Survived a night in Wuhan and arrived in Shanghai the next day. A sad highlight-found a bakers in the tube station selling real bread! A luxury we have missed. Wandered the Bund and looked across at the Shanghai skyine at night. The next day we met Paul from Peterlee beside the internet at the hostel. He came with us and we went on a 3 hour cruise down the Huang Po river to the mouth of the Yangtze. Craig loved looking at the millions of boats, tankers and frigets. Rachel was not so impressed, but enjoyed the munchies that we were given for free. Some were rather odd however-including some queer beef gerkin which she spat out and some strange vegetable sweets (the chinese have a strange idea of sweet things). On the cruise we met a Canadian from Vancouver called Peter and afterwards we went back to his hotel for cup of tea and a nosy in his 5 star hotel room (Art deco). We spent the evening with Peter and Paul, visiting a barbecue restaurant where you barbecued your own food in the middle of the table. Then we went on to a bar for a few beers.
The following day we wandered the Shanghai streets in search of a park, but as Craig had read the map wrong, we never found it until it was too late and it had closed! Never mind, we got plenty of exercise! and saw the football stadium and sat in a nice park. Cheated today and had a KFC!
The next day we visited the Shanghai museum-and it was actually our first freebie of the entire trip! Free entry-we could not believe it! Later we left for the station to catch the train to Hong Kong. A 20 hour journey this time, but most of it was overnight. We had top bunk beds this time, 3 beds high, so quite a climb to get on! We met a couple from Dublin and ate in the restaurant car with them.
Arrived in Hong Kong this morning (Saturday). Found a double room in a hostel for about 7 pound a night each, which is very good for here. Very small and a bit scabby with shower over the toilet, but it doesn't matter as it is so warm and humid here that we will hardly be in it. We can always sit in the park all day!!! Had a good wander round with a girl from Slovenia who was also on our train. We saw the Hong Kong skyline at night and the sound and light show, which is on dislay from all the buildings both sides of the river at 8pm each night. We are staying here for 5 nights until Thurs, then may go to Macau by ferry and stay 2 nights til Sat before getting the train to our final destination - Hainan. So glad to finally be in the heat, the skys here are clear and there is no smog so the sun finally gets through. Hong Kong is very impressive and ultra modern.
Having a few problems getting the pictures on at the moment, will hopefully be adding some soon.
Saturday, 26 April 2008
Monday, 21 April 2008
3 nights on the Yangtze
Arrived by train to Chonquing were the Yangtze cruise was to begin. The train was a double decker and everyone loved to stare as we got on! It was the first time we have ever seen the conductors selling toys and doing demos-the toys were the type we had in England in the 80's and 90's. Everywhere you looked there was new roads being built, elevated through the hills and across the valleys, with a random power station popping up here and there.
We had a pick up at the station with a car with blacked out windows and the driver wearing white wooly gloves like a chauffer. They took us to the cruiser/local ferry were we boarded to find we were sharing a cabin with a couple from Dublin (Dave and Holly-on there way to New Zealand to work). Other than one other Westerner (Glynn, a software contractor from the South West), the other 500 were Chinese tourists, who loved a good stare. A small proportion liked getting very drunk and singing karaoke ALL day long, VERY VERY loudly.
After getting our cabin, a chinese guy had been giving Holly and Dave's keys by mistake. He thought he was in luck for a free upgrade. It only took about 2 hours to sort out with everybody from the whole floor getting involved! This even included the ship's doctor and a guy who was dressed from cap to socks in England strip. Very odd. The highlight of the trip was the 3 mini gorges were we went on a water tuk tuk and getting a sing song by the captain. We joined in a little before the rain came down and silenced him. Loads of pretty water falls and the odd monkey. The lowlight of the trip-smog and fumes coming from the exhaust funnel of our ferry and millions upon millions of tower blocks in the cities on the river bank (even more than New York).
Finsihed the trip by singing karaoke, trying to teach the Chinese a lesson of how bad it is on the ears to listen to!
The 3 gorges dam is incredibly large, Rachel did not think so though. Although we never got very close as it was mist, you could not really get the full enormity of the scale of the project.
On the plus side, the Chinese are making a huge effort to re-landscape down stream as the dam solves all their centuries of flooding problems.
Just arrived in Wuhan (a stop over night before we head to Shanghai). The bus ride here was extremely smelly and Rachel is now full of cold from the petrol fumes. When we were put on to the local bus, it nearly tipped over as all the Chinese peered out of the same window to have a stare at us. As we got onto the bus they all quickly sat back down as if they hadn't been looking.
Rachel had a kip, while Craig got interragated by 2 iron stone engineers for 3 hours! Rachel only woke up when armed police officers stopped the bus and got on to inspect it. I think they must have been bored because I don't know what they were looking for. The Chinese certainly like keeping you awake by spitting regularly on the bus floor.
We had a pick up at the station with a car with blacked out windows and the driver wearing white wooly gloves like a chauffer. They took us to the cruiser/local ferry were we boarded to find we were sharing a cabin with a couple from Dublin (Dave and Holly-on there way to New Zealand to work). Other than one other Westerner (Glynn, a software contractor from the South West), the other 500 were Chinese tourists, who loved a good stare. A small proportion liked getting very drunk and singing karaoke ALL day long, VERY VERY loudly.
After getting our cabin, a chinese guy had been giving Holly and Dave's keys by mistake. He thought he was in luck for a free upgrade. It only took about 2 hours to sort out with everybody from the whole floor getting involved! This even included the ship's doctor and a guy who was dressed from cap to socks in England strip. Very odd. The highlight of the trip was the 3 mini gorges were we went on a water tuk tuk and getting a sing song by the captain. We joined in a little before the rain came down and silenced him. Loads of pretty water falls and the odd monkey. The lowlight of the trip-smog and fumes coming from the exhaust funnel of our ferry and millions upon millions of tower blocks in the cities on the river bank (even more than New York).
Finsihed the trip by singing karaoke, trying to teach the Chinese a lesson of how bad it is on the ears to listen to!
The 3 gorges dam is incredibly large, Rachel did not think so though. Although we never got very close as it was mist, you could not really get the full enormity of the scale of the project.
On the plus side, the Chinese are making a huge effort to re-landscape down stream as the dam solves all their centuries of flooding problems.
Just arrived in Wuhan (a stop over night before we head to Shanghai). The bus ride here was extremely smelly and Rachel is now full of cold from the petrol fumes. When we were put on to the local bus, it nearly tipped over as all the Chinese peered out of the same window to have a stare at us. As we got onto the bus they all quickly sat back down as if they hadn't been looking.
Rachel had a kip, while Craig got interragated by 2 iron stone engineers for 3 hours! Rachel only woke up when armed police officers stopped the bus and got on to inspect it. I think they must have been bored because I don't know what they were looking for. The Chinese certainly like keeping you awake by spitting regularly on the bus floor.
By the way- Congratulations Pash and Karen!
Thanks Tim for the comments. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a few unusual birds.
The rest of Chengdu
Went for a rather violent massage - 100 minutes for about 4 pounds! Started with feet soaking and reflexology, then moved on to leg and arm slapping and then a head massage that felt like your head was getting crushed! Very good though!
The next day we visited the largest Buddha in the world with Martin (a swiss teacher who had sailed on a cargo ship from Southern Italy to Singapore). Well, the Buddha must be the biggest Buddha as about 12 people could fit on his big toe nail. We only had 3 hours, but there was a lovely mountainous forest park around it to visit.
Forget to tell you about our first night in Chengdu! We decided to walk round the town and along the river bank, but unfortunately we got a bit lost. We stopped to ask directions from a lady with a dog and before we knew it there was a crowd (typical enthusiastuc Chinese!-love to crowd round anything, especially when it's got nothing to do with them). We ended up being led back to the hostel by a man and his wife, but when we thought we knew where we were we said thankyou and parted ways. When we got round the next corner though, we realised we had gone one road too far. At this point, the man from the hostel appeared with the man and his wife that had led us down the road. They had been to the hostel and told them we were lost and they had sent out a search party!!!! (a Noel Lambert moment-bless him).
The next day we visited the largest Buddha in the world with Martin (a swiss teacher who had sailed on a cargo ship from Southern Italy to Singapore). Well, the Buddha must be the biggest Buddha as about 12 people could fit on his big toe nail. We only had 3 hours, but there was a lovely mountainous forest park around it to visit.
Forget to tell you about our first night in Chengdu! We decided to walk round the town and along the river bank, but unfortunately we got a bit lost. We stopped to ask directions from a lady with a dog and before we knew it there was a crowd (typical enthusiastuc Chinese!-love to crowd round anything, especially when it's got nothing to do with them). We ended up being led back to the hostel by a man and his wife, but when we thought we knew where we were we said thankyou and parted ways. When we got round the next corner though, we realised we had gone one road too far. At this point, the man from the hostel appeared with the man and his wife that had led us down the road. They had been to the hostel and told them we were lost and they had sent out a search party!!!! (a Noel Lambert moment-bless him).
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