China
Written on September, 2012. Posted in Asia.
Beijing
Arrived safely in Beijing after a good flight, then straight out on a tour to a vantage point for a view of the city. We saw the Forbidden city which we will visit tomorrow along with other various sites of interest. This was followed by a trip into the old part of the city where a few people (no names) got lost wandering down Opium Street – fortunately we found them in time for dinner at the hotel. Finally off to bed for the first time in 36 hours.
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An early start this morning took us firstly to the site of the Beijing Olympics to see the Bird’s nest stadium and aquatic centre. Then the main part of the morning was spent touring the Summer Palace and gardens and included a short boat ride on the lake. Then onto Tiananmen Square and its buildings. After lunch was the highlight of the day with the tour of the Forbidden city (Forbidden , because only the important people were allowed in to have access to the Emperor).
Our first stop of the day was a brief visit to a workshop making lovely enamelled vases and pots. Then followed one of the highlights of the trip – a visit to the Great Wall. Although we had seen photographs we weren’t prepared for the scale and the task ahead of us in climbing along the length of the wall we visited. It was a very hot sunny day ( about 33 degrees, 91 in old money) and we had about an hour and a half to explore the wall – all steep and uneven steps, but the views were stunning. We had lunch and then went on to see one of the Emperor’s tombs and the processional walkway leading to it known as the Sacred way. This was a very beautiful walk, tree lined and with statues of animals and humans. Dinner tonight was a special Peking Duck dinner, but vegetarians have been well catered for with a plentiful supply of rice and broccoli for every meal! Puddings consist of a slice of watermelon for every meal, but we did sneak out tonight for ice cream!
Started today with a visit to the Temple of Heavenly Peace where the Emperor went to make offerings for a good harvest. In the gardens we watched the old folk exercising, playing cards, dominoes, knitting etc – a very nice atmosphere. Then it was on to see a former royal residence turned into a Buddhist monastery. After lunch a short drive back to the airport and on to Nanjing where we are now. Still hot and sunny!
Today started with more steps as we climbed 392 of them to reach the mausoleum of Dr Sun Yat-sen, the leader of the Chinese in over-turning the rule by the emperor at the beginning of the last century. From there on to a freshwater pearl oyster farm where we saw the oysters and the pearl jewellery – some lovely variations in the colours of the pearls. Just before lunch we visited the mile long bridge across the Yangtze river which is on two levels for cars and trains.
In the afternoon we visited the former mansion of a business man which has now become a folk museum with a small but beautiful garden and then went on to a market area, but I wasn’t allowed to buy any of the puppies in the pet shop. The highlight of the evening meal was the birthday cake for our tour manager!
Suzhou
An early start this morning to get the fast train to Suzhou. The train travels at a top speed of 320 km/h (200mph) and is very comfortable. Very misty first thing, but the temperature is already high (31 C) although it is only 09:30.
On arrival, our first stop was the Lingering Garden which was very enjoyable but was very busy. There were different views from every angle and every doorway and window of the house. After lunch we went on to see a silk factory and saw all the stages from the worm, to spinning the thread and weaving the cloth and of course it was another buying opportunity! From there it was on to a smaller garden, the Garden of the Fishing Nets, which was quieter and more peaceful. Our final trip before arriving at the hotel was a tour of the canals and old part of the city and included visits to the fruit and vegetable markets and the flower and pet markets (more cute pups looking for a good home). Arrived at the hotel to find our luggage hadn’t arrived, but it will come shortly. Then after dinner it will be an early night for our 6 am wake up call tomorrow (second day running).
Hangzhou
Alarm call at 6 am, but we had already been woken by someone calling the wrong number (3 times) at 3 am. First trip was a two hour cruise on the Grand Canal. This extends over a thousand miles from North China to the South, with smaller canals connecting with it. Lots of contrasts along the way, small fishing boats and huge barges full of coal, cement etc. A lot of new high-rise apartments are being built along the way, but still the old fishing nets are at the edge of the canal. The barges were so heavily loaded that they barely rose above the level of the water. From here we went to a thousand year old village called Tong Li, where we visited the Garden of Serenity and Meditation, wandered around the streets and rowed in a small boat around the village – and all before lunch! We are currently doing a 2 hour bus journey to our next overnight stop. It has been a little cooler today and very misty with a few drops of rain while we have been on the bus.
P.S. Breaking news, no broccoli for lunch today. 🙂
A long lie in this morning until 7am then after breakfast a visit to the former residence of a businessman. The house was rebuilt in recent times but the furnishing and coloured glass panels are original. Mr Hu lived here with his main wife and 12 concubines. It was the most impressive house which everyone enjoyed seeing. We then had a half hour cruise on the West Lake which was good but we missed seeing the best views because of light rain and mist ( which lasted all day, but the temperature remained pleasantly warm at 21 degrees). After a pleasant lunch we moved on to see a tea plantation with an explanation of the growing and harvesting process and a tea tasting; sadly this confirmed our opinions that despite the claimed health properties of it, neither of us like green tea! On the way back to the hotel we stopped to see and climb (more steps) the Pagoda of the Six Harmonies which was built over a thousand years ago. Shortly, it will be time for an early dinner before going back to the lake to see a show performed on the lake. The show is directed by a filmmaker who also directed the opening ceremony for the Beijing olympic games and sounds very impressive. Tomorrow, we get Shanghai’d!
Arrival in Shanghai
Last night’s show was stunning. The trees round the lake were floodlit with different coloured lights which change colour during the performance. The stage was several inches below the water level of the lake. It appeared as if the actors were walking on the water. The cast consisted of over 300 dancers, many of whom wore dark clothes so they couldn’t be seen but they carried lights in the form of fish or birds which appeared to swim In the lake or fly through the air respectively. They would beat drums in the water sending up sprays of water which would catch the light, huge structures were raised up out of the lake which sprayed fine mist which was also illuminated with coloured lights. All was performed with beautiful music. Difficult to capture the experience so we hope we can find some film clips on the Internet to show you when we get home.
Today started out again with heavy, thick mist and light rain. In the UK we would be wearing thick jumpers and turning up the heater in the car, here we are sitting in the bus for our 3 hour journey to Shanghai, sitting in short sleeved shirts and asking for the air conditioning to be turned up as the temperature outside is 26 degrees. Stopped on the way at a typical motorway service station, just like at home with the additional option of buying deep fried chicken gizzards, necks and feet (we weren’t tempted to try). As we travel Westwards it is clearing and becoming sunny, but cloudy so should be a lovely afternoon. Saw on the BBC website the other day about the heavy rain in Glasgow closing roads and the runway at Prestwick airport – so thinking of you all! Shanghai is completely different from what we expected. A population of 23 million people. Lots of development and redevelopment, amazing skyscrapers.
We had an afternoon visit to the Temple of the Jade Budha and a brief sightseeing tour of the waterfront before dinner and a visit to see a thrilling acrobatic show. Then back to the hotel for a drink in the bar on the 22 floor with grand night time view of all the coloured city light on the high rise buildings. Main topic of conversation when we had all explored our hotel rooms was our toilets with heated seats and water sprays and dryers so everything is done for you! 🙂
Today we started with a tour of the old quarter of Shanghai, including a visit to the Yu Yuan gardens which were very beautiful, as was the stop we made for an ice cream afterwards!
Running through the city is the Huangpu river; thirty years ago the one bank of the river was entirely rice paddy fields, but this is now developed into an area of skyscrapers including the tallest building in China. We visited one of these buildings and were whisked up to the 88th floor in the fastest lift in Asia for scenic views of the city including the current tallest building and the one being built next to it which will eventually be taller (apparently it grows another floor each week). After lunch, we crossed the river in a small buggy which travels through a tunnel under the river and then had a short cruise on the river with more views of the skyline. We haven’t had a meal organised for tonight so are going out for ice cream, cakes and beer. 🙂
Tomorrow we are visiting the museum here and then flying off to join the boat for the cruise on the Yangtze river for 5 days. We may not be able to send more photographs and update the website until we return, but will email if possible. Will save up the pictures for you.
Yichang
Started today with a visit to the Shanghai museum; although we had several hours here, it wasn’t nearly long enough. The first floors of the museum covered bronzes and sculptures dating back from 4-6 thousand years ago and up to more recent times. On other floors were lovely paintings which were displayed in dim light to protect them, but as you approached to view them the light increased so you could see them properly. There was also a collection of highly engraved stamps which were inked and stamped onto documents and letters instead of a signature. We only had a brief time to see the furniture collection and missed seeing the collection of costumes. From here it was on to lunch before leaving for the airport and our flight to Yichang. On the way to the airport we left the bus and travelled the last 30 or so kilometres on the Maglev train. The train travels the distance to the airport in 8 or 9 minutes at a speed of 300 km/hour. The principle of the train is that it is suspended in a magnetic field and is not in contact with the ground – a very smooth ride and the only place in the world we could do this. Flight was about 2 hours but when we arrived we found we had to travel further than expected to join the cruise. There had been a rock fall, so the boats were leaving from further along the river and we missed the first portion of the cruise ( but the part which we would have done overnight anyway, so didn’t really miss anything).
Three Gorges Dam
A quiet start to the day as instead of an optional tour, we had a look round the boat and went to a talk given by the ship’s doctor on Chinese traditional medicine. One of the women on our tour kindly volunteered to be the subject for a demonstration of acupuncture, so neither of us got needled! After lunch was our tour of the Three Gorges Dam. This is the largest concrete dam in the world and the largest hydroelectric power station. 1.3 million people had to be moved out of the area and a whole town built for the 30.000 construction workers. Because of the effect of the dam on the water level, to continue along the river tonight we have to go through a series of 5 locks which will take over 3 hours. Although still warm, it is very misty and humid which restricts our views, but this is how the weather is here for 200 days of the year, and the mist clinging to the mountains should make for some very atmospheric photographs.
Three Gorges Cruise
Last night we started to pass through the lock system at about 10.30 , but we only managed to stay up and watch the progress through the first two locks. We were very impressed; two large boats with smaller ones beside almost completely filled the lock with very little space between them and there was the occasional bumping as they positioned themselves alongside. We were close enough that we could reach out and touch the walls of the lock. Most time was spent getting the boats in position and opening the lock gates. Although at each of the 5 locks the water level had to rise 20 metres ( over 60 feet) this was accomplished in about 4 minutes each time.
This morning we were up early to see the spectacular scenery of the 2nd gorge (including the Goddess Peak and a mountain resembling a sitting Buddha) before breakfast. After eating we transferred to a smaller boat for a trip up one of the lesser gorges. Along the way the sun came out and the mist lifted, although it was still very hazy. We saw a few monkeys and wild goats scrambling amongst the rocks of the mountainside. Eventually we transferred to a small junk to progress through the narrower part of the gorge. All very scenic and pleasant to be out in the sun (yes we’ve seen pictures of the storms and the floods in the UK). Then back for lunch, yes more food, we’ll be resembling Buddha when we’re back home. 🙂 The afternoon started with the cruise through the last of the three gorges. Afterwards we did an additional tour of the White Emperor City which gave us a final view over the entrance to the gorges. This trip involved yet more steps – but here they had provided an easier alternative in the form of sedan chairs carried by two men to the top. We didn’t avail ourselves of the service but sympathised with the poor men labouring up the climb carrying heavy women. The price was £6 a go or by weight! The men doing this were originally farmers but they had lost their land to the flooding caused by the construction of the dam – we also saw some of the new towns constructed for the people relocated.
Still Cruising Up The Yangtze
A short tour today. After breakfast we went to visit the Shibaozhai Pagoda. A temple stands on top of a high rock which the monks could only get to by climbing with chains. However in 1750 they built a pagoda alongside the rock so that you could get to the top by climbing 99 steps. To get to it we went through the newly created town seeing the marks on the town wall that show the height of the river when it floods each year. Then we passed over a rickety suspension bridge to get to the base of the pagoda and the start of the steps. We did a few extra with an additional climb up a metal ladder to get the view from the top. The snake and horse we are behind are our Chinese zodiac birth years. The rest of the day is the sail to the end of the cruise, and the rest of the day is spent with various activities such as more eating, kite flying, a trip to see the captain at the bridge, Chinese cookery lessons etc, etc, and of course a rum hot chocolate to refresh us after our morning trip 🙂 Tomorrow we have a long coach journey to our next destination so expect another early start!
Chongqing to Chengdu
The highlight of yesterday evening was the kite flying from the stern of the boat. The kites were on very long strings so we could get up to quite a height. Unfortunately, no-one told us that the strings were not tied on so quite a few of them ended up floating down the river. Some of the rest got tangled up in the railings and balconies, but all in all great fun and it filled in the time before the banquet dinner.
Overnight we arrived at the world’s largest city, Chongqing (population over 33 million people). After an early breakfast we left the ship for a two and a half hour drive to Dazu. Initially a motorway drive, but gradually moved onto country roads where we started to see rice fields. The reason for visiting this place was a large park with huge rock carvings illustrating the life and teachings of Buddha. The carvings dated over a thousand years and were very impressive. After lunch, we continued on a five hour journey to Chengdu, passing initially through hilly agricultural land and steep winding roads full of pot-holes before rejoining the motorway and the flat plains. Journeys on the motorways are always broken with a visit to the service stations and it is always interesting to see what’s on offer (especially the hot fried duck gizzards as a popular snack). Some heavy rain along the way which didn’t last long and is the first we’ve seen on this trip, also a little cooler which has made for a pleasant change. Tomorrow we expect an early start to see the pandas – probably us who are panda eyed due to lack of sleep!
Chengdu
So today was a visit to the Panda breeding station at Chengdu. We got really close to some of the pandas and saw them while they were still feeding. Pandas are either eating or sleeping- we saw both. A baby was born there during the London Olympics and we saw it, now about a month old and still almost hairless and lying in its incubator. We also saw some red pandas which are smaller, with long tails and which are equally cute and equally endangered in the wild. We looked for souvenirs, but couldn’t find the panda poo paper that we wanted. The bamboo which the pandas mainly eat is not very digestible and so the poo is collected and recycled to make high grade paper! After lunch it was off to the airport for a short flight to Xian ( the oldest city in China and apparently a city which is twinned with Edinburgh). The flight took us over the mountains with some good views until we reached the city which lies in the middle of flat farmland which is increasingly being taken over by new skyscrapers. Tomorrow is one of the highlight days of the tour, but more of that then.
Xian
Yesterday was the moon festival, celebrating the full moon of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar – the tradition is to buy expensive boxes of moon cakes for family and friends. Today is the National holiday and everyone is off work for 8 days and the roads are very busy as there is no charge for the toll roads for the duration of the holiday. We started the day with a visit to one of the gates of the city wall of Xian. The gates were ceremoniously opened for us and were we’re given a token key to the city and passport. We proceeded through the gates and were treated to a colourful ceremonial with historical dancing and flag waving. The walls are about 30 feet thick and extend about 17 kilometres around the city – if we had had more time we could have cycled round on top of the walls or even hired a tandem. Driving out of the city we stopped at a showroom of Jade ornaments and broaches, some of which were very beautiful. Then we drove on to the main site of this visit about 40 km from the city to visit the Emperor’s warriors. Over 2000 years ago the first emperor of China desired eternal life. He commissioned his burial chamber ( still to be opened but containing as its floor a map of the known world with rivers of mercury, and for a roof the map of the heavens). He also had made an army of life- size terracotta figures of warriors, horses, archers etc. these were discovered by a farme buried underground, about 40 years ago. The site is massive, with about 4000 figures in 3 pits, two of which are bigger than football pitches and are now enclosed in buildings the size of aircraft hangers. A really impressive sight, but not enough time to see it all. Back in the city, the evening banquet was a splendid meal in a theatre when we were given a colourful show with historical period music and dancing, a great finish to the night.
Xian to Guilin
We started the morning with an all too brief visit to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda Where we chose to climb the steps for the views from the top. Because of the holidays, the pagoda was very crowded, so by the time we got to the top there was less time to explore the rest of the surrounding Buddhist Temples which were very impressive. The next stop was a private art museum, where we were given a brief guide to the history of Chinese art which was very interesting with some unusual items such as shadow puppets and some very elaborate pictures made by cutting out patterns in rice paper ( very intricate work which would have taken hours to do). After this the guide talked about Chinese calligraphy and gave us brushes and ink so we could have a go at writing the Chinese characters ( with differing degrees of success) . After lunch we should have had a museum visit, but because of the holidays the queues outside were too big so we had half an hour in a local park before heading to the airport. Airports have been getting smaller as we move round the country, but all have a good selection of top end designer shops (with a great selection of men’s shirts). Foggy and raining when we left, but 25 degrees and clear when we arrived in Guilin in the south.
A Slow Boat In China – Guilin To Hong Kong
A very lazy start to the day. We had a late breakfast and then went for a walk round the lake which was at the front of the hotel. Part way round we were overtaken by a group of 11 year old Chinese children and their teacher who asked if we could spare some time to talk to the children as English language practise for them. The kids were great. We had been split into two groups so one group had an explanation of vegetarianism while the other found that my favourite meat was chicken, immediately jumping up and down shouting ‘KFC, KFC’ ( KFC is everywhere here and appears much more popular than McDonalds). From here we went into town and had a short look around a local park which gave us the opportunity to climb yet more steps to get a view of the city. After lunch we had a visit to the Reed Flute Caves, which were massive, with very impressive rock formations which were illuminated with colourful lights. Then it was onto the airport for a short flight to the madness which is Hong Kong.
Hong Kong
Our hotel is in Kowloon, close to the waterfront and just across from Hong Kong island. We crossed the water by means of a short tunnel and took the tram (actually a funicular) up a thousand feet to get views over the harbour and over the ocean. Then we drove down to Aberdeen harbour where we had a short ride in a sampan (local fisherman’s boat) before moving along to visit a market for lunch. Saw the cricket ground, the massive race course, before taking a short ride on a trolley bus. Then we had a ten minute ferry crossing back to the hotel, giving us splendid views of Hong Kong along the way. We will go back on the ferry tonight to see the harbour lit up at night.
For the final day of the holiday, we had a tour of Lantau Island. For this we took a short ride on a catamaran from Hong Kong harbour and then joined our bus on the island. Our first stop was a very brief visit to a beautiful, and at that time in the morning, deserted beach. The guidebooks say that Cheung Sha’s beach is one of the best in Hong Kong, but we only had time here for a very quick, token paddle in the water. From here we moved on to a fishing village called Tai O. The village consists of narrow streets of houses built on stilts over the water. There were a few temples here and small shops selling fresh fish and the local speciality of all sorts of dried fish (including sea horses). The tour then took us on to the Po Lin Monastery and the 85 ft high statue of the Buddha. We had a very enjoyable vegetarian lunch at the monastery. From here we had a ride in a cable car which had a glass bottom to give us wonderful views of the island including the international airport to which we would be returning later in the evening. The cable car was a lengthy ride taking us 4 miles to Tung Chung where we rejoined our bus to return over the bridge to Hong Kong for a final meal at our hotel before a drive back to the airport for our flight home.
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