The Great Wall

Before I start talking about the Great Wall, I'd just like to say, there's only one way to follow up a night like Thursdays...it involves going to Hooters for dinner, then a club named 'Sex in Da City' and watching pole dancers with your male coworkers. :P

 

The most obvious of things to do when one visits China is to see the Great Wall. And that's exactly what I did this weekend.We were able to arrange for a driver through someone at work, so Saturday morning myself and 3 of the guys met up to head out to Mutianyu, one of the sections open to tourists. We all hopped in to an old VW Passat and headed out. It was a pretty tight fit, but apparently the guy arranging this for some reason didn't know I was coming. Apparently the guy wasn't expecting all of us either, because a few minutes after we got out of the city, he pulled over at a gas station and started looking at one of the tires.

 

Now, this is something that would never happen in the US...the gas station guys came over, they talked to the driver, and then right away jacked the car up, pulled the tire off and wheeled it off to the garage to fix it. We stood around and watched, amazed at how quickly it was getting done - and the driver hadn't even filled out any paper work yet! It turned out that his car really couldn't carry all of us. He called someone and was able to arrange for a van to come pick us up at the gas station. We hung out, had some snacks and were on our way after less than an hour.

 

The ride out to the Wall was interesting enough. Our new driver was some kind of cross between a Nascar driver and a New York taxi driver. I'm not sure if the far righthand lane in China is strictly a breakdown lane, but he had no qualms about driving in it. Or in the lane going the other direction. Even in the narrow, winding roads as we got up the mountain. We were all pretty scared at times!

 

Once we were up there, we bought our tickets and hopped on a chairlift to take us up to the wall. I'm not sure if there were walkways or stairs to get up there, but it would have been a long walk, and we probably wouldn't have had any energy to walk on the wall. The views from up top were pretty amazing, but we had some pretty crappy weather. I'm not sure how much of it was clouds, and how much was smog, so you couldn't see as far as you might on a really clear day. We walked along the wall for a bit, taking pictures and taking in the view. The wall itself is pretty cool. The ground was often unlevel, the stairs were steep and crooked, but everything was in pretty good condition. We could see further along the wall, and there were parts that were falling down and in very bad condition.

 

For the way down, we hopped on some 'toboggins' and slide down a giant luge. It was pretty fun, although you couldn't go too fast without getting yelled at! We did a little shopping at the bottom (I bought a shirt that says 'I climbed the Great Wall') and headed back to Beijing.

 

And that's about it for my trip to Beijing. Sunday was spent seeing the Temple of Heaven, and then a little more shopping at the Pearl Market. I'm off to Guangzhou tomorrow, which sounds like it's going to be a pretty quiet trip. Not just because the office is closed for 3 of the days we're there, but because there doesn't seem to be much to do there. Well, hopefully it will be a relaxing end to my travels for now!

 

 

 

 

Folks, you just can't make this stuff up.

Hmm, so I was going to write a bit about some of the shopping I've done so far (pearls! cashmere! pashminas! silks!), but last night was a very interesting evening, and it just can't wait.

 

Last night my coworkers and I went out for dinner. Actually the 3 of us staying at the same hotel walked over to this area that supposedly had lots of bars and restaurants. I obviously was not the one navigating, and the 40 minute walk took about 2 hours. We met up with the two other guys at a nice Italian/Mediterranean restaurant, which was very good. I had a 4 cheese pizza, which sounds plain but it was very good. I think they had a brick oven, because it was very tasty.

 

After that, we headed down the street towards the bars. There were a couple people, often men, outside each bar trying to get you to come inside. "Beer! Music! You come here!" Eventually, one of the guys picked a bar, and we headed inside. We sat down in front and ordered a round of Tsingtao, a Chinese beer. There was a band, I guess you could call them, playing. 2 girls, 2 guys. After them, a belly dancer, who was actually very good - the band, not so much. They could sing, and the guitar player was good, but when you've got Chinese people trying to sing in English (they did some Beatles music, and even an Abba song), it's not that great. Some songs, I couldn't actually tell if they were singing in English or not. But it was cheesy, and entertaining. Another round of beers. Eventually, the real reason we picked that bar (although, we could have seen the act at any of them it seems) - a Micheal Jackson impersonator. Don't worry, I got pictures! He actually wasn't that bad, just danced and lip synced a bit.

 

All in all, it was a very entertaining evening. Lots of beer, and some crazy local entertainment. And did I mention the belly dancer had a snake? Yeah, that scared one of the guys pretty bad. Hilarious for the rest of us though!

Pearls

Does anyone want some pearls from China? Necklaces, bracelets, earrings...all sorts of colors - natural and dyed. I've picked up some already, 3 necklaces for under $60. The pearls aren't perfect quality, but they handknot everything for you while you wait, which is pretty awesome. Let me know!

It's like one giant Chinatown!

First things first: living without my computer - not too bad so far. We'll see how this continues to go.

 

So, I've been in Beijing a few days now. We got in on Friday afternoon, and went right to the hotel. I showered, took a little nap, and mostly just hung out in my sweats for the evening. The flight over wasn't too bad, I was lucky enough to be upgraded to business, which was about half full. I even managed to sleep for a good part of the flight, inbetween meals and reading a couple books.

 

Saturday I was up bright and early, around 6:30 I think. I hadn't done much research into touristy stuff to do in Beijing, aside from the obvious places, so I was pretty open to ideas. One of the maps at the hotel highlighted a couple places as 'must see,' so I've pretty much used that. I decided to spend the first day, or morning, at the Beijing Zoo. The most popular animals to see there are the Giant Pandas. Lazy buggers were all pretty much sleeping, but I did get some pictures of them, and the lions and tigers and bears...oh my! I also saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, rhinos...all the typical zoo creatures. I spent the morning wandering around, snapping pictures, and had a cornetto. The weather has been cooler than I expected, and I've found I've needed a long sleeve cardigan most days.

 

I also had my first experience trying to communicate with the taxi driver. When we got close to the zoo, there was a road closed and we couldn't go down it. Through many pantomines, I figured out that he wanted me to walk the rest of the way, and that it wasn't a long walk. Thing was, I couldn't figure out which road to walk down. The road opened up after a few minutes though, and he was able to get me about a block from the zoo. While walking around the block to avoid the road block, I started to think that maybe something was going on...the signs were all in Chinese, but numbers are the same, and I quickly guessed it was the 60th anniversary of something. Sorry, but 20th Century history isn't my strongest.

 

By Sunday, I was a bit more rested, and feeling a bit more adventurous. I hopped in another taxi (I only discovered last night how close the subway was to the hotel. I don't think the stop is on the map I have), and headed down to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We hit some traffic, but eventually it started moving...I started to add up the things I'd noticed - the traffic, and the 60th anniversary signs - and guessed that maybe I shouldn't try to go to Tiananmen today. Well, yes, it appeared there was something going on in the square, that involved a lot of people and a lot of police. Hmm, not what I was looking for. I got out of the taxi, and headed down the block away from the square, figuring I could loop back towards the Forbidden City side of things. That was easier, but then where did I get in? I just headed in the first entrance, which ended up being a garden alongside the Forbidden City. It was a nice park, with some buildings in it. I couldn't figure out how to get to the actual Forbidden City though.Well I'm smarter than I look, and I eventually got in the place. It is huge! Once inside, it's like a series of buildings, all in a row one after the other, and you just keep walking and walking. At one point, I was going through one of the buildings and could see through to the rest of them, and all the way at the end, was one smaller temple, at the top of this hill. And it looked really, really far away and I thought, crap, I have to start walking faster! It ended up being close than it looked and I eventually made it all the way to the end...and found that the temple on the hill was across the street, and not part of it!

 

Despite the fact that I had been walking for over 3 hours by now, and there was still a hill to climb, I pushed onwards. I headed in to Jingshan Park and found my way to a path up the hill. The stairs were steep, and the last flight or so weren't actually stairs, but rocks fashioned in to stairs. Of course, I got up there and noticed another set of stairs on the other side, that were nice and even and shallow. Durr. Still, it was worth it, because I now realized I was on the highest point of the city and could see everything - at least, what could be seen through the haze.

 

After I caught my breath, I sat and had a granola bar and took some pictures of the view. I headed back down, on the easy stairs, and went back to the hotel. After over 4 hours of pretty much non-stop walking I was ready for a rest!

Deja vu all over again!

My bags are packed (mostly), my apartment is cleaned up (a bit)...time for another trip!

I'm off to China in the morning. I'm mostly ready - it was a lot easier since I know what I need and don't need. Same clothes for the most part, with a few changes. I found I had plenty of non-work clothes last time, so I didn't bring as much this time. I also ended up getting a new suitcase, which is bigger and nicer than my last one. It's got those nice 360 degree wheels.

I've also rethought what to pack in my carry on - last time it was 22 pounds, and that didn't include my purse! One big thing I'm not taking this time is my laptop. Yup, I'm going to go computer-free for 3 weeks. I think you know me well if you can imagine how hard this will be. For a multitude of reasons, it just didn't make sense to bring a laptop this time. I will have computer access at work, obviously, so I'll try to post some updates from there if I can. There won't be any pictures until I get back though.

Well, I guess that's about it. Wish me luck!

Testing...

this is just a test...

Jetlag (and more shopping!)

Hmm, have I really been back over a week? It doesn't seem like it. My jetlag appears to be worse coming back than it was going over to Asia. I'm still exhausted! And I really should be thinking about my next trip, but I just haven't got the energy right now. I did promise some more pictures though, so here we go!

I might have mentioned that I bought some more silk when I went back to Central Market on my last day in Phnom Penh. Yeah, about another 50 bucks worth!

4 more colors. These are all the same weight, much lighter than the raw silk, but still not really shiny like the stripped fabric I bought previously.

The pink is a two-color weave, with the pink threads going one way, and green threads going the other. It kind of matches the stripped fabric, which is why I got it. I think I could get away with making matching pillows for my sofa and arm chair, but I'm not quite sure that's what I want to do with them.

The other three colors - black, grey, and a sea-foam green. No plans for any of these right now, but I'm thinking of a skirt out of the grey.


Finally, my favorite thing from my trip. I had wanted to buy a teapot, and I looked at a lot in Thailand. The thing was... there was nothing special. Everything looked too much like your average English china, but with an Asian look to it. It all looked like it could have been by Wedgewood, and some of it probably was. So, nothing really caught my eye... until I was in Phnom Penh, at the Russian Market. I stopped by one stall of knick knacks, looking for a gift for someone, and this tea pot caught my eye.

It's jade and bronze. It came in two other colors - pink, and a creamy beige. I had never seen jade in any color other than green, so I was surprised to learn it was also jade. The girl working there told me all about it, and if I understood her correctly, it's just got to do with how deep the stone is, and how tightly packed the sand is around it.

Well now that I've mentioned it came in pink, I'm sure everyone is surprised I didn't get that color! It was a nice pink, but I really liked the traditional green. In this picture, you can see how the light shines through the stone, and you can see the color in it - that's how you know it's real, and not painted to look like jade.

I got the teapot and two cups. The pot is lighter than the cups in color, but it will apparently darken as it ages. I'm so very happy with my gorgeous teapot and tea cups. I was looking for something special and unique, and I think I found it!

The only decent cup of tea I've had in 3 weeks!

Today was my last day in Phnom Penh, and it has been great! This morning I headed back to Central Market and got some more silk, and a few more gifts. Then it was back to relax in my room and get some knitting done. The total sum of knitting I've done on this trip? About one sock - pathetic! On the other hand, I have read about 12 books...

After I finished up my sock, it was time to dress up! Actually, I didn't really dress up, I just put work clothes on and headed down the street to the Raffles Hotel for afternoon tea. You would think, being in Asia, that the tea would be pretty good, right? It hasn't been. I suppose part of it is just my preference - I like my Irish Breakfast so strong that the spoon stands up in it. So the weak tea-flavoured water I've been getting hasn't exactly been giving me the kick I've been looking for. There was even a horrendous afternoon tea at my current hotel, with a Filipino couple singing bad 80s and 90s love songs. As hungry as I was, I left after barely a cuppa.

Raffles is actually a chain of hotels now, but the original one is in Singapore, and is named for the English lord who I guess founded Singapore. Now, being that I am not the historian in my family, I won't try to recall what I read about this earlier, so I'll just say that the Raffles hotel has that whole British Imperial period thing going on, and its very classy and nice. There's a Sherlock Holmes book, presumably about him solving a mystery at Raffles. And actually, the Raffles here in Phnom Penh is where Jackie Kennedy stayed on her trip to Cambodia. So, a great historical place. And they serve afternoon high tea in the conservatory.

Let me just say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I sat, drank a great pot of tea, ate some scones and cucumber sandwiches, and read a good chunk of the latest Sookie Stackhouse book. It was clearly an afternoon of guilty pleasures. Notice in the first picture, not only did they break out the nice silver for me, but that is real tea, the loose stuff!

Truly, I think this was the best way I could have ended my trip to Thailand and Cambodia. Now I've got a long (long!) day of travel ahead of me, and then I get to rest for a bit...before heading off to China! Now, if I can't find a decent cuppa there, I'm really going to worry.

Shopping (Days 1 and 2)

I had an interesting realization this weekend, that even when it comes to leisurely activities, I can sometimes be way too productive and efficient. Take my weekend plans - going to 2 different markets and doing some sightseeing. Well, Saturday I was home by 12:15, and Sunday by 1:30 or so - with everything that I wanted to get done done, and nothing else to do. Hmmm.

But on to the spoils! I actually bought more than you'll see here. In fact, both days, I only left because I had run out of money. I could have gone on! But that's why I'm going back to Central Market tomorrow!

Central Market is only about 10 minutes from my hotel, so I walked down there Saturday morning. It's normally housed in an old Art Deco building from the 1930s, but they are renovating parts of it, so a lot of vendors are in the buildings surrounding it. Well, to be honest, it seemed pretty crowded, and big as it was. And, I shall be completely honest here: I may have gotten lost at one or two points while at the markets this weekend. I know, it's un-heard of, me getting lost, but it did happen, especially on Sunday at the Russian Market. But anyways.

Two things to note: First, there's a lot I got both days that I can't show right now - either because they are gifts, or in the case of one thing, very well wrapped and I don't want to unwrap them. Second, these pictures are kind of crap. I have some spectacular lighting in my hotel room, which means that after it gets dark out around 6:30 and I close the curtains, I have to squint to see. The best light happens to be right in the doorway, which is where I took these. Too bad that light does nothing for me in the rest of the room.

As it was, I ended up spending all my money on Saturday on jewelry. Those 2 pairs of earrings, supposedly real? $25. For both! And looking at the diamond studs compared to my CZ ones, these are a lot more shiny.

My favorite purchase...of Saturday. This was one thing I couldn't get the woman to budge on the price, but I took it anyway. I love it! I'm generally not one to wear gold, but the silver version was a bit chunkier, and didn't have such a delicate look.

After all the jewels on Saturday, I knew I needed to focus on my other desire for Sunday: silk. I actually had a lot more picked out, but misunderstood the price per meter and didn't have enough money to buy it all. The color of the turquoise and the stripped fabric are accurate but the red is completely off - it's more of a cranberry. 5 meters of the raw silk each, 1 of the regular silk.

This is the reason I couldn't buy more silk. I fell hard for something just after I got to the Russian Market. Too well wrapped for me to unwrap it, so these will get their own post once I get home!