Pretty in Pink

I had a good night with the 7 shanghainese people that stayed in my dorm. They spoke good english and even though Shanghai people speak a completely different dialect to what I'm used to hearing I understood their accent well but didn't know 90% of the words they used. One of the girls lived in Sheffield to do her post graduate degree and is one of the few people I've met in China who slows down the speech to the level I require. Even then I have to ask lots of questions in English. I can communicate essential thoughts not too badly but my listening skills are terrible.

I found out what the raw meat was that I had in my first day in Beijing. It's the wrist bone of a pig. Apparently it's a bone that's soft enough to eat. They mix it with pigs ears which gives the chewy element, that will be why it was called wriggly earwig. I managed 2 or 3 bits. I also found out that it wasn't raw pig I was having but the one in Beijing was just cold. It's marginally better when warm but still has a slippery texture when you crunch it. I also joined the chinese equivalent of twitter (weibo) to see the photo they took.

I've found out that the 12th of September is mid autumn festival. Ok, I already knew that but what I didn't know is that it translates to homesick festival. Apparently your meant to go home and see your family. Not having a home is the best method of preventing homesickness. 

From this photo I can see that I definitely need a shave. More importantly I needed clean clothes. I feel sorry for anyone that had to sit next to me. I'd used all my clean clothes and almost all of my clothes that were in the maybe pile. The dryer at the hostel broke and my clothes were hanging out to dry on a tree in the street. Luckily it didn't rain through the night. Carrying my bag to the train station is hard work even with dry clothes. Unfortunately another pair of my boxers went missing, I'm now down to 3. I made the schoolboy error of washing my clothes together. I now have one yellow t-shirt, one red and three pink. I have a pink pair of boxers and a pair of combats with a bit of pink mixed in with the khaki. I have a navy pair of jeans and a beige pair that have a few pink streaks. I think I'm going to stick to washing my clothes by hand.

Shanghai

Shanghai's been different from how I expected. When I arrived at about 8pm the main train station was relatively empty. There were no mad rushes on the subway, I got a seat right away. Despite being a city of 24 million the traffic is much calmer than Taiyuan which has about 5 million I think. The people are very tall and some are overweight. Fast food restaurants are as common as Chinese ones. Height is definitely more about nutrition than genetics although I'm sure genetics plays a part.

I went up the worlds 3rd tallest building which has the worlds highest public observation deck at 470 metres up. the view was phenomenal. I spent hours in the Urban Planning Hall which documents Shanghai's changes over the years and future developments. In 1980 Shanghai didn't have a building over 20 stories tall, now there are several thousand.  The speed of development here is mind blowing and if they plan to do something you can be confident it will get completed. The chinese government makes 5 year economic plans (every 5 years believe it or not). The current 5 year plan emphasises environmental protection and I really like some of the proposed projects to make Shanghai more ecologically friendly.

A panorama from the Huangpu river.

The haze in the photos doesn't do the view justice.

This was all farmland 25 years ago.

Shanghai looks stunning at night. Unfortunately I lost my glasses. The humidity here has been unbelievable. I've felt permanently clammy.  My glasses kept on slipping off every time I looked down the way so took them off while at a bench then forgot about them. They were a faithful companion for the 6 days I had them.

This is the view from Puxi to the Pudong skyline. shanghai is split in two, Puxi and Pudong, xi and Dong mean east and west and Pu refers to the Hangpu river. 

The Chinese were forced to open up to European traders after losing a war back in the 1800's and Shanghai became the Asian centre for European Banking corporations. The banks are congregated on the river on a street known as the Bund which is full of European styled buildings. 

Nanjiing Road at night.

Tea Parties

I got warned from several websites about pretty young girls that wander about the streets chatting up foreigners and inviting them to tea houses which charge thousands for a cup of tea and have big bad bouncers that sort you out if you don't pay. I took this opportunity to practice my Chinese skills. The girls are all really friendly and speak good English so I could chat away to them in Chinese and whenever I got stuck on a word they'd help me out. I learned a lot. They also complimented me for my good looks and told me I look Italian. They may have been hollow compliments but I'm still chuffed to be told I look like an Italian Stallion even if it was said with the aim of taking all my money.

I spent last night having a few beers with an American of Ethiopian descent and a a Scottish girl watching Frankie Boyle videos on Youtube. It was a good laugh. Myself and the Scottish girl are off to Hangzhou. I'm going to buy a cheap tent and camp in Huangshan and beyond.

Suzhou

Away from the touristy streets of Pingyao the streets are empty, Suzhou is like how I imagined Pingyao to be. Suzhou is known as the Venice of the East. I've never been to Venice so wouldn't know how to compare. I've heard it stinks of raw sewage and is a bit overcrowded and gondolas are a rip off and it stinks of piss. I've also heard some good things about Venice. Anyway, Suzhou doesn't smell that bad even though they have freshly caught crabs, geese and dead baby chickens in the markets for sale next to live ones. I like the place. I try not to be a happy snapper but the city is so photogenic even on an overcast day. I've thoroughly enjoyed wandering about canals and their side streets and visiting the gardens. If I don't set up a business after my travelling I reckon I'll study landscaping, it's a topic I find infinitely interesting. One garden I went to was overly crowded but another two were very serene. 

The view from Nanjing train station.

 Rubble on a bridge isn't a problem, just drive around it.

 Chinese gardens are not about bombarding the senses but about mixing vegetation, water and rocks to create a harmonious balance. That's apparently the best way to make a garden, Confucius said so. I made up the last bit but I like adding that to a number of sentences thanks to my friend Per from Sweden who I met in Nanjing. Smoking is good for you, Confucius said so. Debate over.

The city as a whole has a nice balance between human habitation, water and greenery not just it's gardens, Confucius would have been proud. That's my impression anyway, away from the area popular with visitors it's probably a concrete jungle, a smelly concrete jungle.

I haven't been very social in Suzhou. I've kept myself to myself. I haven't got into much conversation with people selling things or curious passers by. The conversations I do have is very repetitive and it's difficult to break through in Chinese one the conversation veers away from the predictable. I'm a wee bit annoyed at this. I feel like a sightseer, not an explorer of Chinese culture. I'm missing out on so much because of the language barrier and this is a bit frustrating. I'm not that different from the middle aged american's with their socks pulled half way up their knees who jump from tour bus to sights, take a picture then jump back on the tour bus. The main difference is that I do things a bit slower, don't pay for buses and keep my socks at ankle height. My theory is that if you rush from sight to sight you miss out on authentic Chinese culture in between. But if I'm not interacting much in between then I'd be as well just hopping on and hopping off. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on myself but I know that this is a fascinating part of the world and I'm only getting the tip of the iceberg.

The best garden I went to was the Tiger Hill. It has proportionately less pavilions and manicured areas and a lot more greenery than the other ones I've been to. I spent more than half a day here. I'm turning into my dad. I'm quite happy birdwatching all day. I blame those childhood holidays in the south of France for brainwashing me into the notion that hanging about doing not a lot to see little feathered creatures flap around all day is fun. I'm not normally bothered by Chinese people grabbing me and having a photo of me but I was really close to an Egret today and some guy just walked along, put his arm around me while his girlfriend took a photo scaring the bird away. From now on I'm charging 2 kuai a photo unless it's a child. If I'm going to be treated like a zoo animal I'm charging a fee just like any other zoo.

The baby birds are on the top left, everything but feathers is there.

Some things I like about Suzhou: -

* The dog of choice here is a Golden Labrador.

* The scenery. 

* The market.

* The red lanterns.

Here's what I don't like about Suzhou: -

* The lack of Chinglish, Nanjing had perfect English signs as well. It's not as fun

I've now been in China for 29 days. It feels like less.Today I told someone I've been in China for 23. Shanghai tomorrow unless my clothes aren't dried in which case I'll stay here another day. I'll just stay a night in shanghai a night or two in Hangzhou then go to Huangshan. Shanghai and Hangzhou are both big cities with lots of cars and Huangshan has a reputation for being permanently shrouded in mist. I reckon it will be at least another week before I see a horizon. That will be a month without seeing a horizon. The scenery in Huangshan will make up for it. Adios. 

Losing My Banana

I made a bit of a fool of myself earlier when I told a girl that worked in the hostel that I had lost my camera and wanted to buy a new one tomorrow. I said 'wo diule wode xiang jiao' instead of 'wo diule wode jiao xiang ji'. I basically said I lost my banana. the girl showed me her wedding ring. Banana has a sexual undertone in Chinese. Ooops. She's been telling everyone about my blooper. The guitarist at the hostel was playing losing my religion. I changed the lyrics to 'zoutian, wo diule wode xiang jiao' (yesterday, I lost my banana). They loved it. I also called my glasses Nanjing instead of Yanjing. I wish I did have enough money to buy a city.

I've managed to get a pair of glasses, a jar of coffee, Tropicana orange juice, a camera and go up the worlds 8th tallest building all in the space of a day. I felt really chuffed with myself once i got all those things. I thought getting an eye test would have been difficult with the language barrier, it was easy enough and cheap. Nanjing is so modern. It feels western even though there are no westerners. KFC billboards adorn the sides of a building at almost every junction. I could live here. A dude on his motorbike stopped me to give me a flyer for a job or teaching English. It's that easy. I don't want work in Nanjing but it's nice to know that I could get it if I wanted. 

 The Greenland Plaza. One of the world's tallest buildings designed by one of my favourite Architecture firms (Skidmore, Owings and Merrill). The landscaping around the building is really nice. If I don't set up a business after my travelling is done I'll definitely consider taking a degree in Urban Planning. I find that topic infinitely interesting.

 I stayed here for at least an hour. Even though I didn't get to see the horizon, it was really peaceful watching the city whiz by me. You notice a lot of things from above that escape your attention when below. I liked watching the vehicle's brake lights create Mexican waves as they rushed off then were ground to a halt. Lewis Mumford described Cities and Language as being humanities greatest work of art. I'm inclined to agree. Whereas most people visit a city to see it's collection of works of art, I visit a city to see it collectively as a work of art. maybe that's why I like cities that nobody else does.

Twilight Reflections

I'm a bit annoyed that Jennifer booked a train from Luoyang to Nanjing the day of the journey and got a hard sleeper. Two days earlier I was told hard sleepers were all booked and paid 100 kuai more for a soft sleeper which doesn't even have a soft mattress. I got scammed 100 kuai which is only £10 but that's a days living expenses and a tenner here and there adds up in the long run.

I've had a day climbing Mount Nanjing (450 metres above sea level), the visibility at the top was about 10m but I still enjoyed it. There was a fair amount of biodiversity, probably 11 different species of mosquitoes. I am off to Suzhou to relax in their world famous gardens and tea houses along the canals. I've picked out the gardens that are free or cheap to enter and I'm currently at my hostel having a coffee with an Israeli then I'll head. Here's a couple of photos of the amazing vistas from my epic climb up the mountain.

Fog and rain

The Road to Luoyang

I left Pingyao pretty late in the afternoon due to a dodgy stomach. I got to Taiyuan and had a three mile walk getting to the ticket office just before it closed and managed to get transport for the following morning. I had a chat with some people who were camped outside the bus station and concluded that it was safe to sleep there, if you go back two blog entries and look at the toilet from the place I was staying the last time I was in Taiyuan you’ll see that the conditions outside the bus station weren’t much worse. I’d guess there were about thirty people staying outside the station. One family of five were particularly friendly. Judging by the darkness of their skin, I assume they were farm workers. They looked like they had all their belongings in potato sacks and they told me they were heading north to the richer more modern province of Hebei for work. I’m not sure if they already lived in Hebei or if they were migrating. They all shuffled together and allowed me to squeeze in beside them on their blanket that they were using as a ground sheet. The wealth divide in Chinese cities is very transparent but wherever I’ve been there doesn’t seem to be jealousy or unhappiness amongst the poorer people. I really like Taiyuan. The traffic is pure madness, Beijing seems tranquil in comparison. I like how the motorists, cyclists and pedestrians band together then jostle for control of the road. It reminds me of the crossing of the wildebeest on the Mara River. Once one of them takes the plunge it is one-way traffic from that moment onward. I read that Taiyuan used to be one of the most polluted cities on earth. The air quality isn’t great but they’ve apparently cleaned up their act over the past 20 odd years. There are lots of tree lined streets here and there’s a variety of species and not big long streets where all the trees are exactly the same size and distant apart. I felt really happy as I lay there watching Taiyuan’s chaotic traffic go by, counting plant species, seeing all the neon lights, chatting to people who were really accommodating and hearing all the sounds of the city as I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep. I felt much safer than when I’ve slept outside in Scottish cities. I like when things are unpredictable.

I thought I slept pretty badly but it was 5am when I looked at my mobile. I got a good 5 hours sleep.  I was really glad I’d slept beside that family. I had wrapped up before I went to sleep purely because I’m a babe magnet as far as mosquitos are concerned and didn’t want to expose any skin. I was pretty cold when I woke up and would have been freezing had it not been for the blanket they shared with me. I think I’m a light traveller with my 13 kilos but I’m not as resourceful as these people. When the bus station opened at 5:30 they wrapped up their belongings in the blanket, tied a bit of string and it doubled up as a bag too.

The journey to Luoyang was pretty dull. I got a bit worried when I asked someone what time we’d arrive in Luoyang and he replied 6:30. I wasn’t expecting an 11 hour journey. Fortunately you say ‘liu dian ban’ (six point half) for 6:30pm as well as 6 and a half hours. I’d obviously asked the question wrongly. Visibility was no more than a mile the whole way. It was mainly repetitive scenery for the first 5 hours or so. The same sort of countryside I’ve seen since leaving the mountains around Beijing. As we approached Henan province we entered a spectacularly mountainous area with steep karst cliff faces. It was really green but really foggy. On the other side of the road was huge power stations with their big fat chimneys and the odd tall skinny one. The fog was so thick you could only see the silhouettes. We crossed the Yellow river shortly before arriving in Luoyang. The Yellow river is the lifeblood of Chinese civilisation old and new, I thought it was just a small tributary we were seeing. It didn’t seem like a river that spawned a great civilisation. As we descended towards Luoyang the landscape reminded me of Scotland - grey skies but with lots of different deciduous trees, shrubs and the occasional conifer. I’m hoping that because the trees are like back “home” there will be more diversity in bird life. Myself and Michael were talking about this yesterday. You see hundreds of house sparrows especially when the grass has just been cut and the occasional magpie but that’s about it. I like diversity, even big Aberdeenshire seagulls aren’t too bad when you haven’t seen nor heard them for a while.

I’m kind of annoyed. I’ve only just checked into my place I’m staying for the next two nights and my first port of call is to book an overnight train to get out of here and off to Nanjing. I don’t like to plan so far ahead but I don’t want to get expensive busses nor have a 15 hours standing ticket in a crowded aisle between compartments, if I don’t plan ahead that’s my two options, but what happens if I really like this place? Pffft.  When I’m in areas with stunning countryside I reckon I’ll have more flexibility. I hope it’s not foggy all over China. I haven’t properly seen the horizon since I climbed the great wall and that feels like ages ago. Some days (like today for example) it’s just a blanket of light. It’s impossible to know north from south. You could go days on end without seeing a natural daylight shadow. On the plus side I’ve got a four bed dorm all to myself. There isn’t Wi-Fi but there’s a complimentary green tea for all four residents. One down three to go. I’m on the fifth floor and have a poor view of communist era housing but there’s a sycamore right outside my window. The toilet is western. No complaints.

Shaolin Temple

Five hours after boarding a bus we arrived in Shaolin temple. The weather was very Scottish. Light drizzle that lasted all day and thick fog. I saw some nice birds as compensation. They were similar to Bee eaters and had a very diverse range of calls. I was more interested than them than the various temples we were shown around. I had a wander around a village with a middle aged Englishman from Oxford named Steve rather than pay extra money for half an hour in yet another temple and got caked in mud that wouldn’t get off my shoes. I reckon my body weight was temporarily increased by a stone. I had to act as interpreter which I found as quite an honour considering I’ve been here for just over 3 weeks. The bus woman would speak to me to communicate with him. The Shaolin Temple is the largest Kung Fu school in China. I was shocked to hear that there are 20,000 full time ninja students. I like it because they don’t just learn about how to be killing machines; the place is very much about emotional discipline, meditation and learning about the principles of Buddhism. A lot of people I’ve met in China do all the superstitious stuff with the incense sticks and bow north, south, east and west when at temples but don’t live their lives in the humble and non-materialistic ways of Buddhist tradition. Here it’s more holistic. The show the young monks put on was quite something. There was a guy who was probably about 8 years old making shapes with his body that I didn’t believe were possible. A guy threw a pin at a balloon and it went right through the glass behind the balloon. I made a wee video clip but you can probably get the whole show on you-tube so I won’t bother posting. The mountains around the shaolin temple are stunning (so the postcards led me to believe). The fog grew thicker as the day went on. I would have been really annoyed if the day had been sunny and I wouldn’t have had time to climb a mountain due to all the little temples we visited. It wasn’t my best day in China but it can’t all be awe inspiring. Days of constant drizzle makes the landscape picturesque and green; sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t. Myself and Steve went out for a meal in the evening which was good (and cheap). I’m a bit annoyed with myself that I only have the equivalent of £40 in my pocket. I took out £200 in Beijing and I hoped that would last me until Shanghai. Maybe I was a bit overly ambitious. I’ve opted not to see the world famous Longmen Grottoes, the most famous sight in the region. I’ve been told it’s not as nice as Yungang grottoes near Datong and I only saw them a week ago. I’m one of the few people who’ve been to central China and chose not to go to Xi’an. I’ve weighed up the pros and cons pretty extensively in my opinion and really don’t think it’s worth it. I’ve got a night train to Nanjing tomorrow, I might book accommodation before I go or I might just play it by ear once I get there. 

Luoyang - Nanjing

This stage was a bit of a disaster. It rained all day and I lost my camera. I'm pretty sure it wasn't stolen, I was wearing my waterproofs which don't have deep pockets. I only lost a couple of pics of the rainy Luoyang skyline. I had 7 hours in Luoyang between checking out and getting my train. It wasn't too bad I suppose. I find ways to amuse myself. I'm now in Nanjing. My first port of call was to find somewhere to stay tonight. I met an american woman named Jennifer in the internet doing the same thing. The hostel we've ended up in is really nice. It's in the University campus and is full of greenery. There are at least 4 species of butterflies in the gardens. My first impressions of the city is that it is quite clean and there's plenty of green spaces. I reckon Nanjing is a very liveable city. I've got from Beijing to Nanjing for less than £200 with 4 cities in between and 16 days of accommodation which isn't too bad but I really need to stop losing cameras. I'm going to buy a cheap one in Nanjing. I'll easily wait a few days rather than just buy one from the first shop I find. I get understood most of the time  so it won't be as difficult as finding one in my first day at Beijing. However, I have had to repeat myself in Nanjing for things I'd never have to repeat in the places I've been of late. The Nanjing dialect is very different. Here's some photos I made.

The mud that doubled my shoe size.

The village we visited possibly had the world's worst basketball court.

The mist around these 1000 year old graves was really eerie.

But I would have preferred to have been able to see the horizon and enjoy some mountain vistas.

The orange bus is my one.

The thoroughly uninspiring skyline of Luoyang.

I might buy some glasses too, it's not practical using shades to see through mist. I've also got to dry my shoes out. Zaijian

Pingyao

30/8/11

The free museum in Taiyuan was closed GDI. I got myself food had a wander around the city then headed to the train station. It was busy, unbelievably busy. I got a standing ticket for 8 kuai and headed to Pingyao.

In many ways Pingyao is like Brugge. They are both world heritage sites, they were both not that special hundreds of years ago but have become special because unlike their neighbouring more spectacular cities they have been almost completely preserved. Pingyao is a moated city about the same size as the moat that surrounds Brugge and also has very similar levels of traffic. It seems less green than Brugge but is equally if not more touristy. The shops here are really boring and the local speciality resembles corn beef. The street vendors sell a smaller range of food and restaurants that have a bit of variety are targeting tourists and are generally overpriced. I read that the Pingyao beef became famous all over China after an empress talked so highly of it. I can't imagine the Queen of England would visit a wee village and sample the local cuisine and then turn round and say 'oh by the way, your food tastes utter s**te. I don't care what some Ming Empress said, Corned beef is corned beef. I haven't seen the sort of Chinese markets selling various fruit, veg and strange meats. I've seen lots of fake antique shops and women selling those wooden frogs that make a frog sound if you scrape their back. The sellers assume you've never seen one before. They also think I'll be in awe of their laser pens and want to buy 15 to show all my friends and family. It might be better than what I've got from first impressions. On the plus side I'm looking hot in my red t-shirt and my hostel is really nice. The internet is fast, there is a really good pool table, free drinking water and a great selection of Michael Jackson DVD's.

2/9/11

I had a great last night in Pingyao with a Glaswegian named Michael and a Chinese girl that joined us later for a game of pool and a beer or two. I have really toned down my Scottish accent as of late but it all came back as soon as I met a fellow Scot. Unfortunately the Chinese girl picked up on some of the things we were saying. She is currently studying architecture in Shanghai. I hope she doesn't graduate then get a job with an international architecture firm then interrupt a meeting to declare that she's 'away for a slash' when nature calls. Hearing a Chinese person using Scottish terminology got me in unstoppable laughing mode. I didn't get into the countryside but wouldn't have found much activity anyway. The city isn't as bad as I first thought. The buildings are all really nice (although repetitive) and I managed to find decent cuisine for a good price, some old men here still wear Mao suits. I've lived really cheap here and have really wished I could play rush poker to get back to what I had when I arrived in China.

My chinese is coming on fine according to other foreigners but I still struggle to listen to what the Chinese are saying. My vocabulary has improved over the past few days and I am getting better at picking out words in sentences.

Unfortunately the trains to Luoyang are all booked. I'll have to go back to Taiyuan later today then head to Luoyang from there. I'm really looking forward to getting to the south and find voluntary work in rice paddies.