Yangon (formally Rangoon)

 

The capital main city                                   18.12.2014

A little trivia to start – Yangon is no longer the capital of Myanmar (Burma). In 2005 the capital was officially moved to Nay Pyi Taw (aka NayPyiDaw) – a territory in the middle of the country. It held little appeal and international flights head to Yangon, so it remained off our list of destinations. Yangon, on the other hand, was where we would be starting and finishing our Myanmar trip so we decided to spend just a day here at the beginning.

Back in our little guesthouse, breakfast is served. Peeled apples and a packaged chocolate roll… well the apple was nice. Our guesthouse is basic, but having the father prepare our breakfast, carefully peeling every apple and serving with a smile, made it feel really homely.

The site to see in Yangon is the Shwedagon Pagoda, or so we had heard. I had a glimpse of the pagoda driving in last night so I had a feeling the highlight was going to deliver. On arrival we found that it certainly did. As foreign tourists we were directed to the side entrance where we were greeted by a hefty entrance fee (18000 kyat) and an elevator. My inner princess  was happy to pay the fee and skip the steps that generally come with visiting temples. After all, I was already sweating from the taxi ride and it was not even lunch time yet.

Arriving on the pagoda floor, the first thing to catch me attention was the cool floor. My bare feet were not burning. I’ve been to a lot of temples across south-east Asia and the burning of your feet whilst visiting temples seemed part of the experience, but not today. Marble cooled our feet. These guys need to chat to the other temples.

Shwedagon Pagoda itself was unfortunately covered with flanks of mats around the bulbous base and intricate bamboo scaffolding around the stupor. Although disappointed at seeing the pagoda in less than its glory, I immediately felt for the workers renewing the pagoda under the mats and scaffolding. The heat, the heights and the lack of OH&S. The dedication to caring for the monument was clear.

Around the pagoda were deities for the eight days of the week, two for Wednesdays, split into morning and afternoon, to reflect the eight days of Buddhism. I was told that people worship the day they were born. So I found my Wednesday morning.

Surrounding the main Pagoda were two smaller pagodas, one also being renovated and numerous temples – all covered in gold leaf, mosaics of mirrors, Buddha in gold, seated, lying. Buddha with flashing multi-colour L.E.Ds around him… it’s all about the bling.

After some quality temple time, I could feel my stomach grumbling. We read there was a Muslim teahouse with local food and an English menu near the Sule Pagoda. Another taxi ride across town and several map checks and we found Thata Teahouse. It redefines my picture of a teahouse. It was a three-walled cavern roasting from the heat of the kitchen, flies buzzing everywhere. This is what we call ‘authentic’. Admittedly I was relieved to see no vegetarian food on the menu (this is when karma comes back to thank me). So, after a polite drink, we left. Our chosen alternative was KCC down the street. It was air-conditioned and lifeless but it would do. There was also an absence of flies. I had fried rice, Dean had roast duck. For once, Dean was unhappy with his duck – tough with shards of bone due to a chop chop style of cooking. Dean actually looked pained eating it.

Sule Paya pagoda itself was far smaller than Shwedagon pagoda yet no less extravagant. Being place in the middle of a round-about, we were a bit amazed of the quietness in the pagoda. Pagodas, it seems, are the place to forget Yangon’s noise and hustle.

That was our morning, and by this time, we had seen our ‘must-see’ Yangon sites. From here our day was walking and soaking up Yangon and its exhaust. We found cool spots for drink after drink, beers for Dean, sprite for me. I was missing wine already!! Dean tried a local snack of fried quail eggs – he described them as ‘oily’. Shame, because they looked like a handy snack.

Our highlight food-wise was the Ingyin New South India Food Centre. I salivate thinking about it. Again a three-walled gem – though with fans this time. “No we do not have beer – very sorry”. We stayed anyway and Dean ordered the Mutton Puri Thali, myself a vegetable Dosa. Our waiter, I’m guessing was 14 years old, had pretty good English. He felt bad for not having beer for Dean, so insisted on fetching him one – very insistent. The beer arrived shortly after. 

Our Thali’s were so tasty. My Dosa was wrapped around fried cabbage and beans – trust me – the spices made them delicious. On the Thalis, a pumpkin curry and a potato curry as well as a spicier tomato curry. It was so satisfying. “More curry?” Yes, they top up your curries, brilliant! “Yes please”. The most satisfying part? Over 12 hours later and I’m not sick woohoo! I felt we were lucky.

Taxis:                                      ~2000-3000 kyat across town

Shwedagon Pagoda entry:   18000 kyat

Sule Paya Pagoda entry:      3000 kyat

Accommodation:                    $US30

Hello Burma... Myanmar... Burma

Fresh off the plane                                                                           17.12.2014

Yangon airport was a relative breeze (compared to previous developing countries). The cues for visa on arrivals were non-existent and unnecessary for us (tip: online visa does work). It seems our E-letter counts after all.

Cuing for the all-important immigration stamp, I was feeling nervous. I think because I hadn’t expected things to flow as well as they did.

Attending the taxi service booth, our ride to town was quickly arranged for a cool 8000 kyat (pronounced ‘chat’). A local lad took us outside to our taxi man, a quiet man, but  very relaxed driver. Four-window air-conditioning was the go for our weaving trip into town. The warm humid smoggy air of an Asian city at night was familiar and comforting (to me anyways).

Fairy lights on big buildings seems the thing to do in Yangon. My first sighting of the language, was intimidating. I could not tell the difference between numbers and letters, or words really. I felt stupid.

Road works were ever-present and the works looked dodgy – the conditions and the future expressway. But hey, I’m pretty sure there are no unions here. Efficiently, and without the horn, our taxi man pulled up on a dark street. Dark because everything was closed, not from isolation. This was downtown. Again led by a local lad, we were guided up grime-ridden stairs. I puffed because I’m unfit and because I’m once again lugging a big pack. The electrical boxes are rusted and look like something from a 1920s movie. There is rubbish, red stains from spat tobacco and signs of people, likely many, living in the stairwells. On the third level we are met by another lad happy to see us. ‘You are Dean?’ We confirmed and Dean was chuffed that his name was pronounced so well.

Amongst the solid, rotten-looking concrete interior of the building, our friend took us into an oasis of fake wooden paneling and led us to our room. A king-size plus single bunk was larger than expected. The bathroom was clean enough by budget standards. ‘As you saw on the internet?’ Yes, exactly. We were chuffed with our $US30 per night room – and this place doesn’t even have a website!!

To say we were looking forward to bed was an understatement, but I was also hungry (on my way to hangry – angry when hungry). So for everyone’s safety we were directed to Chinatown… in Yangon.

Feeling tired and getting grumpy, I wasn’t feeling up to street-side food just yet. I opted for the over-lit, flashing signs of what turned out to be a hotel/restaurant/money-changer. My first official Burmese food – vegetable fried rice, Japanese tofu and vegetables. That and an obligatory Sprite was exactly what was needed.

Taxi from airport:     8000 kyat

Dinner:                       12000

Accommodation:        $US30

Myanmar - Burma - Myanmar

Ok we're back blogging. So here is the latest from our recent Myanmar (Burma) trip. Enjoy!

The rockingest Ger in the Gobi...

Leaving UB we discovered that driving in Mongolia takes some talent... thankfully, our driver had plenty...

Outside of UB you quickly enter the Steppe - a landscape of plains. If you flick to your desktop, this was essentially what it looked like. Soon we were stopping by Mongolian horses, more Gers, and very soon, kettles (had to look this one up) of buzzards and vultures were flying above and venues (again had to look it up) were on the ground . These birds were huge and not nearly as ugly as I had imagined. They were graceful but lifting their own weight looked difficult. Stopping for photos, we did not lay down to watch them.

Back to the roads. The dirt roads were in better shape that hte bitumen but pot holes were everywhere. As we drove through the Steppe, the sand below had droppd away. There were no signs on which track to go, in fact, I think people work out which direction they need to go and just start driving straight. Somehow, Dean, the miracle sleeper, managed to fall asleep whilst everyone else on the bus was reenacting the bouncing around of the Starship Enterprise under attack. He eventually awoke to us laughing. At him:). Three hours into the drive we were starting to wonder why our guide was pointing in anohter direction to our guide.... all good. Within an hour we arrived at our accomodation. Twelve Gers in the middle of the Gobi. The pictures will give you an idea, i'll just add that it was stunning. Just a few dasy ago we were surrounded by the frenzy of Beijing and its noise and now, silence, for miles and miles. It was awesome.

Taking a walk in the desert, as you do, Dean and I saw the remains of a horse, bones spotless from our vulture friends... until Dean kicked up a hoof hidden under the sands.... ew.

In the middle of the desert, it is always handy to have a cook - we ate very well over the next two days... still no drinks though - the previous guests had drank all but a couple of bottles of beer!

The days in the Gobi were hot and in the evenings we had a wind storm one night and rain on another. Nothing like curling up in a Ger or playing cards and being silly with new friends.

There was a family looking after us here and they had two little kids - Tukso and Saka. they managed to keep us all amused. Tukso was kind enough to show me stinging nettle... if only I understood not to touch it rather than reaching to pick it up... Doh!

To entertain us, we had a choice of a camel or horse ride. Being Mongolia (and having enough of camels in India) Dean and I opted for the horses. Quite a good choice since the camels were a little... floppy.... We rode our horses to an adjoining village/family in a Ger where we watched them herd the goats and milk them, build a Ger in 11 minutes, and the others on tour got to enjoy milk curd (they looked so happy about it too). We were all loving the Gobi. I personally could have chilled out there for a couple of more days. In fact, all I wanted to do was keep heading west...

Without smog protecting us, Dean and I were finally picking up a traveller's tan too.

It was time to return to UB. Back past the vultures, buzzards, some white-tailed gazelles, Microsoft backdrop and a temple stop which was nothing too spectacular. Farewell Gobi.

Gecko's Trans-Mongolian Tour: Departing Beijing

Seven Aussies, three Kiwis, one Saffa, and an American decide to take a train from Beijing to St. Petersburg ...

This blog could take a little while ...

The Chinese highlight (outside of the meals which were still delish), was the Great Wall. This time, Dean and I were taking the cruisy tour option, ie. a cable car to almost the top. This time our challenge was to escape the village people. The 'Village People' are locals who want to 'assist' you on the wall and 'take nothing for it'. They are said to knock back all offers of tips until you reach the end where they persist, hassle and aggressively demand that you buy a book for around $30. Screw that. When met by the herd awaiting us (no shit, at least 20!), we all used our sternest "No Thanks" in Chinese. Turns out i can be very convincing.... if not scary to the people who had just met me on tour.... but it worked nonetheless and we were able to climb the Simatai section in piece. Charlie, our local guide then took us along the wall explaining the different parts. The views were clearer today also so there were photos a plenty.

Going back a little, the Kiwis as we come to know them, decided to walk to the top, and seemed a little surprised that we would not. Anyways, when we reached the top, we were surpised to see Geoff, the 'refined' elder of our group charging along the wall, calves pumping. Apparently he just likes walking.... hope i can do that in another 40-odd years...

Time to get the train.

Compartments of four found four little aussies in compartment-sharing bliss. Mutual love of vodka, beer, eating lots, playing shit-head and a lack of snorers made for a great compartment lasting thousands of kilometres. But more on that later.

The first trip was to take us into Mongolia. Leaving Beijing, we headed North through the provences of Hubei where we went through mountain ranges, and we got to see some blue sky again (yayayayayayayay). Mountains, tunnels and rivers characterised the first few hours. Soon we were heading into Inner Mongolia (still in China but used to be Mon.) and the green faded to dust. Quite literally. This was fought-over territory for a long time. As the night came upon us so did the beaurocracy. Leaving China takes longer than getting in. No one could work out why, but it took most of the night of Chinese customs doing who knows what and then a short trip to Mongolia. And, in today's wisdom, the Chinese and Moingolian's have different track widths, so in hte middle of cutoms fun, the train was taken away, jacked up, and the bogey's changed. Was cool to watch actually. The Mongolian customs staff were all women over 6 foot who liked to wear hats with giant peaks... stunning women but really, quite scary! Around 2am we were offically through and i did a little happy dance whilst everyone else was just happy to sleep.

Next morning I awoke in miniature upon a train set. Blankets of green fields, old signals, miles of tracks and that lovely smell of diesel. Everyone was up and sticking their heads out the windows. Soon enough we were watching Ger huts (or Yurts) appear. These were the huts of the nomadic Mongolians. They are still common, altough now many people settle near town centres.

Our destination in Mongolia was Ulaan Baatar. Arriving around 4pm, we were met by Ioona. Again, a stunning Mongolian woman. The boys on tour were pretty happy. Ioona delivered some shattering news. Just two days before our arrival there had been an election and people did not believe the results. There was a riot and people were killed. I think you may have seen this on the news. Anyways, the government had called a state of emergency. 'Could be interesting' we thought, then in our own selfish little way, we were shattered when Ioona told us this meant that there was to be no alcohol for 4 days. There was also a 10pm curfew. Dean and I could not believe we were subject to a second alcohol ban after Poland was trying to be impressive when the Pope was in town a couple of years back. Those who had shopped at duty-free at some stage on the border were feeling pleased with themselves.

Soberly, Dean and I did some quick afternoon sightseeing. We went to the natural history museum where we saw some very heavy meteorites and some excellent dinosaur fossils, including my favourite, a pair of terradactil legs and claws - huge!!!! Very cool to check out if you ever get the chance. We also went to a small Lamma temple which had not been preserved as well as the Chinese temples and for this, it had much more charm. The heavens then opened and we hid in a cafe. Mongolian food in UB is not recommended and whilst in this cafe we could have been anywhere in the world. It was a reverse culture shock. Four Mongolian super-models/locals were having a Sex in the City afternoon and I was feeling suddenly very under-dressed. We were so far out of Asia in here. The food was delicious though. Chargrilled vegetables never tasted so good and there was no bok choy in sight:) It was a happy meal:)

Time for a little more adventure...

Walls, malls and duck...

Beijing is cool.

Arriving we immediately went to Tianamien square. Surrounded by concrete, red and gold, police cars, soldiers, loud speakers and a lot of paving, I felt sad. This square is huge and I could only imagine how many people had protested. I felt more sad that it was way back in 1989 and we have not heard anything since.

Everyting in Beijing is big - the blocks, the meals, the buildings, the staircases! Our first day of exploring was to investigate the Forbidden City (not forbidden for those paying 40Yuan entry). Following our new style audio guide we covered almost every inch. Now, for those unaware, the Forbidden City is massive. Five solid hours will be time to cover it, as we and our feet discovered. There was a treasury collection with lots of old jewellery, and gold items. but the clock collection was more impressive. Lots of clocks from the 19th century onwards with lots of gold-guilding, mainly from Europe with a touch of Asia.

Included in the palace was the abstinence palace. Before a ritual, the Emperor would spend three days without onion, garlic, meat, alcohol or sex. However, someone decided that they needed meat for energy so they ate more meat.... absain means what?? as for the sex, let's just say Emperors had concubines, they probably needed a rest.

Now when a city is built, a moat seems essential, but what do you do with all the soil?? Put it in a pile behind the city and make it a park of course. A nice one at that with a view over the Forbidden City. A small climb really, more on that later...

Next must-see spot was the Temple of Heaven. Photo-man Dean can insert a couple here to give you the idea. This temple was a bit of a favourite of mine - lots of colour:) A nice bonus was that we went on a saturday so all the locals were amusing themselves in the park, dancing, playing cards, and along one long stretch of shelter, singing. I think there were good acoustics because we could certainly hear them well enough.

Kungfu Panda may be popular (especially here), but real Kung Fu is also impressive. Even amongst hundreds of tourists in an English dubbed show. We will now be regular Shaolin Monk customers. these guys are fit!

Now for our highlight - the wall. Great Wall of China none the less:o). We've climbed it! Well a tiny part of it. We made our way to the Mutianyu section - approximately 2km in length, an hour or so out of Beijing. Leading up to the wall, we took a narrow path. On one side a lush wall of green, on the other... "looka looka, hello, hello, looka looka, hello, hello, looka looka, hello, hello, looka looka, hello, hello, looka looka, hello, hello, looka looka, hello, hello, looka looka, hello, hello..." you get the idea. We successfully ignored all of them. Ahead, the path cleared of stalls and their venders and awaiting was steps.

Silly me had imagined a car park part way up the mountain... nope. There was over 500m of steps remaining at the first point at which I felt the legs burning. It was a tough climb to the wall, but it felt great once we got there. We even bumped into a friend on the way. The weather was cool with a mix of cloud and smog. Visibility was 200m at most but we were here and were going to cover all there was. I personally started to regret this after the first few thousand steps - okay, perhaps a little sooner than that. But how many times do you get to climb the wall?? For us, twice at least.

You see, our tour starts tomorrow and on day 2 we go to the wall. In our wisdom we decided that one day could not be enough. After thousands of steps, climbing, slipping, I was wondering if i would be able to walk in another 2 days let alone do this all over again in a tougher segment of the wall. Dean was also doubtful of future walking abilities and was starting to resemble a water fountain (permission granted for this statement). Reaching the north end it was time to walk to the south end. Thousands of steps after we had done it. I have to admit it felt good. Especially now we have had an awesome big dinner (/breakfast/lunch) in our stomachs. I think i will pack a breakfast before our next climb.

Now the malls.... i'll speak of just one - the Hung Hua Pearl Market. It has every pearl, electronic, piece of silk, and handbag that you could imagine, all a little dodge of course. But we did pick up a miniatire IPod Nano, Skirt, USB, all times two of course, for under $50. We cannot really carry too much (damn Ryanair flight booked en route). Despite this, wisdom again, we then went on to purchase some more bargains. My day pack is now packed full and heavy
:( Could not pass it up though.

Now I could talk about about Pekin Duck, but we all know I am not an expert (depite having seen it eaten too many times). I hear there will be a Duck Special, so stay tuned for that one.

Personally, the vegetarian food here is awesome. Tonight, Dean even preferred it to his glowing red pork dish. Again more chilli and garlic, but this time in a new fusion concoction. I will definately be experimenting when I get home.

Oh and the Olympics??? We have not made it out to the bird's nest or the pool unfortunately, but to say the city is awash with souveniers, Olympic propaganda and tiht security would be an understatement.

Now weary, although still walking, we commence our tour tomorrow so I will sign off.

Warriors, warriors, warriors

Want to see some? Head to Xi'An (China of course). Ages ago I saw Catriona Rowntree reporting on the Terracotta Warriors and decided I wanted to see them. Hence, Xi'An.

Things had run pretty smoothly in China to date and Dean and I were feeling pretty lucky. In all of my travels I have previously had only 1 or 2 flights delayed and only for 30 minutes or so... you see where this is going. Shanghai, with all it's smog, had bad weather. Our airport was closed, so we were ushered to the other airport (no english spoken so we were a little curious...), where we waited whilst other planes were cancelled and 3 hours after our scheduled time we boarded. Then we sat in the plane, for another 2 1/2 hours. After landing in Xi'An, tired, we boarded the airport suttle bus. Some guy flipped out. Turns out he believed that somone had pinched his wallet. We believe he dropped it but of course this could not be the case. The police were called. After checking everyone's paper's and passports (but not mine - celebritism strikes in a good way), we were informed by the police (via a Kiwi's Chinese wife) that the bus had video cameras, they were going to check them and in the meantime we were to be shifted to another bus. On the way to the new bus, the wallet was found, but the investigation continues.... Oh, and we were all suspects. More waiting. the Policeman comes back on board and very officially states "we know who did it but we don't have the proof', then saluted us and left. Now, despite my Forensic experience, I am pretty sure that without the police witnessing it, and there being nothing in the footage, and personally being an eyewitness to the guy getting on the bus, sitting, and flipping out, that the police would not have had a clue who, if anyone had stolen the wallet. Dean, the Kiwi in front and myself all conlcluded that the guy dropped his wallet. We arrived at Shanghai airport (#1) at 10am. We arrived in Xi'An at 9pm. Only 2 hours was flying... Grrrrr

Sorry, criminal detour over. Xi'An itself is great. Flashing neon everyewhere (obsession with lights continues), restored Chinese architecture and a vibrancy met us on our eventual arrival into town. Our hostel, was fantastic. On arrival we needed to book an overnight train from Xi'An to Beijing in a couple of days. They informed us that flights were cheaper, so they booked them for us. Ahhhh. Good help makes all the difference. They also had a gorgeous tabby cat (Mini Moe for G & L) whom's name frightfully sounded like Hotpot!!! (He was looking very alive and loved when i left:). The hostel also had a golden retriever, also alive and loved when we left:). I think they were actually safely pets:)

Now back to the warriors. The first emperor of China had 721,000 people carve out thousands of warriors to have in his tomb when he died. Made of Terracotta, carved and painted, they were placed in his tomb for his eventual death. Shortly after he died there was a bit of chaos. Some guys (an army or so) came and crashed through the tomb, damaging the warriors and setting it alight. (Doh for the 721,000 who had to make them). In the 70s, some farmers found some pieces of warrior in a well and they have been excatvating ever since. The Warriors themselves were life-size (if you are Chinese) and fantastic. There were chariots to see and the different excavations. highly recommend them.

The remainder of our time in Xi'An was spent checking out Goose Pagodas and a temple that had many signs pointing to the sayings off Tripitaka , and we got to see them. No Monkey or Pigsy though.

By this stage, Dean was salivating for some Peking duck so Beijing, look out!

ally

Hangzhou and the West Lake

After the hazy madness of Shanghai, we had decided to head south a little and check out a little place called the West Lake and see if it's really as nice as all the books say.

Well, it is. Our trip to Hangzhou started with a superb train ride out of Shanghai (leaving Shanghai was a good thing, leaving on a spacious, clean and fast train was a bonus, seriously the best train we've been on).

The city of Hangzhou is pretty much the same as the other big cities we've been to so far - huge numbers of apartment blocks and skyscapers, massive shopping malls, and bus/car/bike/truck mayhem everywhere.

However, just on the edge of the city is a lake that seems to be a favourite for Chinese tourists. A large lake surrounded by lush gardens, bridges and pagodas, once you're next to the lake you can't hear the traffic any more and it is a welcome relief to just sit and do nothing for once.
As usual, the skies were overcast for us, but it only added to the peacefulness of the area. Even when it rained it was still nice for a walk.

The "love bridge" on the lake

We stayed in a nice little guesthouse, with very helpful staff and nice cold beer to come back to after a day's sightseeing.

Ally on the lake, with the Leifeng Pagoda in the background

Some more temples in a complex next to the lake dedicated to... some important
dude...

The main night market in town is the best we've been to so far, hundreds of little stores, for a change NOT all selling the same crap (why someone in a store would ask you to looka-looka at the same handbags and dolls as the previous 10 stores that you've just ignored always amazes me... )
I ate a heap of who-knows-what, we watched a little shadow puppet show and just walked around checking out all the different things on offer. Apparently Hangzhou is famous for it's silk, it's main brand of tea (Longjing) and, somehow, scissors... we didn't bother with any of these...

Never did find out exactly what Number 9 entailed...

Mean looking dude watching over the night market

The next day we jumped on a bus to the city, and changed to another bus to see a water-city called Wuzhen. This was once a bustling city of traders in canals, but is now a tourist park (sort of Sovereign Hill on water...). It was a really hot day and we were both feeling the pain after an hour or so getting lost in the villages, but it was quite well done. However there was no-one there really, and it didn't have much atmosphere. Nice to see the old-style architecture (or replicas of...)

Wuzhen photos

So we jumped on the bus back into town and waited for the shuttle to take us back to West Lake.
Only problem was, the bus had finished for the day, so we were a bit stuck. we asked (by 'asked' i mean pointed and grunted in a manner that surely translated properly) a few people for help finding another bus, and eventually a guy helped us out... a lot... not speaking a word of english, we managed to point out where we wanted to go.
First he checked with a few cops, before one of them told him a bus to get to the other side of town, so we got on it, and he jumped on with us, and then paid for us! Once on the other side of town, we all got off, he hailed a cab, and again jumped in with us, took us back to the lake, then paid again, jumped out and ran off!

We've had quite a few experiences like that, where people just look after you brilliantly and will take nothing in return...
I reckon if you wanted to be a bastard, you could probably travel and eat for nothing if you just sweet-talked (or sweet-grunted) a few locals along the way... they're that nice...

The initial plan was to have 2 days in Hangzhou, and then Ally wanted us to get another bus to a mountaintop region called Moganshan, which apparently is a cool, forested area that's meant to be nice for chilling. However, enjoying the West Lake as we were, with quite a few sights left to see, and our day's experience getting stranded in the city, we decided to stay a few more nights where we were and take it easy. We managed to get one more night at our hostel, but the saturday night apparently the whole area gets booked out by locals, so our hostel was full. the guy there managed to find a room at a nearby hostel (which apparently was having electricity problems sometimes), which we pretty much had to take if we wanted a bed. Turns out 'electricity problems' actually meant that the one room available had NO electricity (in a place where the temperature is mid 30s and well over 80% humidity, not having aircon turned out to be a pretty uncomfortable... and smelly... experience. but oh well, shit happens.

One of the main sites we were still to see was the Lingyin Temple, a huge Buddhist series of temples that work their way up a mountain. The sky was clear today, which just meant we had direct sunlight for a change, again you wouldn't want to have been near us on the bus on the way back...
Anyway, this was a very cool area. the path leading to the temples has hundreds of Buddhist carvings in the rocky mountains, with little streams running through them, was obviously a great place to get in the mood for some meditiation.

Laughing Buddha With Big Belly. He's like my idol...

One of the temples at Lingyin

A little further up (literally) from the Lingyin was a monastary, partially open to us tourists. We were tiring at this point, but was well worth the walk up, seeing the little orange dudes strutting their stuff amongst great scenery and nice little temples.

Um... bamboo.

Yep... monks...

Once we walked back to the entrance, we jumped on a cable car up to the top of another mountain, which gave great views over the lake and the city. Of more value was that i then found out Ally isn't a fan of heights, so rocking the carriage a little made my day.

Uninpiring day of the West Lake, Hangzhou city, and smog...

Our last day in Hangzhou we spent looking at more local sights. A short walk from our hostel we found a Silk Museum. Not so exciting a proposition I know, but it was quite interesting (and was airconditioned, so anything is exciting when that's the case).
The best bit i think was at the front entrance, where there was a basket of the little guys weaving their magic. Pretty cool to watch them. And the aircon was strongest in that part of the building...

Silkworms at work

We then jumped on another bus which would it's way up through hills strewn with tea plantations, through little roadside villages, looking for the Tea Museum (in the hope of more air-con). A young local chick asked us if we knew where we were going, turns out she just finished her uni degree in Hangzhou and was going to the Tea Museum (and other local sights not yet visited) before heading off to work in Shanghai. So we went around the museum, and our new friend explained a few things to us (her parents run a tea plantation somewhere, so she knew her stuff) and then we asked her to join us for lunch, which, stupid us, she then insisted on paying for.

Ally and 'Bik'

We then got the bus back into town and walked around the night market again. This time, we had a bit of inside knowledge into which shops to bother going into and Ally made a few purchases. We managed to buy our friend (her name is Bike or something, i never quite worked it out) a drink finally, and after more walking around the market were done for the night.

We also went to a big pagoda right beside the lake, the Leifeng Pagoda. The one there now was only built a few years ago (and even has a lift to the top - nice), but was built on top of a much older one in the same spot (and the foundations for which are nestled inside the new foundations, quite cool) with great night views of the lake and surrounds (my photos didn't turn out too well).

Leifeng Pagoda

So it was great to get out of the big cities for a change and relax, a great place to come to 'get away' for a while.

We then headed back to Shanghai for a night to take a flight to our next port of call - Xi'an.

Shanghai - Skyscrappers, Subways and Smog

Skyscrappers, Subways and Smog. We had a very touristy time in Shanghai. Walking the Bund, a 'picturesque riverside walk lined with restaurant' was simply fraud. Awash with kite sellers we trekked along the Bund looking for two things - restaurants and a scenic tunnel underneath. We found neither until KFC reared in our peripheral vision. Looking ashamed and hungrily at each other, we stopped in 'to keep us going'. Leaving KFC we turned around to see all of the real chinese restaurants hidden under the walkway.... Doh! A little further up, we spotted the scenic tunnel that takes you under the river to the 'other side'....

Nanjing Road. The 'tourist' road in shanghai. Like the rest of
shanghai, left us fairly unimpressed...

Stepping into our space-like capsule, we were a little unsure of what to expect from our scenic tunnel ride. As we launched, it became clearer... technicolour lights, music, and a wise Yoda-like voice began and our capsule launched.... slowly.... through laser-lighted tunnel with 'themes' of earth, heaven, hell, space... you get the gist. Light shows seem very popular here. As our journey ended, we agreed that all the trip needed was some LSD with the purchase ticket to 'enhance' the experience.

Weird tunnel thingy

Hazy skyline. This is actually fairly clear relatively...

This is more like it.

Newly enlightened, we headed for our next touristy obligation. The Sky tower. It is either 450 ft or metres tall (i cannot remember which but 450 metres is starting to sound a little big...), and is a communications tower. Ascending to the top was the usual sightseeing tower fare. The view... well, there is a lot of smog... so we saw maybe 200 metres out. I felt a little ill that this was what we were breathing in. The view was nothing compared to the space museum a little lower down though. A round room painted black with a yoda in the corner and some pictures of planets. Dean's glowing white shirt was my personal highlight.

Oriental Pearl Tower (or something like that)

I had my first dose of blond-celebritism by one little stalker in the tower also. At first he asked for a photo with me, i declined. Later whilst on a different level, walking down some stairs, the stalker was waiting and took a photo of me whilst walking down the stairs! Not happy Jan!!!! Disliking the day we headed for some lunch.

This was more successful. We found an outside eatery, where you simply point at the food you have with your rice and tuck in. So, Dean and myself filled up, with a couple of drinks (inc. beer) and it cost a grand total of $3. Day was looking up.

In fact, the food of Shanghai was the highlight. Our hostel was located in a more 'local' area so we took the opportunity to eat local. On our first night, fresh into Shanghai, we headed out. Completely forgetting our phrasebook, we soon realised we were going to have to find a restaurant with pictures. Walking past street side venders of noodles, BBQs, Dean was dribbling and leaving a small trail. Eventually we found somewhere where I too could eat something. Between the wonderful world of pictures, body language and a lovely restauranteur, Dean had noodles and myself, shredded bamboo shoots with chilli and garlic (I have since wanted every meal to have this combination.... I might be an addict). We were also served a broth on the side each. Looking all meaty, I gave mine to Dean. This was not the best idea, however, as they seemed to be never-ending. After 3 bowls, Dean was a little full. We soon learnt to leave some broth behind.

At another local eatery, they have all different ingredients on skewers and you select the ingredients you want and they cook it up. I got a little excited by this set-up and was selecting every vegetable i could get my hands on before dean warned me that I would be paying for each one. Sighing at the ingredients I left behind, I handed my collection over. The price for mine was 5 Yuan (~80cents!!!!). Dean's was the same and as you can imagine, it was all meaty. The ingredients get added to noodles and voila, dinner is serve, with drinks for under $2. I think that is almost our cheapest dinner in China to date... Did i mention that we also got drinks with that, still for under $2....

Lastly, the subway. We seemed to spend a lot of time on it. Shanghai is massive with around 18 million people and lengthy tunnels. It is quick, clean, colour-coded and bi-lingual with signs and announcements. The best train in all of Shanghai though is the Maglev. The engineers of you may want to google this one. Somehow using magnets in a catapillar style (????), the Maglev train from the airport to the city travels at a cool 450km an hour. This means it takes a couple of minutes to get from the city to the airport and that the cars on the freeways on the way appear to be zooming backwards. It's cool and I want one!

So the tip for Shanghai (Geoff I know you will be there shortly), eat. Eat lots. At local restaurants of course. Oh and bring an umbrella - still raining.

ally

P.S

We loved Hong Kong. Vibrant with all the highlights of East and West.

Hong Kong - land of escalators, thank God!

First port: Hong Kong.




A little unsure what to expect, I was keen to see a little more of Hong Kong than their airport. It was a refreshing surprise. Arriving in the city, winding our way through the one-way maze of streets, we were talking about the architecture of sky-scrapping apartment blocks - the swanky new glass covered ones and the ones that reminded me of the kinds that collapsed in recent earthquakes... I commented that at least our hotel should not be like that.... I was wrong. Over 15 floors high, the Mirabel Mansion was a communistic block of concrete with air conditioners coming out of every window. I was a little nervous. Our room (windowless) was the bed and an inch of walking space so we were easy to fall for the up-grade with a window and 2 inches of walking space. The new room was impressive given the outer facade.

Hong Kong (for those in chilly Melbourne) was hot, humid and raining. We quickly bought umbrellas and i quickly left mine behind somewhere. Not used to carrying them i guess. We hopped over the islands on the ferries, saw the obligatory light show and then just soaked up the fusion of Luis Vuitton and small Chinese eateries. It only took us a few meals to learn that each time we ate our bill halved. I think our best was around $2 for the both of us, with drinks.

Light show

Street market

We ventured up to the Peak that over looks the city.. saw lots of grey but the walk to the Peak was more impressive. We took the world's (alleged) longest outdoor escalator (~800m) up through steep streets of markets and trendy cafes in Soho. We walked through one of the markets where that familiar Asian market smell returned and fish seemed to be having a hard time with cleavers (yuk). Next we walked through some windy streets and through the zoo. We saw the largest Orang Utan I've ever seen, with a face broader than Bert's. We also saw some lemur's and some scarlet red crane's that were gorgeous. Along the way we met an old guy who had a Bonsai garden in the front of his business and was quite happy for us to admire it and he even explained the scene behind one of them that had huts, people etc in it. All in Catonese. He seemed very proud, and it was cool.

Bonzai garden

Our other interesting stop was an Island called Lamma. We went for the 'easy' scenic walk. Not so hard on the legs, but it was humid so i can honestly say, i was sweatier than i can ever recall. Felt very very gross. Dean could have fixed the Melbourne drought (I'm not mean, he said it!). We were tempted by a local beach for a nano-second - before we noticed the adjoining power plant! The locals did not seem to mind but i was not keen to swim amongst three-eyed fish.

Hard earned lunch after the hot hike across Lamma island

That was Hong Kong. Viv, have no fear, I cannot speak a word of Cantonese so you still know more than me:o)

Next stop - Shanghai

ally