This is the end...

HK airport internet kiosk, starbucks in hand (can coffee get nay worse?) I see the Airbus about to take me back.... The last few days in HK were a blast. David and I caught up on Saturday for a great fresh seafood dinner and a few beers. It was great to see HK through a local's eyes. Sunday was more food, a bit of shopping and a lot more walking. I went to Lantau Island on Saturday to see the biggest brass bhudda on the planet... it was pretty cool. Despite inital perceptions, this place isn't so bad. I just wouldn't want to stay here for much longer, though.

Hong Kong Mayhem

I am standing at an Internet kiosk in the hong Kong Metro. This place is chaotic, I am yearning for China... never thought this would be possible. I had the most uneventful border crossing ever, Chinese customs turned out be to be a smiling young man with little to do. Hong Kong Immigration was equally dull.
So far I have ridden the world's longest elevator... it's slow but the surrounding areas make for a fasnating sight. Will be here till Monday AM, and then homeward bound.
Am hoping to spend Sunday in the mountains, hiking... can't stand these crowds. Tomorrow, I will meet up with David for a beer or three and perhaps get a taste for the real Hong Kong.
Will update you on the last days in China upon my return....
Mum, please sms me your shoe size... thanks P

ISO9001 and 'A' ratings

Only in China....

For those who dont know, ISO 9001 symbolises an international level of quality for the services industry. It has become a symbol of quality everywhere in the western world, and you would most often see this displayed by management consultants and the like. Alas, this is not the case in China. Yeah, over here it is blasted everywhere... from restaurant menus to beauty salons. I wonder if anyone monitoring the registration of these services is aware of this blatant misuse.

The Chinese attractions are rated using an 'A' system. The Terracotta Warriors earn 4 As and the great wall blitzes it in with 5 As. I have yet to find an explanation for this rating system. It seems a little excessive though. If anyone out there knows anything about this, please enlighten me!

Pieces from the 'China Daily';
'3 Year old addicted to cigarettes'
he smokes a pack a day and he started at the age of two. Doctors are concerned for his psychological well being (yes, psychological...)
'Man lives with fat and sick wife'
man weighing 53kgs lives happilly with his 102 kgs diabetic wife. He is said to get his greatest joy from her greeting him when he arrives home from work.
There are many more such gems in the China Daily.

If I told you I went to Wal Mart to buy Pantene today, would you assume that I'd be in China? perhpas not. Yes, I am in Kunming where Wal Mart has indeed made quite an impact and this is only the beginning. They intend on opening a further 20 stores in the next year. By the sheer number of shoppers seen today, I doubt that they'd have any problems making a buck!

Gang Sha or Ganja?

Picture this.... A little old lady, about 150cm tall dressed in traditional Tibetan clothing approaches me in the streets of Dali and whispers in the most perfect American accent ' would you like some weed?' I was flabbergasted, to say the least. How could this sweet little grandma have such a perfect accent? :)

Yes, boys and girls, it's harvest season in Dali. The time when the streets begin to fill with backpackers wearing their finest hiking boots sporting large wicker baskets cum backpacks in tow head for the mountain and start picking. Gang Sha Mountain lies to the west of old Dali city and is a truely maginificent place. To quote that famous Australian Darryl Kerrigan 'Serenity, my friends, serenity'. I did a 14km hike around the mountain with Eric from Seattle and Mayelon from Antwerp. It made for a glorious couple of hours away from the hustle and bustle of Chinese tourism. We did enter a military zone, but there was no one there to shoot or shout at us, so we went on our merry way with few issues. We saw three other people during the hike.... ahh, serenity.

Back in town I headed for Er Hai Lu, the lake sitting east of old Dali. Managed to cycle over 50 kms through some very interesting little villages, one of which was hosting its weekly market, a sight to behold. Altogether, Dali was pretty cool experience, even if the town itself is pretty much spoiled by Chinese tourism. There are few (Han) Chinese visiting the further reaches of the city, which makes these areas relatively unspoilt. I wish I had time to see Lijiang and Tiger Leaping Gorge.... maybe next time.

Whilst in Dali, I stayed at Jim's guesthouse. Jim is a Tibetan who fought against the Chinese in the Vietnam war, and he has many stories to tell, most of which I am unable to publish (will explain at a later stage). Jim, however, does make a wonderful brew dubbed the 'jim Special'. It is 50% alcohol, contains Chinese brandy infused with ginseng, gingko and a number of other herbs. It does a wonderful job in curing any possible ailments. It does make for a good change form the 3.3% beer they have over here.

Making my way back home already.... I leave China in two days with mixed feelings. I would love to stay longer and explore this place, but there are a number of stories which have left me somewhat disturbed about this country. More later...

Did someone mention Cultya?

In Chengdu, I attended an evening of Sichuan Culture. Two fellow intrepid travellers, Hans #1, Hans #2 and I set off for a night promising laughter, acrobatics and opera. Well, we certainly got the laughter component.
The mini bus was teeming with middle age tourists seeking a break from the perils of travelling through the treacherous heartland of China.... this should have been a good indication that perhaps this wasnt going to be the most enjoyable evening.
We were whisked away to the local opera house, and after much ado over the tickets, we were allowed to enter. The evening begun with acrobatics which was mostly enjoyable, especially when the little girl performing got her act together. There was a variety of Opera, Sichuan and comedic... it was hard to distinguish between the two. The subtitles provided for an interesting interpretation of the scenes (what are 'hibies?'). The best part was the grand mask changing finale, which was pretty spectacular. I fell asleep during the classical music component, only to be woken by Hans #2 who was quite dismayed at my lack of interest.
The evening improved after we went to a local restau and after pointing at a number of items on the menu, we were told simply 'lo,lo', which we interpreted as meaning they didnt have any. After a good five minutes of 'lo,lo' we ordered peanuts! No, seriously! We did manage to find 2 other dishes, but no rice was forthcoming. Altogether, it made for a most enjoyable evening, even if it did end with the very un-Chinese viewing of a number of pirated Hollywood DVDs.

Chengdu to Dali in a day

Not reccomended!I have had a pretty tiring day leaving Chengdu at 620am and making it here just before 5pm. It was with much regret that I left Chengdu but I really did want to see more of the Tibetan side of China, so here I am. So far, I have been approachedby many trying to sell me some herbal 'tea'....mmmm. Tomorrow, will get a bike and head out of town.
Chengdu was great, but more about that later...

Halfway point

Today marks the halfway point of my trip... It seems like time has flown by! It has been pretty amazing, though. It is only now that I am feeling as though I am on holiday. I have done all the things on my 'must do' list and now it's time to kick back. Chengdu is a perfect place for this. The pandas this morning were great. This afternoon I visited the Wenshu Monastery and that was probably the best experience I have had since I arrived. It was just so peaceful and serene, with buddhist monks walking the grounds. The temples, the odour from the incense sticks made for the ulitmate chill out atmosphere.
The hostel is excellent with free internet (hence the ability to post my pics), friendly staff and a great group of fellow travellers. I am waiting to see whether I can get into a Sichuan cooking course. Tomorrow, I am hiring a bike and heading to the Tibetan side of town. After this, I head to Dali via Kunming.... I think.
Hope all is well back home.

Panda-monium!

Today I visited the Panda Research Centre. It was the most enjoyable thing I have done so far. The pandas are the cutest things ever!We went in time to see them having breakfast. They are human like in so many ways. It's amazing to see. The conservation effort has worked very well. There were 4 cubs in residence, they were so tiny! Couldnt take photos of them, though.
I am liking Chengdu a lot more than I thought possible. It is a nice town, less people and more laidback than any other that I have been to so far. I am off to visit some temples later today, and am going to bid farewell to Chengdu tomorrow, I think. I am really looking forward to Kunming.
I have posted photos on my flicker site, here.
Enjoy!

Everywhere a warrior

Yesterday, I was in Xi'an to visit the Terracotta Warriors. The place is absolutely amazing! It is something everyone must see at least once in their lifetime. There are three pits, the first being the largest and which features the most excavated part of the army. The second and third pits have fewer excavated parts, but there are still a sight to behold!
I arrived in Xi'an at 8am, and was on the tour by 9am. However, we didnt actually make it to the Warriors till after 4pm.... In typical fashion, we had to visit a factory shop first, a temple or two and eat at a designated highly priced restaurant. So by the time, we got there, we were just a tad jaded by the whole thing. We had a really nice group of fellow travellers, including a Camden couple who actually purchased a full size warrior for A$1400 (including shipping!- Bargain?!?!?)
This morning I flew to Chengdu... yes, I flew. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, it was cheaper and quicker (16 to 27 hours by train vs. 2 hours in the air) and as expected my stomach has packed it in and the thought of using train toilets didnt sit well with me. In regards to the stomach, I expected this. However, I am not sure what triggered it off. I have indulged in a private room with bathroom rather than a dorm this time around as well.... it only costs A$20.
I flew China Eastern and was pleased to see that I was getting on an Airbus, not a Soviet plane. The service and quality are comparable to Qantas City Flyer. The breakfast was all carbs, a muffin, a very sweet bread roll and a cupcake...
Since I have not slept properly since my arrival (I have noted the high grumpiness factor in my posts), I have nominated today to be a rest day.
Now a little aboout Chengdu, it is the capital of the Sichuan province. I was expecting it to be smaller than other cities I have been to, but the urban sprawl factor is highly evident. It is polluted, but not as badly as Beijing. The key highlights of the next few days will be the Panda research station and the Temple of Divine Light, a buddhist temple 18kms out of town. I am hoping to hire a bike here, for that additional Chinese experience.

Beijing: the final instalment

Well, I have a few more hours left in Beijing and frankly atm, that's a few hours too many. This place is ok, but the pollution and the general grey of the area is rather depressing.
Beijing is the good daughter of China, the one who stayed home to look after her parents. She is obedient and guarded. Shanghai, on the other hand, is the whore. She is free, liberated and has let many wander her streets. I think that is the best analogy I can come up with to compare these two cities. I do prefer Shanghai, if not for the quality of the air alone.
I am living in a district full of shops selling musical instruments and trophies, an odd combination. They have many clarinets, badged 'made in England/ France' and selling for around A$100-150. They are, however, all made in China and the shop assistants are only too pleased to reveal this. The remainder of the district is half hutong, half modernised. the hutongs mainly lay in ruins, but you can certainly imagine the charm they once held. Many Western Chinese inhabit this area, resulting in some absolutely fabulous cuisine. I have been having gourmet meals for A$2 at this local place which offers amongst its menu ' chicken seeking refuge'...mmmm I let that one pass. Again, dog features on the menu.
This morning I observed a man smoking meat with a blow torch. I didnt have my camera handy, but it did make for a fascinating sight.
Now to a fashion highlight. In Beijing I have seen many young ladies sporting a mullet of sorts. They are two distinct lengths in their hair, with the upper shorter layer crimped 80s style, and the longer layer remaining dead straight. When I first saw this, I thought it was a horrible mistake, particularly as the shorter layer was of a different colour than the other. Alas, I have seen this repeated many times since and believe it be a definite Beijing trend.
I was going to see the Summer Palace, but it is under renovation and I have decided to skip it for now. Today is a rest day, of sorts. I head to Xi'an on the overnight train and will do the Terracotta Warriors tomorrow, and if I am lucky enough I will be heading on another o'night train to Chengdu the following evening. From then, it's Kumming, Dali, Shenzhen and onto HK.
I have made many travelling buddies along the way and that has kept my sanity in check. It's been much easier than anticipated, and the Lonely Planet ('THE bible') has been great!
Thank you all for your comments and emails, they are much appreciated.

How now, it's Mao

Backtracking a little bit... On Sunday I did the major sites of Beijing. Tiananmen, the Forbidden City, the Maosuleum, the great hall of the people etc... It was a very long day and by the end I was exhausted. Tiananmen is grey to match the sky. It is a highly revered place amongst the populace. The Forbidden city was pretty amazing but rather tiring, it stretches for kilometres on end!!!
The highlight of Beijing was the Great wall. We climbed, scrambled and walked 10kms from Jindanling on the Mongol side to Simitai... 4 km of which was restored. It made for a very tiring day, but it was well worth seeing the blue sky at the end of the day. It is an amazingly peaceful place. Must head, others are waiting, but here are some more pics (including Starbucks at the Forbidden city and Mao and I).

'...to keep the rabbits in'

Well, today was the Great wall, and how great it is! I am too tired to write so here are some pics...

Z14 Shanghai to Beijing

Well, I made it here in piece! the train was fabulous. They even serve food on board. My cabin was empty save for an elderly Chinese gentleman who spoke no english. There is a pic of my sleeper. I do not know how to rotate as this version of IE is in Korean.
First impressions of Beijing, apart from the overwhelming number of people up at 7am, it seems a little more polluted and crowded than Shanghai. I havent managed to get my bearings, as there is no body of water nearby... this always helps (the whole island living thing).
I managed to book my train ticket to Xian this morning at the locals ticket hall... there is a foreigners version of this, but I did not manage to find it. I received wonderful service and was most pleased with my efforts. So Tuesday I head off to see the Terracotta warriors.
My hostel, the Far East, is rather nice.... now that I swapped rooms, that is. They had put me in a pretty dodgy and grotty part of the hostel, where the smell of urine was so strong I almost lost last night's dinner. Alas, I thought it be best to change. I assumed it would cost more as I requested a move to newer wing. They weren't happy and started talking about me. It's amazing how the tone of negativity remains the same in any language!!!
I have booked my ten km great wall walk for tomorrow, had a brilliant breakfast, done my laundry ... all before 10am! gotta love my own efficiency :)
Today The forbidden city, Mao and some old market which I cant remember the name of.
I posted some photos on my yahoo site, here. Please note the Australia burger currently featuring at McD's over here.
And to all banana lovers out there, I have been having at least one each day. I am paying one yuan for these, and know that I am getting ripped off, but considering this equates to approx 7c, I am pretty happy about the situation.

The eyes have it!

I warn, this may be a long post, as I am getting internet access for half my normal price!!!
I have noticed over the last few days that people have been staring firstly at my eyes, then they make their way down to my feet. Now, in their world both are deemed huge. The eyes are appreciated, the feet are scorned at. I have had my photo taken a few times, sometimes without my knowledge. I find the whole thing rather funny!
I have to say after four days here, I am getting a tad sick of Shanghai. The noise, pollution and general chaos is wearing thin. I have a feeling that Beijing will probably be worse, but at least I will have more to explore.
This morning I headed to the silk markets. If only I could sew!!! It's such a shame, the fabric is exquisite and so cheap ('only 35 yuan for you, my friend!'). I did not manage to get anything made for me, primarily because time is short and I think I will be back here sometime in the future, anyway. I think I will be taking my mum with me, she would be blown away by all the shopping in this place!!! (P1, I now understand Peter's fascination with this place!)
On the way back from the Silk markets, I stopped off at the place where the 1st communist party meeting ever took place. It was interesting to see the development of the party over the years. How Mao still reigns supreme!! Most municpal employees, public transport workers and just about any other public servant still don the blue Maoist uniform of yesteryear.
Yesterday I was succesfully pickpocketed (is there such a term?) and came out 80 yuan (~A$13) down from the experience. I am most thankful that I did not have any more money in my pocket, but also that I did not have my wallet in there.
This put a dampener on my morning, but things improved after I met a whole bunch of miltary from the Congo who were very very pleased to find a French speaking person. So we walked the streets of Shanghai, swapping stories about our respective homelands. Speaking of which, over the last few days I have spoken more French and Japanese than I ever thought possible. So much so that Japanese was the only way I managed to communicate with one my dorm buddies who was a Mandarin/ Japanese translator. There are loads of French tourists around Shanghers, many Aussies and as usual a throng of Israelis.
Last night I had a sumptuous Italian meal complete with wine at a local restaurant. I went with two Aussie gals who warned me that this was the last place I'd see salads and good European food for a while. So I heeded their advice and joined them for dinner. One of the girls, Aisia, is working in Beijing on an Australian Youth Ambassador grant. We had a very long chat about life in China. They had both tried to get over to Tibet and decided to stay within China and visit the Tibetan grasslands. This confirmed my earlier decision to forgo Tibet in favour of the Yunnan province. Yes, I have changed my non-existent plans to include the Yunnan province, in particular Kuming and Dali. The main reason being that there are more Tibetans outside Tibet than within. I had come here with the idea of getting to know the Tibetan culture a bit more, so I am heading to Dali where the Bai people reside. It has, for the most part, resisted Chinese influence and is a whole lot less touristy. The other advantage is that it does not require any acclimatisation as in Tibet (which can take up to 4-5 days!!!). I have also found a mountain retreat where I can stay. They offer tai chi and mountain hikes. I think it will make for a nice break from the chaos that is the rest of China.
Off to Beijing tonight on the o'night train...
btw, I have written postcards... now to find the stamps for them!

Would you like a Lolex with that?

Today is my third morning in Shanghai. The highlight so far has been a night cruise on the Bund. The cruise was sold as a one hour experience, but they failed to mention that there was a whole lot of stuffing around included in that time (and they ensured they left us behind on the way back). Nevertheless, it was beautiful. The Bund is still very much a working port, it has a certain raw quality which is not often found elsewhere. On the city side, the foreshore is lined with colonial architecture and a few feats of Chinese engineering. The Pudong side of the river is all 20th century kitsch complete with a Celine Dion/ Rick Astley soundtrack!!! It is on this side that the new China exists. All trees, eco living and clean transport solutions. Shanghai is currently in its 11th five year plan, this will result in more open spaces, less pollution and a better environment for all. Unfortunately, from where I am sitting this seems a little too late and will only create a greater divide between the rich and poor in this city.
Nanjing Donglu is the Champs Elysee of Shanghai. It is nothing like the original Parisian version and there is no monolithic tower in sight. It is THE shopping strip. It has possibly the largest number of stores in such an area. It is filled with all the European/ US brand names and a fine range of touts selling Rolexes ('lolex, cheap for you) and Rui Vitton. It makes for an entertaining experience. They take you off the main strip into a (ussually) dark alley, in a room ussually filled with a number of other foreigners and hey presto.... the bargaining begins! It's great to see their tactics and even easier to figure out their thresholds. The markets may have gone but the legend certainly lives on...
Culinary highlight so far has been duck tongue (I looked at it, I did not eat it!). We went into a hole in the wall establishment the other night where the theme was BBQ. Included on the menu was dog kebab, which no one was game enough to try. Thankfully we had a Mandarin speaker amongst us!
I also visited the most celebrated veg restaurant in Shanghai and that was an experience worth savouring.
More later...

Mornin'

My body clock is still in Sydney time, meaning I got up at 3am and I pretty much didn't sleep after that..... so if this post makes little sense, you know why. I am pleased, though, that this version of IE is completely in English, which will hopefully result in only having to write this up once (I had a bit of trouble yesterday!!)
So Shanghai.... apart from being a huge city and major port, the place is a conglomerate of French colonial architecture and contrasting, mundane skyscrapers. There is a thick haze hanging over the city and the humidity factor is huge. I have not seen much besides the Bund area, so today will be my first day out. On the agenda is the Shanghai museum and a visit to a legendary veg restaurant.
I passed by a few food stalls this morning, but have not been game enough to try the food. It doesnt help that I can't read the menu, either (maybe a few mandarin lessons wouldnt go astray). Everything smelled great though, so maybe tomorrow I will go down for a true Shanghanese Brekky.

O captain, My captain

Well,I arrived safely. Took the MAGnetic eLEVated (maglev) train over to the metro link. It reportedly reaches a top speed of 430km/hr.... it managed a measly 300km/hr on my 7 minute journey!!! Much like State Rail, only cleaner, faster and way more efficient.
Reached the hostel without making one U turn, so very proud of myself. Met an aussie and 2 Israeli travellers so far. Also managed to get my fisrt lesson in Mandarin. I met two siblings while walking along the Bund and they wanted to practice their English, so in exchange I received a lesson in counting from 1 to 10, including all the apparently nonsensical hand gestures...
all in all, a good day's work...

A wedding or two....

Well, the weekend is over and what a great weekend it was!!! The wedding was great, Mal and El made an absolutely beautiful couple. The entire event was well executed, the weather was perfect for the event. The whole bridal/groom party were fabulous!
I woke up the next day with a very sore head and with a giant bruise on my knee (wont bother explaining that one!). Peppers rocked, the place was very very nice. I managed to get a run and swim in on Saturday morning, witnessed a wedding whilst I was finishing my essay and had an altogether relaxing time.
Am now mostly packed, Bruno came around and picked up the keys, arranged my money this morning and I think I am pretty much set to rock on out of here. I just haven't hit that point of excitement.... yet!

Testing 1,2...

First posting... just testing this out!
Needed to see whether the photo function was easy to use too...
In case you are wondering, that is Crater Cove on the Manly to Spit walk...
Andrew, I await your comments :)
P