Denmark Hill

Rave Robot

Bestival, 2010.

AHigherPlace

Mount Canigou, Pyrenees-Orentales, France.

Asia Blog: Update 2

I'm currently sitting in an internet cafe in the second largest city in Tibet, Shigatse. We are here for the night then tommorrow we are going to visit a couple of large monasteries which will be good.

Things are great out here. We've done so much since we left Beijing.

We caught a train to Xi'an which is the city the terracotta warriors are located in. They were quite a sight but the museum place was all a bit atmospherically cold. It was packed with Chinese tourists and you could only get close to about 4 warriors. The rest are set down in the pits they were excavated from. I'm glad we went, but it's not one of favourite places. Probably because it is just a museum.

Chengdu was our next stop after Xi'an. We got another over night train there and stayed at a very cool guesthouse: Sims Cosy Guesthouse. It was quite a unique place and all the people were great. We had a couple of days checking things out in the city (including going to the panda centre which was really cool). The highlight of our stay there was the opportunity to go on a 5 day trip to some Tibetan villages situated outside the area classified as Tibet. The trip was lovely. We set off in an 11 seater minibus with Sim (the very chilled out guesthouse owner), his 2 daughters, another boy, the babysitter/maid, a French guy, 2 Canadians, 2 Danish girls and the driver. The drive was certainly a squeeze, and ir took 11 and a half hours to reach Danba. Danba is a small town running along a river. Its home to mixture of Tibetans and Chinese. We used it as a base to go up to the villages in the hills nearby. We did a fair bit of hiking up to the villages, and around the hills and it was all really photogenic. For 2 of the nights we stayed in a large Tibetan guesthouse which was basic but that didn't really matter. The food was good, the staff/residents were friendly and we could just walk out and explore the hills. On our first night there we all lay on the roof and gazed at the stars which was cool.

We were quite sad to say goodbye to everyone when we had to leave Chengdu, it would have been great if some of them had been coming with us to Tibet.

The train from Chengdu to Lhasa took just under 48hours. We got the best tickets on all the trains which meant we got a 4-berth cabin and they were pretty comfy, fine to spend a night or 2. It was great watching all the scenery change, far more interesting than the plane.

Lhasa is a very nice city. Its far more relaxed and friendly than the Chinese cities, possibly because its more geared up for travellers. We visited the Potala Palace and 2 of the monasteries and spent ages wandering around the streets of stalls in the centre, seeking out cool things to bring back. Normally there are more things to see in and around the city but 3 of the key monasteries are closed at the moment, which was a shame though it did mean we had more time just to wander.

Our guide and driver are cool and it makes things a lot simpler having a private tour. We have 6 more days here, and many more great things to see. I'll try and get some more pictures uploaded soon but for now I'll leave you with that classic one from Chengdu.

Asia Blog: Update.

Updating this is time consuming and I've been very busy hence why not doing so. I'm behind on writing my daily journal aswell.
We had a great time in Sichuan Province, around Chengdu.
Now we are in Tibet. Its a great place and we're really enjoying it.
Will go into much more detail soon and post some photos!

Asia Trip: Days 5 & 6

14/07/08
This morning we woke up early to a very grey Beijing. Quickly getting ready we went out and got on the bus which was taking us to the Badaling section of the Great Wall. It was a small both with about 10 other foreigners on board. Amy, the tour guide, got on and introduced herself and the driver (Mr Chang) and then we set off.

First stop was the Ming Tombs and Amy told us various thing en-route. The tomb we visited was that of the 3rd Emperor, Yongle. It was starting to rain as we got of the bus - certainly not the best day for sightseeing. Crossing through the large gate we walked up to the Hall of Eminent Flavours. It was a large structure supported internally with tall and thick cedarwood (nanwu) columns. It was quite dark inside and the weak daylight did not help matters. The hall contained a number of artifacts found in the tomb and a big statue of the Emperor himself. We continued out through the backdoor and walked through another courtyard up to a tower. Up the stairs, at the top of the tower, we were at the highest point if the tomb complex, and, had it been a good day, we'd have been able to see the towers of the other tombs in the surrounding area.

After a brief talk we were heading back to the bus. Our next stop was to be a trip to a jade factory (which we had known nothing about.) As we expected it was just a big sales room with a small tour of past a staged factory room and a talk about jade.We spent too long there, but only because other members of the group were buying things.

Next stop was lunch at the Society for Traditional Chinese Medicine. We had a brief explanation of the practice, followed by a test to determine our health. This was done by an elderly professor feeling our pulse on each wrist which told him about different parts of our bodies. It was no surprise that the older members of the group had some health issues and we were healthy. Some people were prescribed Chinese medicines ( which were conveniently available to buy there.) Lunch was had in a room upstairs somewhere and it was quite tasty, following which we were soon back on the road.

It was raining hard when we reached the Great Wall, and therefore a bit disheartening, so we rushed from the bus to the stalls selling rain ponchos and umbrellas as we had both forgotten our jackets! Passing some pens with black bears in we joined the queue to the 'sliding way' to the bit of the wall it was recommended we start.

Everyone was wearing plastic ponchos of different colours and holding umbrellas which was quite a bizarre sight! We were expecting some kind of cable car when we go the front of the queue, in fact it was more like some kind of a ride! We sat down in a low car and were harnessed in, then we were pulled along a track up the hillside. We reached the top and the rain had ceased a bit so we made our way up and down along the slippery wall with all the 100s of other tourists (mainly Chinese.) The views were spectacular, despite the rain and extreme number of other visitors in bright coloured ponchos.

Going down was a very strange experience, we had just seen the ancient Great Wall of China and now we were strapped on to small plastic seats making our way down the mountainside, soaked. It's not what you think of when you think Great Wall!! On the way to the bus we passed the black bears and took some photos whilst people threw carrots to them, adding to the weirdness.

After refreshing back at the hotel and sending a couple of emails we went in search of Pizza Hut which was somewhere nearby and would be a quick and easy dinner. It tasted good but was almost as expensive as back at home so probably wasn't the best plan. It was an unstressful end to a good day.

15/07/08
The weather had vastly improved and we returned to the Temple of Heaven this morning. Entering from the south gate we saw the extent of what we had missed out on on the first visit. There were many buildings in the same style as we had previously seen but the main temple was quite unique. It was circular and rose up quite tall. It had been where the Emperors worshipped the gods for things like good harvests. Our next plan was to get a taxi to a harbour elsewhere in the city where we could then get a boat up the river to the Summer Palace. The pier was easy enough to find and there were also some French people asking for the boat. After discovering it would leave in 40 minutes we headed to the nearest restaurant, which overlooked the quite bland, almost boatless harbour. One waitress spoke a little English but the menu was not in English so we struggled to get some noodles and vegetables. We got a couple of dishes we proved quite difficult to eat and we were being watched by an attentive waitress. Low on cash and with no idea where the boat was we got a taxi to the Summer Palace.

Shortly after arriving I knew this would be my favourite sight in Beijing. The whole place felt very genuine. We climbed up the steps around the back where there were less tourists and came across a couple of lovely old pavilions. They were nice for a few reasons; they were quiet (with only some locals sitting about but not covered in tourists) and they seemed untouched. We soon came across the main parts of the palace, tucked amongst the trees and again, they seemed untouched. They had not been repainted in bright colours or restored to their original condition and, because of this they felt liek ancient buildings. Bar a few this was the case across the whole palace area. I believe it is how all the sights should be like. Restoration is fine but when it looks like it was painted yesterday it loses its effect.

We made our way through the trees to the edge of the lake and down by the waterside we discovered we could take a motor boat out for 60 Yuan. The chance to get out on to the water and view the palace from afar was too tempting so we left a deposit and were soon cruising about the pretty large Kunming Lake. The palaces and pavilions looked as good from the boat as they did up close and we were able to cross the lake and see other parts which were scattered along its banks. An hour later the sun was almost setting and we left the boat and wandered along the courtyards to the entrance/exit. The fading light was creating cool shadows, it was a lovely atmosphere.

We had a quick bite to eat in the restaurant just outside the complex and as we were about to leave a man on the next table asked us if we had been to the Great Wall. We chatted for a while and we had soon organised to meet up at a bus station the next morning and go to one the other sections of the wall. We had discussed the idea of going again before meeting the guy as we hoped we would find clearer skies and less tourists at another section.

After leaving him in the taxi when we got to our hotel we realised we didn't know his name, or have any kind of contact details, we just hoped it would be easy to find him the following morning.

That evening I went out for a bit to take the photos I hadn't managed to take earlier in the week. I took a few but I didn't really manage to capture anything majorly good. I had a pint of Yanjing beer at an outdoor bar on Wangfujing Street but there wasn't much atmosphere with not many people about as shops were closing and I was drinking alone.
Back at the hotel I packed my stuff ready to leave Beijing the next day.

Asia Trip: Days 3 & 4

12/07/08
We woke up shortly after nine and left the hotel an hour later ready to conquer the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. As our hotel was nearby, the walk to Tiananmen Square took little time and Beijing looked very appealing as we walked through a park in the sunshine. Lots of locals were sitting on benches chatting. It was very different to dull, humid atmosphere of the previous day.

The square was packed with people, most piling into the Forbidden City through its large 'Gate of Heavenly Peace'. But as soon as we paid 60 Yuan after going through the Duan Gate we left much of the crowd behind.

We spent a good few hours meandering through the ancient courtyards and passageways of the Imperial Palace, getting the odd glimpse of what the interiors would have been like. It was all very impressive but it was around midday, the sun was at it hottest and we were feeling it.

Our route through the palace ended in the Imperial Garden where we got drinks and sat in the shade to cool off. It would have been a very tranquil place in the days of the emperors, mainly because there would've been no tourists ambling around it!

Seeing the main pavilion of Jingshan Park in the top of a hill to the north we left the Forbidden City (though we could have spend several more hours exploring the maze of buildings and courtyards inside its walls.) Jingshan Park was an ideal place to rest in as there was plenty of leafy shade. I was glad to leave the majority of people behind as it made the park even more peaceful, and there were mainly local people playing cards. Climbing up the steps to the pavilions was hot work but it was well worth it. The panoramic views of the city were great.

It was late afternoon by the time we were leaving the park and we realised that the Temple of Heaven would have to wait til another day. Walking along the road outside Jingshan we hoped we come across a rickshaw driver as we had earlier in the afternoon. Finally one approached us and offered us a tour of the hutong (old style back streets) and after a bit of bartering we were trundling through the small alleyways.

The driver told us a few things about the hutong in heavy-accented English and at one point we were offered some tea at a locals' home. We took it as a friendly gesture and assumed it was included in the price of the tour so we accepted, at least because it would be an interesting experience. After being directed into a room we sat down and were presented with a pot of tea and some kind of seeds to eat. The tea was fine but the seeds were like chewing splinters! Tasty! Leaving the room we were shown a sign saying we had to pay 20 Yuan each. It being a small amount we paid and got back on the rickshaw, though the occupants of the house had not been been very welcoming, or paid us much attention at all. Oh well, we tried it.

A short while later, the rickety ride came to a halt by a main road signifying the end of the tour. Paying 140 Yuan and walking down the road we felt quite ripped off, we would have been better doing it by ourselves on bikes!

Returning to the hotel in a taxi we chilled out for a while before heading off to Beijing Xijian(Beijing West Station) to get train tickets to Xi'an after the hotel's tour company had been unsucessful. At the station we joined the "English speaking counter" and after all the Chinese people in front of us were done we managed to get a couple of tickets. The trains for the 14th and 15th were both fully booked so we had to get tickets for one on the 16th instead, not minding too much as it gave us an extra couple of days to explore Beijing.

That night we had planned to eat at either one of the only vegetarian restaurants, or a well known Peking duck place but after some confusion we discovered that the road they were both on (Qianmen) was closed. We went to the first restaurant we saw, which happened to be Japanese and ate very cheaply.

The walk back to the hotel was slightly longer than desired due to missing a turning and when we got in we arranged a couple of things at reception, checked our emails and went to bed - pretty tired from the day's walking in the heat.


13/07/08
We had rearranged our Great Wall tour the previous night so we could visit the art and craft/flea market Panjiayuan this morning, as it is best visited at the weekends. We caught a taxi there and started wandering along the rows of stalls sussing out what was there. It was a big place with lots of vendors; selling everything from fake watches to Tibetan chests. The majority of the things looked old (a lot probably faked to look so) and the range was staggering. Lots of tourists were making their way about, hunting for treasures whilst a lot of the stallholders looked quite bored in the heat.

Bartering was to be expected but we both struggled a bit as some vendors seemed to start their prices a great deal higher than others; it's hard to barter for something that you expect to be 50 Yuan when the guy quotes 600!


We spent several hours looking around and seeking the best prices, coming away with a variety of items. In hindsight we paid far too much for some things but we have learnt from the experience! In reality I only spent about 30 quid with lunch so its not like it was a ridiculous amount anyway! I look forward to more markets, especially in Tibet and Kathmandu.

Hailing a cab at around 3 I saw a terracotta warrior on the back of a cart as we headed for the Temple of Heaven. Arriving only to realise we were severly low on cash and after paying the park entrance fee (15 Yuan) we could not access the temple without a further 20 Yuan. We wandered through the park around the outside of the temple walls and then got a taxi back to Days Inn (with some difficulty.)

Lunch had been quite substantial so neither of us were particulary hungry so we decided to stay in the hotel rather than going out again. After watching Gladiator I couldn't resist the urge for some night photography and headed out to get some pictures of the local area.

On my way to Tian'anmen Square 3 girls called me over and started asking the basic questions, "where you from?" etc. They invited me for a drink and, after some thought, I cautiously followed. They pointed out a tea shop just round the corner and we were guided into a small room with a large table and lots of chairs. A couple of Tsingtao beers were ordered and some Sprite. I had a beer while they mixed the other the can with the Sprite, telling me they would get drunk easily on straight beer. Whilst we were chatting (about very little) the waitress brought in two plates of snacks with watermelon and some weird crisps, and poured us all green tea. As we started on the tea I learnt that they were recently graduated students ftom Xi'an University and were in Beijing to volunteer at the Olympics. Most of the time was spent by them asking me various questions about my family and English life. Their English was good and they were amusing company.

Various glances at the menu on the wall got me quite worried as the tea kept being poured. Some things (written in Chinese) seemed quite expensive. At around 10 I insisted I should be getting back to the hotel, giving the excuse that I wouldn't be able to get in to the room much later as I didn't have a key. The bill was called for and as they explained what each of the things on it were they also, to my relief, agreed to split it - it was over 700 Yuan!!
The pot of team that seemed to refill itself, had cost a small fortune (in China) of 360 Yuan. Apparently it was very good tea! Hmmm...

Ending up paying just under half of the bill i said goodbye and took a shortcut back to Days Inn through a hutong. I had quite clearly been ripped off but it seemed like the whole experience was more for their entertainment and curiosity more than anything. I could well have declined from the start but I believe it was an opportunity worth taking.
My wallet significantly lighter and back at the hotel I told Fran about my random evening which she found quite amusing. All in all the day was interesting, though i shouldn't have spent quite as much money!