It's a bit dodgy having the sneezes and coughs in China because there are ads everywhere about bird flu and we keep having to fill in quarantine forms that ask if we have experienced sore throat (yes), diarrhoea (yes), cough (yes) and nausea (yes). Needless to say, neither of us much fancies being taken off behind a curtain and having our delicate regions subjected to close examination, so we're exercising some 'discretion'. After all, I'm a medical journalist so therefore fully qualified to make the judgement that Phil does not in fact have bird flu. He's not quacking ... case closed.
This is being typed from Shenzen airport, on mainland China just north of Hong Kong, where we are waiting for a plane to bear us to beautiful Guilin, jewel of Guangxi province. I'm sorry to leave Hong Kong - it was a top place. Thankfully we've got two more days there before we fly on to Nepal in 3 weeks time, so that will be an opportunity for some mad shopping and posting home.I've also decided that my dumpling and soy chicken levels are still not up to scratch, despite numerous boosts, so more of that being consumed, methinks.
Righto, boarding time.
toodles!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Hong Kong hustle
I love Hong Kong. It's a manic city bursting with energy and multicultural flavour - Hugo Boss stores across the road from little stalls selling dried squid balls (didn't know they had balls), Indian tailors beckoning from street corners ("six shirts for $100 boss?") and impossibly glam and delicate China doll shop girls slurping their noodles with gusto, and all steeped in fragrant tropical steam. Could spend weeks here just pottering around and shopping and eating. So far the best food we've had was in a tiny cramped noodle store where you just point to what you want, and every food stall we walk past sets my tummy rumbling. Speaking of which, it's breakfast time ...
Ritan Park - writing with water
Like lots of the parks in Beijing, there are heaps of people just hanging out doing their thing in the morning or the evening. Lots of people have such small dwellings that you need to get out, and the parks are such a great social place to do things. We walked to Rittan Park and got there for 8am and thought we would have missed most of the activity but there were still plenty of people ballroom dancing, sword dancing, tai chi, rubbing against trees, doing funny walks with big strides or high kicks, one man keeping a ping pong ball in the air with a bat, slapping your body all over with either hands or fans etc, etc. The guy in the picture was writing on the pavement using water and a long stick with a tear-shaped bit of foam on the end. His control was amazing at arm's length and his big stick. I remember doing life drawing with a short bit of stick with charcoal taped to the end and that was hard enough. This guy was varying the thickness of this stroke and placing the foam with such precision that I was speechless. The way the writing just slowly faded away with impermanence was very beautiful too.
Simatai - Great wall of china
There are three things to say about the Great Wall of China: WOW, WOW and WOW.
Its sooo immense and covers some hairy terrain. The wall even goes along the top of cliffs that seem to make it pretty useless as the cliffs do a better job anyway. I suppose they wouldn’t just stop the wall for a couple of miles just to save some work because then it wouldn’t be so MASSIVE.
Bianca was feeling ill for a fair bit of the walk from Simatai to Jinshanling which is around 10km of serious up and downs.
By the way, you can't see the wall from space =(
Its sooo immense and covers some hairy terrain. The wall even goes along the top of cliffs that seem to make it pretty useless as the cliffs do a better job anyway. I suppose they wouldn’t just stop the wall for a couple of miles just to save some work because then it wouldn’t be so MASSIVE.
Bianca was feeling ill for a fair bit of the walk from Simatai to Jinshanling which is around 10km of serious up and downs.
By the way, you can't see the wall from space =(
Lama Temple - Incense Offering
The lama temple in Beijing is a lamasery (like a monastery but for Lamas…no not the furry type with 4 legs but the enlightened Buddhist type). I was really looking forward to it as the Lonely Planet Guide said it was a good place to relax from the hustle and bustle of the city. I was disappointed though =( as the lamasery was really a relic with lots of people pushing and shoving to burn tons of sandalwood to Buddhist gods. I was hoping to get a good meditation in but there was nowhere to sit. No smiling, no peace and no connectedness. The incense was not smouldering but burning and the more incense you burnt the better your fortune would be it seemed. Sandalwood is a hardwood so seeing so much go up in smoke made me sad. Tried as I might I could not let go of my judgements so we left after having a good walk around.
Beijing duck
Seems to be an excessive focus on food in this blog... oh well! With apologies to the vegos, this was a damn fine feast. Where better to enjoy Beijing duck than in its spiritual home? Mind you, Chatswood BBQ kitchen compared pretty well. The rest of the dishes are all vegie, and rather good too.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Ni hao
Beijing is hard to sum up - it's a mass of contradictions. You've got taxi drivers driving Volkswagen Boras but old ladies reduced to collecting plastic bottles for the refund to make ends meet. You've got food court restauratuers that don't speak any English but still understand when you say "no meat". And a city that prides itself on its cultural history yet is demolishing old parts of the city at a rate of knots. But it's definitely a city on the make. The pace of change and development here is mind-blowing. Our English ex-pat hosts say whole streets are ripped up and relaid in a matter of weeks, and skyscraping apartment complexes are springing up like mushrooms after rain. There's a feverish atmosphere to it all - like they're trying to create the perfect city in time for the Olympics.
I've really enjoyed just taking it all in, although the inevitable run-in with some less-than-friendly single-celled organisms has laid us both up for 24 hours and my stomach is still making the sort of noises that warn sensible people not to stray too far from facilities. I blame the ice confection - never eat a dessert bigger than your head (at least, don't eat it in combination with beer). Tonight we're heading out for Peking duck - when in Rome, eat what the Romans eat!
I've really enjoyed just taking it all in, although the inevitable run-in with some less-than-friendly single-celled organisms has laid us both up for 24 hours and my stomach is still making the sort of noises that warn sensible people not to stray too far from facilities. I blame the ice confection - never eat a dessert bigger than your head (at least, don't eat it in combination with beer). Tonight we're heading out for Peking duck - when in Rome, eat what the Romans eat!
scaffolding everywhere
Beijing is in overdrive getting ready for the Olympics. It reminds me of all the building work going on in Sydney a while a go. The sad thing is that lots of the tourist stuff has scaffolding all over it…not to worry though cos they printed an image of what is underneath on the canvas on the outside! If you squint you wouldn’t even notice that the building was not there just scaffolding =)
Monday, August 21, 2006
Guarding
It's late and my body is coursing with chilli after attempting a Beijing spicy hot pot at a central food court, so I can't really come up with creative description for this piccy, but it kinda speaks for itself.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
ice ice baby
Just eaten this ice monstrosity! Its shaved ice lovingly shaped into a pseudo volcano, and then thumb stuck in the top to take a shrivelled black fruit of some kind and then lots of different coloured fruit syrups poured all over. I was disappointed not to get beans too.
Best thing to eat after a REALLY hot vegi soup thing =)
Best thing to eat after a REALLY hot vegi soup thing =)
Starbucks in Beijing
20th Aug - Beijing - Day 2
So what's the excuse...? Starbucks? Well free wireless broadband connection! Thanks Starbucks!
Beijing is not what I thought it would be. It's very western, all the brands are here and it has a definate Euro bent with many Citron, V Dubs, Beemers, Audi's etc.
Staying at a friend's pad in expat luxury. Ian kindly picked us up from the airport in his China made Jeep.
So what's the excuse...? Starbucks? Well free wireless broadband connection! Thanks Starbucks!
Beijing is not what I thought it would be. It's very western, all the brands are here and it has a definate Euro bent with many Citron, V Dubs, Beemers, Audi's etc.
Staying at a friend's pad in expat luxury. Ian kindly picked us up from the airport in his China made Jeep.
Tiananmen Square
Saturday - Day 1 - Beijing
Pollution is bad so not a great day to take photos =) This photo is mid day and its over 30 deg C but you wouldn't think it looking at the sky. There were lots of people hanging out at Tiananmen Square I guess they were from the country as we got many friendly stares as we walked around. The army guys, or should I say boys, all seemed excellent at standing to attention but they all looked so skinny. I would guess Bianca could take on three of them without too much hassle =) In fact they are so un-scarey that they all stand on boxes.
Pollution is bad so not a great day to take photos =) This photo is mid day and its over 30 deg C but you wouldn't think it looking at the sky. There were lots of people hanging out at Tiananmen Square I guess they were from the country as we got many friendly stares as we walked around. The army guys, or should I say boys, all seemed excellent at standing to attention but they all looked so skinny. I would guess Bianca could take on three of them without too much hassle =) In fact they are so un-scarey that they all stand on boxes.
Monday, August 14, 2006
My bag
In contrast to Phil's photo, which is dominated by electronic gadgets, mine places more importance on what I'm going to look like. Just because I'm going to third world countries, doesn't mean I have to look dowdy, I say. Chic in China, trendy in Tibet and elegant in Ecuador... that's my approach (although seriously undermined by need for easy to wash, non-smelly garments).
Phil's Bag
Here are the contents of my bag!
If you click through to the pic you will see notes on the pic for all gadgets there.
If you discount all the camera stuff my bag is VERY light. Most useless thing I have packed is a small watercolour kit which I hope I will use but if my history counts I won’t…
Weigh in = 20kg
Im my defense that includes hiking boots and lonely planet book and my winter clothes I will get rid of after tibet. =)
If you click through to the pic you will see notes on the pic for all gadgets there.
If you discount all the camera stuff my bag is VERY light. Most useless thing I have packed is a small watercolour kit which I hope I will use but if my history counts I won’t…
Weigh in = 20kg
Im my defense that includes hiking boots and lonely planet book and my winter clothes I will get rid of after tibet. =)
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Coundown begins
Rain is dripping through the wattle and mist wreathes the gorgeous tree ferns outside the window, yet in just two weeks we will be leaving our new home behind and heading off into the wild technicolour yonder for our Grand Adventure.
The reality of our imminent departure is manifesting itself in strange ways. Every couple of hours Phil turns to me with a delighted smile and says "two weeks!", while I get unnaturally emotional at the sight of an aeroplane.
I can already picture us snuggled into our economy class seats, me excitedly leafing through the mag to see what trashy flicks will be played on the flight and already anticipating the excitement of meal times. Call me a freak ("You FREAK!") but I love airline food. It's like Christmas - all those little parcels tightly wrapped around the promise of gourmet treats. Of course, there's always the meal equivalent of that present that is just such a dud you're first in line at the David Jones' exchange counter on Boxing Day, but I'm usually ravenous from the travel adrenaline coursing through my body and would happily consume the nether regions of a low-flying duck (should that be on the menu).
The last of the visas have been organised, we have those magical tickets in our possession, we've had all but one of our vaccinations and so now there's nothing to do but wait .... yeah RIGHT! There's a million things to do, but I'm in denial. I'm already mentally on holiday, so the feature article, radio interviews and preparations around the house are slipping out of my mind like water off above-mentioned duck's back.
The reality of our imminent departure is manifesting itself in strange ways. Every couple of hours Phil turns to me with a delighted smile and says "two weeks!", while I get unnaturally emotional at the sight of an aeroplane.
I can already picture us snuggled into our economy class seats, me excitedly leafing through the mag to see what trashy flicks will be played on the flight and already anticipating the excitement of meal times. Call me a freak ("You FREAK!") but I love airline food. It's like Christmas - all those little parcels tightly wrapped around the promise of gourmet treats. Of course, there's always the meal equivalent of that present that is just such a dud you're first in line at the David Jones' exchange counter on Boxing Day, but I'm usually ravenous from the travel adrenaline coursing through my body and would happily consume the nether regions of a low-flying duck (should that be on the menu).
The last of the visas have been organised, we have those magical tickets in our possession, we've had all but one of our vaccinations and so now there's nothing to do but wait .... yeah RIGHT! There's a million things to do, but I'm in denial. I'm already mentally on holiday, so the feature article, radio interviews and preparations around the house are slipping out of my mind like water off above-mentioned duck's back.
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