China

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Zai Jian China!

July 25, 2007 in China by davehogge

Goodbye China

China is not a developing nation, it’s developed. And we all might understand soon just how developed they are. I’ve never met a people who are more determined to make an impression on the world than these folks. Today China, tomorrow – well, probably Taiwan – but then …the World!

Hostels in China are terrific. The number and quality of them surprised us, lots of YHA options these days too, so get your membership before you arrive. Generally, they are cheap and most are either new or only 4 or 5 years old, so everything is shiny and new. Transportation in China also really surprised and impressed us. We were blown away by how modern the road network was and the buses were very comfortable. Now, bear in mind were were coming from India where the transportation system leaves something to be desired, so in comparison China ruled.

In terms of sights and things to do, the culture and natural beauty of the Southwest trumped the monuments and architecture of the North and East. Go to Tiger Leaping Gorge before the Dam is completed, see the South-West if at all possible, you will be greatly rewarded. Make time for it, shaving a few days off your time in Beijing or Shanghai will pay off.

China is the place I most wanted to visit before this trip an so far it’s the place I most want to come back to. Thanks China, have a great time ruling the World, I’m sure you’ll do a great job.

Posted from Tai Mo Shan, New Territories, Hong Kong.

Tags: China, Republic of China, Shanghai, Tiger Leaping Gorge, time in beijing, transportation in china, Youth Hostels Association

Hong Kong Part Deux

July 25, 2007 in China by davehogge

Be Like Water

Wow, it’s hot in Hong Kong! When we were here in May it was just steamy, now it’s downright unpleasant. Thats not the only thing that changes quickly in Hong Kong: a bakery and Vegetarian Restaurant that we loved on our first trip were closed on our second visit – only two months later. The pace of change in China is quick.

A second trip to Hong Kong is required for us on this trip, and very welcome, we loved it first time around. Hong Kong is also the only city we can fly from to get to Africa on our OneWorld Explorer ticket, so here we are.

The timing couldn’t be better. Hong Kong is hosting the Barclays Asia Cup this year, and Liverpool FC (my favorite English team) is playing. Tickets weren’t availible online, so there was some chewing of fingernails when we go in. The first games were the same day we arrived. So we sprinted from the airport to our room to the stadium without tickets, but still got in to see Portsmouth v. Fulham and Liverpool v. South China FC.

Other activites involved visiting the Avenue of the Stars. It’s kind of like the Hollywood walk of fame – hand prints in concrete – but it’s for Hong Kong Kung Fu stars, and theres a statue of Bruce Lee.

We also took the Cable Car up to Victoria Peak while we weren’t waiting on the elevator at Miradoor Mansion (where we were staying in a cubby hole) for about a quarter of the time we were there (or so it seemed).

We love Hong Kong and hope to visit again real soon – you should too!

Posted from Tai Mo Shan, New Territories, Hong Kong.

Tags: Africa, avenue of the stars, barclays, Bruce Lee, China FC, explorer ticket, Fulham, hollywood walk of fame, Liverpool, Liverpool FC, Miradoor Mansion, oneworld explorer, Portsmouth, vegetarian restaurant, Victoria Peak

Things We Love(d) About China

July 25, 2007 in China by Lolo

Tiger Leaping Gorge

There’s no denying it. We’ve enjoyed China. We didn’t fall in love with the big cities of the east coast, but the western and southwestern provinces are spectacular – filled with stunning scenery and diverse people. In summary, here are a few of our favorites:

mountains – The mountains of the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces provided some of the most beautiful and dramatic scenery of our trip. Hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge was a definite highlight for us.
point and fry – Finding veg food in China has been a source of endless frustration. It certainly exists and when we do find it, it’s been pretty tasty. By far some of the best and cheapest food has been at bus stops on our long distance journeys. There are usually a number of stalls with numerous bowls of fresh ingredients. You just walk up and point to the ingredients you like and they fry it up for you. Fast, fresh and cheap!
air conditioning – Sitting there in your overly cooled office, you are probably taking for granted that you are chilled to the bone right now. Well, after two months of very little AC in India, we were most pleased to find out the AC is the norm on most buses, trains and in hostel rooms. Ah…refreshing.
Sun Jie Hai commercial – Sun Jie Hai is Chinese and plays professional soccer in England. With great regularity, CCTV 9 (the English language propaganda channel) plays a commercial for London based Jade Travel featuring Sun Jie Jai and another guy we suspect if just a regular old footy fan. It’s not entirely clear to me why we laugh every single time the commercial is on and continue to quote it randomly throughout the day, but I think it may have to do with the way the footy fan asks Jie Hai, “Oh, why” as if he were Garth from Wayne’s World. He even kind of distorts his mouth like him and looks uncomfortable. Sadly there’s no Jie Hai commercial on YouTube and we didn’t manage to video it ourselves. I haven’t done it justice, but I tell you it’s hilarious.
peoples’ parks – A highlight of China’s cities is it’s parks. They are pleasant places to stroll around and observe an older generation of Chinese men and women performing impromptu concerts, playing traditional musical instruments, practicing tai chi or flying elaborate kites. This is the China you probably won’t see in 20 years.
Chinese kids – We’re not sure what it is, but they are incredibly cute – especially the boys. Maybe it’s the buzz cut or maybe it’s all the doting they get as the only child in the family. Who knows, but they sure made more than one bus ride entertaining.
bicycles – This is THE bike nation. There are special lanes for cyclists, monitored bike parking lots and portable bike repair shops all around town. Though it seems the personal auto is one the rise, hopefully the tradition of pedaling to and fro won’t go away.