Thu - October 28, 2004Thursday, October 28, 2004 (Kowloon – Hong Kong)More tedium in the train before reaching
Guangzhou. Starting to feel like we have left China already. Special
Administrative Zones. Modern infrastructure again. MacInternet. A last minute
change of plans takes us to the smallest guesthouse in Kowloon. A summary of our
budget in China.
Posted at 09:35 PM Read More Wed - October 27, 2004Wednesday, October 27, 2004 (Train from Kunming to Guangzhou)Making sure we stick to the new plan. The
modernisation of China. The last quick DVD bargain to be had. Watching China
slowly pass by through the window of our train.
Posted at 11:12 PM Read More Tue - October 26, 2004Tuesday, October 26, 2004 (Kunming - China)Good-bye to Chengdu but where is the taxi driver
taking us? Airport prepared for expansion. Don't they have tourists in Kunming?
Fun on the buses. Sometimes the language barrier can hide the fact that the
Chinese are friendly people. The romance of China starting to wear off a bit
now. The importance of a decent map. A radical change in our plans swiftly
executed. The ups and downs of a bizarre evening.
Posted at 11:00 PM Read More Mon - October 25, 2004Monday, October 25, 2004 (Chengdu - China)A late night makes an early morning that much
more difficult. Back to see the Pandas again was much more enjoyable without the
crowds. Another close encounter but this time without the hoards of screaming
tourists. Getting back to town the cheap way. Having fun getting lost and
finding some real DVD bargains. Another relaxing massage but we're not sure what
happened to my back. A poignant thought for the day.
Posted at 10:59 PM Read More Sun - October 24, 2004Sunday, October 24, 2004 (Chengdu - China)The bus to Leshan. The bus in Leshan. Where is
the biggest Buddha in the world? Dafu in all his glory. Meeting more Dutch
people (they are everywhere). Sitting on the dock of the bay. And now how to get
back home again. Eating cheap. A retirement plan. A new fruit. Comparing
photos.
Posted at 10:58 PM Read More Sat - October 23, 2004Saturday, October 23, 2004 (Chengdu - China)Panda fever has set in but the dull and drizzly
day threatens to put a dampener on things. Going week at the knees at our first
sighting. Actually holding one of only 1000 of these beasts left on the planet.
A new-born Giant Panda cub was the icing on the cake. Red Pandas just as cute
and cuddly as the Giant Pandas. Hooking up again.
Posted at 03:43 PM Read More Fri - October 22, 2004Friday, October 22, 2004 (Chengdu - China)Another comfortable train journey. Collected from
the train station by the friendly staff from the not so friendly hostel. Trouble
with the heating now that the weather had turned. Eel and chicken sharps for
lunch. Wandering the streets of Chengdu. Enough is enough - time to switch
accommodation.
Posted at 06:48 PM Read More Thu - October 21, 2004Thursday, October 21, 2004 (Train from Xi’an to Chengdu)Leaving behind some thoughts for successive
travelers. Going through the motions of catching another train. Making friends
with our new cabin mates. Reflecting on my changing writing style. Pondering
what to do with my journal entries at the end of the trip.
Posted at 08:41 PM Read More Wed - October 20, 2004Tue - October 19, 2004Tuesday, October 19, 2004 (Xi’an - China)Arriving in Xi'an on what turned out to be a
brand new train. India revisited. Making our own way to the hostel this time.
The ever present need to figure out where to go next, just as soon as we've
arrived anywhere new. Making our way straight to the terracotta soldiers -
eventually. Chinese fast food and a unique perspective on life in China through
the eyes of its student population.
Posted at 03:09 PM Read More Mon - October 18, 2004Monday, October 18, 2004 (Train from Beijing to Xi’an)Farewell to Datong and our trusty CITS office.
Bumping into familiar faces. Still no luck interacting with the other train
passengers. Arrived safely in Beijing but not on the page in the guidebook that
we thought. The tension thickens as we try to combat Sandy's reading withdrawal
symptoms. Who writes this hilarious stuff anyway. Live scorpions on sticks. I
could get used to travelling like this.
Posted at 09:55 PM Read More Sun - October 17, 2004Sunday, October 17, 2004 (Datong - Beijing)Slept blissfully through the first half of the
day. Our hotel also rents rooms by the hour. Trying to understand how the buses
work. The Nine Dragons Screen. Being stared at more and more. Looking for a
temple but finding a more interesting part of town. Found the temple after all
but confused one of the locals in the process. How and when to haggle.
Remembering the little details. Are we still on budget?
Posted at 10:21 PM Read More Sat - October 16, 2004Saturday, October 16, 2004 (Datong - China)What a difference a comfortable bed makes. All
this spitting makes me sick - literally. Setting off to see the sites but
clearing the city limits was the first hurdle. The amazing temple caves at
Yungang are a sight to behold. A two our trek across the countryside to the
hanging temples at Heng Shan - equally a sight to behold. Another relaxing but
very long meal and we can now relax for a couple of days.
Posted at 11:56 AM Read More Fri - October 15, 2004Friday, October 15, 2004 (Train to Datong - China)Longest stay in any one place. A mad rush to
catch the train. Railway impressions. Want to buy some socks? Pondering the
vast land that is China. Sorting our the tourists on arrival. Choosing our hotel
and haggling for the room rate. Rounding the evening off with a nice Chinese
meal.
Posted at 04:58 PM Read More Thu - October 14, 2004Thursday, October 14, 2004 (Beijing - China)Another attempt at the Great wall bit this time
as the locals do, in a rickety old claptrap of a bus. Orientation at the base of
the wall. Not a very effective tourist machine. Did I leave something on the
bus? Chair lift up, foot power down. Glorious views to surpass even those from
the other day. Much more wall to admire this time. A familiar lunch is not quite
as familiar as we thought. Did I leave something else on the bus also? More
communications fun but unable to locate our lost property. An evening at the
local police station in Beijing was not on the agenda this morning. Anecdotes
with the other travellers.
Posted at 02:47 PM Read More Wed - October 13, 2004Wednesday, October 13, 2004 (Beijing - China)Musing over the plan ahead and working the
logistics. Trying our own luck at the train station. A stroll around the Temple
of Heaven. Eating in Grandma's Kitchen and finishing up the day exchanging
anecdotes with other travellers.
Posted at 02:27 PM Read More Tue - October 12, 2004Tuesday, October 12, 2004 (Beijing - China)Has anyone seen a Great Wall anywhere? Which wall
shall we visit today and how shall we get there? Shunning the packaged tourist
scene, but did we? Simple problems make for big hurdles. What is this guy
talking about with all those vowel sounds? Too many diversions but finally made
it the the wall at the end of the day. Meeting a fellow European for
supper.
Posted at 11:13 AM Read More Mon - October 11, 2004Monday, October 11, 2004 (Beijing - China)Our day of rest but this doesn't automatically
mean it will be a good day. Do-it-yourself laundry in the do-it-yourself sink.
And the mist finally lifts. This whole Japan thing is just not working out
regardless how hard I try. Lending a helpful English speaking hand. In search of
the markets but found only frustration. The Beijing metro network in all its
glory.
Posted at 07:55 PM Read More Sun - October 10, 2004Sunday, October 10, 2004 (Beijing - China)Starting the day with breakfast instead of lunch.
Neither of us like big
tablet day. Taking on the Summer Palace but no
idea what ticket we just bought. Glorious site to behold - mist or no mist.
Serenity rules the day. The Arches of
Golden Yellow. Chinese
acrobatics.
Posted at 07:08 PM Read More Sat - October 9, 2004Saturday, October 9, 2004 (Beijing - China)An unexpected phone call turned out to be very
fortuitous. Checking out and back in again. Tiananmen Square under the watchful
eye of Chairmen Mao but getting there was half the fun. Is it a trus or a bram?
Fending off the hungry touts looking for green tourists to feed off. Not quite
as forbidden as in times past. One square Kilometre of all that is Chinese.
Japan is so close yet so far. The best meat this vegetarian restaurant had to
offer.
Posted at 05:44 PM Read More Fri - October 8, 2004Friday, October 8, 2004 (Flight from Shenzhen to Beijing)Making our way to the ferry. A new country, but
the same country. Disembarkation observations. Finding our way in a new world.
Running directly into the language barrier. Some local currency. That
mysterious, white mist. Something to show the taxi driver. Arms and legs, when
mouth not enough. Is it noise or is it language? Where is this taxi driver
taking us? What to do here in Beijing. Interacting with the locals. The
fall-back restaurant. Spitting - the national sport. Where to find
money.
Posted at 09:26 PM Read More |
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Total entries in this category: Published On: Mar 04, 2005 08:49 PM |
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