the roof!
The Museum of Siam was interesting - not least the bit about Thai governments of the last 50 or so years. The general picture seems to be military coups and corruption. One interesting novelty was that, prior to the introduction of democracy, the king of the day decided to experiment with democracy in one city in his kingdom. He set up two parties. The experiment lasted 7 years.
We're off to Sydney tomorrow...
The Museum of Siam was interesting - not least the bit about Thai governments of the last 50 or so years. The general picture seems to be military coups and corruption. One interesting novelty was that, prior to the introduction of democracy, the king of the day decided to experiment with democracy in one city in his kingdom. He set up two parties. The experiment lasted 7 years.
We're off to Sydney tomorrow...
Koh Chang
After a sunset cruise on Friday night, we left the eco lodge on Saturday and needed to get to Bangkok by Monday to meet up with some friends of Eve's (who are also very kindly putting us up). We thought that would mean a night in a nondescript town on the way, but the guys running the lodge suggested that we should have enough time to spend a night on Koh Chang (an island about 45 mins off the mainland by very slow ferry). The border crossing all went swimmingly, so we were able to get to the island by lunchtime. We shared a taxi from the border to the ferry port with a Swedish couple. He was one of the leading journalists with a Swedish daily newspaper and has also just finished a documentary on one of the Khmer Rouge leaders - the guy who was the respectable head of state which they showed to the world. Sounds all very interesting - it's called Facing Genocide. In line with most of the others, apparently he didn't know what was going on on the ground and therefore is not responsible for it...
It was a cracking idea to spend a night on the island - the interior is a rainforest and the coast has some fine beaches.
It was a cracking idea to spend a night on the island - the interior is a rainforest and the coast has some fine beaches.
The dam
Our final day at the lodge was spent chilling in the hammock on our balcony and kayaking upriver to a waterfall. The river was beautifully calm and the temperature was perfect - the sun just nipping out from behind the clouds now and again.
If we go back in a couple of years, the scene may be very different. Some guys from China have apparently convinced the locals of the need for a hydro electric power station on the river. This seems to involve cutting down large amounts of forest and flooding large areas around the river. Apparently, the idea was originally sold to the locals on the basis that electricity would transform their lives. More recently, some people have twigged that the local villagers don't have any money for electricity, so it is unlikely to be sold to them. In fact, the plan seems to be to sell the electricity to Thailand and the profits for the first 30 or so years are going to the Chinese guys building it. Which all begs the question why the project got the go ahead in the first place. We were told that cash can be quite persuasive.
If we go back in a couple of years, the scene may be very different. Some guys from China have apparently convinced the locals of the need for a hydro electric power station on the river. This seems to involve cutting down large amounts of forest and flooding large areas around the river. Apparently, the idea was originally sold to the locals on the basis that electricity would transform their lives. More recently, some people have twigged that the local villagers don't have any money for electricity, so it is unlikely to be sold to them. In fact, the plan seems to be to sell the electricity to Thailand and the profits for the first 30 or so years are going to the Chinese guys building it. Which all begs the question why the project got the go ahead in the first place. We were told that cash can be quite persuasive.
The trek
After our first evening at the lodge (which was accompanied by very, very fine food), we set out for a trek with the guide, Mr Lei. He had hacked the trail through the jungle with his own bare hands (and a machete) and knew his way around. He could see insects which we could neither see nor hear - it was almost freaky. We had lunch down at "the lake" - it wasn't actually a lake, more of a swell in the river, but very nice all the same. Completely unspoilt - the only way to get there was by foot through the jungle. A lovely spot for a cooling midday swim. It was then on to the waterfall (after another couple of hours through the jungle) where we were met by the boat carrying beers. Wonderful.
When we got back to the lodge, we broke out the Chinese Chess for our second ever proper game. Annoyingly, it turns out that Eve is rather better at the game than me.
When we got back to the lodge, we broke out the Chinese Chess for our second ever proper game. Annoyingly, it turns out that Eve is rather better at the game than me.
The eco lodge
We hopped in a taxi and made our way east towards the Thai border. When we hit the fourth main bridge, we jumped out as instructed by the lodge and walked under the bridge in a seemingly deserted part of rural Cambodia (apart from a very random sign marked "German food"). Despite the fact that there seemed to be nothing around, when we got under the bridge we saw (as promised) a small wooden boat waiting to take us upriver to our little eco lodge.
It's all very worthy stuff - local materials, built by locals, solar power etc. It's also wonderfully quiet - just 7 bungalows sandwiched between a jungle and the river.
It's all very worthy stuff - local materials, built by locals, solar power etc. It's also wonderfully quiet - just 7 bungalows sandwiched between a jungle and the river.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
The seaside has treated us particularly well. After the jet skiing, there was a boat trip through a mangrove forest to a remote island, then it was scuba diving for me and today we hung around our hotel taking advantage of fine pedal boat facilities, lovely beaches and our beach ball (and, of course, the swim up bar at the pool).
Tomorrow we're off to an eco lodge towards the Thai border...
Tomorrow we're off to an eco lodge towards the Thai border...
Sunday, 31 October 2010
The seaside
Following the sombering sights in Phnom Penh, it was time to jump on a bus for 4 hours and head to Sihanoukville (named after King Sihanouk, who is another who seems to have got away with a few things in his time - the current government also seems to fit into that category as it goes about restricting human rights).
The hotel is top notch - rather than having a bar next to the pool, this one has a swim up bar - living the dream (although it remains to be seen whether beer will be treated with the same reverence as it was in a place in Siem Reap where my beer got its own ice bucket). It also has a 1.5km private beach and lots of fun toys. Jet skiing today was fabulous. Scuba diving is lined up for the day after tomorrow (Eve has a pedicure in mind).
The hotel is top notch - rather than having a bar next to the pool, this one has a swim up bar - living the dream (although it remains to be seen whether beer will be treated with the same reverence as it was in a place in Siem Reap where my beer got its own ice bucket). It also has a 1.5km private beach and lots of fun toys. Jet skiing today was fabulous. Scuba diving is lined up for the day after tomorrow (Eve has a pedicure in mind).
New photos
As I type, I am in the process of putting up a new load of photos on flickr, so hopfully they'll be accessible shortly.
The Killing Fields
The Killing Fields do bring home the true horror of the Khmer Rouge regime.
It's hard to conceive of the strength of an ideology which requires the practical enslavement of your entire nation - punishing the slightest hint of dissent (or suspicion of a hint of dissent) with either immediate execution or torture then execution. Within a day or so of taking power the Khmer Rouge appear to have embarked on one of the most comprehesive societal restructurings the world has seen. The cities were emptied and the people were sent en masse to the countryside to work in agriculture (for 12-15 hours a day). The educated (apart from those who had the good fortune to be in the new ruling elite) were disposed of pretty sharpish. Concerned that their family (including very small children) may seek revenge at some point, they decided they should be got rid of too. Bullets were a bit precious, so bludgeoning was deemed the way forward.
They have exhumed most of the mass graves, but it wasn't entirely comprehensive. Because we are coming to the end of the rainy season, some of the remains hidden underground have come to the surface recently - you could see the odd tooth in the soil.
After thinking my our S-21 visit that no-one had taken responsiblity, we discovered at the Killing Fields that there is one exception. The guy who ran S-21 (called "Duch") converted to Christianity and has since taken full responsibility for everything done by the people he was in charge of. Sadly, he seems to be the only one who has done so.
It's hard to conceive of the strength of an ideology which requires the practical enslavement of your entire nation - punishing the slightest hint of dissent (or suspicion of a hint of dissent) with either immediate execution or torture then execution. Within a day or so of taking power the Khmer Rouge appear to have embarked on one of the most comprehesive societal restructurings the world has seen. The cities were emptied and the people were sent en masse to the countryside to work in agriculture (for 12-15 hours a day). The educated (apart from those who had the good fortune to be in the new ruling elite) were disposed of pretty sharpish. Concerned that their family (including very small children) may seek revenge at some point, they decided they should be got rid of too. Bullets were a bit precious, so bludgeoning was deemed the way forward.
They have exhumed most of the mass graves, but it wasn't entirely comprehensive. Because we are coming to the end of the rainy season, some of the remains hidden underground have come to the surface recently - you could see the odd tooth in the soil.
After thinking my our S-21 visit that no-one had taken responsiblity, we discovered at the Killing Fields that there is one exception. The guy who ran S-21 (called "Duch") converted to Christianity and has since taken full responsibility for everything done by the people he was in charge of. Sadly, he seems to be the only one who has done so.
Thursday, 28 October 2010
S-21
We spent a couple of hours this afternoon at a school which the Khmer Rouge converted into a prison/torture facility. The horror of such a place is obvious, but there were two striking things in particular from the displays: (i) most of the inmates (all but 7 of the 15,000 were killed) seemed to have been Khmer Rouge members who had become the subject of suspicion; and (ii) no-one appears to have taken responsibility for the atrocities - the guys at the top claim not to have known what the guys on the ground were doing and the guys on the ground say they were young and impressionable and only following orders (oh, and they're very keen that the top brass pay for their crimes). They've got a war crimes-style tribunal set up, so I guess there's not much incentive to clear the air while that threat is live. Tomorrow we're off to the Killing Fields.
As we were wondering around, Hillary Clinton's entourage were planning the photo ops on her upcoming visit - all very West Wing.
As we were wondering around, Hillary Clinton's entourage were planning the photo ops on her upcoming visit - all very West Wing.
On the way to Phnom Penh
We left Siem Reap this morning and decided to take the boat to Phnom Penh - a little 5 to 6 hour jaunt down the Tonle Sap. It had a rather comedy start when a pick up turned up to pick us up and take us to the "port" and it was somewhat lacking in spare space. The driver was at his innovative best - the first suggestion was that we just jump on. We countered this with the rather obvious problem that there wasn't any space. Undeterred, he came up with Plan B - sit on top of the cab. He couldn't quite fathom why this wasn't that enticing a prospect - but when 10 people told him "no, that's dangerous", he decided that perhaps another vehicle was required. The one he found was packed to the gills too, but at least we could squeeze inside it, rather than on top of it.
Floating villages
After a busy day of temple hopping and a lie in to reward our early start the day before, we set out for the floating villages. They do exactly what it says on the tin - they're villages that float. Well, they're individual houses and shops (we also spotted a basketball court) in villages which float. During the months of high water (which is around now), they float themselves towards Siem Reap. When the water recedes, they float off 10-15km into the middle of the lake so they can be near the fish. They're currently not doing much commercial fishing because the fish are busy laying eggs - seems like their way of avoiding fishing quotas!
The local kids seem to think that the way to entice tourists to give the money is to sail up to your vessel and offer you the opportunity to look at/take a photo of (touch?) a live snake. Eve was delighted as you can imagine.
The local kids seem to think that the way to entice tourists to give the money is to sail up to your vessel and offer you the opportunity to look at/take a photo of (touch?) a live snake. Eve was delighted as you can imagine.
Cambodia - Angkor
We got to Siem Reap safe and sound last Sunday evening after a brief stop over in Guangzhou (one of those enormous Chinese cities I mentioned, which I had previously never heard of). Siem Reap is the the city which funnels tourists into nearby Angkor Wat (and other temples which are about 1,000 years old). Angkor Wat is the world's biggest religious building - initially a Hindu religious building, but later converted into a Buddhist religious building. The scale is unbelievable - it's like a small town and even has its own moat to boot. Add to that the fact that it was built a goodly number of hundreds of years ago and you've got yourself an impressive set up. We trotted along for sunrise on Tuesday morning, which was great because the place was really quiet when we had a look around (but sadly it was cloudy so the sunrise itself was not so spectacular). We felt sorry for our tuk tuk driver who had to get up as early as we did (and then ferry us around for the rest of the day). Turns out that Angkor Wat was built around the same time as Notre Dame - the desire to find God appears to have arisen in different unconnected places.
After a busy day of temple hopping it was back to the hotel was a dip in the pool and cocktails. A routine which we found so appealing we've now repeated three days running.
After a busy day of temple hopping it was back to the hotel was a dip in the pool and cocktails. A routine which we found so appealing we've now repeated three days running.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
The picture menu
After hours of taking photos, tasting food and amateur use of photoshop, the picture menu is almost complete - just 7 dishes to go. I don't know whether I can bring myself to order the cranberry and chicken pizza though.
Eating
Having spent more time with locals, you get to experience more of their remarkable eating feats (not just what they eat, but how). For example, the ability to take in in one bite a bone-riddled piece of meat and then strip the meat off and spit out the bones in one simple movement.
People
Some of the guys are friends are working with have had some amazingly fruity backgrounds. One of the guys we were speaking to was asked what his role was in the gang he used to be a member of. Essentially, it appears there are two levels: big brothers and little brothers. He said he was the big brothers' big brother. Pretty senior then I guess. Another chap used to be a hitman (not that you would know it when you meet him - a friendlier chap you could not hope to meet). Shortly after he joined the group here he turned up with a rucksack full of cash (much of which were illgotten gains and the fruits of his brother's business - large scale prostitution). An orphanage in Africa benefitted I'm told.
Volleyball n stuff
Right, what have we been up to since my last post? We've been with our friends for almost four weeks now and we're off to Cambodia on Sunday for fun, frolics and temples.
Today is volleyball day with the guys coming off drugs (and some of their mates who haven't quite made it that far yet). Having played over the last few weeks, I have re-discovered that I am above-averagely tall for this part of the world (and I swear the net is lower than at home) - consequently, smashing the ball over the net seems to come much more easily. A huge bonus.
Tonight also brings along the bi-weekly parenting course. Oddly, I have been asked to do the talk this evening. You would have thought that having no kids might disqualify you a little from the task, but apparently not. Guess I'll have to wing it.
Today is volleyball day with the guys coming off drugs (and some of their mates who haven't quite made it that far yet). Having played over the last few weeks, I have re-discovered that I am above-averagely tall for this part of the world (and I swear the net is lower than at home) - consequently, smashing the ball over the net seems to come much more easily. A huge bonus.
Tonight also brings along the bi-weekly parenting course. Oddly, I have been asked to do the talk this evening. You would have thought that having no kids might disqualify you a little from the task, but apparently not. Guess I'll have to wing it.
Sunday, 10 October 2010
The orphanage
We met some guys who help out at an orphanage on the edge of town and joined them on a visit a couple of days back. When they first started going (a couple of decades back) they said they started to twig that babies were dying between their visits. At that stage, they had 600 hundred or so babies and a steady stream coming in. In reality, it seems that it is not an orphanage (in the sense that the children have no parents), but rather that the parents have abandoned the children (perhaps because it is a girl and, given the one child policy, they'd prefer it to be a boy or because the baby had some form of disability). We saw one little baby who was blind and another who had an extra finger on each hand.
Conditions have improved markedly over the years, but babies are still being abandoned (the other option appears to be abortion, which we are told is used as a very frequent form of contraception). The good news is that adopting and fostering is much more prevalent. Apparently, there is a village a few hours from the city which is predominantly Christian and the people in the church decided to adopt a lot of the kids - there are 200 or so adopted kids there.
As nice as the orphanage now is (made better by the fact that the city has grown, so rather than being out in the middle of nowhere, it is now much more part of the local urban area), it was just so sad to see rooms with cots lined up end to end and each cot having a photo and an info card so they know where each kid belongs. It's just such a contrast to the nicely painted nurseries people have in their houses at home. We saw one set of twins and I just hoped they would get to stay together - although it is a bit tricky to see how when the one child policy is so rigorously enforced e.g. a couple who have a child are not permitted to adopt another.
Conditions have improved markedly over the years, but babies are still being abandoned (the other option appears to be abortion, which we are told is used as a very frequent form of contraception). The good news is that adopting and fostering is much more prevalent. Apparently, there is a village a few hours from the city which is predominantly Christian and the people in the church decided to adopt a lot of the kids - there are 200 or so adopted kids there.
As nice as the orphanage now is (made better by the fact that the city has grown, so rather than being out in the middle of nowhere, it is now much more part of the local urban area), it was just so sad to see rooms with cots lined up end to end and each cot having a photo and an info card so they know where each kid belongs. It's just such a contrast to the nicely painted nurseries people have in their houses at home. We saw one set of twins and I just hoped they would get to stay together - although it is a bit tricky to see how when the one child policy is so rigorously enforced e.g. a couple who have a child are not permitted to adopt another.
The minority village
Last week, Eve and I went out to the minority village on the edge of town. An odd experience. It's supposed to showcase the minority peoples who live in China (China is very diverse in the sense that there are loads of people groups, the majority people group just seems to have tried in the past to suppress them). Each minority group has its own "village" there, which is supposed to showcase traditional life in some way. In light of all of this, I was trying to work out if it is more of a zoo than a than a museum/theme park. It reminded me of the colonial museum just outside Brussels, which tells of how they got some natives over the colonies a century or so ago and made them live in the woods so the Belgians could see how these people lived in their natural habitat. It beggars belief.
Anyway, it was all good fun - we were with one of the girls from the flat who belongs to one of the minority groups. Towards the end of the day, we ended up getting drawn into some parade where each of the minorities sent a group in and danced around (Eve and I were obviously natural fits - there's a photo somewhere which I'll stick up on flickr). After about an hour - sensing the thing would never end - we made an exit.
The abiding memory of the day though was the number of photos Eve got dragged into - by total randoms. We must have got to at least 20 in about 2-3 hours. It's clearly the done thing to pull a blonde Westerner into your photo and then make the "v for victory" sign. The Chinese we have come across really do have an extraordinary gift for posing in photos. The kids particularly are very well trained in the art of adopting slightly pretentious model poses.
Anyway, it was all good fun - we were with one of the girls from the flat who belongs to one of the minority groups. Towards the end of the day, we ended up getting drawn into some parade where each of the minorities sent a group in and danced around (Eve and I were obviously natural fits - there's a photo somewhere which I'll stick up on flickr). After about an hour - sensing the thing would never end - we made an exit.
The abiding memory of the day though was the number of photos Eve got dragged into - by total randoms. We must have got to at least 20 in about 2-3 hours. It's clearly the done thing to pull a blonde Westerner into your photo and then make the "v for victory" sign. The Chinese we have come across really do have an extraordinary gift for posing in photos. The kids particularly are very well trained in the art of adopting slightly pretentious model poses.
The cafe
Between the flats (about 20 mins or so by bike along their very broad cycle lanes - even Eve has done the journey by bike a few times!) there is the cafe where the guys and younger lady work. We've spent a fair amount of our time at the cafe - Eve has obviously been working her magic in the kitchen and adding some more desserts to an already impressive menu. My job has been to help with the new marketing drive. We need to make the menu a little more Chinese - not in terms of the dish selection, but rather having a photo for each dish so that the Chinese customers know what they're ordering (the menu is in Chinese too, but the dishes are pretty unfamiliar to local palettes)! Although a picture menu makes me immediately suspicious, apparently it's necessary here. The sheer size of the menu is making the whole thing more protracted than anticipated. They've got something like 60 dishes on the menu - again, apparently this is necessary in China as your cook can't be very good if he can only do, say, 20 dishes.
We're also trying to make up some new banners for the outside of the cafe - the last lot had to come down after some local officials out of the blue decided (after it had been up for about 3 years) that a "registration fee" was payable.
We're also trying to make up some new banners for the outside of the cafe - the last lot had to come down after some local officials out of the blue decided (after it had been up for about 3 years) that a "registration fee" was payable.
Update
So, we've been with our friends for almost two weeks now and I realise I have become remiss at blogging. It's been great to stay here - our friends are so hospitable and it's like a home away from home. They live in a flat on one side of the corridor and we are on the opposite side with some of the people that they are working with. One lady lives here with her 8 year old son and there is another younger lady too. The little boy's dad is an addict who can try to get money out of the mother, so they thought it was best for the mother and boy to live here. He's a lovely little chap, but seems to have a habit of getting into trouble at school! He and I have bonded over table tennis and frisbee. Across town there is another flat which has some of the guys (some of whom also have addiction problems) they are working with in it.
Thursday, 30 September 2010
The journey back
After we completed the trek, we were expecting a straightforward little trip down the newly completed road. Once we got in the minibus a German woman told us that the 20km trip to the next town would likely take about 1 1/2 hours due to various things including a landslide. Sure enough, the road was still under construction, so it all took a little longer to negotiate than you might think. Half way through we had to get out of our minibus, walk through a tunnel and wait at the other end whilst some boulders rolled down the hill (this was the "landslide" - basically just a digger a bit higher the hill). We then jumped in another minibus and discovered some road which had been introduced to tarmac. As predicted, after a total of about 1.5 hours and about 20 km we made it to Qiaotou where we needed to find another bus to get us back to Lijiang. Thankfully, one of our minibus companions was a Mandarin speaker and all went swimmingly. She was travelling with a French guy and thus our minibus seemed to reflect accurately the travellers we have encountered here - primarily French and German, with some Israelis thrown in.
Tiger Leaping Gorge
The Lonely Planet describes Tiger Leaping Gorge thus "File a trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge under the category 'things that probably won't kill you but could'." This naturally made us a little apprehensive and we thought we might give it a miss. However, after chatting with an (admittedly slightly odd) English chap at the hostel in Lijiang we decided to give it a go (his name was John and he seemed to be the lacky at the hostel where Mama Naxi would order him order him around - he had also developed this very strange broken English which had no doubt been developed from years of travelling speaking to people who did not speak English as a first language). Turns out that the Lonely Planet deserves the "Alarmist of the Year" award for its description. The description goes on "the path constricts and crumbles". Having now done the trek, I interpret this as meaning "the path is not made of concrete".
We were so glad we did the trek - it really is brilliant. It's one of the world's highest gorges and you can look down on the mighty Yangtze as you go. We stayed the night at the wonderfully named Tea Horse Guesthouse (tea and horses being the main things which were traded in the area), which had fabulous views out on to the mountains surrounding the gorge. We got chatting to Christian and Annie, an Austrian-French Canadian couple who had just come back from Mongolia. It sounds like the infrastructure there is a little underdeveloped. They had 17 hours on a bus where the road was so bumpy that Annie (who could be no more than 5 foot 5) was bouncing up and down so much her head hit the ceiling repeatedly. They were also saying that in the capital every car is a taxi. You just stick your hand out and whoever is driving past will likely stop and take you where you wanna go. Our conversation was supplemented by comments from a Korean chap who had relatively limited English - his phrases being restricted to "China alcohol very good" and, relating to treks, "Nepal number 1, India number 2, China number 3".
The next morning, we got up a bit later than the others staying at our guesthouse, which meant that we had the gorge to ourselves, which was great. We spent the whole day wondering when the dangerous bit was going to appear and it never did - the worst there was was crossing a couple of waterfalls and that was just fun.
We were so glad we did the trek - it really is brilliant. It's one of the world's highest gorges and you can look down on the mighty Yangtze as you go. We stayed the night at the wonderfully named Tea Horse Guesthouse (tea and horses being the main things which were traded in the area), which had fabulous views out on to the mountains surrounding the gorge. We got chatting to Christian and Annie, an Austrian-French Canadian couple who had just come back from Mongolia. It sounds like the infrastructure there is a little underdeveloped. They had 17 hours on a bus where the road was so bumpy that Annie (who could be no more than 5 foot 5) was bouncing up and down so much her head hit the ceiling repeatedly. They were also saying that in the capital every car is a taxi. You just stick your hand out and whoever is driving past will likely stop and take you where you wanna go. Our conversation was supplemented by comments from a Korean chap who had relatively limited English - his phrases being restricted to "China alcohol very good" and, relating to treks, "Nepal number 1, India number 2, China number 3".
The next morning, we got up a bit later than the others staying at our guesthouse, which meant that we had the gorge to ourselves, which was great. We spent the whole day wondering when the dangerous bit was going to appear and it never did - the worst there was was crossing a couple of waterfalls and that was just fun.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Lijiang
We're back in Lijiang after a couple of days at the fantastic Tiger Leaping Gorge. I'll fill you in in more detail when we get to our friends' place tomorrow, but we had a great trek and any reservations we had arising from the Lonely Planet warnings were entirely unfounded! Lijiang itself has a lovely old town with wooden buildings, cobbled streets and little waterways flowing through it. Really idyllic
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
Eve and the Pandas
So, the day of the Panda finally came and boy was Eve excited. Despite the 6.30am start she sprang out of bed like a kid on Christmas Day as soon as the alarm went off (not a regular occurrence I can assure you). The excitement built as we trundled to the Panda Base just north of Chengdu. Having jettisoned the tour, we went exploring on our own and I have to admit it was great. They are amazing creatures - not quite like anything else I have seen. They look a bit like real bears, but are cuddly and friendly like teddy bears. They are also able to grip things in the way that a human would. They enjoy lying on their back whilst feeding too - something I intend to emulate. I've got a ton of photos and will try to get something accessible on to flickr, but a combination of connection speeds and chinese pop ups are preventing me as things stand.
I thought I might mention some more of the people we have come across on our travels. On the way to the boat to Yangshuo we chatted to a German couple who we reckon must have been in their late forties. They have three children - the youngest of which is 15. They are currently on a year long travelling programme - dropping back into Germany to see their youngest son during school holidays.
In Yangshuo we met another German, Claus, and his Vietnamese gilrfriend Hang. Claus is a judge in Leipzig, having taken the unusual route of leaving the Western part of Germany and going East. Oddly, his work took him there - usually it is the other way around (the search for work takes you west). Hang works at the university in Ho Chi Minh City - we may hook up with them again in Lijiang (where we fly tomorrow).
Where we have been staying for the last couple of nights is the first place we have come across the proper backpacker types - dreadlocks gallore and wannabe hippies strumming unamplified electric guitars as they walk towards their dorms - I kid you not. They don't seem to be enjoying themselves all that much, but may be that is a future stop on their voyage of discovery.
I thought I might mention some more of the people we have come across on our travels. On the way to the boat to Yangshuo we chatted to a German couple who we reckon must have been in their late forties. They have three children - the youngest of which is 15. They are currently on a year long travelling programme - dropping back into Germany to see their youngest son during school holidays.
In Yangshuo we met another German, Claus, and his Vietnamese gilrfriend Hang. Claus is a judge in Leipzig, having taken the unusual route of leaving the Western part of Germany and going East. Oddly, his work took him there - usually it is the other way around (the search for work takes you west). Hang works at the university in Ho Chi Minh City - we may hook up with them again in Lijiang (where we fly tomorrow).
Where we have been staying for the last couple of nights is the first place we have come across the proper backpacker types - dreadlocks gallore and wannabe hippies strumming unamplified electric guitars as they walk towards their dorms - I kid you not. They don't seem to be enjoying themselves all that much, but may be that is a future stop on their voyage of discovery.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Paddy fields, water buffalo and no punctures
On Tuesday we hired some bikes and took to the road (well, track really) out to the river. The scenery on the way and along the river was great - paddy fields and water buffalo abounded - stereotypical traditional China I guess. Similar to the last few days, it also felt seriously hot and humid. The cycling provided a nice breeze to take the edge off.
The journey took a slightly comical twist when my back tyre got a puncture as we were between villages. Almost put of nowhere a friendly chap jumped out of a ditch and suggested (through his broken English and our broken Mandarin) that we pop the bike on the back of his motorbike (waiting just off stage in another ditch) and go off to the local village to get it fixed. So we strapped it on and went on our way. An old chap (who reminded me a bit of my Grampy who was also in the bike trade) did a meticulous job identifying the puncture, checking the tyre and adjusting the brakes. We were then on our way again to the 600 year old Dragon Bridge. Having waived our helpful motorbiking friend goodbye, the going seemed to be getting tougher again. Hey presto - the same tyre was flat and we were again a little way from the repair shop. As we pushed our bikes back towards the main road, our new friend happened to be riding by and deja vu struck as we strapped my bike back on and went back to the same old man for a second go (perhaps he wasn't quite as meticulous as I had thought first time around!).
Anyway, the second time was a complete success and we were soon at the bridge - not that the bridge itself was anything spectacular, but the scenery around was stunning. The Lonely Planet had a field day in its description of the area (only a thesaurus was really lacking) - "otherwordly" and "karst" appeared about 3 times in 3 paragraphs. We crossed the river and made our way down some lovely tracks by the river and through what appeared to be paddy fields in people's backgardens, but they didn't seem to mind too much. As our legs were tiring, a guy driving a little 3 wheeler electric pick up truck suggested we throw our bikes and me in the back (Eve was nice and comfortable sat up front with him) and he'd take us home for 20 yuan (about 2 quid). We couldn't turn that down! Particularly as we had tickets for a show that evening - 600 performers set on the river just outside Yangshuo. It was seriously impressive - directed by the guy who did the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics, who is a well known Chinese film director I'm told.
Paddy fields, water buffalo and no punctures
The next day we played it safe and went for a trek. Again, paddy fields and water buffalo were the order of the day - as well as spectacular mountain scenery. Yangshuo itself is packed, but we didn't have to go too far to avoid the crowds. Apparently, it gets something close to 15 million visitors a year and it doesn't feel any bigger than Witney. I think most people come on organised tours, so you only have to step off those well trodden paths to get some peace and quiet. After our trek, we were chauffeured back down the river on a bamboo raft - the perfect way to end the day with the sun setting, locals fishing with snorkels and the water buffalo cooling off in the water.
After a quick noodle snack, it was off to the airport to fly up to Chengdu. We were served the most extraordinary tasteless snack on board - I saved the packet because the English was so special too. I'll post that next time. Although it did remind me of some of the comedy translations we have seen so far - my favourite one being at Huang Shan where we were warned that we should not look at the scenery whilst trekking.
Tomorrow is the day Eve has been looking forward to like no other - the Pandas!
[posted by jonnyjpg for tricky mouse who is in google free china]
The journey took a slightly comical twist when my back tyre got a puncture as we were between villages. Almost put of nowhere a friendly chap jumped out of a ditch and suggested (through his broken English and our broken Mandarin) that we pop the bike on the back of his motorbike (waiting just off stage in another ditch) and go off to the local village to get it fixed. So we strapped it on and went on our way. An old chap (who reminded me a bit of my Grampy who was also in the bike trade) did a meticulous job identifying the puncture, checking the tyre and adjusting the brakes. We were then on our way again to the 600 year old Dragon Bridge. Having waived our helpful motorbiking friend goodbye, the going seemed to be getting tougher again. Hey presto - the same tyre was flat and we were again a little way from the repair shop. As we pushed our bikes back towards the main road, our new friend happened to be riding by and deja vu struck as we strapped my bike back on and went back to the same old man for a second go (perhaps he wasn't quite as meticulous as I had thought first time around!).
Anyway, the second time was a complete success and we were soon at the bridge - not that the bridge itself was anything spectacular, but the scenery around was stunning. The Lonely Planet had a field day in its description of the area (only a thesaurus was really lacking) - "otherwordly" and "karst" appeared about 3 times in 3 paragraphs. We crossed the river and made our way down some lovely tracks by the river and through what appeared to be paddy fields in people's backgardens, but they didn't seem to mind too much. As our legs were tiring, a guy driving a little 3 wheeler electric pick up truck suggested we throw our bikes and me in the back (Eve was nice and comfortable sat up front with him) and he'd take us home for 20 yuan (about 2 quid). We couldn't turn that down! Particularly as we had tickets for a show that evening - 600 performers set on the river just outside Yangshuo. It was seriously impressive - directed by the guy who did the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics, who is a well known Chinese film director I'm told.
Paddy fields, water buffalo and no punctures
The next day we played it safe and went for a trek. Again, paddy fields and water buffalo were the order of the day - as well as spectacular mountain scenery. Yangshuo itself is packed, but we didn't have to go too far to avoid the crowds. Apparently, it gets something close to 15 million visitors a year and it doesn't feel any bigger than Witney. I think most people come on organised tours, so you only have to step off those well trodden paths to get some peace and quiet. After our trek, we were chauffeured back down the river on a bamboo raft - the perfect way to end the day with the sun setting, locals fishing with snorkels and the water buffalo cooling off in the water.
After a quick noodle snack, it was off to the airport to fly up to Chengdu. We were served the most extraordinary tasteless snack on board - I saved the packet because the English was so special too. I'll post that next time. Although it did remind me of some of the comedy translations we have seen so far - my favourite one being at Huang Shan where we were warned that we should not look at the scenery whilst trekking.
Tomorrow is the day Eve has been looking forward to like no other - the Pandas!
[posted by jonnyjpg for tricky mouse who is in google free china]
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Second day in Guilin
Our second day in Guilin took us to the Reed Flute Caves. Apparently there are some reeds growing nearby which you can make into flutes - makes sense I guess. The caves are brilliant - they have amazing stalactites and stalagmites growing in them. They also have the classic Chinese twist - the ability to light them up in garish colours. Greens and purples abound - I'm trying to put some photos up on flickr tonight - look for photos posted by trickymouse1 if it works (they should include Shanghai and wedding photos all being well). The Chinese have a different way of displaying natural phenomena (the some colour regime was used for the trees surrounding the lakes in the centre of town). Whereas we tend to go for just lighting stuff up in neutral colours and letting the features speak for themselves, colourful lighting seems to be the order of the day here.
After sampling the local delicacy last night (beer fish), we took a four and a bit hour boat trip over to Yangshuo this morning. The guy who picked us up from the hotel appeared to have mastered English from American films and a book of idioms - not to say that we could really work out what he was going on about though.
Given our aversion for organised tours, you can imagine how delighted we were that we were in the "Panda team" for our trip to Yangshuo. Thankfully, the tour only really got us to the boat and we were fairly free to roam about the boat as we pleased. Yangshuo is lovely and the boat trip is spectacular. One view is so great that it makes the back of the 20 yuan note. Again, I'll try to get some photos up over the next day or so - if connection speed and patience allows.
We sat down by the river with our mandarin MP3s and we were befriended by a local independent tour guide who constantly reminded us how great his English was. He was a likeable chap - a local farmer who realised that his traditional job was not going to be around forever, so he took it upon himself to learn English and become a tour guide. It sounds like he did this by accosting tourists and trying out his English on them - to be fair it worked. I admired his initiative - we may go out for a cycle ride with him in the next couple of days.
After sampling the local delicacy last night (beer fish), we took a four and a bit hour boat trip over to Yangshuo this morning. The guy who picked us up from the hotel appeared to have mastered English from American films and a book of idioms - not to say that we could really work out what he was going on about though.
Given our aversion for organised tours, you can imagine how delighted we were that we were in the "Panda team" for our trip to Yangshuo. Thankfully, the tour only really got us to the boat and we were fairly free to roam about the boat as we pleased. Yangshuo is lovely and the boat trip is spectacular. One view is so great that it makes the back of the 20 yuan note. Again, I'll try to get some photos up over the next day or so - if connection speed and patience allows.
We sat down by the river with our mandarin MP3s and we were befriended by a local independent tour guide who constantly reminded us how great his English was. He was a likeable chap - a local farmer who realised that his traditional job was not going to be around forever, so he took it upon himself to learn English and become a tour guide. It sounds like he did this by accosting tourists and trying out his English on them - to be fair it worked. I admired his initiative - we may go out for a cycle ride with him in the next couple of days.
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Guilin
We arrived in Guilin early this morning and the place is fantastic. Green hills surrounding a number of lakes in the centre of the city - very peaceful and relaxing. You really do notice the differences between Hong Kong and Mainland China. Spitting is a national pastime on the mainland it appears - in Hong Kong they fine you HK$5k for the privilege. On a bus last week, we heard the repetitive clearing of a throat behind us (the iPod could only mask so much). We both assumed that it was some uncouth chap - turned out to be a girl who looked to be in her early 20s!
There also seems to be more prolific use of the car horn on the mainland. The interesting thing though is that it is usually not meant rudely or aggressively. In fact, I haven't seen or heard any road rage at all. The horn seems to be more of a polite "here I am, just so you know" rather than a "get out of my way".
There also seems to be more prolific use of the car horn on the mainland. The interesting thing though is that it is usually not meant rudely or aggressively. In fact, I haven't seen or heard any road rage at all. The horn seems to be more of a polite "here I am, just so you know" rather than a "get out of my way".
Hong Kong pt2
We had one more full day left in Hong Kong and spent the afternoon on Lamma island. The weather was warm and the water looked fairly inviting, so I stripped down to my boxers and went for a dip - wonderful cooling off. It's a pretty hot time of year and the water was so inviting - although you had to be careful to get a good view. In one direction were green rolling hills - in the other, a power station! More contrasts. We finished our little trip with some very tasty seafood down at the little harbour before setting sail for Hong Kong Island.
Eve's highlight of Wednesday was the trip to Marks & Spencer to fill up on picnic food for our overnight train to Guilin. We also spent a couple of hours in the Hong Kong History Museum. There are two sides to every story as ever, but it was a fascinating insight into the Chinese view on Hong Kong's history. Not for the first time, it sounds like we did not entirely cover ourselves in glory.
The record of the Japanese occupation reminded me of my trip to the Japanese Imperial War Museum in Tokyo a few years back. That really did show that there are two extreme sides to every story. Most strikingly the Japanese sought to take credit for most of the post world war two colonial independence movements - apparently because their occupation of places like Singapore showed the locals just how good life could be without the British. Oddly, the locals in Singapore don't seem so convinced of this version of events and it sounds like Hongkongers did not massively enjoy the Japanese occupation either.
Eve's highlight of Wednesday was the trip to Marks & Spencer to fill up on picnic food for our overnight train to Guilin. We also spent a couple of hours in the Hong Kong History Museum. There are two sides to every story as ever, but it was a fascinating insight into the Chinese view on Hong Kong's history. Not for the first time, it sounds like we did not entirely cover ourselves in glory.
The record of the Japanese occupation reminded me of my trip to the Japanese Imperial War Museum in Tokyo a few years back. That really did show that there are two extreme sides to every story. Most strikingly the Japanese sought to take credit for most of the post world war two colonial independence movements - apparently because their occupation of places like Singapore showed the locals just how good life could be without the British. Oddly, the locals in Singapore don't seem so convinced of this version of events and it sounds like Hongkongers did not massively enjoy the Japanese occupation either.
Monday, 13 September 2010
Hong Kong
I have finally managed to find an internet cafe where I can make my own posts - hurrah for Hong Kong and its liberal internet policies. I can also use a computer in an internet cafe without needing to show my passport, which I also regard as a bonus.
After coming down from the mountain, we had another night in Tungxi before heading off on a 6 hour bus journey back to Shanghai followed 2 hours later by a 20 hour sleeper train to Hong Kong. We had a lovely journey - a couple of games of chess and draughts and a long sleep. Last minute hotel deals abound and we are staying in a lovely spot - I'm most taken by the outdoor pool, Eve is more taken with the high quality western buffet breakfast - all that Chinese food had been taking its toll.
The weather this time of year is a little unpredictable. Yesterday it absolutely threw it down for most of the day as we tried to get good views from up on the Peak. However, today was gorgeous - blue sky and sunshine abounded. We met a someone I know through work for a fine lunch looking out over the Harbour and then headed off East to take in a quieter side of the Territory. Hong Kong is really a city of extremes. The northern strip of Hong Kong Island is packed with high rise - as is the southern strip of Kowloon. Where we were today was the flip side of the coin: a sleepy fishing village where the sea is peppered with beautiful little islands where you can have a cold beer and watch the sun go down.
Having said that, our peace was disturbed a little by two budding bugle players who are no doubt hoping to hit a note soon - although it is not entirely clear how long "soon" will be in this case.
Jump on a bus for 30 minutes and you're back into the hubbub. The shops are so well lit and advertised that it is as light as it would be during the day. We were also treated to further musical treats - a lady (initially thought it was a bloke) in her 60s playing rock classics on the electric guitar carefully observed by her rather weary looking dog (which was clearly more vicious than it looked because there were 3 signs warning people not to stroke the dog for fear of violent consequences).
Eve had a real high point this evening - she spotted a Marks and Spencer and it looks like it has food!
After coming down from the mountain, we had another night in Tungxi before heading off on a 6 hour bus journey back to Shanghai followed 2 hours later by a 20 hour sleeper train to Hong Kong. We had a lovely journey - a couple of games of chess and draughts and a long sleep. Last minute hotel deals abound and we are staying in a lovely spot - I'm most taken by the outdoor pool, Eve is more taken with the high quality western buffet breakfast - all that Chinese food had been taking its toll.
The weather this time of year is a little unpredictable. Yesterday it absolutely threw it down for most of the day as we tried to get good views from up on the Peak. However, today was gorgeous - blue sky and sunshine abounded. We met a someone I know through work for a fine lunch looking out over the Harbour and then headed off East to take in a quieter side of the Territory. Hong Kong is really a city of extremes. The northern strip of Hong Kong Island is packed with high rise - as is the southern strip of Kowloon. Where we were today was the flip side of the coin: a sleepy fishing village where the sea is peppered with beautiful little islands where you can have a cold beer and watch the sun go down.
Having said that, our peace was disturbed a little by two budding bugle players who are no doubt hoping to hit a note soon - although it is not entirely clear how long "soon" will be in this case.
Jump on a bus for 30 minutes and you're back into the hubbub. The shops are so well lit and advertised that it is as light as it would be during the day. We were also treated to further musical treats - a lady (initially thought it was a bloke) in her 60s playing rock classics on the electric guitar carefully observed by her rather weary looking dog (which was clearly more vicious than it looked because there were 3 signs warning people not to stroke the dog for fear of violent consequences).
Eve had a real high point this evening - she spotted a Marks and Spencer and it looks like it has food!
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Huangshan mountain and other reflections
We got back from Huangshan mountain this evening after a couple of days out there (incidentally, it is another of China's AAAAA rated sights - 66 or so of them I'm told). The scenery is spectacular but the weather is more than a little unpredictable. It absolutely threw it down yesterday as we got off the cable car. Reassuring ourselves that it was easing off, we stepped out on to the trail. Sadly, we were a little optimistic and ended up sheltering between two toilet cubicles for 15 minutes before again deciding that it was easing off - hey presto it started throwing it down again and rumbles of thunder could be heard from the distance. Thankfully, it cleared up and we could take in the cracking scenery. The mist rolls in and out on a regular basis and the peaks jut through to create a fabulous painting-like views. The weather today, however, was beautiful - gorgeous blue sky (coupled with the mist). I am sporting a lovely lobster red tan this evening.
I thought I would throw in a few more reflections on what we've seen so far. Despite the rampant pollution, there does seem to be a recognition that measures to tackle it are necessary. Almost every motor bike I have seen around the towns and cities has been electric (which creates its own dangers as they are whisper quiet and the driving is somewhat unpredictable). There are also solar panels everywhere. I don't whether this is a measure to tackle some of the driving excesses, but the traffic lights have countdown clocks on them to tell you how long it is until the lights are going to change - perhaps to convince people that there's no need to jump the lights if they are going to go green in 30 seconds.
May be those countdown clocks are just there to create jobs. There is an impressive level of technology and overemployment here. Take the museums where one person sells you the ticket, you then go through security, then (as you you approach the automated ticket barrier) someone takes your ticket and puts it through the barrier for you. Nothing is left to chance. Marketing is presumably another overmanned department: our hostel in Shanghai proudly boasted "windows" as one of its main selling points.
One further thing which has only occurred to me since we've been here is that Tony Blair's reference to Diana being the "People's Princess", which sparked a whole number of "People's" prefixes, was being used in China for years before that. Obviously, the country's name incldues it, but there are also a whole stack of "People's Parks" and "People's Squares". Turns out that New Labour was more Left Wing than it appeared.
My final one for now is that nappies are not that regularly used in China, so you get the curious sight of toddlers wandering around with big splits in their trousers around their backsides. Yan mentioned that they are trained to go to the toilet in response to a whistle (some form of Pavlovian response).
I thought I would throw in a few more reflections on what we've seen so far. Despite the rampant pollution, there does seem to be a recognition that measures to tackle it are necessary. Almost every motor bike I have seen around the towns and cities has been electric (which creates its own dangers as they are whisper quiet and the driving is somewhat unpredictable). There are also solar panels everywhere. I don't whether this is a measure to tackle some of the driving excesses, but the traffic lights have countdown clocks on them to tell you how long it is until the lights are going to change - perhaps to convince people that there's no need to jump the lights if they are going to go green in 30 seconds.
May be those countdown clocks are just there to create jobs. There is an impressive level of technology and overemployment here. Take the museums where one person sells you the ticket, you then go through security, then (as you you approach the automated ticket barrier) someone takes your ticket and puts it through the barrier for you. Nothing is left to chance. Marketing is presumably another overmanned department: our hostel in Shanghai proudly boasted "windows" as one of its main selling points.
One further thing which has only occurred to me since we've been here is that Tony Blair's reference to Diana being the "People's Princess", which sparked a whole number of "People's" prefixes, was being used in China for years before that. Obviously, the country's name incldues it, but there are also a whole stack of "People's Parks" and "People's Squares". Turns out that New Labour was more Left Wing than it appeared.
My final one for now is that nappies are not that regularly used in China, so you get the curious sight of toddlers wandering around with big splits in their trousers around their backsides. Yan mentioned that they are trained to go to the toilet in response to a whistle (some form of Pavlovian response).
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Tungxi
Our travelling companions having left for home, yesterday we left Shanghai for a 5 hour bus journey inland to Tungxi so we can make our way up China's most beautiful mountain tomorrow. No worries Rory, this is nowhere near 5895m, but it is supposed to have some cracking scenery. This was a slight change of plan as we were hoping to make out to Putuoshan island, but a typhoon warning saw to
that trip. We were looking forward to having empty beaches - I'm told that the Chinese (similar to what I have seen in India) do not go in for tans. In fact, quite the opposite, a lot of the facial creams have some form of bleach in them I hear. The grass is always greener - on the plus side, it must make me some
form of supermodel.
My only other reflection for you for now is that most Chinese toilet rolls I have seen do not have a hole in the middle of it. Make of that what you will.
that trip. We were looking forward to having empty beaches - I'm told that the Chinese (similar to what I have seen in India) do not go in for tans. In fact, quite the opposite, a lot of the facial creams have some form of bleach in them I hear. The grass is always greener - on the plus side, it must make me some
form of supermodel.
My only other reflection for you for now is that most Chinese toilet rolls I have seen do not have a hole in the middle of it. Make of that what you will.
Expo
While we were in Shanghai we went to the Expo. I assumed that it was about showcasing new inventions and the like. Turns out that - under the title of "Better cities, better life" it is a bizarre mix of tourism fair, self-promotion and abstract thought. There are broadly three types of country pavilion: please come and spend/invest money; aren't we great and those self-confident enough to be more abstract or philosophical. The first group tended to be third world nations. The second group included the likes of Venezuela (they make the place sound like utopia - come the revolution and all that). The Australian Pavilion was in this category too - slightly odd. One of the great successes which they celebrated was the Sydney Opera House which they acknowledges was designed by a Dane and the engineers were British. I also seem to remember reading that it was extensively panned in Oz when it was first built. The UK Pavilion is really cool by the way.
Shanghai
From Xi'an it was off to Shanghai on a 20+ hour overnight train - a huge step up from our previous overnighter to Xi'an. This one had air con and I had a bottom bunk which was built in such a way that my toes could dangle into the gangway - so none of the hot and cramped up conditions of the previous trip. Our little group was quite the novelty - we got a little crowd gathered for our card game.
I can't remember if I put this in a previous post, but the train journeys and our trip to the Xia tombs gave us our first insight into the "developing country" side of China. In Ningxia, we went through a coal mining town where some local residents make their living from picking up the coal which falls off
the big trucks and selling it back to the mines. The other striking feature (which is similar to other developing countries I have been to) is the half built buildings which you see. The cities are full of pristine new skyscrapers, but the smaller towns are littered with buildings which were started but never
completed. I am not sure why there is this common theme. Lack of access to
capital? Speculative building projects? Poor business plans? Aspirational buildings? International development graduates and others add your thoughts!
The other thing we noticed was the large number of huge cities which we had never heard of before. Cities of 6 million+ are all over the place and they appear to be growing fast. High rises are going up everywhere and we saw massive infrastructure being built too. The country is really going places.
Shanghai suffers from no such half built projects. Apparently, 10,000 high rises have gone up in the last decade or so and you can believe it. John and I saw a scale model of the whole city in a museum and every square inch looks like it has a high rise on it. They've also taken to lighting them in the craziest ways. Not content with a simple flashing light to ward off the odd plane, they have all kinds of colours and shapes flying around. One or two look like they've got full on TV screens which are about 40 stories high. Similar to Singapore, the older bits have been renovated in such a way that they feel a bit like Disney Land - just a bit too well renovated that they look new and shiny.
Other sights include the site of the first convention of the Chinese Communist Party - all 13 of them. Mao was there (along with a slightly random Dutch chap), but it is striking that not many of them lasted the distance - having emigrated or been labelled as traitors. It's also interesting that Shanghai was the birthplace - it may have something to do with being the place where the Brits, Yanks and French turned up and carved out bits of the city for themselves where Chinese law and customs did not apply. Apparently, one park had the sign "No dogs and Chinese".
I can't remember if I put this in a previous post, but the train journeys and our trip to the Xia tombs gave us our first insight into the "developing country" side of China. In Ningxia, we went through a coal mining town where some local residents make their living from picking up the coal which falls off
the big trucks and selling it back to the mines. The other striking feature (which is similar to other developing countries I have been to) is the half built buildings which you see. The cities are full of pristine new skyscrapers, but the smaller towns are littered with buildings which were started but never
completed. I am not sure why there is this common theme. Lack of access to
capital? Speculative building projects? Poor business plans? Aspirational buildings? International development graduates and others add your thoughts!
The other thing we noticed was the large number of huge cities which we had never heard of before. Cities of 6 million+ are all over the place and they appear to be growing fast. High rises are going up everywhere and we saw massive infrastructure being built too. The country is really going places.
Shanghai suffers from no such half built projects. Apparently, 10,000 high rises have gone up in the last decade or so and you can believe it. John and I saw a scale model of the whole city in a museum and every square inch looks like it has a high rise on it. They've also taken to lighting them in the craziest ways. Not content with a simple flashing light to ward off the odd plane, they have all kinds of colours and shapes flying around. One or two look like they've got full on TV screens which are about 40 stories high. Similar to Singapore, the older bits have been renovated in such a way that they feel a bit like Disney Land - just a bit too well renovated that they look new and shiny.
Other sights include the site of the first convention of the Chinese Communist Party - all 13 of them. Mao was there (along with a slightly random Dutch chap), but it is striking that not many of them lasted the distance - having emigrated or been labelled as traitors. It's also interesting that Shanghai was the birthplace - it may have something to do with being the place where the Brits, Yanks and French turned up and carved out bits of the city for themselves where Chinese law and customs did not apply. Apparently, one park had the sign "No dogs and Chinese".
Tombs and warriors
I think the last blog covered the evening of the wedding. The day after that our local hosts took us on a fine outing to some of the sights of their lesser known province. First it was off to the tombs of the Xia emperors - a people group obliterated by the Mongols, so the tombs are all that is left to tell us what their civilisation was like. There appears to be a preoccupation with death and the after life generally amongst the various dynasties. The mausolia we have seen were all massive (we saw Mao's in Beijing too - apparently he's lowered into the freezer every night). Apparently, building his mausoleum was the first thing any emperor did. The scale was extraordinary - none bigger than the famous ones found at Xi'an (our next stop after Ningxia). I hadn't appreciated that the Terracotta Warriors were the thousands of life size soldiers made to accompany the emperor into the afterlife (the logic being that he needed them in life, so he'd no doubt need them in death too). The scale is phenomenal - they estimate up to about 6,000 soldiers, plus horses and chariots. We were wondering whether the guys who had to make them all were as taken with the project as the emperor himself.
After the tombs, we stopped in on what we were told was the Chinese Hollywood - the set of 100+ films. None of which I'd seen.
After the tombs, we stopped in on what we were told was the Chinese Hollywood - the set of 100+ films. None of which I'd seen.
Note
So, I've finally got some time to put something more substantial together again. Thanks to Matt by the way for putting these posts up so far (and to Jonny for doing this one) - a google blog was perhaps not the best move for a trip to China.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Wedding Part Deux
So, the evening session of the wedding was suitably eventful. t's not uncommon for one or two people to over-indulge at a wedding, but to have both the bride and the groom carried out is quite an achievement. It turns out that this result is almost inevitable when they are basically required to go round the whole room toasting each guest with the rice wine spirit I mentioned in a previous post. The toasting thing was quite fun for the rest of us though. John and I had a wonderful time toasting the parents of our translators and telling them they should be very proud - seemed to push the right cultural buttons and make us very popular. In case you find yourself at a Chinese wedding, the cry of "Gambei!" is what follows the toast text and precipates the downing of the shot.
With the bride and groom departed, it was time for the guests that remained to go next door for a stint of karaoke, which was curtailed shortly before midnight when the bride's father appeared and told us that the gates to our government-run hotel were going to be shut shortly and we should get moving if we wanted to get back in.
I'm very behind on these blogs as I'm writing this shortly before midnight on Friday and the wedding was last Saturday. There are other fun and games to fill you in on and I'm hoping to do that in the next day or so, but in short we saw some more of the sights of Ningxia province and then shofted on down to Xi'an via a very hot overnight train. The carriage we were in resembled a youth hostel dorm - 10 triple decker bunks side by side down the carriage. Usually they're air conditioned I'm told, but not this one. The beds also don't seem to be designed for anyone over about 5' 10" (turns out I'm just over that mark) and the top bunk left me a little cramped as a result. Plus, for reasons unknown, the fans go off and windows are shut just as everyone is trying to sleep. The mind boggles.
The Train
It's just after 1am in Shanghai where we arrived this morning after a 20 hour train journey from Xi'an. I'll fill you in on the goings on of the last few days in the next day or so, but suffice it to say that Round 2 of the wedding was somewhat more eventful than than Round 1. Marc and Yan also made the front page of the local paper as anticipated.
I also need to update you on our trip through rural China (where the rules of the road appear to be optional and we saw our first real insight into the poorer side of China). The smog also appears to be ever present. Be in touch.
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Wedding
Wedding duties for me and the other lads from the UK kicked off at 9.30am this morning. We were pressed into service to pull the rickshaw from Yan's house to the hotel where the ceremony and reception were. Following a pick-up with a drummer and trumpeter in the back, we were flanked by the town's older residents in silky red outfits. My yellow Oxford United shirt completed the colourful scene. Fire crackers signalled that it was time to go and cannons greeted our arrival at the hotel. It sounds like traditional weddings are not that common any more in these parts - the first for a generation we were told. So rare in fact that the local newspaper is running a big story on it - including an exclusive interview with Marc. Our reward for pulling the cart was a Chinese lottery ticket each - the draw is tomorrow, so watch this space.
The drink of choice is rice wine spirit. Roughly the strength of whisky, but seemingly only ever drink swiftly in shot measures. I always think the fact that you have to down a drink gives you a good idea of how good it tastes.
The first half of the wedding is over, but we're back for round 2 at about 7pm this evening.
Ningxia Province
On Thursday evening, we flew out towards Inner Mongolia for today's wedding. We were picked up by one of Yan's (now legendary) relatives and his brother-in-law. Sadly neither seemed entirely sure where we were going, but a couple of hours later we arrived in Yan's home town north of Yinchuan city. The landscape is flat as a pancake, with the exception of a random short range of mountains. After a 1am rendez vous on the outskirts of town with Marc, Yan and Yan's dad we were escorted to our hotel. Apparently, the government hotels don't do double beds, so we have two 1.5 size beds in our room. Have slept soundly the first night, I think we may need to sleep in separate beds tonight after Eve fell out last night!
It's pretty rural here and people aren't all that used to white faces. The owner of the restaurant we were at last night insisted on taking our picture so that he can use it for his marketing.
Friday brought with it a trip to the Sand Lake - basically a big lake in a desert with quad bikes, dune buggies and sand slides. Brilliant fun. Yan's relative was our guide and he came into his own at lunch - turns out that he enjoys a drink or two and particularly enjoys toasts which end with people downing their beers (to be almost instantly re-filled). Swimming is another favourite past time of his - although, he is slightly frustrated that it's only abroad that he can swim naked.
Beijing
We flew into Beijing on Monday morning after enjoying a mini upgrade to premium economy. That small bit of extra legroom and greater recline on the seats does wonders.
We spent the first day wandering around and grabbed a pedalo on a lake near the Forbidden City. The well regimented changing of the guard passed us as we walked around the walls of the Forbidden City - topped off by the guy at the back carrying a tray with a box of noodles and chopsticks. I think he was assuming no-one was looking.
Our travelling companions for the first two weeks arrived later that day and we popped down to a nearby lake for food and an evening drink. Live music is the order of the day - we passed something like 30 bars in a row with live musicians playing to crowds of up to 2 or 3. The one bar which didn't have live music was rammed. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Beijing is a lively city and it's real charm is in the old hutong parts of town. So much of those areas have sadly been swept away to make way for almost ever present high rise - the city's unique features have been dismantled in favour of generic modernity.
On Tuesday we made our way up to the Great Wall. Not much more to say about that than has already been said, save that it appears that a country's defences are only as good as the people manning those defences. Turns out the Mongols found it relatively straightforward to get through if they gave the guards the correct incentives. Those of you who know the Wall will not be surprised to hear that the bit we went to had a toboggan run down to the car park - Ellie (one of our travelling companions) ignored the "slow down" cries to her detriment and has the friction burns to prove it.
Yan and Marc (whose wedding we are half way through as I write this) arrived on Tuesday evening and gave us our first introduction to turtle (amongst other exotic dishes). It was then on to the incomparable KTV - an all night karaoke experience - with a remarkably random set of English songs. Lingering memories include O Come All Ye Faithful - made all the more bizarre by the video which they had twinned it with. It started with Buddhist temples and moved on to a Chinese couple wandering around a park. Fear not, they had classics too - including the Final Countdown and Lennon's Imagine. It was probably the first time I had read Imagine's lyrics properly. He appears to think the afterlife provides an unwelcome distraction from the present - I think he and I differ on that front - for me, it provides hope.
As karaoke wrapped up at about 5am, we trotted down to Tianamen Square for the flag raising. We thought we might be all on our own, but were mistaken. Literally thousands of others were there to see a small number of troops march to the north side of the square and raise the flag. Once the flag was up and the music had stopped, quick as a flash they were all gone again as they disappeared into Beijing's wonderfully efficient (and air conditioned) underground system. It appears that it is a ceremony that most Chinese are expected to experience once in their lives.
Wednesday and Thursday were dedicated to Beijing's classic sites, which were great but I won't bore you with the details.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)