Hong Kong weekend didn't quite go according to plan. The goal was to eat my way across town. Unfortunately alcohol and rain got in the way of that plan. I flew into Hong Kong on Friday evening after class along with Kimberly, Neha and John and we made our way to Darren's place in Causeway Bay - right in the middle of all the action on Hong Kong Island. It was late, but we didn't waste any time getting our first meal. We went just around the corner to a local beef noodle soup place. Not entirely sure what was in the soup though I think mine was filled with tendon, which I quite enjoy (the texture and flavor is somewhere between meat and fat... delicious!). Afterward we went up to LKF which is full of expat bars, clubs, pubs, etc. I wasn't quite feeling the banker crowd so much that night and neither was John. After a couple beers we called it a night and retreated back to Darren's, though not before stopping at a Chinese diner of sorts and getting noodles, Chinese french toast and various other bizarre concoctions at 3am (still early by HK standards).
Day two started with a stop at a soup dumpling and yellow-noodle soup place that Darren knew of in Kowloon. The soup dumplings were quite delicious as was everything else. The meal was surprisingly filling considering we mostly just had dumplings, potstickers and noodles, and so we went for a walk along Kowloon pier to check out the skyline on the other side of the bay. Unfortunately, it was rainy/foggy/cold (compared to Bangkok) all weekend and so the view left something to be desired, and the wind kept us from hanging around too long. We snapped some pictures and then made our way back into Kowloon so I could go buy a netbook - which I did. $380 for 14hours of battery life - not a bad deal!
After my purchase we made our way back to Darren's to prepare for what would turn out to be a very long night. We had dinner at a BBQ place where Darren decided to order roughly 15 dishes for 8 or so people. You can see everything we ate in the Chow section to the right - but it was a rather impressive spread of food. Duck, pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, and plenty of other animals were consumed. YUMMM! We returned back home for a little beer before attacking LKF street once again. The details after this become a little blurry despite our best attempts to piece them back together the next morning. Let's just say everyone made it home safely at some point between 4AM and 7AM. I did find a receipt for $85 for 12 Miller Lite's at 3AM though. Ooops.
And so that's about where the weekend ends. Sunday and Monday were spent recovering and watching the incessant rain fall over Hong Kong. No more big meals or crazy nights out. In fact we mostly stayed inside and watched movies. I would still chalk this up to a successful weekend - but certainly not how I saw it unfolding when I bought my flight 2 months ago.
Showing posts with label china. Show all posts
Showing posts with label china. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
i'm alive
The trip to Viet Nam turned out to be quite an adventure! I left Dali Monday morning at 10AM and planned to get to Sapa in northern Vietnam by about the same time the next morning. I had already figured out that I would have to take five buses to get there, and in the end, that's what happened, though I never quite expected it to be such a crazy adventure. The first two buses were simply local buses to get me to the main bus station in Dali. Those two rides went off without a hitch and left me feeling like I could get anywhere in China if I wanted to. The next ride was a four-hour bus trip back to Kunming. Again, everything went relatively smoothly minus the traffic in Kunming and the fat guy next to me that snored the whole time. With a few hours to kill in Kunming, I went to Pizza Hut. Now I know you're all wondering if I've lost my mind. And maybe I have. But I also had a 12 hour bus ride to the Vietnamese border awaiting me and wanted to play it safe with my choice of dinner.
So while reading about the virtues of CSA's and community farms, I scarfed down my pizza and pepsi and then made my way back to the bus station. I was still feeling quite good since I'd also managed to figure out the left-luggage situation at the bus station and was now ready to embark on my next bus trip. Now overnight buses in China are often "sleeper-buses" with 3 rows of beds instead of seats. The rows are also two levels high, and so there are maybe 30 beds in total on the bus. The "beds" are approximately 5'-9" (175cm) long by 1'-6" (45cm) wide. I know this because my head, feet and both arms were pressed agains the metal bars and window next to me. Needless to say, this was not promising, nor comfortable. I popped two Dramamine pills just to be safe, hoping they'd also put me to sleep in the process and turned on the ipod as the bus pulled away. 12-hours in this bus did not seem like a good time, but I thought I could manage. Little did I know what awaited me once we left the highway an hour later.
Now there's a highway that goes all the way to the border - I think, however, since using said highway would reduce the trip length to about six hours, thus getting us to the Vietnamese border in the middle of the night, we used the local "roads" instead. Oh I forgot to mention, at this point the bus already smelled of cigarette smoke and smelly feet. Not the best combination - but again, I thought I could deal, since I was next to the window. The final straw however was the fact that these local roads were NOT PAVED. That's right... I had a 12 hour ride on what amounted to a muddy, rutted dirt path directly underneat the smooth highway. I was bouncing all over the bus the entire night - only resting when the driver would take a 10 minute break. Words alone can't do this insanity! To top it off, I was certain that I would die at some point during this journey. I had seen a mashed up "sleeper-bus" just a couple days earlier near Lijiang and also continuously worried that the whole thing would tip over into what seemed like a river as it swayed from rut to rut. Now I'm not the type to worry about being safe in a vehicle... but I really thought that was the end.
So we finally -and safely - arrived at Hekou (the chinese border tow) at 7AM, which conveniently was about an hour before the border crossing opened. Crossing was uneventful, though after the previous nights ordeal, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy to be leaving China. Once through imigration and into Viet Nam I hopped onto a scooter and was driven to the local bus station. Taking a ride on a motorcycle never seemed so safe. A few hours later, I made it to Sapa - though I haven't really had a chance to enjoy it since I was pretty much a zombie all day.
Anyways, that's my story. Not something I would wish onto anyone. And here's a picture from the internet of what these buses are like inside (i did not have the energy to take my own picture...)
So while reading about the virtues of CSA's and community farms, I scarfed down my pizza and pepsi and then made my way back to the bus station. I was still feeling quite good since I'd also managed to figure out the left-luggage situation at the bus station and was now ready to embark on my next bus trip. Now overnight buses in China are often "sleeper-buses" with 3 rows of beds instead of seats. The rows are also two levels high, and so there are maybe 30 beds in total on the bus. The "beds" are approximately 5'-9" (175cm) long by 1'-6" (45cm) wide. I know this because my head, feet and both arms were pressed agains the metal bars and window next to me. Needless to say, this was not promising, nor comfortable. I popped two Dramamine pills just to be safe, hoping they'd also put me to sleep in the process and turned on the ipod as the bus pulled away. 12-hours in this bus did not seem like a good time, but I thought I could manage. Little did I know what awaited me once we left the highway an hour later.
Now there's a highway that goes all the way to the border - I think, however, since using said highway would reduce the trip length to about six hours, thus getting us to the Vietnamese border in the middle of the night, we used the local "roads" instead. Oh I forgot to mention, at this point the bus already smelled of cigarette smoke and smelly feet. Not the best combination - but again, I thought I could deal, since I was next to the window. The final straw however was the fact that these local roads were NOT PAVED. That's right... I had a 12 hour ride on what amounted to a muddy, rutted dirt path directly underneat the smooth highway. I was bouncing all over the bus the entire night - only resting when the driver would take a 10 minute break. Words alone can't do this insanity! To top it off, I was certain that I would die at some point during this journey. I had seen a mashed up "sleeper-bus" just a couple days earlier near Lijiang and also continuously worried that the whole thing would tip over into what seemed like a river as it swayed from rut to rut. Now I'm not the type to worry about being safe in a vehicle... but I really thought that was the end.
So we finally -and safely - arrived at Hekou (the chinese border tow) at 7AM, which conveniently was about an hour before the border crossing opened. Crossing was uneventful, though after the previous nights ordeal, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy to be leaving China. Once through imigration and into Viet Nam I hopped onto a scooter and was driven to the local bus station. Taking a ride on a motorcycle never seemed so safe. A few hours later, I made it to Sapa - though I haven't really had a chance to enjoy it since I was pretty much a zombie all day.
Anyways, that's my story. Not something I would wish onto anyone. And here's a picture from the internet of what these buses are like inside (i did not have the energy to take my own picture...)
Monday, June 9, 2008
onto viet nam
I'm just about set to move onto Viet Nam. After parting ways with Daniel I came back to Dali to spend a couple more days. The ride back was rather long - 8 hour in a 20-person minibus with my knees jammed into the seat in front of me and 19 other chinese guys who each smoked approximately 2 packs of cigarettes. Not the fondest memory I'll have of China. I was glad to be back in Dali however, and quickly found a bed at the Jade Emu hostel I had stayed at the first time I was in town. I spent the evening with a couple people who were staying at the hostel and went to a bar which advertised "Argentinian" music. Turns out, it was an "Argentinian" guy singing everything from the Beattles to Nirvana with a South American accent. Quite enjoyable.
Today I took a 25 mile bike ride through villages which line the lake. Biking isn't my favorite thing to do, but riding through tiny villages, rice paddies and corn fields was quite nice. The weather was great and accordingly I got a nice "tan" (read sunburn). And since I'm leaving the country - I'll admit it, I picked/stole a few ears of baby corn along the way... hopefully they dont catch me before I get out! Oh and this evening I had a little adventure that turned out to be not such an adventure. After dinner, I took a strole into town and walked by a hairdresser. Since I'd been considering getting my hair cut at some point and with nothing else to do I walked into the shop. The lady looked slightly confused until I made a motion and sound to buzz all my hair off. She smiled and approximately two minutes and $1.30 later I walked out with my usual haircut. Like I said, what I thought was going to be an adventure turned out to be rather quick and painless.
Tomorrow I'll head back to Kunming during the day - a 5 hour trip - and then take the sleeper bus to the Vietnamese border overnight. I should arrive at Lao Cai and the Vietnamese border bright and early on Tuesday morning. From there, I'll take another 1 hour bus ride to Sapa - a tiny village nestled in the hills of northern Viet Nam. I anticipate spending a few days there before moving on to Hanoi, but I'm sure I'll update the blog before then. Anyway, that's it for China. T'was an interesting 3 weeks full of surprises, frustrations and many fascinating sights and I'm leaving knowing I only experienced a tiny fraction of the country. There'll certainly be a return visit in the future.
Today I took a 25 mile bike ride through villages which line the lake. Biking isn't my favorite thing to do, but riding through tiny villages, rice paddies and corn fields was quite nice. The weather was great and accordingly I got a nice "tan" (read sunburn). And since I'm leaving the country - I'll admit it, I picked/stole a few ears of baby corn along the way... hopefully they dont catch me before I get out! Oh and this evening I had a little adventure that turned out to be not such an adventure. After dinner, I took a strole into town and walked by a hairdresser. Since I'd been considering getting my hair cut at some point and with nothing else to do I walked into the shop. The lady looked slightly confused until I made a motion and sound to buzz all my hair off. She smiled and approximately two minutes and $1.30 later I walked out with my usual haircut. Like I said, what I thought was going to be an adventure turned out to be rather quick and painless.
Tomorrow I'll head back to Kunming during the day - a 5 hour trip - and then take the sleeper bus to the Vietnamese border overnight. I should arrive at Lao Cai and the Vietnamese border bright and early on Tuesday morning. From there, I'll take another 1 hour bus ride to Sapa - a tiny village nestled in the hills of northern Viet Nam. I anticipate spending a few days there before moving on to Hanoi, but I'm sure I'll update the blog before then. Anyway, that's it for China. T'was an interesting 3 weeks full of surprises, frustrations and many fascinating sights and I'm leaving knowing I only experienced a tiny fraction of the country. There'll certainly be a return visit in the future.
Friday, June 6, 2008
shangri-la
A few quick notes and pictures from 3,200m. I've really enjoyed Shangri-La, the people here are way nicer than others I've met in China and actually seem to smile back at you! I've explored the town and neighboring Tibetan monastery with Daniel and we've both concluded that making our way up here was definitely worth it. The air is cool and crisp and the weather has more or less cooperated, though I'm glad I have a sweater and could probably use something a bit warmer. Some of the highlights that you can see from the pictures below include the monastery, the local market and the dancing in the main town square, which happens each night during the summer.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
the gorge
So when I last posted I had just arrived in Dali... Now I'm practically in Tibet and am somewhat exhausted. In the end I really like Dali, but only stayed there two nights. I could probably have stayed a bit longer and may actually stop there a day or so on my way back towards Kunming. After Dali, I hoped a small mini-bus for a 3 hour ride north to Lijiang - another small town in the Yunnan province. Although the guidebooks claimed it was nicer than Dali, I thought the exact opposite. Lijiang's old town just seemed like a tourist village full of shops selling all sorts of crap that I didn't want. Not much fun. I arrived there at 3pm and walked around for a while, eating some dried yak meat along the way... tasted just like beef jerky to be honest -- not so exciting. That night I went for a drink with Merek, originally from PA, whom I met at the Hostel. He's lived in China for three years so he had plenty to say about the Chinese... I may meet up with him again later down the road back in Kunming as we are both headed for Viet Nam.
Anyway I decided to leave Lejiang right away and head straight to Tiger Leaping Gorge. This gorge, which is supposed to be the worlds deepest and narrowest river canyon (along the Yangtze River) is a very popular hike with backpackers, and the hostel I was staying at organizes regular tours there. So I left bright and early the next morning for the 3 hour ride - on pretty rough roads and again in a small mini-bus to the starting point. There I met Daniel, a Quebecois, and Gorka who is from the Basque Country, and without ever really saying so, we agreed to hike the gorge together. The three of us got along quite well as we journeyed along the 15km long trail which runs the length of the gorge. Needless to say, the views are stunning and really made the whole journey worth it. We hiked about 6 hours to a lodge called The Halfway Guesthouse where we spent the night. The weather was mild with a few sprinkles and quite grey, but the clouds rolling over the mountains made the whole trip that much more enjoyable. The next morning, Gorka headed down to the main road to catch a bus back to Dali. Meanwhile, Daniel and I continued on through some rain, mountain goats, waterfalls and more breathtaking scenery. This second part was really the highlight of the trip - really amazing stuff. The hike goes on for quite a bit longer than the 15km we did, but we called it a day around 11AM because we were both headed north to Shangri-La.
The bus trip back from the end of the gorge was typical of my travels lately. Daniel and I were walking down the main road and pretty much had to jump in front of a mini bus to stop him. We discussed a price for the trip back and jumped in. Maybe discussed is a strong word since the driver spoke no english and us no mandarin. The trip back was bumpy - with lots of land slides obstructing parts of the roads and other areas left totally unpaved by waterfalls. Once we arrived back at the beginning of the gorge, we picked up the bags we had left there the previous day and immediately and somewhat by chance were pointed to a bus headed to Shangri-La. Again, we agreed on a price and jumped on. Two hours later the bus stopped and Daniel and I concluded we had arrived. We looked up a place to stay in the Lonely Planet, found a cab and showed the driver the chinese characters for where we wanted to go. Once there, we were shown a couple rooms, negotiated the rate down a bit and layed down are bags... Somehow, without any speaking any mandarin and no prior plans of any sort, we had arrived.
So now I'm in Shangri-La with Daniel and haven't quite figured out what we'll be doing for the next couple days. This town is pretty much in Tibet, so there are plenty of Tibetan monastaries to visit... I'll probably stick round these parts for 3 days or so before slowly heading back south towards Hanoi. I've managed to upload pics from the last few days. Tiger Leaping Gorge pictures didn't come out great because we were in the clouds half the time... but if you want more, there are plenty on the internet.
Anyway I decided to leave Lejiang right away and head straight to Tiger Leaping Gorge. This gorge, which is supposed to be the worlds deepest and narrowest river canyon (along the Yangtze River) is a very popular hike with backpackers, and the hostel I was staying at organizes regular tours there. So I left bright and early the next morning for the 3 hour ride - on pretty rough roads and again in a small mini-bus to the starting point. There I met Daniel, a Quebecois, and Gorka who is from the Basque Country, and without ever really saying so, we agreed to hike the gorge together. The three of us got along quite well as we journeyed along the 15km long trail which runs the length of the gorge. Needless to say, the views are stunning and really made the whole journey worth it. We hiked about 6 hours to a lodge called The Halfway Guesthouse where we spent the night. The weather was mild with a few sprinkles and quite grey, but the clouds rolling over the mountains made the whole trip that much more enjoyable. The next morning, Gorka headed down to the main road to catch a bus back to Dali. Meanwhile, Daniel and I continued on through some rain, mountain goats, waterfalls and more breathtaking scenery. This second part was really the highlight of the trip - really amazing stuff. The hike goes on for quite a bit longer than the 15km we did, but we called it a day around 11AM because we were both headed north to Shangri-La.
The bus trip back from the end of the gorge was typical of my travels lately. Daniel and I were walking down the main road and pretty much had to jump in front of a mini bus to stop him. We discussed a price for the trip back and jumped in. Maybe discussed is a strong word since the driver spoke no english and us no mandarin. The trip back was bumpy - with lots of land slides obstructing parts of the roads and other areas left totally unpaved by waterfalls. Once we arrived back at the beginning of the gorge, we picked up the bags we had left there the previous day and immediately and somewhat by chance were pointed to a bus headed to Shangri-La. Again, we agreed on a price and jumped on. Two hours later the bus stopped and Daniel and I concluded we had arrived. We looked up a place to stay in the Lonely Planet, found a cab and showed the driver the chinese characters for where we wanted to go. Once there, we were shown a couple rooms, negotiated the rate down a bit and layed down are bags... Somehow, without any speaking any mandarin and no prior plans of any sort, we had arrived.
So now I'm in Shangri-La with Daniel and haven't quite figured out what we'll be doing for the next couple days. This town is pretty much in Tibet, so there are plenty of Tibetan monastaries to visit... I'll probably stick round these parts for 3 days or so before slowly heading back south towards Hanoi. I've managed to upload pics from the last few days. Tiger Leaping Gorge pictures didn't come out great because we were in the clouds half the time... but if you want more, there are plenty on the internet.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
moving on
I've moved on from Kunming and headed north as planned. Though frustrating, my stay in Kunming was quite productive in the end. Among other things, I ate my first mangosteen (and have eaten a dozen since - I think they taste a bit like a peach and a pear, but also a bit tart and with the texture of a lychee...), I also found an english book to read at a bookstore near Yunnan Universtiy - no small task in Southwest China. Though my choices were pretty limited - mostly to classics - I found a book about the history of salt by Mark Kurlansky, the same author wrote about the history of the oyster in New York City which I just finished and enjoyed (recommended for you foodies). So I was more than happy to pay a pretty penny for this book. I was also able to buy a pair of hiking shoes in Kunming - for just a hair over US$14. Not sure how long they're gonna last, but the price is hard to beat.
So now I am currently in Dali, a five-hour bus ride northwest of Kunming and a small town populated by the Bai minority. The town is right between Lake Erhai and the Cangshan Mountains and seems really nice and peaceful after all the large cities. Since it's quite a tourist/backpacker destination, most places here have english menus - making it much easier to eat! The hostel/guesthouse I'm staying at is also by far the best place I've stayed at so far on the entire trip. It's brand new, not too big and very clean. For less than $5 a night I can't imagine staying at a much nicer place.
Today went on a quick 10km hike in the Cangshan Mountains which offered great views of the city and lake. Tomorrow I may spend some time in the village and around the lake, and then continue north towards Lijiang in the afternoon. I've managed to upload some pictures from Beijing and Xi'an for your enjoyment. Working on the Dali pictures as we speak. It's not quite as easy when I'm on a shared computer...
So now I am currently in Dali, a five-hour bus ride northwest of Kunming and a small town populated by the Bai minority. The town is right between Lake Erhai and the Cangshan Mountains and seems really nice and peaceful after all the large cities. Since it's quite a tourist/backpacker destination, most places here have english menus - making it much easier to eat! The hostel/guesthouse I'm staying at is also by far the best place I've stayed at so far on the entire trip. It's brand new, not too big and very clean. For less than $5 a night I can't imagine staying at a much nicer place.
Today went on a quick 10km hike in the Cangshan Mountains which offered great views of the city and lake. Tomorrow I may spend some time in the village and around the lake, and then continue north towards Lijiang in the afternoon. I've managed to upload some pictures from Beijing and Xi'an for your enjoyment. Working on the Dali pictures as we speak. It's not quite as easy when I'm on a shared computer...
Thursday, May 29, 2008
frustration
I've arrived in Kunming which seems to be a very nice and quite liveable city - especially when compared to Xi'an and Beijing. The hostel rooms arent so great, but it has a great rooftop deck to enjoy the nice weather, so that's definately nice. Gone too are the smog and hot temperatures of Xi'an and Beijing, which are both welcomed changes. Unfortunately, my computer has taken a turn for the worst and pretty much has stopped working entirely for no apparent reason. It feels like it's overheating and then just kind of shuts down without warning. So now I'm left with a hefty and utterly useless pile of crappy chinese plastic to lug around for seven weeks in the hopes that I can recover the first few weeks worth of pictures from it. Most of you know me well enough to realize I'm having a hard time letting this go and it's bugging me to no end right now. Recent weather has also left much of this area very wet and muddy - meaning some of the trails I was hoping to trek aren't so navigable anymore. In any event all this has left me in a sour mood. So I'm not sure where all this is going to lead me. I should have a better idea over the next couple days, though it's going to be hard to maintain the blog as I have and upload pictures without my computer. I'll see what I can do, but no promises. Anyway, that's it for now, hopefully I'll be hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge in a couple of days...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
xi'an
I’m about to leave Xi’an and head to Kunming this evening, so I thought I’d check in first. Xi’an was a nice change of pace from Beijing and I’m getting much better at navigating Chinese cities. Xi’an is a huge city of some 3.5 million people or so, but feels manageable. I stayed within the ancient city walls in a nice little hostel close to most of what was worth visiting in the city. There’s a lot of history in this part of the country, but roaming around museums never sounds too appealing to me. So, instead I made it out to the nearby Terracotta Warriors, spent a good amount of time in the Muslim quarter which is full of street food and vendors and generally continued my aimless exploration of Chinese cities. I also managed to tag along with a large group from Ireland for a fun night of drinking and card games on Monday night. The Irish never disappoint.
The Terracotta Warriors is a fascinating site with an entire army in battle formation ready to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang after his death. It’s an impressive display and truly maniacal – my type of guy! What’s most impressive is that none of the 7000 soldiers have the same facial expression. I also managed to get there on my own (as opposed to on a tour), which wasn’t so bad – and saved me quite a bit of money - though I could have done without the horn-crazy bus driver that took me back to Xi’an. My head was throbbing when I finally got back.
Unlike Beijing I did a good job of finding good street food and eating local specialties. The Muslim Quarter – home to a large population of Chinese Muslims for several centuries - was great for this. Mutton soup, fried pancakes, some sort of noodle dish, dumplings and various other random things. I took quite a few pictures of the vendors, so hopefully you all can get a better idea of what this part of the city is like. I really enjoyed it.
Well guess that’s it for now. Sorry I haven’t uploaded pictures in a very timely fashion, I’ve been having some technical difficulties with both my camera and computer - but I think I’ve found a way around them for now. Tonight I hop a flight to Kunming in the Yunnan province in Southwest China and then head north from there towards Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and the Tibetan border :)
The Terracotta Warriors is a fascinating site with an entire army in battle formation ready to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang after his death. It’s an impressive display and truly maniacal – my type of guy! What’s most impressive is that none of the 7000 soldiers have the same facial expression. I also managed to get there on my own (as opposed to on a tour), which wasn’t so bad – and saved me quite a bit of money - though I could have done without the horn-crazy bus driver that took me back to Xi’an. My head was throbbing when I finally got back.
Unlike Beijing I did a good job of finding good street food and eating local specialties. The Muslim Quarter – home to a large population of Chinese Muslims for several centuries - was great for this. Mutton soup, fried pancakes, some sort of noodle dish, dumplings and various other random things. I took quite a few pictures of the vendors, so hopefully you all can get a better idea of what this part of the city is like. I really enjoyed it.
Well guess that’s it for now. Sorry I haven’t uploaded pictures in a very timely fashion, I’ve been having some technical difficulties with both my camera and computer - but I think I’ve found a way around them for now. Tonight I hop a flight to Kunming in the Yunnan province in Southwest China and then head north from there towards Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La and the Tibetan border :)
Monday, May 26, 2008
duck hunt
My last couple days in Beijing were interesting – and frustrating. In the end I found Beijing to be quite challenging and felt like I barely even scratched the surface in terms of visiting its neighborhoods. The city is impossibly huge - growing in every direction (including up). I spent most of time getting from one site to another – and not really getting a good feel for the city itself or really understanding any differences between neighborhoods. Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, and Beijing tower are all very nice and well worth visiting but I really wished I’d been able to explore the city a bit further. Several things I learned
1. It’s not worth being stubborn and trying to walk from place to place– city blocks here are massive and taxis are much more efficient. That being said, it can also be extremely frustrating sitting in traffic with the cabs meter running. The subway is decent, but doesn’t cover the entire city and the buses are way overcrowded. Pick your poison.
2. The Lonely Planet map is not detailed enough and is hopelessly out of date already (only 1.5 years old). Definitely worth investing in a current map. There’s nothing more frustrating than making it all the way to an area only to find several city blocks have been completely razed and are in the process of being rebuilt.
3. Rudimentary Mandarin does not get you very far. The only people who seem to speak any English are those likely to make some money from knowing the language – in other words they’re trying to rip you off.
4. Speaking of which – bargaining is an art which I have not yet mastered. Regardless of how low I go, I still feel like I’m getting ripped off. For example, I’ve gotten sodas for 25 cents instead of 40 cents, but still feel like I could have saved a few more cents with just a bit more effort. I also got a pair of sunglasses for 1/10 the original asking price, yet once again, I felt like I got ripped off in the end – after all they wouldn’t have sold them to me if they weren’t making a profit…
Anyway, Beijing wasn’t all bad. I met some pretty cool people at the hostel and during the Great Wall trip with whom I hung out on Saturday and Sunday. I also got to have some Peking Duck, which was fantastic – though as it turns out, eating a half duck by yourself is a bit much! On Sunday night I hopped on the overnight train to Xi’an where I am spending a couple of days. The 11-hour train ride was reasonably comfortable and with a little help from Dramamine, I slept for all but the final hour of the trip. Today, I spent a few hours just walking around the city aimlessly and enjoying some of the street food in the Muslim Quarter. I think tomorrow I’ll be headed to the Terracotta Army and then will fly to Kunming on Wednesday to start the more outdoorsy part of the trip. After spending so much time in large polluted cities, I am very much looking forward to that.
1. It’s not worth being stubborn and trying to walk from place to place– city blocks here are massive and taxis are much more efficient. That being said, it can also be extremely frustrating sitting in traffic with the cabs meter running. The subway is decent, but doesn’t cover the entire city and the buses are way overcrowded. Pick your poison.
2. The Lonely Planet map is not detailed enough and is hopelessly out of date already (only 1.5 years old). Definitely worth investing in a current map. There’s nothing more frustrating than making it all the way to an area only to find several city blocks have been completely razed and are in the process of being rebuilt.
3. Rudimentary Mandarin does not get you very far. The only people who seem to speak any English are those likely to make some money from knowing the language – in other words they’re trying to rip you off.
4. Speaking of which – bargaining is an art which I have not yet mastered. Regardless of how low I go, I still feel like I’m getting ripped off. For example, I’ve gotten sodas for 25 cents instead of 40 cents, but still feel like I could have saved a few more cents with just a bit more effort. I also got a pair of sunglasses for 1/10 the original asking price, yet once again, I felt like I got ripped off in the end – after all they wouldn’t have sold them to me if they weren’t making a profit…
Anyway, Beijing wasn’t all bad. I met some pretty cool people at the hostel and during the Great Wall trip with whom I hung out on Saturday and Sunday. I also got to have some Peking Duck, which was fantastic – though as it turns out, eating a half duck by yourself is a bit much! On Sunday night I hopped on the overnight train to Xi’an where I am spending a couple of days. The 11-hour train ride was reasonably comfortable and with a little help from Dramamine, I slept for all but the final hour of the trip. Today, I spent a few hours just walking around the city aimlessly and enjoying some of the street food in the Muslim Quarter. I think tomorrow I’ll be headed to the Terracotta Army and then will fly to Kunming on Wednesday to start the more outdoorsy part of the trip. After spending so much time in large polluted cities, I am very much looking forward to that.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
great wall
Made it out to The Great Wall today. Instead of going to Badaling - the closer and more popular section of the Wall, I took a trip to Jinshanling with a group organized by the hostel I am staying at. This is approximately 75 miles northeast of Beijing, which as I found out can be a 5 hour ride during morning rush hour. Ouch. Although my spirits were slightly dampened by the long journey there, things immediately got better when I got out of the bus and realized our group was really the only group around - there were virtually no other tourists to be seen! The plan was to hike a 10km section of The Wall between Jinshanling and Simatai over 3-4 hours. Over this section The Wall is rebuilt in parts, but untouched in others. The backdrop is a lush green canvas with mountains fading into the haze. A truly authentic and breathtaking experience. The hike is actually quite strenuous, with steps leading up and down from tower to tower along a ridge with some very steep sections in both directions. At the end of the hike we had the option to "zipline" over a reservoir down to the bottom of the hill. Clearly I did not chose the walking option! Once at the bottom, we were shuttled to a nearby restaurant-like establishment for $0.50 beers and food which was included with the tour. Sometimes, beers can be exceptionally tasty, and after this hike, that was certainly the case!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
onto china...
Welcome to the flip side. I’m not sure where to begin – but here it goes. Yesterday I traveled pretty much all day. What seemed like it would be a quick hop from Kyoto to Beijing was in fact an all day affair. Three different buses, three trains and 1 flight later I arrived in Beijing at the Wangfujing Hostel. How I actually found this place without any written directions is beyond me, but I did, and without getting too lost either. When I finally arrived at 11PM, I promptly went to bed.
This morning I wanted to hit the ground running and just started walking towards what seemed like The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The hostel is conveniently located about 20 minutes away from both – which as I’ve learned today, is just about next door in Beijing. Everything here is massive, including city blocks. Just to give you an idea, the municipality of Beijing is the size of Belgium. I’m shaking my head as I write this. It’s big. Anyway, on the way there, I stumbled across Wangfujing Snack Street, which is basically a couple little pedestrian only streets chalk full of food for shoppers and tourists alike. I unfortunately have no idea what real Chinese food should taste like yet, so eating here didn’t really bother me and I think it was reasonably authentic. I settled on two skewers of spicy grilled squid and passed on the grilled grasshoppers and scorpions. Breakfast of champions! I continued my journey towards the Forbidden City, electing to skip Tiananmen Square for now. As expected, there are a ton of cars lining each and every street. As a result, the sky here is extremely hazy, so much so that the moon seems orange through the haze at night. Anyway, as I entered The Forbidden City, I had a big grin on my face. This place is awesome in the true sense of the word. It’s really really impressive. I spent the next three to four hours wandering inside somewhat aimlessly, taking everything in. The Chinese certainly had a sense of grandeur when they built this place. Inside there are countless exhibition halls including a very cool exhibition of ornate clocks, mostly from Europe, that had been brought to China over the years. I finally left the complex around three o’clock looking for some more food. I had hoped to get some roast duck, but the place I had in mind is closed during the afternoon, and so instead I did what everyone else would do and had a lamb kebab and big plate of boiled intestines and a beer! Apparently I was quite the curiosity as each of the waiters came in turn to see the white guy eat his plate of boiled intestines. It wasn’t all that bad, though without the accompanying sauce, the tripe really didn’t have much flavor.
The plan now is to rest up a bit more and hit the town later this evening looking for some more crazy food and maybe to head back to Tiananmen to take in the scene after dark. Tomorrow I head to the Great Wall for a 10km hike – very much looking forward to that!
This morning I wanted to hit the ground running and just started walking towards what seemed like The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The hostel is conveniently located about 20 minutes away from both – which as I’ve learned today, is just about next door in Beijing. Everything here is massive, including city blocks. Just to give you an idea, the municipality of Beijing is the size of Belgium. I’m shaking my head as I write this. It’s big. Anyway, on the way there, I stumbled across Wangfujing Snack Street, which is basically a couple little pedestrian only streets chalk full of food for shoppers and tourists alike. I unfortunately have no idea what real Chinese food should taste like yet, so eating here didn’t really bother me and I think it was reasonably authentic. I settled on two skewers of spicy grilled squid and passed on the grilled grasshoppers and scorpions. Breakfast of champions! I continued my journey towards the Forbidden City, electing to skip Tiananmen Square for now. As expected, there are a ton of cars lining each and every street. As a result, the sky here is extremely hazy, so much so that the moon seems orange through the haze at night. Anyway, as I entered The Forbidden City, I had a big grin on my face. This place is awesome in the true sense of the word. It’s really really impressive. I spent the next three to four hours wandering inside somewhat aimlessly, taking everything in. The Chinese certainly had a sense of grandeur when they built this place. Inside there are countless exhibition halls including a very cool exhibition of ornate clocks, mostly from Europe, that had been brought to China over the years. I finally left the complex around three o’clock looking for some more food. I had hoped to get some roast duck, but the place I had in mind is closed during the afternoon, and so instead I did what everyone else would do and had a lamb kebab and big plate of boiled intestines and a beer! Apparently I was quite the curiosity as each of the waiters came in turn to see the white guy eat his plate of boiled intestines. It wasn’t all that bad, though without the accompanying sauce, the tripe really didn’t have much flavor.
The plan now is to rest up a bit more and hit the town later this evening looking for some more crazy food and maybe to head back to Tiananmen to take in the scene after dark. Tomorrow I head to the Great Wall for a 10km hike – very much looking forward to that!
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