As soon as I picked up my card I headed to Beijing Railway Station to get the first ticket to Xian. Knowing now that I only had a week left, I needed to start moving pretty quick. Wanting to see at least some of the west. My bank card worked first time I tried. Delighted to suddenly be independent again, after nearly a month, is a great feeling. With this new sense of purpose I marched over to work out how to get a ticket out of Beijing. Expecting the worst it was actually a lot easier than I thought. Be aware that, next to nothing is written in English in China. You'll see toilet signs and some basic ones although that's about it. Try to stop a young person. As them do they speak English and tell them what you are doing. If that fails, try to find a westerner. Otherwise you need to queue, hope the person behind the counter speaks English and you don't have to queue again. Hard-sleeper ticket booked on that evenings night train to Xian. Was planning on doing a zoom trip o Xian and then heading on to Chengdu that night. Jumped on the metro and went to back to the Youth Hostel. Grabbed a ride on one of those hilarious rickshaw type things from the metro stop to the youth hostel.
Grabbed my laptop and went into Fish Nation for the Big Breakfast. Deserved the treat. After many hours online, Ian joined me and then Eoghan and Aidan came in for the much loved over Fish and Chips. I had booked a flight from Xian to Chengdu for the same evening as arrived. Allowing me to hit two cities in one. With less than a week left there had to be some trimming. I got my stuff together, bid my farewells. It was going to nearly 6 weeks before I saw Ian, Peter and Aidan again. Eoghan walked me to a taxi at the end of Nan Lu Guo. With my directions to West Beijing Railway Station written down I was on my way with loads of time to spare. Five mintues later we were stuck in a four lane bumper to bumper tail back. Knowing I had time to spare I remained calm. Fairly calm. My trust in taxi drivers is never the best. The lack of language, kept me quiet, lets say. I was certain he had brought us into the middle of this madness to mount up the fair. We got to the station 40 minutes before the trains departure. The outside of the railway station was similar in size to the front of the terminal in Dublin Airport.
People had already started boarding by the time I got to the waiting area. I went straight through and down on to the platform for the awaiting train. Hard sleeper is the same as AC3 on the Indian trains. 3 bunks opposite 3 bunks. There is a bit more headroom and no additional bunks across the passageway. Instead there are two small fold down seats and a table. The beds are all fixed down so, you either have to climb into your bed or hope that you can grab one of the small seats. The trains are impeccable and staff are constantly moving through the train. There is a hot and cold water supply, toilets are spotless and toilet paper available. There is a pleasant dining car and smoking areas available throughout the train. Food and sundry carts travel up and down the train. I purchased a flask, similar to the ones you see Chinese people constantly carrying. If you thought the Irish like tea, well the Chinese are in a different league of their own. They carry these flasks of tea everywhere they go. After walking around for a bit I rang a youth hostel in Xian to book a trip to the Terracotta Warriors. They were happy to facilitate and even agreed to pick me up at the the train station upon my arrival. Next I the I sat down and watched some of the new series of Heroes on my Asus Eee PC. I went to bed with the laptop and watched another one or two episodes before getting to sleep.
Showing posts with label Beijing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beijing. Show all posts
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Day 123 – The Great China as it was in the past
6am start is an achievement for the group. As we showered Aidan walked into the room, drunk and wanting to give people hugs. As sweet as the adorable teddy bear is I wasn't in the mood for hugs, from his booze stinks, first thing in the morning. Eoghan entered a moment later looking fairly twisted. They had decided to ring in Eoghan's birthday throughout the night. We were called a number of times by the awaiting buses. I was laughing at the thought of the boys climbing the Great Wall for 4 hours with a looming hangover. I had to pack my bags to move rooms before we left. We met at the reception, bought some water and climbed into the awaiting minibus. Thankfully we had our own minibus and the remainder of the tourists were in their own bus. We took off into the morning traffic. Within 10 minutes Drunk and Drunker were having some ridiculous argument. Armed with MP3 players, the rest were able to escape into a more peaceful, calm world.
After travelling through India, it truly prepares you for most other eventualities. Chinese driving is probablly some of the worse in the world. Apart from India. So, when the drivers, hapazardily fly across each other, switching lanes, no indication, racing and jammng to a sudden halt, you always relax knowing its better than India. With this inner calmness in this insane motorway world, I fell asleep with the Beatles lullying me to sleep. I slept for the majority of the journey. Three hours of a nap and then 30 mins of watching the scenery go by and we pulled into a car park with a few coaches already parked. Feeling pretty hungry myself Ian and Eoghan grabbed one of those large pot noodles you see the Chinese eating all the time. A smart lady had set up he stand in the car park with a pot of hot water available. We began the hike to the Great Wall. Aidan was looking a slighter shade of pale. As you enter the wall and climb up on to its parapet the first that hits you is the rolling landscape spreading out to all sides. The wall even though grand, seems isolated by the vastness of the landscape. It works its way, undulating up down and over the peaks of the landscape. Large stone towers divide and give greatness to the overall wonderment of the Great Wall. In comparison to the city wall in Nanjing, it is narrow. I believe no more than 30 metres wide at its widest point. Neither is it the tallest of walls. A standard ladder would easily scale the sides. Nevertheless, its grandeur is in its length. Its wisdom lies in that it sits atop the peak of the highest hills, giving it great height over the surrounding landscape. As you trek along the wall. Up and down the vast stone highways. As you turn each viewable corner, the wall continues ahead, as far as the eye can see. You turn and behind, like a snake it slithers off into the distance. The stone colour is quite beautiful and complimentary of the surrounding rocks and relief.
If you have ever seen the Great Wall in a movie, you have probably seen some action shot where the villain or heroin is racing along it in a vehicle of some sort. This might be possible for 5% of it. The majority of the trek we took, involved climbing up and down giant stairs. There is an unbelievable amount of stairs on the great wall. Make sure you've had your sleep the night before. What makes the trek so worthwhile is you get to see the Great Wall in different stages of disrepair. It feel a lot more genuine than some of the visits I've heard other people have gone on. There are parts where the wall is crumbling beyond belief. The path can be treacherous at times as you climb down some steep descent with only loose dirts and bricks underfoot. I loved the experience. Myself, Eoghan and Peter paced off in front of the crowd. We ran up some steep staircases and raced down the sloping hills like kids. Imagining wars gone by with the Mongolians on our left and the Chinese on our right. One million men employed to guard its 4,000 mile length. As you trek along you will meet a collection of traders offering their wares of t-shirts and souvenirs. You will even find the random person selling Coke, Beer and Water. This can come in useful, especially on a day like the one we visited, with the sun melting us away from above. The remainder of the walk was incredibly satisfying. I left the boys at one of the towers before we got to the end. I headed off towards some sparkling water that caught my eye. The towers came to an end at a river bed. You had to climb down and cross a suspension bridge. Back up again onto the wall for the last remaining towers before finishing our 30 tower trek. I stopped on the roof of the tower closest to the riverside. I sat, took out my postcards and began writing them in the sunshine. After half an hour I completed the last bit of the walk down to the restaurant we had agreed to meet at. Ordered some sweet and sour chicken and a bottle of beer.
Our minibus collected us for the return journey. With headphones inserted we were on the road back to Beijing. Before I knew it i was floating in dreamworld as we raced along. I was awoken just on the outskirts of Beijing by my mobile ringing. My bank card had finally being delivered to the PLoft. When we got back to the hostel, Eoghan, Peter and Aidan headed to catch some Zzzzs before going out. I went to the cafe and rang Bank of Ireland 365 to ask about my PIN. As expected, they didn't really know the answer. BOI: Did I order a new PIN? ME: No, I lost my card and ordered a replacement BOI: Perhaps they'll use the same PIN. ME: Is that standard procedure? BOI: Sometimes, depends if you order a new PIN with it. ME: I reported the card missing to your department, do you not know? BOI: You didn't report the card missing with us, it must have being your branch. ME: So, will the old PIN work. BOI: It might do, it all depends, on whether a new PIN was ordered or not. ME: What happens if the PIN number doesn't work? BOI: We'll order a new one and it will take 3 to 4 working days. ME: I'm in Beijing, China without any money, can it be rushed through as an emergency? BOI: No, it will take 3 to 4 working days. ME: Thanks, for all your help. This is the standard type of service we are so used to receiving as a resident of Ireland. Not to dissimilar to the service I had received from An Post. The lack of communication in these companies. Not knowing what the left hand is doing. The lack of respect for customers and realisation of what situation they may be in. No emergency procedures. No 24/365 hour telephone line to reassure you. Can you imagine this type of management when they went to build the Great Wall. Sure I thought it was Jim's job to order the bricks. What do you mean, its meant to be a wall. I haven't had any complaints before misses. It'll be grand. Don't you worry. Watching how things are done in China you really begin to understand how they have moved forward so fast. Perhaps its communism or the result of it. They just have it sorted. From the Chinese people I have spoken to, they say you can not believe how much China has changed in ten years. Funny thing is, I can. I see it. They have the man power, they have the efficiency. When they do something. They do it. They respect where they have come from. They haven't lost their heads in the prison of capitalism. There is something different about how they deal with it. Can't quite put my finger on it. Let me get back to you on this one.
To celebrate Eoghan's birthday we all went to International Food Cuisine. We were shown to a table and then like dogs on a race track, realised to do our best on the fantastic, All You Can Eat and Drink Buffet. I can only imagine it was Eoghan's dream of dreams. 400 foods from every part of the world. Prepared freshly infront of you. We all went our different ways, plates in hand. My first plate was a collection of sushi, smoked salmon, crackers, and salads. Then a plate of fruits. Finally a plate of meats and vegetables. A beer and a banana smoothy. The lads came back with plates of meat. The conversation was fairly thin as we devoured the feast of tastes infront of us. Seconds were up pretty quick. More meats of plates came back. It wasn't long before the group began to slow. Just enough room for a plate of deserts. Finally people couldn't take any more. Bizarre for us. I think tiredness had something to do with it. Not quite the performance I was expecting. I was happy with my effort. Eoghan had joked the first day he saw the buffet, that he worried about, 'his performance on the night'. The reality was right in front of me, as he lay there, doubled over holding his belly. There were a lot of groans coming from Ian also. We finished with some coffees and left. With little energy left, we headed back to the hostel. Ended having a few drinks with Eoghan, Peter and Aidan in the local. Was in bed by 1.30am after falling in sleep in the common room in front of the TV.
After travelling through India, it truly prepares you for most other eventualities. Chinese driving is probablly some of the worse in the world. Apart from India. So, when the drivers, hapazardily fly across each other, switching lanes, no indication, racing and jammng to a sudden halt, you always relax knowing its better than India. With this inner calmness in this insane motorway world, I fell asleep with the Beatles lullying me to sleep. I slept for the majority of the journey. Three hours of a nap and then 30 mins of watching the scenery go by and we pulled into a car park with a few coaches already parked. Feeling pretty hungry myself Ian and Eoghan grabbed one of those large pot noodles you see the Chinese eating all the time. A smart lady had set up he stand in the car park with a pot of hot water available. We began the hike to the Great Wall. Aidan was looking a slighter shade of pale. As you enter the wall and climb up on to its parapet the first that hits you is the rolling landscape spreading out to all sides. The wall even though grand, seems isolated by the vastness of the landscape. It works its way, undulating up down and over the peaks of the landscape. Large stone towers divide and give greatness to the overall wonderment of the Great Wall. In comparison to the city wall in Nanjing, it is narrow. I believe no more than 30 metres wide at its widest point. Neither is it the tallest of walls. A standard ladder would easily scale the sides. Nevertheless, its grandeur is in its length. Its wisdom lies in that it sits atop the peak of the highest hills, giving it great height over the surrounding landscape. As you trek along the wall. Up and down the vast stone highways. As you turn each viewable corner, the wall continues ahead, as far as the eye can see. You turn and behind, like a snake it slithers off into the distance. The stone colour is quite beautiful and complimentary of the surrounding rocks and relief.
If you have ever seen the Great Wall in a movie, you have probably seen some action shot where the villain or heroin is racing along it in a vehicle of some sort. This might be possible for 5% of it. The majority of the trek we took, involved climbing up and down giant stairs. There is an unbelievable amount of stairs on the great wall. Make sure you've had your sleep the night before. What makes the trek so worthwhile is you get to see the Great Wall in different stages of disrepair. It feel a lot more genuine than some of the visits I've heard other people have gone on. There are parts where the wall is crumbling beyond belief. The path can be treacherous at times as you climb down some steep descent with only loose dirts and bricks underfoot. I loved the experience. Myself, Eoghan and Peter paced off in front of the crowd. We ran up some steep staircases and raced down the sloping hills like kids. Imagining wars gone by with the Mongolians on our left and the Chinese on our right. One million men employed to guard its 4,000 mile length. As you trek along you will meet a collection of traders offering their wares of t-shirts and souvenirs. You will even find the random person selling Coke, Beer and Water. This can come in useful, especially on a day like the one we visited, with the sun melting us away from above. The remainder of the walk was incredibly satisfying. I left the boys at one of the towers before we got to the end. I headed off towards some sparkling water that caught my eye. The towers came to an end at a river bed. You had to climb down and cross a suspension bridge. Back up again onto the wall for the last remaining towers before finishing our 30 tower trek. I stopped on the roof of the tower closest to the riverside. I sat, took out my postcards and began writing them in the sunshine. After half an hour I completed the last bit of the walk down to the restaurant we had agreed to meet at. Ordered some sweet and sour chicken and a bottle of beer.
Our minibus collected us for the return journey. With headphones inserted we were on the road back to Beijing. Before I knew it i was floating in dreamworld as we raced along. I was awoken just on the outskirts of Beijing by my mobile ringing. My bank card had finally being delivered to the PLoft. When we got back to the hostel, Eoghan, Peter and Aidan headed to catch some Zzzzs before going out. I went to the cafe and rang Bank of Ireland 365 to ask about my PIN. As expected, they didn't really know the answer. BOI: Did I order a new PIN? ME: No, I lost my card and ordered a replacement BOI: Perhaps they'll use the same PIN. ME: Is that standard procedure? BOI: Sometimes, depends if you order a new PIN with it. ME: I reported the card missing to your department, do you not know? BOI: You didn't report the card missing with us, it must have being your branch. ME: So, will the old PIN work. BOI: It might do, it all depends, on whether a new PIN was ordered or not. ME: What happens if the PIN number doesn't work? BOI: We'll order a new one and it will take 3 to 4 working days. ME: I'm in Beijing, China without any money, can it be rushed through as an emergency? BOI: No, it will take 3 to 4 working days. ME: Thanks, for all your help. This is the standard type of service we are so used to receiving as a resident of Ireland. Not to dissimilar to the service I had received from An Post. The lack of communication in these companies. Not knowing what the left hand is doing. The lack of respect for customers and realisation of what situation they may be in. No emergency procedures. No 24/365 hour telephone line to reassure you. Can you imagine this type of management when they went to build the Great Wall. Sure I thought it was Jim's job to order the bricks. What do you mean, its meant to be a wall. I haven't had any complaints before misses. It'll be grand. Don't you worry. Watching how things are done in China you really begin to understand how they have moved forward so fast. Perhaps its communism or the result of it. They just have it sorted. From the Chinese people I have spoken to, they say you can not believe how much China has changed in ten years. Funny thing is, I can. I see it. They have the man power, they have the efficiency. When they do something. They do it. They respect where they have come from. They haven't lost their heads in the prison of capitalism. There is something different about how they deal with it. Can't quite put my finger on it. Let me get back to you on this one.
To celebrate Eoghan's birthday we all went to International Food Cuisine. We were shown to a table and then like dogs on a race track, realised to do our best on the fantastic, All You Can Eat and Drink Buffet. I can only imagine it was Eoghan's dream of dreams. 400 foods from every part of the world. Prepared freshly infront of you. We all went our different ways, plates in hand. My first plate was a collection of sushi, smoked salmon, crackers, and salads. Then a plate of fruits. Finally a plate of meats and vegetables. A beer and a banana smoothy. The lads came back with plates of meat. The conversation was fairly thin as we devoured the feast of tastes infront of us. Seconds were up pretty quick. More meats of plates came back. It wasn't long before the group began to slow. Just enough room for a plate of deserts. Finally people couldn't take any more. Bizarre for us. I think tiredness had something to do with it. Not quite the performance I was expecting. I was happy with my effort. Eoghan had joked the first day he saw the buffet, that he worried about, 'his performance on the night'. The reality was right in front of me, as he lay there, doubled over holding his belly. There were a lot of groans coming from Ian also. We finished with some coffees and left. With little energy left, we headed back to the hostel. Ended having a few drinks with Eoghan, Peter and Aidan in the local. Was in bed by 1.30am after falling in sleep in the common room in front of the TV.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Day 122 - Playing the waiting game
It is an amazing thing to travel the world by yourself. It has being a big and bolder one doing it with four other guys. Yes, at times you drive each other insane although you can learn to give people that space when they need it. Everyone at some stage goes over the handlebars and you can be there to pick them up. Or perhaps when you are in need they are there for you. You hear so many times about "finding yourself", when you travel. As a 34 year young man, I thought perhaps this was a bit of codswallop. As the journey has progressed I've begun to realise the simplicity and logic behind this idea. When you are surrounded by your comfort zones such as home, work and the sort, you don't have the space to see what is going on inside. You are able to blame eternal reasons for your state of being. When you travel you become naked. You can get away with it for a bit. Blaming other people and situations for your reactions. After a while, the common denominator becomes clear. Its generally you. I thought staying in a group perhaps we were providing too many comfort zones and the learning may not come out for people. It does. Back to my orginal point. Tangent Sam, focus :) The last day I was in Kathmandu I lost my bank card. One of those stupid machines that doesn't give it back, unless you press a button to tell it to. So, I arrived in Hong Kong, one of the most expensive countries in the world with no way of accessing money. That is, apart from my friends. It is now 28 days later. I got a phone call to say my new bank card has finally arrived at the PLoft Youth Hostel. 8 days after it was sent. I still have no idea where my PIN number is, as that should have arrived 10 days after I reported it and asked for a new card to be delivered. That is over 18 days over time. Going to give them a ring now. So, where would I be if it hadn't being for my friends. As I texted to someone in Dublin. In a boat without a paddle, might be putting it lightly. I presume I could have someone wire money over to western union. Nevertheless, I have spent a small fortune since arriving in China. It is a lot more expensive than I originally estimated. I can imagine it would have being a bit of nightmare and headache. Changing travellers cheque was amusing, to say the least. Took them over an hour to work it out when I was in Xiamen.
Decided to call over the PLoft, just to be sure it hadn't arrived and they didn't know what I was talking about over the phone. On route I called into the Lama Temple. One of Beijings most recommended sights. Quite a spectacular array of tpyical chinese styled buildings lay infront of me. Originally a court for some prince of the Qing Dynasty and then turned into a Buddhist temple in 1722. It houses some of the finest buddhist statues I have witnessed on my travels. It is frequented by numerous active buddhists. I noticed a number of monks dressed in the standard burgundy and yellow dress I have seen all over India and Nepal. The first courtyard is peacefully laid out with trees and large cast iron drums alight. Numerous buildings can be found stacked behind each other. As you walk into one temple and exit to the rear to find another courtyard with a burning drum with another temple. Photography is limited to outdoors. I still snuck a few sneaky shots of some beautiful scenes, as the stark bright sunshine created powerful contrasts of shadows inside these elaborate buildings. Half way through I noticed a large glass case filled with different denominations of money. This is something on my journey that never fails to amuse me. The association of money and religion. Its like have a fearful God. It just doesn't make sense. I understand it. It just is a strange thing to put together. I've heard many stories that the Buddhist monks have loads of money from constant donations from their followers. Bizarrily though I never saw Buddhism as a religion until I saw it was as I travelled. I hasd always heard, it was a way of life, not a religion. Let me confirm for you. It is a religion. Watching the crowds of people that come and pray and kneel and worship these buildings. Leaving offerings. Burning incense. Its a much a religion as Catholicism is. It may be different although there are a lot of similarities. I finally reached the much talked about 18 metre tall statue of Buddha. Outside a gold plate issued by the Guinness Book of Records, stating that the statue is the largest one carved from a single piece of sandalwood. Its is bloody big. It is way too big for the building. It looks comical as the head of the statue is stuck up in the eaves of the building. One thing hat gets a bit samey samey is Chinese buildings. They use very similar designs on the interiors and ceilings. There is little of no variety to the shapes or colours. After a while you get templed out of it. I zoomed around the remainder of the buildings, popping my head in here or there. Sanpping pics of this and that.Left pretty quick and called into PLoft. No sign of the package yet. I made sure they had my number and headed of the Summer Palace.
Two trams later I was on Bagou Rd. Not knowing where the feck the palace was I guessed the direction and from where the sun was in the sky, which direction to start walking in. Eh, remember i mentioned to you that Beijing is vast. Perhaps I forgot this myself. One our later I had got half an inch closer and one inch to the left on my map. Feeling a bit lost I jumped into a taxi and was there in ten minutes. Grabbed myself some noodle concoction before going into the palace. Was grand. Bit lacking flavour. Bought my ticket, cheapest option available for 30 rmb. The place was absolutely jammed with thousands of tourists. Mainly chinese. There were a few whitey here and there. Visited a few buildings. Meh. Not much to see. Place is 2.9 hectares with a lake occupying 70% of it. Found a back entrance to the Temple of Burning Incense. Actually climbed up some dirt path. It was nice to get away from the mayhem of the bustling crowds. I came in the back entrance of the temple. Had to pay another 10 to enter. It was a beautiful pagoda style temple with multiple floors, sitting on the side of the hillside. The exact same drawings, I have numerous times, adorn the ceilings of the temple. I made a quick visit and left through the front entrance. The fronts steps drop down to another temple building and courtyard far below. I made my way dow the steep steps taking snaps as I went. After another 10 minutes walking amongst the crowd, I had seen enough. It gets a bit repetitive after a while. Similar architecture, colours and statues. There's more beauty and variety in the surrounding trees. I took a boat across the lake for another 10rmb. Saw a small island with another museum and headed back to find the exit.
One unusual thing you may notice if you ever visit China is how much the older generation get involved in outdoor activities. In the last few days I have witnessed groups of OAPs, dancing in the street, playing drums, dressed as dragons and line dancing in a square. Here I saw two groups , one a group of females playing Hackysack and a group of older gents with pro kites. In the western world we think the best place for the old is in an old folks home. Come to China if you are old. You'll love it. I left the park and was immediately harassed by a group of taxi drivers offering to bring me to the Bagou Station for 20rmb. I walked off knowing that it was only meant to be ten. Within five minutes I was in a taxi and back at the metro station. Jumped off at a different station just to see what the walk was like. Another 20 minute trek back to the hostel. When I got back I immediately tried to contact the Bank of Ireland 365online phone service. I had not realised it was a bank holiday monday so both the banks and An Post were closed. At this stage I was getting a bit worried. Not kowing were my card was. Had my PIN number being resent. What was I going to do without cash in Beijing or was I going to have to wait around hoping one day it might arrive. Joao calmed me down when he spoke to me on the phone, realising I was a tiny bit stressed. I spent the remainder of the evening watching TV and catching up online. Eoghan and Aidan went of for one pint to celebrate Eoghan's b'day.
Decided to call over the PLoft, just to be sure it hadn't arrived and they didn't know what I was talking about over the phone. On route I called into the Lama Temple. One of Beijings most recommended sights. Quite a spectacular array of tpyical chinese styled buildings lay infront of me. Originally a court for some prince of the Qing Dynasty and then turned into a Buddhist temple in 1722. It houses some of the finest buddhist statues I have witnessed on my travels. It is frequented by numerous active buddhists. I noticed a number of monks dressed in the standard burgundy and yellow dress I have seen all over India and Nepal. The first courtyard is peacefully laid out with trees and large cast iron drums alight. Numerous buildings can be found stacked behind each other. As you walk into one temple and exit to the rear to find another courtyard with a burning drum with another temple. Photography is limited to outdoors. I still snuck a few sneaky shots of some beautiful scenes, as the stark bright sunshine created powerful contrasts of shadows inside these elaborate buildings. Half way through I noticed a large glass case filled with different denominations of money. This is something on my journey that never fails to amuse me. The association of money and religion. Its like have a fearful God. It just doesn't make sense. I understand it. It just is a strange thing to put together. I've heard many stories that the Buddhist monks have loads of money from constant donations from their followers. Bizarrily though I never saw Buddhism as a religion until I saw it was as I travelled. I hasd always heard, it was a way of life, not a religion. Let me confirm for you. It is a religion. Watching the crowds of people that come and pray and kneel and worship these buildings. Leaving offerings. Burning incense. Its a much a religion as Catholicism is. It may be different although there are a lot of similarities. I finally reached the much talked about 18 metre tall statue of Buddha. Outside a gold plate issued by the Guinness Book of Records, stating that the statue is the largest one carved from a single piece of sandalwood. Its is bloody big. It is way too big for the building. It looks comical as the head of the statue is stuck up in the eaves of the building. One thing hat gets a bit samey samey is Chinese buildings. They use very similar designs on the interiors and ceilings. There is little of no variety to the shapes or colours. After a while you get templed out of it. I zoomed around the remainder of the buildings, popping my head in here or there. Sanpping pics of this and that.Left pretty quick and called into PLoft. No sign of the package yet. I made sure they had my number and headed of the Summer Palace.
Two trams later I was on Bagou Rd. Not knowing where the feck the palace was I guessed the direction and from where the sun was in the sky, which direction to start walking in. Eh, remember i mentioned to you that Beijing is vast. Perhaps I forgot this myself. One our later I had got half an inch closer and one inch to the left on my map. Feeling a bit lost I jumped into a taxi and was there in ten minutes. Grabbed myself some noodle concoction before going into the palace. Was grand. Bit lacking flavour. Bought my ticket, cheapest option available for 30 rmb. The place was absolutely jammed with thousands of tourists. Mainly chinese. There were a few whitey here and there. Visited a few buildings. Meh. Not much to see. Place is 2.9 hectares with a lake occupying 70% of it. Found a back entrance to the Temple of Burning Incense. Actually climbed up some dirt path. It was nice to get away from the mayhem of the bustling crowds. I came in the back entrance of the temple. Had to pay another 10 to enter. It was a beautiful pagoda style temple with multiple floors, sitting on the side of the hillside. The exact same drawings, I have numerous times, adorn the ceilings of the temple. I made a quick visit and left through the front entrance. The fronts steps drop down to another temple building and courtyard far below. I made my way dow the steep steps taking snaps as I went. After another 10 minutes walking amongst the crowd, I had seen enough. It gets a bit repetitive after a while. Similar architecture, colours and statues. There's more beauty and variety in the surrounding trees. I took a boat across the lake for another 10rmb. Saw a small island with another museum and headed back to find the exit.
One unusual thing you may notice if you ever visit China is how much the older generation get involved in outdoor activities. In the last few days I have witnessed groups of OAPs, dancing in the street, playing drums, dressed as dragons and line dancing in a square. Here I saw two groups , one a group of females playing Hackysack and a group of older gents with pro kites. In the western world we think the best place for the old is in an old folks home. Come to China if you are old. You'll love it. I left the park and was immediately harassed by a group of taxi drivers offering to bring me to the Bagou Station for 20rmb. I walked off knowing that it was only meant to be ten. Within five minutes I was in a taxi and back at the metro station. Jumped off at a different station just to see what the walk was like. Another 20 minute trek back to the hostel. When I got back I immediately tried to contact the Bank of Ireland 365online phone service. I had not realised it was a bank holiday monday so both the banks and An Post were closed. At this stage I was getting a bit worried. Not kowing were my card was. Had my PIN number being resent. What was I going to do without cash in Beijing or was I going to have to wait around hoping one day it might arrive. Joao calmed me down when he spoke to me on the phone, realising I was a tiny bit stressed. I spent the remainder of the evening watching TV and catching up online. Eoghan and Aidan went of for one pint to celebrate Eoghan's b'day.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Day 121 - Recovering...not much else
Met Ian in Fish Nation the most delicious Big British breakfast with chips. It was absolutely perfect. Went online. The day disappeared over a number of coffees, tea and a Beef Bourgino and Chips for dinner. Ian sat beside me, moaning and groaning feeling the worst for ware. Realised at one stage of the evening that the clocks in Ireland had gone back. China does not use DST. Did a little research into DST. Very interesting article. Finally climbed up and left at around 11pm. Went back to the hostel with Eoghan and watched the new Pacino and De Niro movie. Very disappointing. Was in bed by 12.30. Started working on pics in Picasa. Was asleep before I knew it.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Day 120 - Beyond Big Beijing
Woke up when I heard Ian moving around. Showered and met him down in the adjoining cafe for our free breakfast. Pretty good when you consider you are only paying 65rmb per night for a hostel in the centre of Beijing. Ended getting lost for a few hours doing research on places in China, posting in Facebook and the sort. Ian told me not to hang around for him if I was going to head off. He was right. I dropped the Asus back in and headed of to the Forbidden City. Got dropped at the back entrance to the city. It was bloody freezin. Paid entry and for an Automatic Audio guide and entered. The Forbidden City is really really really big. Vast. As soon as you walk in the large gate a giant wall spans out to the left and the right. Everything within the city is coloured in the same colours. This is were it all seem quite similar after a while when visiting it. This was not out to save money although was based on he four elements of fire, earth, air and water. All the walls in red for fire, the roofs are yellow for earth and then the eaves of the roofs are a mixture of blue and green, mainly. The architecture is repeated throughout with the standard Chinese Ming Dynasty style. There are grand hall ways, termed, quite rightly, as roadway on the audio guide. Only 60% of the city is open to the public. From what I could see, by peeping through gaps in doorways, the other 40% is being renovated. The 60% is more than enough for anyone to see. It takes roughly four hours to walk around the city and see everything. I started at the back, so the first area I entered was the gardens. I can imagine grand in their day although lacking a certain something now. Perhaps due to the hundreds of tourists sitting and walking around it. To the west and east of the centre palace, are the residence of the concubines and the emperors wives. These are not too far disimilar, therefore visiting one side might be enough. There are some temporary exhibitions in some of the side building, so these will be the only thing you miss out if you don't see both sides. These included things such as pottery, wedding paraphernalia and other antiques. The majority of these palaces are nearly identical in design. The audio does give some very interesting stories as you walk up to each palace. There are other internal exhibitions, such as the Timepiece one, that you need to pay additionally to visit. These are normally 10 – 20rmb. The timepiece one was especially worthwhile.
Over the four hours I zigzagged across the width of the whole city and tried to see every area possible. The most spectacular area is the centre. It is the area where the emperor himself spent the majority of his time. There is a path right down the centre of the whole city, that only he was alllowed to walk. The majority of this is made from marble. One stunning carved piece, in particular, that you will see, is over 200 ton in weight. The are numerous buildings that he used spanning back along the length of the city. These include his bed chambers, his throne, his ceremonial hall where he met people, his matrimonial chamber, etc. If you can fight your way through the masses you might get a snap of the interior of these enormous structures from the barred area at the front of each building. Large urns, statues and sculptures litter the surrounding areas. Each building is surrounded by enormous squares and other out buildings. Once again you will find a collection of shops and museums in here. During my four hour walk I took nearly 400 photos. I imagine a lot of them look very similar. So some recommendations. Wear good walking shoes. Make sure you've had a good nights sleep. Bring a packed lunch. If you go after October, bring layers to keep you warm while being able to take off when needed. Bring a bag. I imagine Mondays or Tuesdays might be a bit better.
So, all in all, it was a fantastic visit. I was totally wrecked afterwards, although I still got to see the changing of the guard or something of the sort as I was leaving at five. As I went to leave they were barricading the exit. I stood there amongst another 800 and growing crowd. I went up to the front to see if I could pull the whitey card, with one of the soldiers dressed in green. The guy didn't speak English, although I got him and the crowd smiling as I tried some NVCs with IN and OUT. Why? Puzzled looking faces stared at my charade. One Chinese guy obviously understanding called out something to him and the soldier responded sharply. After 5 more minutes they finally let the crowd out. The front of Tian'anmen was blocked also. There were police vehicles stopping traffic and the whole square seemed to be empty apart from soldiers. After a while I copped it must have something to do with European delegation being in Beijing for the weekend for some conference. Perhaps they were given a private viewing of the square. After half an hour they finally opened the underpass and for the 3rd time I entered Tia'anmen Square. I took some day pics and looking at the time realised if I went back now I'd get nothing else done. So, I decided the Olympic Village deserved a visit. Four metros later I jumped off at the super modern Olympic Centre station. Headed up the escalators and walked out on to a super highway size pathway. Off in the distance, looming into the skyline, stood the striking blue Water Cube, Aquatics Centre on the left and the bizarre glowing red Birds Nest, Stadium on the right. Its a good walk before you are beside them. The Birds Nest is quite an architectural sight with its cocoon mesh of concrete and glowing red colour. Entrance was closed to the public at this time in the evening. I walked the circumference of it until I was opposite the Water Cube and then headed in that direction. In the middle and infront of the main avenue stands a large olympic tower filled with diamond shaped glass vessels flashing sporadically against the dark night sky. The Water Cube is a fantastic site with its giant blue glowing bubbled textured exterior. People stood here and there being photographed infront of these two enormous pieces of modern art. I only stayed a short while walking around before heading back to the metro.
When I got back Ian was still sitting where I had left him in the cafe, online. The rest of the boys were either online or in the pub. I watched a movie, grabbed a take away fish and chips and recuperated in the hostels common room. Ian was in the mood for going out so after some general faffing about we finally left just after midnight. Eoghan faffed some more in the pub so he got left behind. Aidan was having some bowel movements, so he stayed in the pub with Peter. We had got some advice, so we headed to the Mix nightclub, not too far from the Workers Stadium. This seemed to be an area were a number of clubs are positioned. There is no real city centre in Beijing. There are areas around the vast city for different things. Shopping, pubs, clubs, etc in different locations around the city.
We arrived at Mix. Paid 50rmb entrance fee. It was quite a mediocre club with two seperate rooms. Problem was both of them were playing R n B and Hip Hop. Not Ian or I's favourite music. We stayed for one drink and headed to find Coco Banana, around the corner. When we arrived we knew it was more like what we had being looking for. Its free entry. You wak through a doorway of pink feather boas into a slick, shing, ultra modern nightclub. Two walls lined with large projections of moving images. Smartly dressed staff see you to a seat within a moment. We ordered a bottle of vodka for 500rmb. Mixers are included in the price and they are not sparing with the quantity they give you. For this money you have you own waiting staff that stand and dance beside your table. A large platter of fresh fruit is brought to your table with a slections of fresh watermelon, pineapple, orange and cherry tomatoes. Any time you glass gets close to empty or you take out a cigarette they are there to serve you before you can do it for yourself. At some times you might have two staff serving your table. The DJ was very good and knew how to mix. The lighting in the place was superb. The crowd who drink her have to be such a tiny percentage of the overall general chinese population. The night was fantastic and myself and Ian had a great banter and dance like loons on the dance floor. At the end of the night, when the music stopped being played all the staff gathered for some staff meeting, right in the middle of the club. With the tiny bit of English they spoke we couldn't work out what it was all about. We finally found a Frenchman that spoke pretty good Mandarin after only being there two months. He explained a number of things. Based on there performance the meeting tells them what night they are not working next week. The better staff you are the better nights you get to work. More tips, etc. He also informed us the staff only get 9rmb an hour. They work 8 hours a day and 4 - 6 days a week. Now, that is roughly €1 an hour. That is not what I was expecting to hear. The cost of life in Beijing is bloody expensive. How the hell do they survive? We finished up our jar and after much persistence to leave from our waiter we finally headed with the remainder of our bottle of Vodka and four cans. We headed back to Mix to see if there was anything still going on. We went in, walked around and left after five minutes. We got a taxi back to the hostel. We polished of a bit more of the vodka. I started falling asleep so we headed for our free breakfast, next door. At this stage I was fairly drunk and tired. The breakfast was exactly what I needed. We were in bed 30 minutes later at around 8.30am. We met Eoghan on his way to bed also.
Over the four hours I zigzagged across the width of the whole city and tried to see every area possible. The most spectacular area is the centre. It is the area where the emperor himself spent the majority of his time. There is a path right down the centre of the whole city, that only he was alllowed to walk. The majority of this is made from marble. One stunning carved piece, in particular, that you will see, is over 200 ton in weight. The are numerous buildings that he used spanning back along the length of the city. These include his bed chambers, his throne, his ceremonial hall where he met people, his matrimonial chamber, etc. If you can fight your way through the masses you might get a snap of the interior of these enormous structures from the barred area at the front of each building. Large urns, statues and sculptures litter the surrounding areas. Each building is surrounded by enormous squares and other out buildings. Once again you will find a collection of shops and museums in here. During my four hour walk I took nearly 400 photos. I imagine a lot of them look very similar. So some recommendations. Wear good walking shoes. Make sure you've had a good nights sleep. Bring a packed lunch. If you go after October, bring layers to keep you warm while being able to take off when needed. Bring a bag. I imagine Mondays or Tuesdays might be a bit better.
So, all in all, it was a fantastic visit. I was totally wrecked afterwards, although I still got to see the changing of the guard or something of the sort as I was leaving at five. As I went to leave they were barricading the exit. I stood there amongst another 800 and growing crowd. I went up to the front to see if I could pull the whitey card, with one of the soldiers dressed in green. The guy didn't speak English, although I got him and the crowd smiling as I tried some NVCs with IN and OUT. Why? Puzzled looking faces stared at my charade. One Chinese guy obviously understanding called out something to him and the soldier responded sharply. After 5 more minutes they finally let the crowd out. The front of Tian'anmen was blocked also. There were police vehicles stopping traffic and the whole square seemed to be empty apart from soldiers. After a while I copped it must have something to do with European delegation being in Beijing for the weekend for some conference. Perhaps they were given a private viewing of the square. After half an hour they finally opened the underpass and for the 3rd time I entered Tia'anmen Square. I took some day pics and looking at the time realised if I went back now I'd get nothing else done. So, I decided the Olympic Village deserved a visit. Four metros later I jumped off at the super modern Olympic Centre station. Headed up the escalators and walked out on to a super highway size pathway. Off in the distance, looming into the skyline, stood the striking blue Water Cube, Aquatics Centre on the left and the bizarre glowing red Birds Nest, Stadium on the right. Its a good walk before you are beside them. The Birds Nest is quite an architectural sight with its cocoon mesh of concrete and glowing red colour. Entrance was closed to the public at this time in the evening. I walked the circumference of it until I was opposite the Water Cube and then headed in that direction. In the middle and infront of the main avenue stands a large olympic tower filled with diamond shaped glass vessels flashing sporadically against the dark night sky. The Water Cube is a fantastic site with its giant blue glowing bubbled textured exterior. People stood here and there being photographed infront of these two enormous pieces of modern art. I only stayed a short while walking around before heading back to the metro.
When I got back Ian was still sitting where I had left him in the cafe, online. The rest of the boys were either online or in the pub. I watched a movie, grabbed a take away fish and chips and recuperated in the hostels common room. Ian was in the mood for going out so after some general faffing about we finally left just after midnight. Eoghan faffed some more in the pub so he got left behind. Aidan was having some bowel movements, so he stayed in the pub with Peter. We had got some advice, so we headed to the Mix nightclub, not too far from the Workers Stadium. This seemed to be an area were a number of clubs are positioned. There is no real city centre in Beijing. There are areas around the vast city for different things. Shopping, pubs, clubs, etc in different locations around the city.
We arrived at Mix. Paid 50rmb entrance fee. It was quite a mediocre club with two seperate rooms. Problem was both of them were playing R n B and Hip Hop. Not Ian or I's favourite music. We stayed for one drink and headed to find Coco Banana, around the corner. When we arrived we knew it was more like what we had being looking for. Its free entry. You wak through a doorway of pink feather boas into a slick, shing, ultra modern nightclub. Two walls lined with large projections of moving images. Smartly dressed staff see you to a seat within a moment. We ordered a bottle of vodka for 500rmb. Mixers are included in the price and they are not sparing with the quantity they give you. For this money you have you own waiting staff that stand and dance beside your table. A large platter of fresh fruit is brought to your table with a slections of fresh watermelon, pineapple, orange and cherry tomatoes. Any time you glass gets close to empty or you take out a cigarette they are there to serve you before you can do it for yourself. At some times you might have two staff serving your table. The DJ was very good and knew how to mix. The lighting in the place was superb. The crowd who drink her have to be such a tiny percentage of the overall general chinese population. The night was fantastic and myself and Ian had a great banter and dance like loons on the dance floor. At the end of the night, when the music stopped being played all the staff gathered for some staff meeting, right in the middle of the club. With the tiny bit of English they spoke we couldn't work out what it was all about. We finally found a Frenchman that spoke pretty good Mandarin after only being there two months. He explained a number of things. Based on there performance the meeting tells them what night they are not working next week. The better staff you are the better nights you get to work. More tips, etc. He also informed us the staff only get 9rmb an hour. They work 8 hours a day and 4 - 6 days a week. Now, that is roughly €1 an hour. That is not what I was expecting to hear. The cost of life in Beijing is bloody expensive. How the hell do they survive? We finished up our jar and after much persistence to leave from our waiter we finally headed with the remainder of our bottle of Vodka and four cans. We headed back to Mix to see if there was anything still going on. We went in, walked around and left after five minutes. We got a taxi back to the hostel. We polished of a bit more of the vodka. I started falling asleep so we headed for our free breakfast, next door. At this stage I was fairly drunk and tired. The breakfast was exactly what I needed. We were in bed 30 minutes later at around 8.30am. We met Eoghan on his way to bed also.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Day 119 - Groundhog Day in Beijing
Ni hao. Friday morning in Beijing was like any other. Woken at 8, 9, 10 and finally got up at 11. Head still sore from the 4 cheap pints I had the night before. Plan was head to the Forbidden City. Showered and head off with Aidan to catch some brekkie. With a combination of sore head and generally grumpiness, it took one smart remark from Aidan and I walked off and left him. I headed off to have something to eat. Realising a moment later I didn't have enough money. I met Peter back in the hostel, told him my delimma and we went off in search of somewhere to eat. Nan Luo Gu Alley is a smart collection of posh little shops, cafes and bars. Bizarrily it took us 10 mins before we found somewhere. It ended being a bit meh. Cappucino was one of the worst I've ever had. Food was not much better. We paid and headed back to the hostel. Eoghan and myself headed out as the rest of the group were online or having money problems. A combination of card problems and the sort. Rang the PLoft to find if my bank card had being delivered. They said it had. Sweet. So off we trekked the fifteen minutes to the metro. We arrived at the PLoft and the girl had misunderstood. The package from An Post was still missing. Argggh. Okay, so what to do. I recommended some shopping in the Silk Market for Eoghan. He was delighted so that was the start of the plan. At least I knew where it was.
The Silk Market was a jammed as the first day I'd being there. Its not the best place to go when you're tired. People pullig out of you from every stall and calling out to you. You need to be in the right shopping mood. Eoghan wasn't in the right mood and didn't appreciate them touching him. I can understand. You can get everything there from fake branded jeans, t-shirts, leather jackets, shoes, hats, silk, jewellery cameras, jewellery, teas, toys and so much more. It a shoppers dream or nightmare. People are walking around with bags fulls of bargains. Haggling is a must. They'd probably be insulted if you didn't. The walk away tactic being the best. If they take your low price too quickly you know you could havegot it for a good bit lower. The one thing I bought I paid a quarter less than they originally asked. Be careful because I really think everything in there is a fake. I checked a Sony Camera and it looked like the real one although on close inspection was defo a fake. They were also trying to charge the full real price for it. So, you've being warned. You'll pick some fantastic bargains although they'll prob fall apart after their first wash or use. We spent a couple of hours checking out the 6 floors and that was enough for both of us. Just as we were leaving I came down to find Eoghan having a screamin match with some girl. He had a small audience that seemed to be on his side. The sales girl was pissed off that Eoghan dropped his original offer from 100rmb to 80 for a t-shirt. She lacked a certain finesse , might be putting it lightly. I walked up and he looked at me and explained. She was ranting and shouting how, it was unfair and he had offered 100. Another lady that spoke Chinese said something to her. The sales girl then proceeded to shout at her. I asked the girl to calm down. She kept shouting. I told her she was being rude. Eoghan looked at me and said, "here look you buy it, your better at this sort of thing." I took the money off him. Held the t-shirt in one hand and the money in the other and offered both of them to the girl. She grabbed the money out of my hand and slammed it into a box. Furious. We walked off smiling. The crowd were delighted for the bit if excitement.
We grabbed one metro and walked up through Wangfuijing St. Checked out some shops and finally got to the Donghuamen Night Market. Eoghan strolled along. I checked out to see if there was anything moreI could addd to the wiki articles. After this I showed him around the International Food Cuisine I had found a few nights before. He was blown away. It was his sort of place. Its a super idea and the food selection really is beyond belief. We agreed to head we'd go there soon. We wemt outside and grabbed a cab. Eoghan headed to the bar to read his book and I went online. Ended up watching a movie and grabbing a takeaway fish and chips from up the road. It came in a cone of paper and tasted like something you'd get back at home. It was bloody delicious. Aidan joint me and we watched another movie before headign to bed.
The Silk Market was a jammed as the first day I'd being there. Its not the best place to go when you're tired. People pullig out of you from every stall and calling out to you. You need to be in the right shopping mood. Eoghan wasn't in the right mood and didn't appreciate them touching him. I can understand. You can get everything there from fake branded jeans, t-shirts, leather jackets, shoes, hats, silk, jewellery cameras, jewellery, teas, toys and so much more. It a shoppers dream or nightmare. People are walking around with bags fulls of bargains. Haggling is a must. They'd probably be insulted if you didn't. The walk away tactic being the best. If they take your low price too quickly you know you could havegot it for a good bit lower. The one thing I bought I paid a quarter less than they originally asked. Be careful because I really think everything in there is a fake. I checked a Sony Camera and it looked like the real one although on close inspection was defo a fake. They were also trying to charge the full real price for it. So, you've being warned. You'll pick some fantastic bargains although they'll prob fall apart after their first wash or use. We spent a couple of hours checking out the 6 floors and that was enough for both of us. Just as we were leaving I came down to find Eoghan having a screamin match with some girl. He had a small audience that seemed to be on his side. The sales girl was pissed off that Eoghan dropped his original offer from 100rmb to 80 for a t-shirt. She lacked a certain finesse , might be putting it lightly. I walked up and he looked at me and explained. She was ranting and shouting how, it was unfair and he had offered 100. Another lady that spoke Chinese said something to her. The sales girl then proceeded to shout at her. I asked the girl to calm down. She kept shouting. I told her she was being rude. Eoghan looked at me and said, "here look you buy it, your better at this sort of thing." I took the money off him. Held the t-shirt in one hand and the money in the other and offered both of them to the girl. She grabbed the money out of my hand and slammed it into a box. Furious. We walked off smiling. The crowd were delighted for the bit if excitement.
We grabbed one metro and walked up through Wangfuijing St. Checked out some shops and finally got to the Donghuamen Night Market. Eoghan strolled along. I checked out to see if there was anything moreI could addd to the wiki articles. After this I showed him around the International Food Cuisine I had found a few nights before. He was blown away. It was his sort of place. Its a super idea and the food selection really is beyond belief. We agreed to head we'd go there soon. We wemt outside and grabbed a cab. Eoghan headed to the bar to read his book and I went online. Ended up watching a movie and grabbing a takeaway fish and chips from up the road. It came in a cone of paper and tasted like something you'd get back at home. It was bloody delicious. Aidan joint me and we watched another movie before headign to bed.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Day 118 - Lost in Beijing
Okay, for anyone that is coming to Beijing my first and best recommendation is get a map. Actually get three of them in all different sizes. Preferably in English although have a Chinese version also. Beijing is big. Super big. Beijing municipality has a total area of 16800 sq km, roughly the size of Belgium. Today taught me a few lesson. Awoken as usual at a ridiculous hour, not impressed, within an hour we had ourselves booked into where the boys were staying. The Beijing Downtown Backpackers Accommodation in Nan Luo Gu Alley, highly recommended on Hostelworld and by a few others. Only thing is on the directions page they only had info if coming from the airport or Beijing Railway Station. The street name, came up a blank on Google Maps, so we had no way of knowing how to get there by metro. I did a bit more searching and found a listing for the youth hostel name in Google Maps. Delighted with the info we headed off. We took the local subway to the nearest station I saw on the map. We arrived on another crazy busy highway, with no address and wondering how we'd get there. Thankfully I had the number in my last dialed numbers. We jumped into a cab, although just prior to that I asked an attentive soldier where the area was, we were looking for. He pointed to the right. Our taxi took the instructions off the BDBA staff on the phone and we were off. It all seemed too easy. We headed off and I kept checking the map. Roughly knowing where we were supposed to be going I knew something was wrong. Ian kept telling me to relax. Maps are one thing I love. Always have and from my rough calculations we were well off the mark. Next he headed west in the opposite direction of where we were supposed to be heading. Feeling slightly stressed the further we drove I rang the hostel and got them to confirm our destination to the driver. A moment later he handed it back to me. I asked the girl where the hostel was based on the area I had seen on the map. She confirmed that the driver knew where he was going or perhaps I had seen the wrong hostel. I relaxed a bit. Ten mins later we were driving through a row of some very smart Huan Tons with Chinese lanterns hanging from trees lining the laneway. We passed by Peking Downtown and Ian called out for the guy to stop. I was like, no its definitely the Beijing Downtown. Thinking we were lost we called the hostel again, only to find out we were in the right place. We arrived in the place and I gave out about the name on the outside of the door. She said it was the same thing. This I didn't quite agree with and didn't gain any knew friends. We checked in and jumped on the lads asleep in the room. I greeted Eoghan with some wonderful BO after not showering for the last two mornings and Ia n hopped on Aidan. The boys had only being asleep a few hours. We caught up on our adventures and got some showers.
We got a taxi with some help of a local. The Forbidden City was closed for the day by the time we got our shit together so I recommended Tian'anmen Sq. It was bloody freezin outside as we walked across the square. Aidan was in hilarious form, still drunk after only getting to bed at 1pm. Peter looked absolutely wrecked. Within minutes the boys were complaining of the cold and wanting to get a taxi home. I decided perhaps a bit of sightseeing was in order so I dragged them to the metro. They had no idea where they where. So like sheep they followed. Funny enough I was a bit lost myself. I knew roughly, although after leaving the map back in the hostel I was riding on a bit of luck. First thing was we got off at the wrong station. Next we went back one stop, now sure I had it. We walked out of the metro and I was totally lost. The boys were looking at me with a look of "are you serious?". Suddenly I saw the astronomy observatory I had visited the first day. That didn't help. I was still a bit lost. It must have being the stop before this one. LOL. Aidan, hangover looming was, "okay, I'm getting a taxi and going". I knew getting a taxi was going to be insane. No one listened. So, I asked for the hostel flyer and headed off to the metro. When I walked back into the station, a woman was frantically trying to get someone to understand her, asking people, "Do you speak english?". In all the bustle of the evening rush no one was stopping to help. As soon as she saw me, she was, "Do you speak English?" I asked her how I could help. The poor lady had being standing outside for over an hour trying to get a taxi. Another warning for you. Taxis can be fairly hard to get at times, especially during rush hour. Secondly, if you don't speak Mandarin a lot of taxi drivers will not give you the time. Thirdly, if your destination is on the other side of the city, they will probably not bring you there. Feigning ignorance they will wave you no. Sometimes you just need to sit there, ignore their franctics noises and hope they'll bring you home. Taxis are cheap. The longest possible journey from one side of the city to the other will be no more than €15. Generally most fares are two to three euros max.
The lady was lost. She had the card from the hotel although no directions. She had no idea which metro to get. Most public maps are written purely in Chinese so they are of not much use. I rang her hotel on my mobile. No one spoke english so we were in the same boat. We asked one of the staff to help and they pointed at one of the stops on the metro. It was a start. I began the journey with lady as she was heading in my direction. As we walked and chatted I realised how stressed she was. She was from Morocco and worked for the government. She was over doing a workshop and had only arrived the day before. She was finding it very difficult with no one speaking english. We spoke about Ireland and Morocco. I learnt a lot about a country I knew nothing about. We got lost and took the wrong metro line so we had to come back on ourselves and start again. We finally arrived at her station an hour later. It had being a fantastic journey and time to spend with someone. Somewhere along the way I had decided to make sure she got home. We exited the station at her stop. It took two taxis before someone would take her and knew the address written on the card. I gave her a hug and kiss and she was so looked grateful as she headed off into the madness that is Beijing.
5 minutes, and one metro stop later I was walking down the street not far from our hostel. Another row of Huan-tons where being rebuilt and kitted out along the roadside. Local are beginning to realise the money that can be made from them. On the way back I got to see the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower all lit up and standing majestically in the night sky. Another 10 minutes I was back. The boys were playing pool and online. Myself and Eoghan headed to the local bar to read a book and me to write the blog. We sat, ate some snacks and drank a few pints. Cheap stuff was only 20rmb a pint. Not bad tasting. By the time the place was closing I was fairly tipsy. Most of the days blog written. Eoghan was chatting some hot German bird up. We headed back. I was so wrecked and crashed immediately.
We got a taxi with some help of a local. The Forbidden City was closed for the day by the time we got our shit together so I recommended Tian'anmen Sq. It was bloody freezin outside as we walked across the square. Aidan was in hilarious form, still drunk after only getting to bed at 1pm. Peter looked absolutely wrecked. Within minutes the boys were complaining of the cold and wanting to get a taxi home. I decided perhaps a bit of sightseeing was in order so I dragged them to the metro. They had no idea where they where. So like sheep they followed. Funny enough I was a bit lost myself. I knew roughly, although after leaving the map back in the hostel I was riding on a bit of luck. First thing was we got off at the wrong station. Next we went back one stop, now sure I had it. We walked out of the metro and I was totally lost. The boys were looking at me with a look of "are you serious?". Suddenly I saw the astronomy observatory I had visited the first day. That didn't help. I was still a bit lost. It must have being the stop before this one. LOL. Aidan, hangover looming was, "okay, I'm getting a taxi and going". I knew getting a taxi was going to be insane. No one listened. So, I asked for the hostel flyer and headed off to the metro. When I walked back into the station, a woman was frantically trying to get someone to understand her, asking people, "Do you speak english?". In all the bustle of the evening rush no one was stopping to help. As soon as she saw me, she was, "Do you speak English?" I asked her how I could help. The poor lady had being standing outside for over an hour trying to get a taxi. Another warning for you. Taxis can be fairly hard to get at times, especially during rush hour. Secondly, if you don't speak Mandarin a lot of taxi drivers will not give you the time. Thirdly, if your destination is on the other side of the city, they will probably not bring you there. Feigning ignorance they will wave you no. Sometimes you just need to sit there, ignore their franctics noises and hope they'll bring you home. Taxis are cheap. The longest possible journey from one side of the city to the other will be no more than €15. Generally most fares are two to three euros max.
The lady was lost. She had the card from the hotel although no directions. She had no idea which metro to get. Most public maps are written purely in Chinese so they are of not much use. I rang her hotel on my mobile. No one spoke english so we were in the same boat. We asked one of the staff to help and they pointed at one of the stops on the metro. It was a start. I began the journey with lady as she was heading in my direction. As we walked and chatted I realised how stressed she was. She was from Morocco and worked for the government. She was over doing a workshop and had only arrived the day before. She was finding it very difficult with no one speaking english. We spoke about Ireland and Morocco. I learnt a lot about a country I knew nothing about. We got lost and took the wrong metro line so we had to come back on ourselves and start again. We finally arrived at her station an hour later. It had being a fantastic journey and time to spend with someone. Somewhere along the way I had decided to make sure she got home. We exited the station at her stop. It took two taxis before someone would take her and knew the address written on the card. I gave her a hug and kiss and she was so looked grateful as she headed off into the madness that is Beijing.
5 minutes, and one metro stop later I was walking down the street not far from our hostel. Another row of Huan-tons where being rebuilt and kitted out along the roadside. Local are beginning to realise the money that can be made from them. On the way back I got to see the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower all lit up and standing majestically in the night sky. Another 10 minutes I was back. The boys were playing pool and online. Myself and Eoghan headed to the local bar to read a book and me to write the blog. We sat, ate some snacks and drank a few pints. Cheap stuff was only 20rmb a pint. Not bad tasting. By the time the place was closing I was fairly tipsy. Most of the days blog written. Eoghan was chatting some hot German bird up. We headed back. I was so wrecked and crashed immediately.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Day 117 - The stomach of China
If Shanghai is the eye of China, then Beijing is the stomach. Woken at 5.30am. Sat bolt upright in the bed. Ian was sitting up in his, "those fucking builders". The noise of hammering and drilling right outside our door. Absolutely wrecked I lay down and feel back asleep. I woke up next to people moving their bags and moving out. Next thing that woke me was two people talking Chinese loudly and rummaging around. I climbed down presuming it must be late as staff were cleaning the room and changing sheets. I arrived in the canteen to find Ian sitting at his laptop. It was 7.45am. What the hell are they doing coming into the room at that time. The next seven hours I spent online catching up on contacting people I hadn't since I had left. Its weird you think when you are on holidays you have all the time in the world. Its not true. Its so hard to keep in contact people. After posting on 40 or so people's facebook I decided I had enough and needed to get out. First a little nap.
I awoke 2 or so hours later, feeling a tad better. Ian was still working away. I made some tired comment about, lets head out. He was not up for, so off I went. Followed the map and was at the B Exit of Line 2 of the metro in 5 mins. The subway is one of the oldest I had seen since arriving in China. Something from the eighties with big crazy brass lighting. I had no idea where the city centre was so I jumped of at Jianguomen station. Walked out and saw some sort of oldish tourist building. A national astronomy observatory of sorts. 10rmb entrance fee. Bit Meh overall. It is supposedly of enormous signifigance internationally. Wasn't really much to see apart from a big tower like structure hosting a variety of large cast iron observation and measurement tools. I imagine quite something in its day. Had no idea where I was so I justed started walking in a direction that I thought was the right way towards something. Everything in Beijing is super big. The roads are ridiculous going through the city. Four lanes, taxi/cycle lanes and big paths on each side of the road. The further I walked the more it seemed I was getting somewhere. Within a few minutes I was across the road from the Silk Market. It is a collection of shops selling clothes of numerous brands on numerous floors. There is everything from fake D&G to silk, jewellery, cameras and the lot. Great place for the ladies and theres definitely something for the boys.
Next stop I jumped of the metro at was Tian'anmen Square East. Wow, what a site. The best description is vast. It sits overlooking the entrance to the Forbidden City. Another enormous structure. I made way through the underpass and out onto the square. It is quite a sight. Surrounded by gigantic government buildings and motorway wide roads on three sides. soldier in full dress attire stand at attention at different posts throughout. I think back to my memory of the news stories from 1989, what it must have being like on those days. Chinese tourist stood here and there taking snaps. There is so much space it is hard to grasp. Two stunning monuments lit by flood lights stood proud. A new giant electronic board with blue and orange writing on it stuck out like a sore thumb, revolving in the midst of all this. Surrounded by colourful flowers and fountains spurting jets of water in the air. I walked around the square taking it all in and taking a few snaps myself. After crossing under the road, I visited the front of the Forbidden City. One thing I'll say about the Chinese is the really know how to do it. The pavements are as big as an Irish motorway. The cities I have visited so far are so well designed for tourism. It makes it all so bloody easy. Anyone can travel in China. Its a breeze and a pleasure. I can only imagine where it will be in 10 years.
I headed off walking to the east. I took a turn down some road running down the right hand side of the Forbidden City. Low old buildings lined the street. A collection of small local shops, eateries and not much else apart from a photography gallery I briefly visited. Some excellent shots. I kept walking and then headed east. Before I knew it I was back in a brightly lit area with electronic ad boards hanging from the buildings, Without realising I had come upon the infamous Donghuamen Night Market. A crazy long line of foods stall with a crowd walking around infront sprawled out infront of me. I walked down the line taking in the sights of crickets, snakes, lizards and other strange foods displayed on a stick. People stood around smiling as the stall operators called out to them to try their stalls foods. A Chinese woman tapped me and told me to watch my bag. After thanking here, she started up a conversation. Her English was near perfect. Stephanie I was later to find out was her English name. She stayed with me for the next half an hour, chatting about this and that. She was more knowledgeable about Ireland than some Irish people I know. At the beginning I enjoyed her company although after a while I kind of wanted to be walking by myself. Strange thing is I didn't say this to her and lied by walking to the metro station and saying I was going to get one. We swapped emails and phone numbers. I waved her goodbye and I was off. I hung around a few minutes and headed back up, hungry for something to eat. I went back to the food stalls and got a collection of dumplings, a candy fruit stick and a portion of spring rolls. It had being raining for the past half and hour and I was pretty much soaked as I had walked along unconcerned of getting wet. I made my way back around to the metro and headed home. After getting a little confused on which exit to take I was back in PLoft in ten minutes. If you have not travelled on metros before, always take note of the exit letters/numbers. It can make a BIG difference where you come out and whether you get lost or not. Or thats what I have found anyway.
When I got back I met the recently rested Ian, went online and caught up on the blog :)
I awoke 2 or so hours later, feeling a tad better. Ian was still working away. I made some tired comment about, lets head out. He was not up for, so off I went. Followed the map and was at the B Exit of Line 2 of the metro in 5 mins. The subway is one of the oldest I had seen since arriving in China. Something from the eighties with big crazy brass lighting. I had no idea where the city centre was so I jumped of at Jianguomen station. Walked out and saw some sort of oldish tourist building. A national astronomy observatory of sorts. 10rmb entrance fee. Bit Meh overall. It is supposedly of enormous signifigance internationally. Wasn't really much to see apart from a big tower like structure hosting a variety of large cast iron observation and measurement tools. I imagine quite something in its day. Had no idea where I was so I justed started walking in a direction that I thought was the right way towards something. Everything in Beijing is super big. The roads are ridiculous going through the city. Four lanes, taxi/cycle lanes and big paths on each side of the road. The further I walked the more it seemed I was getting somewhere. Within a few minutes I was across the road from the Silk Market. It is a collection of shops selling clothes of numerous brands on numerous floors. There is everything from fake D&G to silk, jewellery, cameras and the lot. Great place for the ladies and theres definitely something for the boys.
Next stop I jumped of the metro at was Tian'anmen Square East. Wow, what a site. The best description is vast. It sits overlooking the entrance to the Forbidden City. Another enormous structure. I made way through the underpass and out onto the square. It is quite a sight. Surrounded by gigantic government buildings and motorway wide roads on three sides. soldier in full dress attire stand at attention at different posts throughout. I think back to my memory of the news stories from 1989, what it must have being like on those days. Chinese tourist stood here and there taking snaps. There is so much space it is hard to grasp. Two stunning monuments lit by flood lights stood proud. A new giant electronic board with blue and orange writing on it stuck out like a sore thumb, revolving in the midst of all this. Surrounded by colourful flowers and fountains spurting jets of water in the air. I walked around the square taking it all in and taking a few snaps myself. After crossing under the road, I visited the front of the Forbidden City. One thing I'll say about the Chinese is the really know how to do it. The pavements are as big as an Irish motorway. The cities I have visited so far are so well designed for tourism. It makes it all so bloody easy. Anyone can travel in China. Its a breeze and a pleasure. I can only imagine where it will be in 10 years.
I headed off walking to the east. I took a turn down some road running down the right hand side of the Forbidden City. Low old buildings lined the street. A collection of small local shops, eateries and not much else apart from a photography gallery I briefly visited. Some excellent shots. I kept walking and then headed east. Before I knew it I was back in a brightly lit area with electronic ad boards hanging from the buildings, Without realising I had come upon the infamous Donghuamen Night Market. A crazy long line of foods stall with a crowd walking around infront sprawled out infront of me. I walked down the line taking in the sights of crickets, snakes, lizards and other strange foods displayed on a stick. People stood around smiling as the stall operators called out to them to try their stalls foods. A Chinese woman tapped me and told me to watch my bag. After thanking here, she started up a conversation. Her English was near perfect. Stephanie I was later to find out was her English name. She stayed with me for the next half an hour, chatting about this and that. She was more knowledgeable about Ireland than some Irish people I know. At the beginning I enjoyed her company although after a while I kind of wanted to be walking by myself. Strange thing is I didn't say this to her and lied by walking to the metro station and saying I was going to get one. We swapped emails and phone numbers. I waved her goodbye and I was off. I hung around a few minutes and headed back up, hungry for something to eat. I went back to the food stalls and got a collection of dumplings, a candy fruit stick and a portion of spring rolls. It had being raining for the past half and hour and I was pretty much soaked as I had walked along unconcerned of getting wet. I made my way back around to the metro and headed home. After getting a little confused on which exit to take I was back in PLoft in ten minutes. If you have not travelled on metros before, always take note of the exit letters/numbers. It can make a BIG difference where you come out and whether you get lost or not. Or thats what I have found anyway.
When I got back I met the recently rested Ian, went online and caught up on the blog :)
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Day 116 - We arrive in the Olmypic City
Okay, summarise Sam. Summarise. Not much sleep on the very packed 11 hour train from Nanjng to Beijing. Some people stood the whole way. Arrived expecting to jump straight onto a metro from the station. Nothing of the sort. A queue of a hundred stood outside waiting to buy tickets from a single ticket counter. Jumped in a taxi. Broke the poor mans bucket in his boot. He wasn't impressed. Frist impressions were meh. Ian agreed. The say the city is the same size as the country of Belgium. Took twenty minutes to get our Youth Hostel in the Dongcheng District. Now I understand why the driver seemed so disgruntled when we should him our address. We got dropped off in a small side street of old cottages and low buildings. Lugging our bags on our backs we proceeded to search for our PLoft Youth Hostel. Found it after many local pointed the way. The girl at reception looked tired. Got shone where the showers were and then explained our rooms were around the corner. Eh, sort of. A 2 min walk outdoors to our rooms. Room is bare, stark and rather minging looking. Not dirty, just lacking in life. The whole looks a little prison like. As it says on the brochure. Not quite what i expected. We head to the hostel cafe. Watch the end of Boy A. Fantastic movie. Highly highly recommend. The room is cold. The whole place seems cold. We go online. Order some jumbo brekkies. Meh. Expensive the food is here. 40 rmb. over €4 not including coffee. Another €1.10 for this. Go and have a shower and freshen up. Shower is a bloody disaster. You have three settings. Skin scorching hot, ski crawling cold or off. Not impressed. Bathroom is meh. Actually less than meh, its shit. No proper sink and its all placed in the back of a boiler house. Do some research on the China Comm Expo that I want to visit. Can not find the address anywhere online. Websites are terrible. Finally find a listing in Google Maps. Have some trouble getting the staff to work out how to write it down. By the time it is all sorted it is 3pm. Conference ends at 4.30pm. Decide to leave it until tomorrow. Ian heads up to the common room upstairs. Bigger room, more couches and not as cold.
I head out after Ian falls asleep to check out the local area. The block is enormous. I'm lost straight away. Call into a local supermarket to buy some supplies. Have to save on spending so much as we are on a tight budget before our bank cards get delivered from Ireland. Buy loads of junk food. Meet a Taiwanese guy that we met in our hostel who was promptly checking out and into another one aroud the corner from ours. He brings me around to the Lama Temple Hostel. It seems much cosier and colourful. Check the price and availability for the boys arrival tomorrow night. Head of to find my way home. Get lost in a labyrinth of dark side streets. Have no idea where I am. I stop an elderly lady and show here my little map. She takes a moment. Ask a taxi driver stopped nearby. He seems to ignore her and mutters something. She smiles at me and motions me to follow her. We walk around a kilometre through winding alleys and streets. I keep thanking here, Xie Xie and she smiles as she leads the way. I could have being lost for hours in the maze. She brings me right to the door. She was walking in totally the opposite direction when I found her. She smiles as I take her hand to thank her one last time. This is the type of treatment we have found so many times in China. People go so far out of their way to try help you. Ian is still in slumber world when I return. I ring Joao and then my mum, to wish her a Happy Birthday. She is in great form and delighted to hear from me. When Ian wakes we watch some Chinese movies on his laptop, called CJ7. Absolute joke of a movie. Eh, dont watch. Fall asleep and wake ten mins later as Ian is turning off the movie. Head to bed and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Now that was me summarising. You see, its hard :)
I head out after Ian falls asleep to check out the local area. The block is enormous. I'm lost straight away. Call into a local supermarket to buy some supplies. Have to save on spending so much as we are on a tight budget before our bank cards get delivered from Ireland. Buy loads of junk food. Meet a Taiwanese guy that we met in our hostel who was promptly checking out and into another one aroud the corner from ours. He brings me around to the Lama Temple Hostel. It seems much cosier and colourful. Check the price and availability for the boys arrival tomorrow night. Head of to find my way home. Get lost in a labyrinth of dark side streets. Have no idea where I am. I stop an elderly lady and show here my little map. She takes a moment. Ask a taxi driver stopped nearby. He seems to ignore her and mutters something. She smiles at me and motions me to follow her. We walk around a kilometre through winding alleys and streets. I keep thanking here, Xie Xie and she smiles as she leads the way. I could have being lost for hours in the maze. She brings me right to the door. She was walking in totally the opposite direction when I found her. She smiles as I take her hand to thank her one last time. This is the type of treatment we have found so many times in China. People go so far out of their way to try help you. Ian is still in slumber world when I return. I ring Joao and then my mum, to wish her a Happy Birthday. She is in great form and delighted to hear from me. When Ian wakes we watch some Chinese movies on his laptop, called CJ7. Absolute joke of a movie. Eh, dont watch. Fall asleep and wake ten mins later as Ian is turning off the movie. Head to bed and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Now that was me summarising. You see, its hard :)
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