Had another smooth flight in the Chinese transportation system here, from Wuhan to Guilin. The Chinese do it right. Tourism will boom here. Glad I got here before it goes wild. Beijing hosts the olympics in 2008. It will all be "discovered" then if not sooner.
Got in late in Guilin, so just stayed there at a hotel near where they dropped me off the bus. You get used to suddenly being in a strange place, at night, and the “touts” (people who get a small commission to take you to their hotel or guest house) are hounding you as you get off the bus or train. This time I followed the first tout, It was late, I needed a place to crash. How about the Bright Pearl Guilin Hotel? Sounds good to me. Turned out to be a little run down for the cheap room, but it will do. Got a/c, shower, bed, that’s all I need. Paid about $15, now that’s a rip off here in this small town market, ..haaa but now is the time you translate to US dollars and rationalize. The word here is to get to Yangshuo as soon as you can and get out of Guilin. They are right, Guilin on the surface looks like another big tourist town.
Got on the bus to Yangshuo in the morning, worked slick. Then found the International Hosteling local hostel. Old standby, the IYH, usually comes through with a nice place. This is my home for the next 4 days. Clean nice, some fun people here, all for 20 Y a day, that’s about 2 ½ US Dollars a day! Big difference in prices when you stay in the country.
Words cannot describe this place, you must see the pictures. When I’m back I’ll load a bunch on the cheapy yahoo site for you all to see. The most impressive was not particularly the beauty of the scenery, but the chance to experience the Chinese countryside. Went on a day long bicycle ride out in the country around Yangshuo and also a nice cruise down the river Li. This is country, I mean water buffalo drawn plows, back breaking labor in rice fields, carrying balancing loads with bamboo poles over their shoulders. And most of these people were my age or much older. What a contrast. Booming, big money China in the big cities, but still things out here haven’t changed in hundreds, maybe thousands of years. When will all this “new china” money get down to the working people?? The only way I see it is through tourism
Who knows.
Then a wild “sleeper” ride from Yangshuo to Hong Kong. Sleeper, yea right!! It looked like a jungle gym inside a big double deecker bus. About 40 little cubicles, big enough to fit a small Chinese person. Hmmm no feet or leg room. Haaaaaaa well big deal, its all part of the adventure.
Arrived in Hong Kong early AM, then taxi to border, then train into town. Called friends I met online a few years back, Frida and Shimon from Israel. They insist I stay with them. They are wonderful people. Shimon is an executive in a shipping firm here. They have a lovely, 4000 sq foot flat in a high rise overlooking the downtown. This is heaven. Frida is my tour guide for next couple of days, as we visit this incredible city. Huge, tall, minimum high rise here I think is 40 stories. Busy people, moving all with their own agendas.
I took a trip out on Landau Island, then thru the maze of walkways downtown, the “escalators” carrying people up the hills and through quaint little narrow streets with restaurants and shops. And shopping, wow this is the place. Everything you can imagine, jade market, pearl market, food market, clothes market. One should bring an extra suitcase when they come here. Amazingly beautiful city.
Well its come to an end folks. I’m writing here on July 9, my last day. As I look back, I have been blessed with another incredible adventure. This one was bigger than I imagined. Two countries, two distinct cultures. Many great people I met along the way. I think I only was truly alone for about 2 or 3 days out of the 40 on the road. That’s a success. I have many new friends including my wonderful "family" in Russia I want to keep in touch with. That’s the gift, that’s the adventure’s reward.
Well thanks for staying with me, I enjoyed your notes, many just at the right time. It was good to hear from home.
Until next time,
Yours in Travel
Bill
This is my blog for my trip to Taiwan. I'll be posting my journal here from November 1 to November 17, 2017 so check back and join me on the trip ! - Bill Wilson
July 6, 2004
Wuhan China, July 1, 2004 I'm the only one wearing flip-flops!
Hey, remember we said the flip flops were invented in China, and there are over a billion people here! Well, the only people wearing flip flops are the backpackers!! Chinese all wear the more comfortable, plastic slip on slippers. Haaaa, smart people.
Some other funny differences here:
1. You have no space in crowds. At an ATM, the next guy in line was literally on my back!
2. No diapers here. Little kids wear pants with a split in the back. They just stop along the curb and pee or crap. Hmmmm
3. In the middle of China, people are not used to seeing western foreigners. You get stared at a lot. Deep stares.
4. Tourist systems are very good. Its easy to travel here, and some very good bargains.
5. When its hot, the men like to roll their clothes up. They roll their pants up and roll their T shirts up above the nipples. Hilarious
6. Women want to keep their skin white. They even use whiteners for their skin. You see many sun umbrellas all over the city. If you get tan, it makes you look like a country peasant, so they like to stay white.
7. Just about the time you think the Chinese are rude, or don’t care about foreigners, someone does you a big favor. If you do a little favor, like take a picture of people together for them, later you seem to get so many offers for help. The people here are basically wonderful, but sometimes this is hidden under shyness.
Got off the Yangzi cruise boat in the rain, only time I’ve had to use the rain gear so far, been lucky.
Got on a bus to Wuhan, another large river city on the east end of the normal river cruise area around the 3 gorges. Off and running on the bus to Wuhan, and as we approach the city, a big verbal yelling match breaks out on the bus. It turns out many of the Chinese on the bus learn that the bus drops us off outside of town, not in the center. No way to convince the driver so we all loose. We must get cabs to the center of town.
Now you might be wondering how I found all this out, no I don’t know that much Chinese yet. On the bus I met a couple from England. Neil, retired from the paper business, and his native Chinese wife Fen. Boy Fen was really hollering at the driver she was doing the best she could to get him to change the route. She learned English when she was 20 years old, some 25 years ago at the University in Wuhan as a student there.
I decided to just get a cab with Fen and Neil, since I had no fixed place to stay yet. The hotel they had booked was lovely, sort of on the outskirts of town, in a wooded area. The Wuhan Guest house. My single room was good price, so I’m set. I tour the town and the next morning Neil and Fen invite me to breakfast with them, then invite me to join them on a prearranged city tour with two of Fens old school mates. This is the first time she has been back here since a student at 20 years old.
This turned out to be a fantastic memorable experience. Its amazing how little adventures show up on these trips. Besides touring East Lake in Wuhan, we walked the University of Wuhan, thru Fens old dormitory and library. Little had changed, same desks, same walls.
It was an awesome experience to watch Fen relive her childhood, see her old dorm. Now remember in 1975 when she went to school here it was the Mao era. She h ad to work hard for 4 years in the farm, and since she had a good attitude and worked hard, she was selected to go to the university, with her whole program being selected for her. She had no say in it at all. Since she was good with speaking, they picked English studies for her. She remembers sitting on the steps, reading and memorizing the works of Chairman Mao. Her first English words were the works of chairman Mao translated into English!! And all other books were poison!! She and her friend sneaked into the back room of the library back then and found the works of Dickens and she can remember reading them in secret.
Wow, and here we are almost 30 years later, with the new China.
This was an incredible experience to watch her relive those days.
I say good bye to Neil and Fen, exchange emails and hope to get in touch again. Now I’m off to Guilin and Yangshuo
Catch you later,
Yours in travel
Bill
Some other funny differences here:
1. You have no space in crowds. At an ATM, the next guy in line was literally on my back!
2. No diapers here. Little kids wear pants with a split in the back. They just stop along the curb and pee or crap. Hmmmm
3. In the middle of China, people are not used to seeing western foreigners. You get stared at a lot. Deep stares.
4. Tourist systems are very good. Its easy to travel here, and some very good bargains.
5. When its hot, the men like to roll their clothes up. They roll their pants up and roll their T shirts up above the nipples. Hilarious
6. Women want to keep their skin white. They even use whiteners for their skin. You see many sun umbrellas all over the city. If you get tan, it makes you look like a country peasant, so they like to stay white.
7. Just about the time you think the Chinese are rude, or don’t care about foreigners, someone does you a big favor. If you do a little favor, like take a picture of people together for them, later you seem to get so many offers for help. The people here are basically wonderful, but sometimes this is hidden under shyness.
Got off the Yangzi cruise boat in the rain, only time I’ve had to use the rain gear so far, been lucky.
Got on a bus to Wuhan, another large river city on the east end of the normal river cruise area around the 3 gorges. Off and running on the bus to Wuhan, and as we approach the city, a big verbal yelling match breaks out on the bus. It turns out many of the Chinese on the bus learn that the bus drops us off outside of town, not in the center. No way to convince the driver so we all loose. We must get cabs to the center of town.
Now you might be wondering how I found all this out, no I don’t know that much Chinese yet. On the bus I met a couple from England. Neil, retired from the paper business, and his native Chinese wife Fen. Boy Fen was really hollering at the driver she was doing the best she could to get him to change the route. She learned English when she was 20 years old, some 25 years ago at the University in Wuhan as a student there.
I decided to just get a cab with Fen and Neil, since I had no fixed place to stay yet. The hotel they had booked was lovely, sort of on the outskirts of town, in a wooded area. The Wuhan Guest house. My single room was good price, so I’m set. I tour the town and the next morning Neil and Fen invite me to breakfast with them, then invite me to join them on a prearranged city tour with two of Fens old school mates. This is the first time she has been back here since a student at 20 years old.
This turned out to be a fantastic memorable experience. Its amazing how little adventures show up on these trips. Besides touring East Lake in Wuhan, we walked the University of Wuhan, thru Fens old dormitory and library. Little had changed, same desks, same walls.
It was an awesome experience to watch Fen relive her childhood, see her old dorm. Now remember in 1975 when she went to school here it was the Mao era. She h ad to work hard for 4 years in the farm, and since she had a good attitude and worked hard, she was selected to go to the university, with her whole program being selected for her. She had no say in it at all. Since she was good with speaking, they picked English studies for her. She remembers sitting on the steps, reading and memorizing the works of Chairman Mao. Her first English words were the works of chairman Mao translated into English!! And all other books were poison!! She and her friend sneaked into the back room of the library back then and found the works of Dickens and she can remember reading them in secret.
Wow, and here we are almost 30 years later, with the new China.
This was an incredible experience to watch her relive those days.
I say good bye to Neil and Fen, exchange emails and hope to get in touch again. Now I’m off to Guilin and Yangshuo
Catch you later,
Yours in travel
Bill
July 5, 2004
Trans Mongolian Railway (Read after Surprise Visit) :) 6-30
Hi all,
Well I'm way behind in my blogs on the trip only because of one reason
censorship. My blogsite has fallen prey to the Chinese communist censorship Iguess. That is the ONLY element of communism I have witnessed here. It's booming! Busy streets, cities can't handle the traffic. Tourism is in full swing and everything is bargain basement low. China is incredible.
So I may be sending this to some of you via email, back to the old system. I'm trying a couple of tricks to try to get it uploaded on blogspot, but so far it's not working.
The last report that didn't upload to the site covered the end to my trip in Russia.I boarded the trans Mongolian railway, early on June 19. My way cool homestay owner got up at 5AM to make sure that the taxi got there on time, great guy. The train was a bit old, but adequate. I paid for second class, that gets me acabin for 4 people.
I opened the door, and was greeted with a big smile from Nadzeera. She is anative of Irkutsk, where every winter is 40 below. Nadzeera could not speak aword of English, not one word. For the next 12 hours we had the mostfascinating conversation by using a Russian/English dictionary!! The time flew.We learned about each others background painfully slowly, something that wouldhave probably taken one hour! But it taught me something about language.Usually you have a 5 minute encounter using a dictionary. But with this long atime, with expressions, shrugs, laughs, non-verbal communication comes through remarkedly well. She wouldn't let me buy food, she shared all her pre-made Russian food, bread, salad. I found out she had lost her house in a fire, was leaving her 20 year old son and 13 year old daughter to get a new job in UlanBaator, Mongolia. New job, new city, new people in a city in the middle ofMongolia. Now there is guts. Quite a lady. Later at a small city, the otherpassengers, all Chinese, joined us to fill up the cabin.
The Mongolian countryside is amazing. This is the Gobi desert, but not sand.It's a grassland much like I saw in Patagonia last year. Hump grasses, shadesof greens, then browns, fantastic skys. Passed many native houses called Yertsor Gurs. These are white, round with one door. Around them are usually a herdof horses. Out the top is the vent of a wooden stove. Also I saw many camelsroaming wild in this land. I traveled for hours over this Steppe land. Actually3 and 1/2 days!! Over the ancient trading route between Russia and China.
The customs procedure can only be described as downright harassment! Of the 3 days, over 14 hours were spent waiting full stop, waiting for customs orimmigration to process papers and stamp your passport!! And all this was donein the middle of the night, right when you are trying to get some sleep. Also,Russia has a different rail width for their cars. So when we crossed the borderto China, we moved the train into the bogie house, and all the wheels underour cars were rolled out from under us while we were in the cars, and changedout with ones that were 3 1/2 inches wider!! That was a 4 hour process.
Fascinating.
I wish I had more time. The thing to do§ here is to stop at Ulan Baator, andtake a one week, 4_wheel drive trip out in the Mongolian plain. You visit andeat in Yerts with Mongolian families. A great experience. The dining car was discovered!!! Great food, read in the guide books they usually are bad..WRONG. Beer, food, wow I?m in heaven, and watching the vastness of this land roll by.
Well I arrived in Beijing. After nice, solemn, quiet 3 days, I'm suddenly(with my New Zealand friends I met on board) thrown out into the hot, busytrainstation with full pack on to be introduced to this new city. I'm inChina. And we are called fresh tourist meat, ready to be preyed upon! First the ATM, to get Chinese Yuan. After money, then a cab to my Hostel, then groceries for lunch for tour of the Great Wall tomorrow.
Back with you for Beijing experience.
Well I'm way behind in my blogs on the trip only because of one reason
censorship. My blogsite has fallen prey to the Chinese communist censorship Iguess. That is the ONLY element of communism I have witnessed here. It's booming! Busy streets, cities can't handle the traffic. Tourism is in full swing and everything is bargain basement low. China is incredible.
So I may be sending this to some of you via email, back to the old system. I'm trying a couple of tricks to try to get it uploaded on blogspot, but so far it's not working.
The last report that didn't upload to the site covered the end to my trip in Russia.I boarded the trans Mongolian railway, early on June 19. My way cool homestay owner got up at 5AM to make sure that the taxi got there on time, great guy. The train was a bit old, but adequate. I paid for second class, that gets me acabin for 4 people.
I opened the door, and was greeted with a big smile from Nadzeera. She is anative of Irkutsk, where every winter is 40 below. Nadzeera could not speak aword of English, not one word. For the next 12 hours we had the mostfascinating conversation by using a Russian/English dictionary!! The time flew.We learned about each others background painfully slowly, something that wouldhave probably taken one hour! But it taught me something about language.Usually you have a 5 minute encounter using a dictionary. But with this long atime, with expressions, shrugs, laughs, non-verbal communication comes through remarkedly well. She wouldn't let me buy food, she shared all her pre-made Russian food, bread, salad. I found out she had lost her house in a fire, was leaving her 20 year old son and 13 year old daughter to get a new job in UlanBaator, Mongolia. New job, new city, new people in a city in the middle ofMongolia. Now there is guts. Quite a lady. Later at a small city, the otherpassengers, all Chinese, joined us to fill up the cabin.
The Mongolian countryside is amazing. This is the Gobi desert, but not sand.It's a grassland much like I saw in Patagonia last year. Hump grasses, shadesof greens, then browns, fantastic skys. Passed many native houses called Yertsor Gurs. These are white, round with one door. Around them are usually a herdof horses. Out the top is the vent of a wooden stove. Also I saw many camelsroaming wild in this land. I traveled for hours over this Steppe land. Actually3 and 1/2 days!! Over the ancient trading route between Russia and China.
The customs procedure can only be described as downright harassment! Of the 3 days, over 14 hours were spent waiting full stop, waiting for customs orimmigration to process papers and stamp your passport!! And all this was donein the middle of the night, right when you are trying to get some sleep. Also,Russia has a different rail width for their cars. So when we crossed the borderto China, we moved the train into the bogie house, and all the wheels underour cars were rolled out from under us while we were in the cars, and changedout with ones that were 3 1/2 inches wider!! That was a 4 hour process.
Fascinating.
I wish I had more time. The thing to do§ here is to stop at Ulan Baator, andtake a one week, 4_wheel drive trip out in the Mongolian plain. You visit andeat in Yerts with Mongolian families. A great experience. The dining car was discovered!!! Great food, read in the guide books they usually are bad..WRONG. Beer, food, wow I?m in heaven, and watching the vastness of this land roll by.
Well I arrived in Beijing. After nice, solemn, quiet 3 days, I'm suddenly(with my New Zealand friends I met on board) thrown out into the hot, busytrainstation with full pack on to be introduced to this new city. I'm inChina. And we are called fresh tourist meat, ready to be preyed upon! First the ATM, to get Chinese Yuan. After money, then a cab to my Hostel, then groceries for lunch for tour of the Great Wall tomorrow.
Back with you for Beijing experience.
Night Market in Xian - June 25-28
June 25 - 28
Wow, what a train. The train I took to Xian from Beijing was a brand new Chinese train. Each car had a cute, young Chinese girl with sharply styled uniform standing at attention waiting to help you. And the cabins, all new. Each bed, I was in a four bed cabin, had a flat screen tv at the foot of the bed with a selection of first run movies. What a contrast to my trans Mongolian train!!
On the train down, I see the "real" China. Back country farm homes, narrow valleys with huge red banners. People out doing Tai Chi in the morning, workers in the field doing work with NO mechanized equipment, all hand labor.
Xian is a remarkable city. Another BIG city, which is also booming. The center of the city is surrounded by a giant wall. It is an old fortress wall for protection. As with most Chinese cities I've visited, the infrastructure is not prepared for all the growth. It took 20 minutes to go 200 yards out of the train station to get into the city. On the west side of Xian, there are huge sky scrapers, new buildings, and cranes everywhere. More impressions that China is booming. I th ink I heard their GNP growth rate is over 10%. Traffic is always heavy, then when the peaks hit, it's a madhouse.
The Xian stay was a fun social experience. Sometimes the hostels are, sometimes they aren't, depending on your luck who you meet. For the three days, I hooked up with Jan, and American just finishing a Peace Corps assignment in Khasitstan, Sharon from New Zealand, and George (Georgia) from Manchester England. George was amazing, that cute deep English accent, (that many times I had to concentrate hard to understand..haaaaaaaaaaa). She is a lawyer there in Manchester, and hopes to perform consumer protection defense for people.
The major attraction here are the terracotta warrior statues. This was a whole day tour, we did ourselves by taking city and country buses out to the site. The hostel tour was too expensive.
What an incredible place. In 1975, a farmer while digging near the tomb of an emporer, discovered some clay figures. Turns out there are about 6000 of them. A whole army. The emporer had this clay army made to protect him in the afterlife. Each figure had a different face!!! they were all unique. there were chariots with horses, and orginally they were painted and holding weapons. The site has been turned into a major archilogical dig site, with huge buildings built over the excavations. Only pictures can show the incredible work this was. This was an amazing tour.
We all did the "night market" for three nights. This was in the Muslim quarter of Xian. When it gets dark, you walk under the big arch of the Drum Tower in the wall and the whole street lights up with vendors and street cooking. The Muslims love the meats on skewers and barbeque right on the street. Mutton, beef, and some weird chicken.
We also had pot boiled food. Like the old fondue pot, only with a hot soup that is boiling. You stick skewers in with various meats and vegetables. Wow, why don't we do this at home, it would be huge. For as long as the eye can see, lights down the street, smoke from the street barbeques, and lots of people. Mostly Chinese by the way.
I'm getting used to being stared at. I mean STARED at. Not casual stares, deep stares. Some are bold enough to just keep staring at me. I thought it was my age or my beard until I compared notes with the other fellow travelers. Haaaaaaaaaa its funny, we all just laugh at it. And after awhile you get used to it. It does tell me though, that not many foreigners come here. They say in Hong Kong, this doesn't happen, there are plenty of foreigners there.
Boy it's hot here. Record heat, its between 38 and 40 Deg C. If you calculate that out it has been over 100 deg F. In this heat, you tour early in the morning, then spend time around the hostel in the air conditioning mid day, then go out at night.
Well I'll say goodbye to Xian and to the great friends I met here. We all exchanged email names and plan to stay in touch. I fly down to Chongqing, where I'll pick up the boat for my river cruise. I was lucky, this hostel books transportation, so I was able to book my flights as well as the cruise.
See you on the Yangzi,
Yours in travel,
Bill
Wow, what a train. The train I took to Xian from Beijing was a brand new Chinese train. Each car had a cute, young Chinese girl with sharply styled uniform standing at attention waiting to help you. And the cabins, all new. Each bed, I was in a four bed cabin, had a flat screen tv at the foot of the bed with a selection of first run movies. What a contrast to my trans Mongolian train!!
On the train down, I see the "real" China. Back country farm homes, narrow valleys with huge red banners. People out doing Tai Chi in the morning, workers in the field doing work with NO mechanized equipment, all hand labor.
Xian is a remarkable city. Another BIG city, which is also booming. The center of the city is surrounded by a giant wall. It is an old fortress wall for protection. As with most Chinese cities I've visited, the infrastructure is not prepared for all the growth. It took 20 minutes to go 200 yards out of the train station to get into the city. On the west side of Xian, there are huge sky scrapers, new buildings, and cranes everywhere. More impressions that China is booming. I th ink I heard their GNP growth rate is over 10%. Traffic is always heavy, then when the peaks hit, it's a madhouse.
The Xian stay was a fun social experience. Sometimes the hostels are, sometimes they aren't, depending on your luck who you meet. For the three days, I hooked up with Jan, and American just finishing a Peace Corps assignment in Khasitstan, Sharon from New Zealand, and George (Georgia) from Manchester England. George was amazing, that cute deep English accent, (that many times I had to concentrate hard to understand..haaaaaaaaaaa). She is a lawyer there in Manchester, and hopes to perform consumer protection defense for people.
The major attraction here are the terracotta warrior statues. This was a whole day tour, we did ourselves by taking city and country buses out to the site. The hostel tour was too expensive.
What an incredible place. In 1975, a farmer while digging near the tomb of an emporer, discovered some clay figures. Turns out there are about 6000 of them. A whole army. The emporer had this clay army made to protect him in the afterlife. Each figure had a different face!!! they were all unique. there were chariots with horses, and orginally they were painted and holding weapons. The site has been turned into a major archilogical dig site, with huge buildings built over the excavations. Only pictures can show the incredible work this was. This was an amazing tour.
We all did the "night market" for three nights. This was in the Muslim quarter of Xian. When it gets dark, you walk under the big arch of the Drum Tower in the wall and the whole street lights up with vendors and street cooking. The Muslims love the meats on skewers and barbeque right on the street. Mutton, beef, and some weird chicken.
We also had pot boiled food. Like the old fondue pot, only with a hot soup that is boiling. You stick skewers in with various meats and vegetables. Wow, why don't we do this at home, it would be huge. For as long as the eye can see, lights down the street, smoke from the street barbeques, and lots of people. Mostly Chinese by the way.
I'm getting used to being stared at. I mean STARED at. Not casual stares, deep stares. Some are bold enough to just keep staring at me. I thought it was my age or my beard until I compared notes with the other fellow travelers. Haaaaaaaaaa its funny, we all just laugh at it. And after awhile you get used to it. It does tell me though, that not many foreigners come here. They say in Hong Kong, this doesn't happen, there are plenty of foreigners there.
Boy it's hot here. Record heat, its between 38 and 40 Deg C. If you calculate that out it has been over 100 deg F. In this heat, you tour early in the morning, then spend time around the hostel in the air conditioning mid day, then go out at night.
Well I'll say goodbye to Xian and to the great friends I met here. We all exchanged email names and plan to stay in touch. I fly down to Chongqing, where I'll pick up the boat for my river cruise. I was lucky, this hostel books transportation, so I was able to book my flights as well as the cruise.
See you on the Yangzi,
Yours in travel,
Bill
The Great Wall - July 3rd
The Great Wall - I'm in China!
Hello all, sorry again this has taken so long to upload, but the blogspot is censored over here. Wouldn't you know!!
I arrived in Beijing, and stayed the first night at the Youth hostel. They had a tour arranged to go to a remote spot on the Great Wall of China, away from the usual touristy spots. I hooked up with a Swiss couple who I met on the train over, we went together on the tour. And boy was it remote, took 3 hours to drive there, and three hours back. Then we hiked the wall, 9 Km !! in the 90 degree, humid heat. You can see from my pictures, my shirt is a bit dark, I was soaked. I don't do humidy well, I'm finding that out!
What a fantastic historical structure. To think of thousands of peasants building this great wall, many to their deaths, and many actually were buried inside the wall. The wall spreads over some 4100 miles in various sections that remain. Its over 2000 years old. Its an incredible site, I'm thrilled to have "Climbed the wall" The damn T-shirt they were selling was real cheesy, so I resisted.
The rest of my time In Beijing I stayed with Kenny Melton. I met Kenny on the Baja surfing trip I took last summer. Kenny was touring Vietnam, and decided to come up to Beijing and work teaching English. It was great to see him again, and he was my tour guide for Beijing. Had some great dinners out with his friends, who also teach here. Big demand for English here in China.
Kenny and I visited the Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, and the temple of heaven. The forbidden city was the home since the 1400's for 24 emperors, and was closed to Chinese citizens for over 500 years!!! I think it open up in 1924. But an incredible example of 15th century Chinese architecture.. I can see why it is a world heritage site.
Beijing is an incredibly big and busy city. Sky scrapers, traffic. I'm getting the impression that China is really booming.
Kenny took me to the Beijing West Train station to send me off to Xian. I will take a night train there, this time 1st class!! (Only $12 more). The train station was HUGE, unbelievable,. and the people watching was remarkable. Some Chinese very dressed up with Gucci bags, and some people from the country, with all their belongings in a blanket tied with a knot at the top sitting waiting to travel. There are real diverse economic backgrounds here.
Off to Xian, and the Terracotta warriors, until next time
Yours in travel,
Bill
Hello all, sorry again this has taken so long to upload, but the blogspot is censored over here. Wouldn't you know!!
I arrived in Beijing, and stayed the first night at the Youth hostel. They had a tour arranged to go to a remote spot on the Great Wall of China, away from the usual touristy spots. I hooked up with a Swiss couple who I met on the train over, we went together on the tour. And boy was it remote, took 3 hours to drive there, and three hours back. Then we hiked the wall, 9 Km !! in the 90 degree, humid heat. You can see from my pictures, my shirt is a bit dark, I was soaked. I don't do humidy well, I'm finding that out!
What a fantastic historical structure. To think of thousands of peasants building this great wall, many to their deaths, and many actually were buried inside the wall. The wall spreads over some 4100 miles in various sections that remain. Its over 2000 years old. Its an incredible site, I'm thrilled to have "Climbed the wall" The damn T-shirt they were selling was real cheesy, so I resisted.
The rest of my time In Beijing I stayed with Kenny Melton. I met Kenny on the Baja surfing trip I took last summer. Kenny was touring Vietnam, and decided to come up to Beijing and work teaching English. It was great to see him again, and he was my tour guide for Beijing. Had some great dinners out with his friends, who also teach here. Big demand for English here in China.
Kenny and I visited the Forbidden City, Tianamen Square, and the temple of heaven. The forbidden city was the home since the 1400's for 24 emperors, and was closed to Chinese citizens for over 500 years!!! I think it open up in 1924. But an incredible example of 15th century Chinese architecture.. I can see why it is a world heritage site.
Beijing is an incredibly big and busy city. Sky scrapers, traffic. I'm getting the impression that China is really booming.
Kenny took me to the Beijing West Train station to send me off to Xian. I will take a night train there, this time 1st class!! (Only $12 more). The train station was HUGE, unbelievable,. and the people watching was remarkable. Some Chinese very dressed up with Gucci bags, and some people from the country, with all their belongings in a blanket tied with a knot at the top sitting waiting to travel. There are real diverse economic backgrounds here.
Off to Xian, and the Terracotta warriors, until next time
Yours in travel,
Bill
Surprise Visit - June 15, 2004
Well it's my last day here in Russia (June 16, 2004). Today was going to be just shopping, want to pick up a couple of Winter Russian hats, and look at jewelry styles. Russian jewelry is very well made, much better than Chinese, and they have amber stones found only here in Russia.
On the way to shopping area, Vadim said we will go by the cemetery. A surprise visit. Hmmm, well ok..Well as it turned out, this was the cemetery for the war dead from the siege of old Saint Petersburg or Leningrad during WWII.. Nearly 490,000 people lost there lives here in this city during the siege against the German invaders. Stop, and think about the number for a moment. The siege went on for 900 days. It was extremely moving; walking by long graves sites where the bodies of unknown innocent civilians lay buried. Marked only with a date; 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945. All Russian school children are required to visit this cemetery, and discuss the history of this serene moving place. Something that should be practiced in another country I'm thinking of. It really made me think, as I watched a woman in her 70's, walk silently alone along the gravesites, reflecting perhaps about a long lost relative. A reminder of a dark time in Russian history. Moving.
My family drove me to the airport south of the city. I will fly to Irkutsk, in East Siberia, my hub to hop the Mongolian Railway thru Mongolia, on to China. I bumped into a Russian man traveling to Irkutsk who spoke English, he took me under his wing thru the flight process, which is much different than at our airports, and this was the domestic airport with very few English signs.
Fun though, I made plane.
It was difficult to say goodbye to Vadim, Olga and Sveta. We have grown very close. We all decided this was not goodbye, but "see you next time"!! This lovely country, beautiful cities and lovely people will be visited again my me for sure. I wish more American tourists would discover this gem.
Flew to Irkutsk, stayed in this small town for two days, visited Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world. It holds 20% of the worlds fresh water supply!. Beautiful place. Took a tour of the city which still possess some of the oldest examples of all wooden houses, going back to 1890's. An early rise on the 19th, and I hoped on the Trans Mongolian Railway. My 3 day odyessy across Mongolia, the old trade route between Russia and China. I'll be in Beijing on June 21.
Just a few differences I've noted while in Russia between them and us
Russians wear t here wedding ring on the right hand Hardly any business suits here, very casual Most live in apartments in the city, and have second homes in the country Cars rule!!! Pedestrians have No rights Business men carry pursesThe current fashion for shoes are very long and pointed, haaaaaaaaa like pixey shoes, some toes point up.
Some fashionable young women walk together arm in arm on the crowded streets Russian custom: Sit down for a minute, relax think, before you embark on a long trip Some russian men and women have more than one spouse. No salad dressings here, just mayonnaise! Kraft, get your stuff together, big market.
On to Mongolia, see you again soon. Still trying to get more pictures up, will try in a few days. Ok, I already arrived in Beijing, I'll tell you about the trip next, everything fantastic. Beijing is amazing. Bye for now
Yours in Travel,
Bill
On the way to shopping area, Vadim said we will go by the cemetery. A surprise visit. Hmmm, well ok..Well as it turned out, this was the cemetery for the war dead from the siege of old Saint Petersburg or Leningrad during WWII.. Nearly 490,000 people lost there lives here in this city during the siege against the German invaders. Stop, and think about the number for a moment. The siege went on for 900 days. It was extremely moving; walking by long graves sites where the bodies of unknown innocent civilians lay buried. Marked only with a date; 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945. All Russian school children are required to visit this cemetery, and discuss the history of this serene moving place. Something that should be practiced in another country I'm thinking of. It really made me think, as I watched a woman in her 70's, walk silently alone along the gravesites, reflecting perhaps about a long lost relative. A reminder of a dark time in Russian history. Moving.
My family drove me to the airport south of the city. I will fly to Irkutsk, in East Siberia, my hub to hop the Mongolian Railway thru Mongolia, on to China. I bumped into a Russian man traveling to Irkutsk who spoke English, he took me under his wing thru the flight process, which is much different than at our airports, and this was the domestic airport with very few English signs.
Fun though, I made plane.
It was difficult to say goodbye to Vadim, Olga and Sveta. We have grown very close. We all decided this was not goodbye, but "see you next time"!! This lovely country, beautiful cities and lovely people will be visited again my me for sure. I wish more American tourists would discover this gem.
Flew to Irkutsk, stayed in this small town for two days, visited Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world. It holds 20% of the worlds fresh water supply!. Beautiful place. Took a tour of the city which still possess some of the oldest examples of all wooden houses, going back to 1890's. An early rise on the 19th, and I hoped on the Trans Mongolian Railway. My 3 day odyessy across Mongolia, the old trade route between Russia and China. I'll be in Beijing on June 21.
Just a few differences I've noted while in Russia between them and us
Russians wear t here wedding ring on the right hand Hardly any business suits here, very casual Most live in apartments in the city, and have second homes in the country Cars rule!!! Pedestrians have No rights Business men carry pursesThe current fashion for shoes are very long and pointed, haaaaaaaaa like pixey shoes, some toes point up.
Some fashionable young women walk together arm in arm on the crowded streets Russian custom: Sit down for a minute, relax think, before you embark on a long trip Some russian men and women have more than one spouse. No salad dressings here, just mayonnaise! Kraft, get your stuff together, big market.
On to Mongolia, see you again soon. Still trying to get more pictures up, will try in a few days. Ok, I already arrived in Beijing, I'll tell you about the trip next, everything fantastic. Beijing is amazing. Bye for now
Yours in Travel,
Bill