Wednesday 23 June 2010
boarding now
Had a crazy jourey here but will add more in doha. I def have time for it! I asked but no sooner flights.
Am on qr889 then qr17
Am on qr889 then qr17
Tuesday 22 June 2010
Last day!
woke up late today at 11 and checked out straight away but left my bags, had a quick coffee and headed to the shanghai urban planning center, a very boring sounding place but amazing inside!
It shows why shanghai is going to be huge in 10years time, they have plans to completely redevelop most of the city adding parks and new houses in place of the old ones and becomming miles ahead of anywhere else!
Went to the old town and looked around which was cool, not many tourists there!
I then headed out shopping and bought a few more presents! Still a few to buy so not sure how that is going to work!
may have bought a few more gadgets too! shh
I am heading to the airport in a couple of hours, madness! Don't want to go!
If anyone reading this wants to pick me up that would be great... :D
also found out the flight checker is blocked here! haha! typical!
See everyone soon, this may be my last post...depending on doha wifi!
byeee
It shows why shanghai is going to be huge in 10years time, they have plans to completely redevelop most of the city adding parks and new houses in place of the old ones and becomming miles ahead of anywhere else!
Went to the old town and looked around which was cool, not many tourists there!
I then headed out shopping and bought a few more presents! Still a few to buy so not sure how that is going to work!
may have bought a few more gadgets too! shh
I am heading to the airport in a couple of hours, madness! Don't want to go!
If anyone reading this wants to pick me up that would be great... :D
also found out the flight checker is blocked here! haha! typical!
See everyone soon, this may be my last post...depending on doha wifi!
byeee
Monday 21 June 2010
Relaaaaxing
The aircon leaked last night all over the floor, lucky I had a high bed! ahahaha! they got a guy in to fix it straight away so that was cool.
Its amazing how quickly things happen here and I found out why, to change a sign on the Nike building instead of 2 or 3 employees I counted more than 40 contractors working on it! they just throw such manpower at anything it HAS to happen fast!
I decided to stay here another night now the aircon was fixed, too much hassle to move everything and its nice to be in the centre.
Had a relaxing day today, after all the pressure to have a massage I needed to relax so I asked at reception where a local reputable massage place was and it was just around the corner. I went there and although a little expensive it was very nice, and much much cheaper than the UK!
After that I wandered around and ended up in the electronics market, I knew that was a bad idea! I ended up buying a couple of things for more than I should spend, but then saw a knock off ipad for a good price, doh! I will think about it and possibly (probably) go back tomorrow!
Got to get up and pack in the morning, will leave my stuff in reception and then head out again, do a last bit of wandering, some last street food, and some last shopping! still not bought that many people presents, sorry guys! if you send me back I will I promise! :)
Not much to do this evening, possibly going for a beer with a roommate and will go for a wander now, my last 24 hours!! how sad! not looking forward to the stupidly long flight back though!
Its amazing how quickly things happen here and I found out why, to change a sign on the Nike building instead of 2 or 3 employees I counted more than 40 contractors working on it! they just throw such manpower at anything it HAS to happen fast!
I decided to stay here another night now the aircon was fixed, too much hassle to move everything and its nice to be in the centre.
Had a relaxing day today, after all the pressure to have a massage I needed to relax so I asked at reception where a local reputable massage place was and it was just around the corner. I went there and although a little expensive it was very nice, and much much cheaper than the UK!
After that I wandered around and ended up in the electronics market, I knew that was a bad idea! I ended up buying a couple of things for more than I should spend, but then saw a knock off ipad for a good price, doh! I will think about it and possibly (probably) go back tomorrow!
Got to get up and pack in the morning, will leave my stuff in reception and then head out again, do a last bit of wandering, some last street food, and some last shopping! still not bought that many people presents, sorry guys! if you send me back I will I promise! :)
Not much to do this evening, possibly going for a beer with a roommate and will go for a wander now, my last 24 hours!! how sad! not looking forward to the stupidly long flight back though!
Last train journey!
Woke up early for the train and decided 5 more minutes, woke up again and realised I was cutting it fine so had to run and pack quickly (as i didn't bother last night) fought my way with my bags through the metro to the station and then got lost in the station. It was built to show off for the olympics and it is massive! but not used anywhere near its capactity, very nice and posh though with glass everywhere!
Found my train eventually and realised that since it was a day train all the soft seats were actually 4bed soft sleepers with 6 people booked in, two girls took the top two bunks and I had plenty of space to share with an asian guy on the bottom, could lie out and everything, very comfy!
The train left at 10 and arrived at 8 so was too late for sight seeing by the time i checked in.
I'm staying in a little hostel right near the main shopping district of shanghai, a fish pond in the front and a bar with the world cup on, and friendly staff, its a nice place.
I dropped off my stuff and then did the 2 mile walk down the main street to the bund to see the lights, and then walked back on the side streets to see a bit more of a fun side of it!
Had a few people coming up to me to offer "antiques, watches, rolex, silk, tshirts, clothes, bags, wallets, ipod ipods, fake warehouses, bars, massage, girl massage, ladies, hookers" in that order, in a continual stream of english, i politely declided their generous offer and carried on wandering, spent a couple of hours down the backstreets around the centre and found that only 100m off the main district the tourist numbers drops off completely, and walking through the peoples square park at night was very relaxing!
back at the hostel now and pretty tired, early night then hit some shopping and wandering in the morning I think.
Not sure if I should change hostels as planned or just stay here, I will loose my deposit but that is ok, and then I don't have to bother to move all my stuff around town! I will see if they have space!
Nice to have a bit of a wind down time! but shanghai is so so busy it doesn't feel like it!
Found my train eventually and realised that since it was a day train all the soft seats were actually 4bed soft sleepers with 6 people booked in, two girls took the top two bunks and I had plenty of space to share with an asian guy on the bottom, could lie out and everything, very comfy!
The train left at 10 and arrived at 8 so was too late for sight seeing by the time i checked in.
I'm staying in a little hostel right near the main shopping district of shanghai, a fish pond in the front and a bar with the world cup on, and friendly staff, its a nice place.
I dropped off my stuff and then did the 2 mile walk down the main street to the bund to see the lights, and then walked back on the side streets to see a bit more of a fun side of it!
Had a few people coming up to me to offer "antiques, watches, rolex, silk, tshirts, clothes, bags, wallets, ipod ipods, fake warehouses, bars, massage, girl massage, ladies, hookers" in that order, in a continual stream of english, i politely declided their generous offer and carried on wandering, spent a couple of hours down the backstreets around the centre and found that only 100m off the main district the tourist numbers drops off completely, and walking through the peoples square park at night was very relaxing!
back at the hostel now and pretty tired, early night then hit some shopping and wandering in the morning I think.
Not sure if I should change hostels as planned or just stay here, I will loose my deposit but that is ok, and then I don't have to bother to move all my stuff around town! I will see if they have space!
Nice to have a bit of a wind down time! but shanghai is so so busy it doesn't feel like it!
Sunday 20 June 2010
Last day in beijing!
After waking up later I dragged myself out of bed and headed over to the last sight I wanted to see in beijing, the summer palace!
The summer palace is where the emporers would spend their time in the summer and has been home to some very powerful people, although whilst a few small bits are truly old most was (as the signs constantly remind you) burnt down by the anglo-french 100 years ago, and is mostly now 50-30 years old, but still very pretty.
It is a giant complex with a huge lake, a second lake, many buildings and many many boats. The day I chose to go was obviously insanely hot, (38!) and I decided to climb straight up the huge hill and nearly boiled myself alive!
I wandered around the palace for a bit and took some photos, took a boat tour and decided that i was palace and templed out now, and to make my way back.
I had a quick nap and met up with Vivian (the girl from the train) who decided to try to show me the real hu-tong a bit and prove they are not all just slums, turns out they are all slums!
Anyway we walked around them and it was very pretty, near a bit lake, and went for a meal in a restaurant that did western food with chinese flavours, an odd mix but very tasty! then I headed back to pack and get some sleep as I have an early start for the train in the morning!
The summer palace is where the emporers would spend their time in the summer and has been home to some very powerful people, although whilst a few small bits are truly old most was (as the signs constantly remind you) burnt down by the anglo-french 100 years ago, and is mostly now 50-30 years old, but still very pretty.
It is a giant complex with a huge lake, a second lake, many buildings and many many boats. The day I chose to go was obviously insanely hot, (38!) and I decided to climb straight up the huge hill and nearly boiled myself alive!
I wandered around the palace for a bit and took some photos, took a boat tour and decided that i was palace and templed out now, and to make my way back.
I had a quick nap and met up with Vivian (the girl from the train) who decided to try to show me the real hu-tong a bit and prove they are not all just slums, turns out they are all slums!
Anyway we walked around them and it was very pretty, near a bit lake, and went for a meal in a restaurant that did western food with chinese flavours, an odd mix but very tasty! then I headed back to pack and get some sleep as I have an early start for the train in the morning!
Saturday 19 June 2010
late night late morning!
woke up late at 10 and had a full english and a coffee in the hostel, feel a bit more normal so heading out to the summer palace soon, then wander around a bit, worked out my ticket for the morning so just need to get the station for 9am, ouch! but then I can sleep all day.
Its a shame there is no night train, but I'm not sure if this a 10hour train that arrives in the evening, or a 24 hour super slow train again, but I have a soft seat so will just sit on it and see, best way!!
Its a shame there is no night train, but I'm not sure if this a 10hour train that arrives in the evening, or a 24 hour super slow train again, but I have a soft seat so will just sit on it and see, best way!!
Great wall propoganda
Early start this morning at 6.30 to get to reception showered and ready for 7.10 as I went for the easy option and booked a great wall tour. The first tour I have booked though so I don't feel too guilty. The tour cost 22gbp including lunch which isn't bad as the bus costs 7gbp each way on its own!
Met the driver and guide and a lovely american couple and started off in the minibus, enroute we picked up a british guy called Henry and one more older guy from holland and our little troupe was complete!
We spent the 2 hour drive chatting and napping and arrived at the carpark to see a massive subway, a huge line of random crap vendors, and around 8 big coaches! I began to regret my tour decision and wish I could have done the hike along the wall (which closed 2 days ago!).
The guide suggested we take a cable car up to the wall and then could return to the carpark by sled, giving us the most time at the wall itself which is build right on the ridge of a mountain!
We very nearly walked but in the end accepted her advice, we were given three hours to walk the wall and meet her back at the bottom!
The cablecar up was a ski-lift type so it was open and gave some good pictures, and then we made it to the great wall itself!
First impressions are very impressive, the section we were at had been heavily restored but had a very high number of guard towers (due to the closeness of beijing). The guide explained a few things, a walk to the right was steeper but shorter, the left was longer but more gentle, so we decided on both! and after a bit more explaination we were left by the guide and went off to walk the wall!
Some parts were very very steep with large sheer steps taking you along the wall but the views were amazing!
We got to the end of the open section and there was a sign reminding us that after this it was illegal to walk and had not been restored, so we walked past the sign and carried on! Here it was much more interesting, the wall was badly weathered and in some places missing huge pieces, and was very overgrown but amazing to see, we walked on till we found a collapsed guard tower and took lots and lots of photos!
The wall is not a continous single wall but a giant spiders web of walls with multiple branches and offshoots and we also managed to find another (illegal) offshoot to walk on for a bit offering more spectacular views and amazing photos!
After that we headed back and walked most of the other way past the starting point to see the very much restored sections, but very impressive, especially if faithfully restored!
It was then time to leave so we went to take our 'sled' which turned out to be a toboggan ride down the mountain to the carpark, no safety gear and many shunts later we zoomed to the bottom, that was fun! The guide met us and took us for a very tasty lunch nearby (chinese obviously!) and then we jumped into the bus and drove back to beijing chatting most of the way!
After a shower and a brief sitdown I decided to see some of the famous hu-tong of beijing, but after reaching them I found that it is basically a slum, and similar to walking around the poorer bits of thailand, so I headed back to the hostel to regroup!
Gave Henry (the british guy from earlier) a call and we decided to meet in town for a beer, so we met up and wandered around the main shopping district and found a night market was on selling lots of different types of animal, chicken heart, snake on a stick, and scorpions.
The scorpions were still moving on the skewer and then they were deep fried in front of you and eaten whole, pincers, tail, the lot!
We decided to share a scorpion stick (4 scorpions to a stick) and I ate three while henry managed only the one. The taste a little crunchy but basically just like anything deep fried, not lovely but perfectly edible!
Walking on we found a little resteraurant doing street food so we stopped for a couple of beers and decided to have beijing duck since we were in beijing!
We had a plate each of shredded duck and plenty of pancakes/sauce etc and then were brought the rest of the duck in a soup, organs, skin, etc etc all just chopped into around 6 pieces and thrown in a soup, but it was very tasty!
Henry then mentioned a club in the student district called propoganda he had heard good things about and since it was friday night we called a taxi and told him to take us there.
15km later we arrived! which seems a long way but the beijing municipality is the size of belgium, so maybe not too bad!
After wandering around trying to find this club and desperatly seeking a toilet we found it and after a sneaky beer outside headed in! It was a strange mix of foreign students, chinese girls, and loud music but was a pretty cool place, we had a few more beers and some chatting and dancing and I eventually left at around 3, all in all a good night!
Met the driver and guide and a lovely american couple and started off in the minibus, enroute we picked up a british guy called Henry and one more older guy from holland and our little troupe was complete!
We spent the 2 hour drive chatting and napping and arrived at the carpark to see a massive subway, a huge line of random crap vendors, and around 8 big coaches! I began to regret my tour decision and wish I could have done the hike along the wall (which closed 2 days ago!).
The guide suggested we take a cable car up to the wall and then could return to the carpark by sled, giving us the most time at the wall itself which is build right on the ridge of a mountain!
We very nearly walked but in the end accepted her advice, we were given three hours to walk the wall and meet her back at the bottom!
The cablecar up was a ski-lift type so it was open and gave some good pictures, and then we made it to the great wall itself!
First impressions are very impressive, the section we were at had been heavily restored but had a very high number of guard towers (due to the closeness of beijing). The guide explained a few things, a walk to the right was steeper but shorter, the left was longer but more gentle, so we decided on both! and after a bit more explaination we were left by the guide and went off to walk the wall!
Some parts were very very steep with large sheer steps taking you along the wall but the views were amazing!
We got to the end of the open section and there was a sign reminding us that after this it was illegal to walk and had not been restored, so we walked past the sign and carried on! Here it was much more interesting, the wall was badly weathered and in some places missing huge pieces, and was very overgrown but amazing to see, we walked on till we found a collapsed guard tower and took lots and lots of photos!
The wall is not a continous single wall but a giant spiders web of walls with multiple branches and offshoots and we also managed to find another (illegal) offshoot to walk on for a bit offering more spectacular views and amazing photos!
After that we headed back and walked most of the other way past the starting point to see the very much restored sections, but very impressive, especially if faithfully restored!
It was then time to leave so we went to take our 'sled' which turned out to be a toboggan ride down the mountain to the carpark, no safety gear and many shunts later we zoomed to the bottom, that was fun! The guide met us and took us for a very tasty lunch nearby (chinese obviously!) and then we jumped into the bus and drove back to beijing chatting most of the way!
After a shower and a brief sitdown I decided to see some of the famous hu-tong of beijing, but after reaching them I found that it is basically a slum, and similar to walking around the poorer bits of thailand, so I headed back to the hostel to regroup!
Gave Henry (the british guy from earlier) a call and we decided to meet in town for a beer, so we met up and wandered around the main shopping district and found a night market was on selling lots of different types of animal, chicken heart, snake on a stick, and scorpions.
The scorpions were still moving on the skewer and then they were deep fried in front of you and eaten whole, pincers, tail, the lot!
We decided to share a scorpion stick (4 scorpions to a stick) and I ate three while henry managed only the one. The taste a little crunchy but basically just like anything deep fried, not lovely but perfectly edible!
Walking on we found a little resteraurant doing street food so we stopped for a couple of beers and decided to have beijing duck since we were in beijing!
We had a plate each of shredded duck and plenty of pancakes/sauce etc and then were brought the rest of the duck in a soup, organs, skin, etc etc all just chopped into around 6 pieces and thrown in a soup, but it was very tasty!
Henry then mentioned a club in the student district called propoganda he had heard good things about and since it was friday night we called a taxi and told him to take us there.
15km later we arrived! which seems a long way but the beijing municipality is the size of belgium, so maybe not too bad!
After wandering around trying to find this club and desperatly seeking a toilet we found it and after a sneaky beer outside headed in! It was a strange mix of foreign students, chinese girls, and loud music but was a pretty cool place, we had a few more beers and some chatting and dancing and I eventually left at around 3, all in all a good night!
Thursday 17 June 2010
Beijing Exploration!
Checked into the hostel at half 7 and sorted my stuff, sorted a train ticket to Shanghai for saturday but unfortuntely they only had a ticket in the morning! This means I loose a day in beijing and gain one in Shanghai, not really ideal but I need to stick to it or risk missing my flight, so that is the way it goes, soft seat again and I have a nasty suspicion it is a K train, meaning sloooow and another 23 hours! I really really hope not!!
I also booked a great wall tour for tomorrow, I was going to do the 4 hour hike but found it that it was shut yesterday as they are building a ski resort there and have closed the middle section, ruining the point in walking along and not back! I instead booked a slightly more touristy section but that is ok, nothing I can do about that one! If i came back with someone else I think i would try for the illegal sections currently completely not touristy! fun! but the 50gbp taxi between one is a bit too expensive, and nobody in my room seems up for it, one of them is a really old guy and I havnt met the others yet!
With all of it booked I borrowed an umbrella and a map and headed out into the thunderstorms! fun times! By the time I got to tianamen square the rain had stopped and I got some amazing photos with a miniture lake taking up a lot of the surface and reflecting the buildings. It is the worlds largest gathering place and the size of 70 football pitches apparently, I think they said around 300,000 people could find standing, but dont quote me on that, although it really is huge! Decided to skip seeing Mao as I have seen lenin and the hassle of no bags and cameras means I have to trust someone else to look after all my stuff, not likely!
I walked around the square and then walked through the giant gate into the forbidden palace. That place was amazing! so so big I had no idea, and walking around imagining what it was like as an emporer wandering around....truly staggering!
The palace is just shy of 1km long, and 700m wide, so a really huge place! more photos taken im glad to say!
After walking down the palace and up the hill at the end (protecting the palace from the evil winds) I jumped on a random bus just for fun and ended up in the main shopping street, stopped for a coffee and to eat something at last!
From there I headed on the subway to the temple of heaven which is where the emporer would come to pray for a strong harvest and at winter solstice to make sacrafices, it was cool to see but i think I have had my share of temples now!!
Its funny how the chinese flow together through things, the main path was pretty busy but head down and parallel path and it was empty and very scenic!
Everything in Beijing is so spread out that it was too late to head to the other temple, and I had lost a bit of motivation anyway, so I headed to the Silk market, a nicely named place that in fact sells designer knock offs at whatever you can barter to prices! I dont want to carry any more clothes but enjoyed wandering around for a bit.
Headed back during the rush hour to the hostel and gonna finally get a decent nights sleep and a shower as I have to be up early to meet my minibus at 7am to head to the wall, also need to head out and find some food for tonight and tomorrow so will do that soon!
Hope to get up early on saturday to visit the summer palace before it gets too busy, then head back down the center and meet some girls I met in Xian that said they would show me around! apparently there is a technology market near the silk market but I will have to google for that!
Still a bit short on presents for people, maybe a pencil will have to sufice! Money situation is ok I think, really should check I suppose! but hope I can manage without withdrawing any more cash!
sooo tired now so think I will head next door for a beer, I think so far beijing has been the place I have liked the least, but maybe that is a mix of not meeting any cool people and being really tired, tomorrow may change all that although my legs hurt already!
I also booked a great wall tour for tomorrow, I was going to do the 4 hour hike but found it that it was shut yesterday as they are building a ski resort there and have closed the middle section, ruining the point in walking along and not back! I instead booked a slightly more touristy section but that is ok, nothing I can do about that one! If i came back with someone else I think i would try for the illegal sections currently completely not touristy! fun! but the 50gbp taxi between one is a bit too expensive, and nobody in my room seems up for it, one of them is a really old guy and I havnt met the others yet!
With all of it booked I borrowed an umbrella and a map and headed out into the thunderstorms! fun times! By the time I got to tianamen square the rain had stopped and I got some amazing photos with a miniture lake taking up a lot of the surface and reflecting the buildings. It is the worlds largest gathering place and the size of 70 football pitches apparently, I think they said around 300,000 people could find standing, but dont quote me on that, although it really is huge! Decided to skip seeing Mao as I have seen lenin and the hassle of no bags and cameras means I have to trust someone else to look after all my stuff, not likely!
I walked around the square and then walked through the giant gate into the forbidden palace. That place was amazing! so so big I had no idea, and walking around imagining what it was like as an emporer wandering around....truly staggering!
The palace is just shy of 1km long, and 700m wide, so a really huge place! more photos taken im glad to say!
After walking down the palace and up the hill at the end (protecting the palace from the evil winds) I jumped on a random bus just for fun and ended up in the main shopping street, stopped for a coffee and to eat something at last!
From there I headed on the subway to the temple of heaven which is where the emporer would come to pray for a strong harvest and at winter solstice to make sacrafices, it was cool to see but i think I have had my share of temples now!!
Its funny how the chinese flow together through things, the main path was pretty busy but head down and parallel path and it was empty and very scenic!
Everything in Beijing is so spread out that it was too late to head to the other temple, and I had lost a bit of motivation anyway, so I headed to the Silk market, a nicely named place that in fact sells designer knock offs at whatever you can barter to prices! I dont want to carry any more clothes but enjoyed wandering around for a bit.
Headed back during the rush hour to the hostel and gonna finally get a decent nights sleep and a shower as I have to be up early to meet my minibus at 7am to head to the wall, also need to head out and find some food for tonight and tomorrow so will do that soon!
Hope to get up early on saturday to visit the summer palace before it gets too busy, then head back down the center and meet some girls I met in Xian that said they would show me around! apparently there is a technology market near the silk market but I will have to google for that!
Still a bit short on presents for people, maybe a pencil will have to sufice! Money situation is ok I think, really should check I suppose! but hope I can manage without withdrawing any more cash!
sooo tired now so think I will head next door for a beer, I think so far beijing has been the place I have liked the least, but maybe that is a mix of not meeting any cool people and being really tired, tomorrow may change all that although my legs hurt already!
Chinese people love cards!
Made it to the station in plenty of time and got to my train early, got on to wait and found it to be very comfortable! like an airline seat really so no worries there!
I got talking to the other guy on the table and he spoke a little english and we chatted for a bit, then a young chinese girl arrived with no english at all! and then another older guy, and the first guy (gavin) promised to teach me a chinese game.
He bought some cards and so they tried to teach me this crazy game but only by showing me not explaining the rules and it involved throwing down random cards it seemed to me! and working in teams too! eventually I gave up and decided to teach them an english game! I decided on old maid as it seemed to be the easiest to teach so removed 3 queens and had them taking off each other, then got another girl involved and a few people came to watch as we played endless games of old maid on the train, a great memory! no real conversation but plenty of emotions when people won/lost, very fun!
Most people then went to sleep and I chatted with the second girl till around 3 (chenzienshou in chinese or just Vivian), she had quite basic english but I didnt mind and saw it as a chance to practise teaching!
managed to grab a couple of hours sleep and then arrived in Beijing! 1000km away from Xian apparently, just a short hop by local standards.
Jumped on the subway to my hostel and checked in and unpacked, now need to sort some train tickets!
I got talking to the other guy on the table and he spoke a little english and we chatted for a bit, then a young chinese girl arrived with no english at all! and then another older guy, and the first guy (gavin) promised to teach me a chinese game.
He bought some cards and so they tried to teach me this crazy game but only by showing me not explaining the rules and it involved throwing down random cards it seemed to me! and working in teams too! eventually I gave up and decided to teach them an english game! I decided on old maid as it seemed to be the easiest to teach so removed 3 queens and had them taking off each other, then got another girl involved and a few people came to watch as we played endless games of old maid on the train, a great memory! no real conversation but plenty of emotions when people won/lost, very fun!
Most people then went to sleep and I chatted with the second girl till around 3 (chenzienshou in chinese or just Vivian), she had quite basic english but I didnt mind and saw it as a chance to practise teaching!
managed to grab a couple of hours sleep and then arrived in Beijing! 1000km away from Xian apparently, just a short hop by local standards.
Jumped on the subway to my hostel and checked in and unpacked, now need to sort some train tickets!
Wednesday 16 June 2010
Last day in Xian
Woke up a little later at 9.30 but deserved the lie in, and without a window it is so hard to wake up on time!
I intended to head to the temple of the 8 immortals but following my directions I got onto the bus and headed one stop then tried to change for the 709 and found that it did not exist! I gave up and jumped on a random bus just for fun and ended up back in the centre at the bell tower! Doh!
I decided to do some shopping in the end and so headed back to the muslim district with a mind to do some serious bargaining!
I chatted to all the shop keepers as I walked along and met one very friendly guy, we bargained hard and although I didnt get local prices at least I did better than some others.
I headed into the great mosque which is an ancient blend of the two religions and very interesting, as I walked around I met a chinese guy, who introduced me to some americans working for an american institute supplying teachers to china! as well as IT staff! I got both of their cards and was told to drop them an email, although they prefer TEFL trained teachers but working in IT with a US salary would be very nice!
As I walked away I chatted to two english girls who are from Beijing and we exchanged numbers, hopefully they can show me around on the saturday! which would be cool!
I left the mosque and headed back to the market and was then bargaining for a watch (with a little waving chairman mao no less!) but she wouldn't go lower than 20y so I said no deal! and as I walked off a chinese guy laughed, and we got chatting and it turns out he is from the north of china and was visiting for the day, he seemed friendly so we walked together with him and his friend, and we bought a cold drink in the market, followed by a much needed lunch. lunch was a local specialty of mutton and minced bun soup, very tasty! with a beer, and he seemed to really feel the beer! afterward we headed through the market again, this time with my trusty chinese speaker to argue for me! I then got very good prices on a couple more things, and picked myself up a swish Rolex! haha,
Wandered around a bit more before going our seperate ways, he was a very nice guy and I have his email so if I come to china I will be sure to look him up!
Back in the hostel with half an hour to kill before I need to head to the station for my train! Soft sleeper! so a new experience!
I intended to head to the temple of the 8 immortals but following my directions I got onto the bus and headed one stop then tried to change for the 709 and found that it did not exist! I gave up and jumped on a random bus just for fun and ended up back in the centre at the bell tower! Doh!
I decided to do some shopping in the end and so headed back to the muslim district with a mind to do some serious bargaining!
I chatted to all the shop keepers as I walked along and met one very friendly guy, we bargained hard and although I didnt get local prices at least I did better than some others.
I headed into the great mosque which is an ancient blend of the two religions and very interesting, as I walked around I met a chinese guy, who introduced me to some americans working for an american institute supplying teachers to china! as well as IT staff! I got both of their cards and was told to drop them an email, although they prefer TEFL trained teachers but working in IT with a US salary would be very nice!
As I walked away I chatted to two english girls who are from Beijing and we exchanged numbers, hopefully they can show me around on the saturday! which would be cool!
I left the mosque and headed back to the market and was then bargaining for a watch (with a little waving chairman mao no less!) but she wouldn't go lower than 20y so I said no deal! and as I walked off a chinese guy laughed, and we got chatting and it turns out he is from the north of china and was visiting for the day, he seemed friendly so we walked together with him and his friend, and we bought a cold drink in the market, followed by a much needed lunch. lunch was a local specialty of mutton and minced bun soup, very tasty! with a beer, and he seemed to really feel the beer! afterward we headed through the market again, this time with my trusty chinese speaker to argue for me! I then got very good prices on a couple more things, and picked myself up a swish Rolex! haha,
Wandered around a bit more before going our seperate ways, he was a very nice guy and I have his email so if I come to china I will be sure to look him up!
Back in the hostel with half an hour to kill before I need to head to the station for my train! Soft sleeper! so a new experience!
Watching the match!
Watched the football and chatted to the french girl all evening, she was very nice, we went and got some food from the main road and drank a few beers, a nice chilled out evening. Gave Dave a ring but he is AWOL at the moment! maybe tomorrow!
Xian is a great place, a little too touristy but still a very nice place, I can see why people would want to live here!
Xian is a great place, a little too touristy but still a very nice place, I can see why people would want to live here!
P.S.
Forgot to mention that I was in a bus crash today! On the bus to the station to go to the warriors the bus I was on ran into a taxi at a crossroads! No damage and barely even noticed inside the bus but everyone had to decamp and I walked the rest of the way, was bound to happen sometime I suppose!
I also popped into McDonalds for a quick stomach fixing burger only to be told they had no beef! and had not had any for a week! So chicken burgers only..., madness!
Also learnt a new word, Fooen, which is like calling for service it seems, pretty much anywhere anytime chinese people shout it until someone arrives to help them out! A useful word indeed....
I also popped into McDonalds for a quick stomach fixing burger only to be told they had no beef! and had not had any for a week! So chicken burgers only..., madness!
Also learnt a new word, Fooen, which is like calling for service it seems, pretty much anywhere anytime chinese people shout it until someone arrives to help them out! A useful word indeed....
Tuesday 15 June 2010
Must see sight 2 of 4
Counting the bund, terracotta warriors, forbidden palace and the wall I have now seen the first two!
Woke up earlyish feeling a bit odd still but much better and headed out adventuring, got a bus to the station and wandered around until I saw a big queue of people waiting for a bus, guessing it was for the warriors I got on and it drove off before I could ask where it was going.
Luckily I was right and I slept for the hour to get there,got off the bus into 35oC heat and bought my ticket. Many english guides asking a tenner for a guided 1 on 1 tour, I think I can find it myself and choose not to!
Its a 1km walk from the carpark in the crazy heat upto the actual site and all the way are shops selling random crap! I avoid these and make it into the site and head straight for the romantically named 'Pit 1'.
Pit 1 holds two thousand warriors and I must admit in the hanger sized enclosure they make an amazing sight!
The hanger has 11 columns each with 4 soldiers and each one is life size. The carried bronze weapons (some of which they claim were actually chrome plated!) and they then had a roof built over them before fine dirt was poured over the top, sealing them in.
The warriors were then completely forgotten about by everyone until some farmers tried to dig a well in the 70s and stumbled upon them.
There are two other pits (pit 2 and pit 3) but they are both smaller and contain less things, 2 has more varietys of positions and 3 was a generals camp.
The estimates on each board state a different total for the number of warriors including those still buried, but they think between 6 and 10,000 handmade warriors are there, plus a hundred chariots and loads of other statues.
I was both overwelmed and underwelmed by the warriors, pit 1 was amazing but I feel its become to detatched from it looking down and would love to walk between them, obviously impossible!
I headed back down to the buses and was suckered onto the wrong bus in my heat induced daze and got the local bus instead. It costs the same, and takes the same time, but was a lot more exciting! Between towns it drives on the wrong side of the road, over takes, undertakes, blares the horn continuously and knows no speed limits, very speedy! in town it kerb crawls with the door open shouting for people to jump on! then more crazy speed!!
I then went to the history museum in Xian which was great, then walked to big goose pagoda which is a touristy temple but some great photos! and then found the computer market! nearly bought the chinese iphone again, and bargained hard for a knock off n900, but refused to go over 50 and he wanted 55, so i walked away, a close thing for my wallet!!
Back in the hostel to watch the game and have a deserved beer with a french girl!
see you soon!
Woke up earlyish feeling a bit odd still but much better and headed out adventuring, got a bus to the station and wandered around until I saw a big queue of people waiting for a bus, guessing it was for the warriors I got on and it drove off before I could ask where it was going.
Luckily I was right and I slept for the hour to get there,got off the bus into 35oC heat and bought my ticket. Many english guides asking a tenner for a guided 1 on 1 tour, I think I can find it myself and choose not to!
Its a 1km walk from the carpark in the crazy heat upto the actual site and all the way are shops selling random crap! I avoid these and make it into the site and head straight for the romantically named 'Pit 1'.
Pit 1 holds two thousand warriors and I must admit in the hanger sized enclosure they make an amazing sight!
The hanger has 11 columns each with 4 soldiers and each one is life size. The carried bronze weapons (some of which they claim were actually chrome plated!) and they then had a roof built over them before fine dirt was poured over the top, sealing them in.
The warriors were then completely forgotten about by everyone until some farmers tried to dig a well in the 70s and stumbled upon them.
There are two other pits (pit 2 and pit 3) but they are both smaller and contain less things, 2 has more varietys of positions and 3 was a generals camp.
The estimates on each board state a different total for the number of warriors including those still buried, but they think between 6 and 10,000 handmade warriors are there, plus a hundred chariots and loads of other statues.
I was both overwelmed and underwelmed by the warriors, pit 1 was amazing but I feel its become to detatched from it looking down and would love to walk between them, obviously impossible!
I headed back down to the buses and was suckered onto the wrong bus in my heat induced daze and got the local bus instead. It costs the same, and takes the same time, but was a lot more exciting! Between towns it drives on the wrong side of the road, over takes, undertakes, blares the horn continuously and knows no speed limits, very speedy! in town it kerb crawls with the door open shouting for people to jump on! then more crazy speed!!
I then went to the history museum in Xian which was great, then walked to big goose pagoda which is a touristy temple but some great photos! and then found the computer market! nearly bought the chinese iphone again, and bargained hard for a knock off n900, but refused to go over 50 and he wanted 55, so i walked away, a close thing for my wallet!!
Back in the hostel to watch the game and have a deserved beer with a french girl!
see you soon!
Monday 14 June 2010
Settled in
Went for wander from the hostel and visited the Xian bell tower and drum tower, very fancy!
I then met up with Dave and we went to the muslim quarter and browsed the shops there, had some really tasty food and a good wander, found a few things I may buy!
Found out that my room is has an american couple in who have bought two beds but only sleep in one, a bit strange... ah well, my washing is still not dry! damnit!
really needing sleep as have been up 40 hours, bed now...zzzzzzz
I then met up with Dave and we went to the muslim quarter and browsed the shops there, had some really tasty food and a good wander, found a few things I may buy!
Found out that my room is has an american couple in who have bought two beds but only sleep in one, a bit strange... ah well, my washing is still not dry! damnit!
really needing sleep as have been up 40 hours, bed now...zzzzzzz
23 hours, and one flat behind later!
Ok so this morning I got up and jumped on the bus to the station, had a quick KFC breakfast and found my platform.
I got on the train to find my carriage was 150 20 year old students at the end of their term on a 56 hour journey to xinjan (sp?) in the very north near the mogolian border, ouch!
I settled down and found I was the only white guy on the train. i read my book in 3 hours and then was really bored! I started to drift off around 11pm when I felt a person poking my arm, I woke up to find a group of the children asking me to speak english with them! They were really nice kids so I did and stayed up till 2am talking with them about life etc. They are not allowed to even sit near girls until university at 21 and are seperated for their entire school life it seems! They are very restricted and seemed very interested in what I was doing and how I was getting around.
I ate one pack of noodles in 23 hours and drank a little water, mainly I was just so bored!
While I was speaking to the kids the train manager asked the chinese guys where I was going and they told him and so he said he would look after me and make sure I made it! I managed around 3 hours sleep in 10 minute snoozes which was a little painful! but now I can siesta so that is ok!
Whilst on the train I must have seen more building sites than I ever have before, I must have seen more than 250 giant fields of apartment towers in 5 groups, sat there freshly built an unused, an amazing site, new bridges, roads, whole new towns being created everywhere! Its so different from the UK! Was a definite adventure going the back way!
Made it ok to Xian and was met by Dave, a lovely bloke and we went for dinner and met his girlfriend who is lovely....until she mentioned the worldcup!! haha.
siesta now then back out after the heat has passed! also finally managing to do some washing.
Checked into a very touristy hostel in Xian but it is nice just not quite so authentic, despite trying to look it! not met the room mate yet but managed to book my train, soft seat this time! to beijing for wed evening. More soon!
I got on the train to find my carriage was 150 20 year old students at the end of their term on a 56 hour journey to xinjan (sp?) in the very north near the mogolian border, ouch!
I settled down and found I was the only white guy on the train. i read my book in 3 hours and then was really bored! I started to drift off around 11pm when I felt a person poking my arm, I woke up to find a group of the children asking me to speak english with them! They were really nice kids so I did and stayed up till 2am talking with them about life etc. They are not allowed to even sit near girls until university at 21 and are seperated for their entire school life it seems! They are very restricted and seemed very interested in what I was doing and how I was getting around.
I ate one pack of noodles in 23 hours and drank a little water, mainly I was just so bored!
While I was speaking to the kids the train manager asked the chinese guys where I was going and they told him and so he said he would look after me and make sure I made it! I managed around 3 hours sleep in 10 minute snoozes which was a little painful! but now I can siesta so that is ok!
Whilst on the train I must have seen more building sites than I ever have before, I must have seen more than 250 giant fields of apartment towers in 5 groups, sat there freshly built an unused, an amazing site, new bridges, roads, whole new towns being created everywhere! Its so different from the UK! Was a definite adventure going the back way!
Made it ok to Xian and was met by Dave, a lovely bloke and we went for dinner and met his girlfriend who is lovely....until she mentioned the worldcup!! haha.
siesta now then back out after the heat has passed! also finally managing to do some washing.
Checked into a very touristy hostel in Xian but it is nice just not quite so authentic, despite trying to look it! not met the room mate yet but managed to book my train, soft seat this time! to beijing for wed evening. More soon!
Gotta get outa this place!
Woke up this morning and had a coffee before heading into town, I made it to the train station but the only train to Xian that day left in 10 minutes...no time to go back and get my bag! So I booked for tomorrow and will take the 23 hour slow train accross the country with just a hardseat! stupid dragon boat week! everybody is traveling!
When I had finished in the station I headed back to the centre of Hungzhou to have a last look around, I then decided to do some gadget shopping and showed a chinese language name to a taxi and was taken to the biggest amount of gadgets I have ever seen! 5 floors of stalls selling laptops, parts, mp3 players, mobile phones etc etc, it was awesome! I wandered around trying out MP3 players and was very tempted by the Meizu M8, for 150gbp you get an iphone clone that is very good, works in the UK and is a bit quirky, but just a little expensive with no warranty, although if I import and sell it is is worth around 250!
I came so close to buying several things but in the end decided I would try again later, a tough decision on my part I feel!
After the gadget shop I headed back to the hostel and met a couple of Fins touring china as well, they were nice guys, I
then chatted to the girls staying in the hotel and they cooked me some chinese dinner, very tasty! she was a good cook!
Then sorted my stuff for the morning...cant believe I have 23 hours on a train!! and its not even that far accross china!!
When I had finished in the station I headed back to the centre of Hungzhou to have a last look around, I then decided to do some gadget shopping and showed a chinese language name to a taxi and was taken to the biggest amount of gadgets I have ever seen! 5 floors of stalls selling laptops, parts, mp3 players, mobile phones etc etc, it was awesome! I wandered around trying out MP3 players and was very tempted by the Meizu M8, for 150gbp you get an iphone clone that is very good, works in the UK and is a bit quirky, but just a little expensive with no warranty, although if I import and sell it is is worth around 250!
I came so close to buying several things but in the end decided I would try again later, a tough decision on my part I feel!
After the gadget shop I headed back to the hostel and met a couple of Fins touring china as well, they were nice guys, I
then chatted to the girls staying in the hotel and they cooked me some chinese dinner, very tasty! she was a good cook!
Then sorted my stuff for the morning...cant believe I have 23 hours on a train!! and its not even that far accross china!!
Friday 11 June 2010
Oops 30quid down the drain!
Woke up a bit late after a few too many drinks the night before and showered and sorted my life out a bit while drew had his class. we went for a chinese fast food breakfast/lunch and then i jumped on the bus to hungzhou, got there with plenty of time to spare so had a relaxed wander towards the station to catch the bus to the next town.
I saw that they are draining every river and stream in the town, cleaning and fortifying it and then filling it again! at an amazing pace! and considering how longs its taken to do englands canals....
On the bus to the next town (1hr, 40p) where I can catch the night train (which I found eventually!) I realised the ticket I had bought so carefully ahead of time in a rush just before the office closed was for the day I bought it, not for tonight! So I missed my train by three days!! god damnit! always check your ticket! especially when crossing languages!
Anyway I got the bus straight back to hungzhou and back to my favorite little hostel and have booked one night here, in the morning I will go to the station and try and get a train for tomorrow night, or the night after, to guilin, and if they don't have any will head to Xian early to meet Dave (hopefully).
The plan would then be to move everything forward, hit Biejing early then have a few days in Nanjing near the end which is only 2 hours from shanghai and moves the long distance travel further away from when I fly out, but we will see! haha plans are meant to change, and at least it was only 30ish. C'est la vie!
Met a nice guy on the bus across town who has just finished his masters and we swapped details, I wish I had some business cards! you meet so many people and i had to rush down his email as he got off the bus, a really nice guy!
More tomorrow when I have a plan! haha!
I saw that they are draining every river and stream in the town, cleaning and fortifying it and then filling it again! at an amazing pace! and considering how longs its taken to do englands canals....
On the bus to the next town (1hr, 40p) where I can catch the night train (which I found eventually!) I realised the ticket I had bought so carefully ahead of time in a rush just before the office closed was for the day I bought it, not for tonight! So I missed my train by three days!! god damnit! always check your ticket! especially when crossing languages!
Anyway I got the bus straight back to hungzhou and back to my favorite little hostel and have booked one night here, in the morning I will go to the station and try and get a train for tomorrow night, or the night after, to guilin, and if they don't have any will head to Xian early to meet Dave (hopefully).
The plan would then be to move everything forward, hit Biejing early then have a few days in Nanjing near the end which is only 2 hours from shanghai and moves the long distance travel further away from when I fly out, but we will see! haha plans are meant to change, and at least it was only 30ish. C'est la vie!
Met a nice guy on the bus across town who has just finished his masters and we swapped details, I wish I had some business cards! you meet so many people and i had to rush down his email as he got off the bus, a really nice guy!
More tomorrow when I have a plan! haha!
Best interview ever!
Woke up and checked out early, taking the hour and a half bus across hungzhou, stopping at every stop in town! to change onto the bus to Anji. Another hour later and I had left the big city behind and was in fields and fields of bamboo! The biggest centre of bamboo construction and production in the world! with over 60,000 varieties, as I was soon to find out!
I was met at the bus station by Drew and a Alan, the VP of the school drew works at and driven to the school about a mile away. I left my stuff in drews room and we went and ate in the lunch area for staff, all the children in the school scream and run over to you and try to speak english, apparently me and drew look like brothers!
The school is years 1 to year 9 i think, with 1600 pupils! half of which live here.
Drew has a nice little apartment, lounge ,bedroom kitchen and bathroom, (with western toilet!) on the ground floor and it seems very nice.
After lunch drew showed me around the town a bit and I saw that it is quite small, 300,000 people make it tiny by chinese standards, barely more than a village! but it is a lot bigger than abingdon! went for a beer and saw the local sites a bit then went back to meet rosy (another english teacher,but chinese) who sorted a taxi to take us to the bamboo gardens where we walked through and looked at the bamboo, I took some photos, and then saw some giant pandas! Very cool. They had 4 pandas in an enclosure, it was very surreal and a lot of the features were very old, had a sort of ex cold war russia feel about the place that I hadn't noticed before. Dilapidated 1960s spaceship boats made an amazing picture, very odd things! but i didnt trust them enough for a ride!
we then headed back to the school and chilled out for a bit and around 5 were called to meet for dinner.
In the carpark I met the part owner of the school, Alan and Rosy and then drew and went with them to a local restaurant where we met the principal.
It turns out that Alan used to own the place and we got ushered into an upstairs room and we chose many different dishes including Squid, Fish soup, Beef, Pork, Bamboo, etc etc and it was all very lovely.
As the meal started the waitress came in with 35cl bottles of rice wine for all the men which you drink straight, continually, in lots of toasts. I managed 4/5ths of the bottle before backing down to beers whilst drew put away two, painful!
we finished the excellent meal and everyone was very happy, It was the strangest interview I've ever had! and drew and I wandered on to a pub for a few drinks more. We had a few beers in the only pub in town and then walked back to the school, drew a little worse for wear! and I not far behind.
I was met at the bus station by Drew and a Alan, the VP of the school drew works at and driven to the school about a mile away. I left my stuff in drews room and we went and ate in the lunch area for staff, all the children in the school scream and run over to you and try to speak english, apparently me and drew look like brothers!
The school is years 1 to year 9 i think, with 1600 pupils! half of which live here.
Drew has a nice little apartment, lounge ,bedroom kitchen and bathroom, (with western toilet!) on the ground floor and it seems very nice.
After lunch drew showed me around the town a bit and I saw that it is quite small, 300,000 people make it tiny by chinese standards, barely more than a village! but it is a lot bigger than abingdon! went for a beer and saw the local sites a bit then went back to meet rosy (another english teacher,but chinese) who sorted a taxi to take us to the bamboo gardens where we walked through and looked at the bamboo, I took some photos, and then saw some giant pandas! Very cool. They had 4 pandas in an enclosure, it was very surreal and a lot of the features were very old, had a sort of ex cold war russia feel about the place that I hadn't noticed before. Dilapidated 1960s spaceship boats made an amazing picture, very odd things! but i didnt trust them enough for a ride!
we then headed back to the school and chilled out for a bit and around 5 were called to meet for dinner.
In the carpark I met the part owner of the school, Alan and Rosy and then drew and went with them to a local restaurant where we met the principal.
It turns out that Alan used to own the place and we got ushered into an upstairs room and we chose many different dishes including Squid, Fish soup, Beef, Pork, Bamboo, etc etc and it was all very lovely.
As the meal started the waitress came in with 35cl bottles of rice wine for all the men which you drink straight, continually, in lots of toasts. I managed 4/5ths of the bottle before backing down to beers whilst drew put away two, painful!
we finished the excellent meal and everyone was very happy, It was the strangest interview I've ever had! and drew and I wandered on to a pub for a few drinks more. We had a few beers in the only pub in town and then walked back to the school, drew a little worse for wear! and I not far behind.
A day of new things
Woke up today set on headin to anji, texted drew to confirm and found
that the rain was heavy and he was very busy! I decided to spend the
day here for one more peaceful day before heading out to the crazy big
cities ahead!
I headed into town and grabbed a green tea frappachine from starbucks
before headig out to wander around some shopping centers.
Went to a fancy resteraunt called "grandmas" for lunch and was served
a whole chicken baked, which was delicious! A fish soup, some local
water flowers, and some very spicy dofu, all of which was fantastic
with no rice as recomended by he waiter.
I tried the chickens feet (mainly skin) and the chickens brain (tastes
like spounge, but makes you clever!)
I then headed out for more wandering before returning to the hostel.
After an hour I got hungry and wandered down to find watermelon and
bananas, I tried the banana first as I don't like water melon and
found fresh bananas taste very nice but different to the early picked
and the shipped uk bananas, I then tried the watermelon and found it
to be lovely! Again fresh and local and very different, mostly water
without the strong taste, very nice!
Up early to head to anji for real this time! And I hope drew can meet
me at the station!
No hotel plans yet but have been Reading more of the yes man and so
said yes to drew's school sorting somethig cheap, and found "si a
todo" a great new phrase I missed in spain, yes to everything!!
Early bed tonight but you have to love a place were starbucks costs
the same as a whole meal! And where a water, an iced tea and a large
bottle of beer set you back 80p!
that the rain was heavy and he was very busy! I decided to spend the
day here for one more peaceful day before heading out to the crazy big
cities ahead!
I headed into town and grabbed a green tea frappachine from starbucks
before headig out to wander around some shopping centers.
Went to a fancy resteraunt called "grandmas" for lunch and was served
a whole chicken baked, which was delicious! A fish soup, some local
water flowers, and some very spicy dofu, all of which was fantastic
with no rice as recomended by he waiter.
I tried the chickens feet (mainly skin) and the chickens brain (tastes
like spounge, but makes you clever!)
I then headed out for more wandering before returning to the hostel.
After an hour I got hungry and wandered down to find watermelon and
bananas, I tried the banana first as I don't like water melon and
found fresh bananas taste very nice but different to the early picked
and the shipped uk bananas, I then tried the watermelon and found it
to be lovely! Again fresh and local and very different, mostly water
without the strong taste, very nice!
Up early to head to anji for real this time! And I hope drew can meet
me at the station!
No hotel plans yet but have been Reading more of the yes man and so
said yes to drew's school sorting somethig cheap, and found "si a
todo" a great new phrase I missed in spain, yes to everything!!
Early bed tonight but you have to love a place were starbucks costs
the same as a whole meal! And where a water, an iced tea and a large
bottle of beer set you back 80p!
Thursday 10 June 2010
chilled....
Lying in bed listening to the rain on the roof and the dogs are all indoors so no barking! I've slept in worse places!
Tuesday 8 June 2010
Hungzhou day 3
Woke up and decided to sort my train ticket for yangshou early so got into the train station on the same bus as i came in on, good old number 7! (seems a lot less scary now!) and queued up only to realise they shut for lunch at 12 and i was there at 20 to, was queueing up when a girl came over and was a wandering translator for the expo, they are all around china! she helped me to book a ticket for a few days time, hard sleeper, for around 30gbp, not bad for an overnight train! and i was in the last few before the half hour lunchbreak.
The problem is the train leaves from the next town over, an intersting problem but one best faced later in the week! but the woman did give me her card so I can call her anywhere if i get a problem, she is starting a translation business!
I then went back to the hostel and had a quick lunch of noodles from the shop!
I borrowed a bike from the hostel (for a small fee compared to free down the road but i want to repay all the favours they have done me and I'm not allowed to tip! and don't want to offend!)
I cycled halfway around west lake to a giant pagoda, most of which has been done recently, but the foundations which you can walk under and see are 1000 years old! it was very nice and again had my photo taken with random people!
It started to rain whilst i was in the pagoda but I shuned the overpriced tourist umbrellas and headed back to the hostel and just manned up!
When i got to the hostel it was shut and so i left the bike and wandered down to the shop and bought a local umbrella for a pound, bargain!
The rest of the evening I spent wandering around the sleepy tea village (the most famous tea area in china i hear!) in the rain and enjoying the warm rain, very relaxing!
I didnt manage to meet my random friend from yesterday but think I will drop him my email address tomorrow morning so we can stay in touch, and see if his crazy idea has any merits!
I really love this place, it is so beautiful and a world away from the big city just over the lake, I wish I could stay a few more days but think I will visit drew in Anji tomorrow (the american I met in Shanghai) and have a look around there, the bamboo scenes from crouching tiger hidden dragon were filmed there! So little time but I will hoep to come here again sometime!
I felt a little put out in the evening but on coming down to use the computer and without wanting to go too far for food I was forced by my lovely hosts to sample some home cooked chinese food, very delicious although how you pick the meat off the bones using only chipsticks I will never know, I waited until they wernt looking and just picked it off with my hands! haha, ah well, you take the yob out of england.....
Scary travelling tomorrow as it is all buses and they are the most difficult, no english and no route maps so lots of pointing but hey if i get really lost and confused I can stay anywhere, even affording a tourist hotel for a night if needs be! and call my translater friend to help with any real difficulty that pointing can't solve!
Update tomorrow from Anji....if i make it!
The problem is the train leaves from the next town over, an intersting problem but one best faced later in the week! but the woman did give me her card so I can call her anywhere if i get a problem, she is starting a translation business!
I then went back to the hostel and had a quick lunch of noodles from the shop!
I borrowed a bike from the hostel (for a small fee compared to free down the road but i want to repay all the favours they have done me and I'm not allowed to tip! and don't want to offend!)
I cycled halfway around west lake to a giant pagoda, most of which has been done recently, but the foundations which you can walk under and see are 1000 years old! it was very nice and again had my photo taken with random people!
It started to rain whilst i was in the pagoda but I shuned the overpriced tourist umbrellas and headed back to the hostel and just manned up!
When i got to the hostel it was shut and so i left the bike and wandered down to the shop and bought a local umbrella for a pound, bargain!
The rest of the evening I spent wandering around the sleepy tea village (the most famous tea area in china i hear!) in the rain and enjoying the warm rain, very relaxing!
I didnt manage to meet my random friend from yesterday but think I will drop him my email address tomorrow morning so we can stay in touch, and see if his crazy idea has any merits!
I really love this place, it is so beautiful and a world away from the big city just over the lake, I wish I could stay a few more days but think I will visit drew in Anji tomorrow (the american I met in Shanghai) and have a look around there, the bamboo scenes from crouching tiger hidden dragon were filmed there! So little time but I will hoep to come here again sometime!
I felt a little put out in the evening but on coming down to use the computer and without wanting to go too far for food I was forced by my lovely hosts to sample some home cooked chinese food, very delicious although how you pick the meat off the bones using only chipsticks I will never know, I waited until they wernt looking and just picked it off with my hands! haha, ah well, you take the yob out of england.....
Scary travelling tomorrow as it is all buses and they are the most difficult, no english and no route maps so lots of pointing but hey if i get really lost and confused I can stay anywhere, even affording a tourist hotel for a night if needs be! and call my translater friend to help with any real difficulty that pointing can't solve!
Update tomorrow from Anji....if i make it!
Hangzhou day 2
Woke up late today at 11 but felt great, opened the curtain to see the
hills and feel the breeze, amazing!
I got the bus into town and missed the stop we used last night, I
didn't recognise it in the day! I decided to walk and so set off in
the general direction of the lake in the 30+ degree heat and after
half an hour and an iced coffee I made it to the lake.
I got on a boat to the popular but unmisable island in the center of
the lake and gettin stares from people as a white person in china! The
boat ride was fun and I took many lovely photos before arriving on the
beautiful island.
The saying here goes "an island on a lake and a lake within an island"
and is a lucky place to visit. I loved it and took lots more photos. I
walked all around it a few times and found it had been created many
years ago while dredging the lake. I then got a boat to a different
spot on the lake and walked along a giant causeway back toward the
centre. I stopped off halfway in a cafe with a Chinese only menu, the
young guy there said a food was tasty and meat so I ordered it (much
to his disbelief) and it was slices of very tasty cold beef.
I found thebus route and came back to the hotel and wa pointe towards
the hill behind the house that I had wanted to climb. I headed
randomly as pointed and first found a touristy but deserted cable car
station that I decided was too wimpy before finding a path and heading
up! I climbed to the top of the 300m hill without stopping up stone
steps in around half an hour to find an untouristy Buddhist temple
that was shut but lovely late evening views of hungZhou west lake and
the area. On the way down (walking) I met A man on his way up, we got
chatting and he had lived in Bournemouth for 18years before returning
to china. We walked down together whilst talking and he explained he
is starting an international business teaching Chinese and cooking
with guildford university. We stopped by his office and saw his
fathers caligraphy and I said I would stop by tomorrow to see his
father doing it and talk about his idea! Lol he is friendly and so I
don't mind.
I chatted for a while with another guest in the hotel and ate some
fresh fruit....like really soft yellow lichie (or however it is
spelt!) possibly fresh ones instead of exported ones! I then headed
out to find some food, the resteraunt near the hotel looked good and
local but when I tried to eat there they said no sorry, I think scared
because they spoke no English! The one next door was posh an a little
expensive but was willing to try so I ate there, a fantastic and posh
chicken in sauce with a beer for a pricey £9. It made a nice treat.
I am now lying in bed being seranaded by someone nearby with a sax ad
a few local dogs while bats fly past the window.
Ready for a new day tomorrow!
hills and feel the breeze, amazing!
I got the bus into town and missed the stop we used last night, I
didn't recognise it in the day! I decided to walk and so set off in
the general direction of the lake in the 30+ degree heat and after
half an hour and an iced coffee I made it to the lake.
I got on a boat to the popular but unmisable island in the center of
the lake and gettin stares from people as a white person in china! The
boat ride was fun and I took many lovely photos before arriving on the
beautiful island.
The saying here goes "an island on a lake and a lake within an island"
and is a lucky place to visit. I loved it and took lots more photos. I
walked all around it a few times and found it had been created many
years ago while dredging the lake. I then got a boat to a different
spot on the lake and walked along a giant causeway back toward the
centre. I stopped off halfway in a cafe with a Chinese only menu, the
young guy there said a food was tasty and meat so I ordered it (much
to his disbelief) and it was slices of very tasty cold beef.
I found thebus route and came back to the hotel and wa pointe towards
the hill behind the house that I had wanted to climb. I headed
randomly as pointed and first found a touristy but deserted cable car
station that I decided was too wimpy before finding a path and heading
up! I climbed to the top of the 300m hill without stopping up stone
steps in around half an hour to find an untouristy Buddhist temple
that was shut but lovely late evening views of hungZhou west lake and
the area. On the way down (walking) I met A man on his way up, we got
chatting and he had lived in Bournemouth for 18years before returning
to china. We walked down together whilst talking and he explained he
is starting an international business teaching Chinese and cooking
with guildford university. We stopped by his office and saw his
fathers caligraphy and I said I would stop by tomorrow to see his
father doing it and talk about his idea! Lol he is friendly and so I
don't mind.
I chatted for a while with another guest in the hotel and ate some
fresh fruit....like really soft yellow lichie (or however it is
spelt!) possibly fresh ones instead of exported ones! I then headed
out to find some food, the resteraunt near the hotel looked good and
local but when I tried to eat there they said no sorry, I think scared
because they spoke no English! The one next door was posh an a little
expensive but was willing to try so I ate there, a fantastic and posh
chicken in sauce with a beer for a pricey £9. It made a nice treat.
I am now lying in bed being seranaded by someone nearby with a sax ad
a few local dogs while bats fly past the window.
Ready for a new day tomorrow!
Back in control!
Righty, have deleted all the random crappy posts by my stupid ipod touch which doesn't have delivery confirmation on very low bandwidth links it would seem! Have found a neato proxy so am going to email things to myself and post when i can get PC access, fun times!
Hold tight people, more to come!
Hold tight people, more to come!
Monday 7 June 2010
Shanghai to hungzhou
Woke up way too late after last nights drinking till 4or 5, still havnt adjusted to the time here so am ok all day and then feel awake all night!
Got some breakfast and then checked out and wandered to the train station and successfully got on the train to hungzhou which took around 2 hours and was very comfy and so clean, the woman looking after the carriage mopped the floor between each stop!
When I got into hungzhou station I found it was huge, dirty, and filled with nobody to help lost foreigners. I called the hostel and asked them to ask the taxi drivers to take me there as I had not got the Chinese characters for the address and taxis don't read pinyin! (chinese written in western letters)
The taxis all said no as it was too far and it was rush hour so I gave up and walked into the first class lounge with all my stuff and asked for anyone who speaks english, a girl did and she called the hotel for me and found out I should take the number k7 bus to the last but one stop then call a number on my new chinese mobile!
She then took me to the stop and I managed to work out the bus ok!
Once I had got off the bus I called the number and was met by a guy on a bike from the hostel.
He led me down some back streets with his limited English we chatted and came to a very very Chinese guest house on the other side of the lake from hungzhou. I was shown a single room where 2 of the walls have full length windows with amazing views over the nearby hills, it is without a doubt the best place I have stayed ever. The view is amazing and after checking in and settling down they invite me to eat with them which I do, they have a neighbour cook and we eat beef and pork and fresh river fish, the only real fish I have liked, it was gorgeous! But lots of small bones! A girl arrived shortly before dinner and had been to school in new York as a lawyer and spoke good English so we chatted and she stays there every weekend. After Dinner (which they paid for!) they said I should go to the center and see some fountains at night and have a look around so we got the bus (they paid the 20y) and we went into town to watch an amazing fountain display Set to music and see west lake lit up with the entire hill on one side of the lake artificially lit!
We walked around the lake and then said goodbye to the very helpful woman as she had to return to shanghai for the week. We then got the taxi home (again they would not let me pay) and I headed to a comfortably firm bed (wood+2 duvets)
From the things said and the lack of anything English I think foreign guests are very very rare and I love how Chinese the place is, there are no tourists staying here and I have seen none walking around, this is true china and it is gorgeous!
N.b. I walked through some of the most famous tea fields in china between the bus and here, so sureal and so beautiful with traditional people working them as done for hundreds of years and def not a tourist attraction!
Got some breakfast and then checked out and wandered to the train station and successfully got on the train to hungzhou which took around 2 hours and was very comfy and so clean, the woman looking after the carriage mopped the floor between each stop!
When I got into hungzhou station I found it was huge, dirty, and filled with nobody to help lost foreigners. I called the hostel and asked them to ask the taxi drivers to take me there as I had not got the Chinese characters for the address and taxis don't read pinyin! (chinese written in western letters)
The taxis all said no as it was too far and it was rush hour so I gave up and walked into the first class lounge with all my stuff and asked for anyone who speaks english, a girl did and she called the hotel for me and found out I should take the number k7 bus to the last but one stop then call a number on my new chinese mobile!
She then took me to the stop and I managed to work out the bus ok!
Once I had got off the bus I called the number and was met by a guy on a bike from the hostel.
He led me down some back streets with his limited English we chatted and came to a very very Chinese guest house on the other side of the lake from hungzhou. I was shown a single room where 2 of the walls have full length windows with amazing views over the nearby hills, it is without a doubt the best place I have stayed ever. The view is amazing and after checking in and settling down they invite me to eat with them which I do, they have a neighbour cook and we eat beef and pork and fresh river fish, the only real fish I have liked, it was gorgeous! But lots of small bones! A girl arrived shortly before dinner and had been to school in new York as a lawyer and spoke good English so we chatted and she stays there every weekend. After Dinner (which they paid for!) they said I should go to the center and see some fountains at night and have a look around so we got the bus (they paid the 20y) and we went into town to watch an amazing fountain display Set to music and see west lake lit up with the entire hill on one side of the lake artificially lit!
We walked around the lake and then said goodbye to the very helpful woman as she had to return to shanghai for the week. We then got the taxi home (again they would not let me pay) and I headed to a comfortably firm bed (wood+2 duvets)
From the things said and the lack of anything English I think foreign guests are very very rare and I love how Chinese the place is, there are no tourists staying here and I have seen none walking around, this is true china and it is gorgeous!
N.b. I walked through some of the most famous tea fields in china between the bus and here, so sureal and so beautiful with traditional people working them as done for hundreds of years and def not a tourist attraction!
Sunday 6 June 2010
The giant contrast!
Ended up in a tiny bit of hungzhou, will explain more in the morning! All in good fun though!
Tour of shanghai and the bunt
Aimed to wake up vey early today but ended up oversleeping, then matthius and I left for the station to see about travelling aroud, him to beijing and I to hungzhou. As we got to the station we met renauld coming the othe way and arrange to meet up later.
Got to the station and queued at the "English counter" for our tickets for around half an hour with various people pushing in all aroun us while we queued like good little Brits! I just aske To go to hungzhou and was handed a ticket and charged £7 for the 2 hour journey. Bargain!
We met the others and hole they bought their tickets went to the poshest coffee shop i've been to with lots of posh waitresses an the whole staff greeted us individually! How odd! Had a nice iced coffee and then went to the shop next door selling back alley phones, I was tempted but now u know where it is I will check my finances when I end up here!
We then all had some lunch and headed to the peoples square where there were lots of fake cars, a Chinese version of the new mini for 3.500 gbp! Brand new!
We then saw hundreds of old people with signs standing in the park and were confused until an old man explained that they were parents with unmarried children meeting up to arrange a potential date for their child! Crazy! He then said many Chinese want western partners and would we be interested! We politely declined but it was very odd.
We walked down the main shopping road to the bund and from there watched the boats on the famous skyline of pudong with many photos!
We headed to a back alley place for a tasty beer before heading back to take more photos with the lights on, the number of boats was amazing to see, a constant stream day and night.
After walking down the bund we fancied a goodbye dinner so found a resteraunt off the main street with no English speakers and an unusably translated menu! After ordering 4 random dishes to share and a few beers we ate 5 lovely dishes (no idea where the last one, sugered corn, came from) we were full and happy and everyone ate, with rice and beer and green tea for an expensive £12! it was great!
We headed back on the Metro and parted ways with Launa enroute and then stayed in the hostel with some older German Guys, matthius, renauld and an American guy out here teaching English who offered me a possile job in a small town nearby and the chance to see the town with him this week if I would like. A cool guy, we stayed up till 4am talking and drinking and laughing at British and American stereotypes. He is the least americanish American I have ever met!
Travelling tomorrow, woo!
Got to the station and queued at the "English counter" for our tickets for around half an hour with various people pushing in all aroun us while we queued like good little Brits! I just aske To go to hungzhou and was handed a ticket and charged £7 for the 2 hour journey. Bargain!
We met the others and hole they bought their tickets went to the poshest coffee shop i've been to with lots of posh waitresses an the whole staff greeted us individually! How odd! Had a nice iced coffee and then went to the shop next door selling back alley phones, I was tempted but now u know where it is I will check my finances when I end up here!
We then all had some lunch and headed to the peoples square where there were lots of fake cars, a Chinese version of the new mini for 3.500 gbp! Brand new!
We then saw hundreds of old people with signs standing in the park and were confused until an old man explained that they were parents with unmarried children meeting up to arrange a potential date for their child! Crazy! He then said many Chinese want western partners and would we be interested! We politely declined but it was very odd.
We walked down the main shopping road to the bund and from there watched the boats on the famous skyline of pudong with many photos!
We headed to a back alley place for a tasty beer before heading back to take more photos with the lights on, the number of boats was amazing to see, a constant stream day and night.
After walking down the bund we fancied a goodbye dinner so found a resteraunt off the main street with no English speakers and an unusably translated menu! After ordering 4 random dishes to share and a few beers we ate 5 lovely dishes (no idea where the last one, sugered corn, came from) we were full and happy and everyone ate, with rice and beer and green tea for an expensive £12! it was great!
We headed back on the Metro and parted ways with Launa enroute and then stayed in the hostel with some older German Guys, matthius, renauld and an American guy out here teaching English who offered me a possile job in a small town nearby and the chance to see the town with him this week if I would like. A cool guy, we stayed up till 4am talking and drinking and laughing at British and American stereotypes. He is the least americanish American I have ever met!
Travelling tomorrow, woo!
Expo time and a hotel move!
Woke up this morning a bit jet lagged, took a nice shower and a paracetamol and found that really helped and met up with an English girl I met last night called Launa and Renault the French Canadian for breakfast. We decides to go to a local supermarket to buy some food and bought a random selection of breakfast like steamed buns for 30p and 2 apples for another 90p, fruit seems uitenhage expensive here!
We ate our Breakfast on. The way back to the hotel to varying success ( mine was an odd cold curry flavour bun, a bit odd) and then I made plans to meet up with them later and checked out of my room.
Renault and I had wanted to stay on but had found that there was only one bed left, which I let Renault had as he had been travellig a lot longer (366 days!) and booked another hostel further out of town. Popped over there and as I checked in met a German guy at check in who I was to share a room with and we decided after unpackig to head back to the shanghai expo a massive event where allthe counties build massive stands to show off thier county, fancy.
Also met my other flatmate who I from Ohio and a Bit of a dick, he loves china nearly as much as he loves himself though but recomended taipai, ah well such is hosteling.
Went to the expo and it was crazy! So busy and so so big! I took mattius and me renult and we headed into the expo, we could not take water or other liquids etc onto the park and of course the other guys had lighters nd knives that they had to hide in the flowers outside or loose! We met near the toilets near the English show and went around in a 4.
This show is huge, walking from one side to the other is about an hour and the smallest exibits like cube are the size of a large house, the US and bigger counties were the size of large hangers or bigger, and chinas is a 10-15 story high pavillion, crazy!
The UK one was really cool but just about seeds an nothing to do with England which sucked a bit but was good for photos, we also saw Canada and chille from inside bit the queues were madness, the UK was 1.15 to look in one room! got my first picture taken for being white by some chinese girls, first quietly then they just asked, I didn't mind!
We got in late so by the time we left it was time for me and mat to get the last metro back, we then went for a few beers on a bar q few miles walk away that was very odd, and then got a taxi back,
Lunch was a tasty bit of fried chicken from a hut in a wall for 60p and dinner was chips in the Canada expo to cure Renault homesickness for chipsand cheese and gravy, a national dish!
Must remember to back ip my photos too.
Just found out my only way around the firewallon blogspot (iPod) doesn't work on their wifi! Doh!
Tomorrow booking a ticket to hangZhou before hitting hanghai, maybe give my guide a call! Lol
Hope to update soon!
We ate our Breakfast on. The way back to the hotel to varying success ( mine was an odd cold curry flavour bun, a bit odd) and then I made plans to meet up with them later and checked out of my room.
Renault and I had wanted to stay on but had found that there was only one bed left, which I let Renault had as he had been travellig a lot longer (366 days!) and booked another hostel further out of town. Popped over there and as I checked in met a German guy at check in who I was to share a room with and we decided after unpackig to head back to the shanghai expo a massive event where allthe counties build massive stands to show off thier county, fancy.
Also met my other flatmate who I from Ohio and a Bit of a dick, he loves china nearly as much as he loves himself though but recomended taipai, ah well such is hosteling.
Went to the expo and it was crazy! So busy and so so big! I took mattius and me renult and we headed into the expo, we could not take water or other liquids etc onto the park and of course the other guys had lighters nd knives that they had to hide in the flowers outside or loose! We met near the toilets near the English show and went around in a 4.
This show is huge, walking from one side to the other is about an hour and the smallest exibits like cube are the size of a large house, the US and bigger counties were the size of large hangers or bigger, and chinas is a 10-15 story high pavillion, crazy!
The UK one was really cool but just about seeds an nothing to do with England which sucked a bit but was good for photos, we also saw Canada and chille from inside bit the queues were madness, the UK was 1.15 to look in one room! got my first picture taken for being white by some chinese girls, first quietly then they just asked, I didn't mind!
We got in late so by the time we left it was time for me and mat to get the last metro back, we then went for a few beers on a bar q few miles walk away that was very odd, and then got a taxi back,
Lunch was a tasty bit of fried chicken from a hut in a wall for 60p and dinner was chips in the Canada expo to cure Renault homesickness for chipsand cheese and gravy, a national dish!
Must remember to back ip my photos too.
Just found out my only way around the firewallon blogspot (iPod) doesn't work on their wifi! Doh!
Tomorrow booking a ticket to hangZhou before hitting hanghai, maybe give my guide a call! Lol
Hope to update soon!
Thursday 3 June 2010
Got the flight ok to shanghai, met a crazy guy from Algeria who said if I was ever in the area I wa welcome and a potential hanghai guide! Not bad, I got very sick of the flight by the end of 26 hours though and was very uncomfortable!!
I then splashed out on the maglev train at 430kmph to zoom half way to my safely pre booked hotel, then I changed onto the mtero I could have gotten from the start to finish the trip!
Got to hotel and after waiting begind 30bus tourists for half an hour I managed to get to the desk only to be told my reservation didn't exist! and they were full!
The kind man called another hostel and reserved the last bed there before it went.
A quick dash across town secured that room!
I then met a nce guy in te lobbey and we went for dinner and a beer in a very Chinese choose your own place for a shocking £1!
Could only get one night here so now it's 9pm and I'm trying to fin a bed for tomorrow so o can visit the expo!!
I then splashed out on the maglev train at 430kmph to zoom half way to my safely pre booked hotel, then I changed onto the mtero I could have gotten from the start to finish the trip!
Got to hotel and after waiting begind 30bus tourists for half an hour I managed to get to the desk only to be told my reservation didn't exist! and they were full!
The kind man called another hostel and reserved the last bed there before it went.
A quick dash across town secured that room!
I then met a nce guy in te lobbey and we went for dinner and a beer in a very Chinese choose your own place for a shocking £1!
Could only get one night here so now it's 9pm and I'm trying to fin a bed for tomorrow so o can visit the expo!!
In Doha
Just being called for my gate at Doha, media collection Is holding up well but I watched avatar last week and that is the big film on the plane! Also only found free wifi as I leave!
Doha seems boring, lol, from what I have seen of the airport!
Also feeling very white already haha,
Hope to update when in the hotel, flight 888 here I come!
Doha seems boring, lol, from what I have seen of the airport!
Also feeling very white already haha,
Hope to update when in the hotel, flight 888 here I come!
Friday 28 May 2010
Setup Blog
Just setup this blog to post to while I'm out in China over the next month, fun times! Packing and planning at the moment ready to go in...4 days!!
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