tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81097842857663888542024-03-13T21:18:26.056-07:00Marko in ChinaMy journal and photographs of the people, culture and history of China.Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-76134471848201486982010-04-27T17:10:00.001-07:002010-04-28T00:37:49.693-07:00Badaling Great Wall<a title="Cherry blossoms" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d9BAf2KpI/AAAAAAAACgg/2rVHqjN9qz8/s800/CSC_5877.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d9BAf2KpI/AAAAAAAACgg/2rVHqjN9qz8/s200/CSC_5877.jpg" /></a>Today I was thinking I would see a different section of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China" target="_blank">The Great Wall</a>. I decided to go see the really popular section near <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badaling" target="_blank">Badaling</a>, mostly because I wanted to see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Tombs" target="_blank">Ming Tombs</a>, final resting places of China's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Dynasty" target="_blank">Ming dynasty</a> emperors. My trip was nothing like I expected.<br /><br />I went to an area where I thought I could catch public buses, but only tour buses were available. I was hesitant to book a tour, but after seeing a whole bunch of other foreigners, I paid for a trip that included both <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China" target="_blank">The Great Wall</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Tombs" target="_blank">Ming Tombs</a>. When I got on the bus, the group of foreigners left and I found myself on a Chinese tour, all in Mandarin. It wasn't a big deal, I was more interested in the pictures anyway.<br /><br />When we got to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badaling" target="_blank">Badaling</a>, the guide wrote down the time I had to meet them at the bus and I went to do my thing. This section of the wall pales in comparison to what I did before, but it was nice to see it among cherry blossoms. It even snowed a bit while I walked around.<br /><br /><a title="Badaling section of The Great Wall" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d83R4oj-I/AAAAAAAACgM/PQWCL2fYYtc/s800/CSC_5887.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d83R4oj-I/AAAAAAAACgM/PQWCL2fYYtc/s200/CSC_5887.jpg" /></a>When I was done taking photos, I walked over to the bus and asked if the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_Tombs" target="_blank">Ming Tombs</a> were next. The guide said "No Ming Tombs!" I was surprised, because I confirmed a number of times with the ticket office and even after I showed her my ticket, she just kept saying "No Ming Tombs!" I showed it to the driver and got the same response. Then I tried to get a partial refund. After much argument, hand gestures and numbers on a calculator, I managed to get my money back. But then they didn't want to let me back on the bus. I just ignored them and went back on.<br /><br />From one of the passengers, I found out that the bus was going for lunch (included in the tour) then to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_National_Stadium" target="_blank">Olympic Birds Nest stadium</a>, where I figured I could catch the subway back to my hostel. However, when we got to the lunch place, we first had to go through a jade factory/store. The bus driver and guide get comission for bringing tourists to these stores. These are extremely annoying, they try really hard to sell you trinkets for real high prices. The Chinese tourists seemed to be loving it and many were buying things.<br /><br />I went outside and waited for everyone to come out, when I was approached by a girl who worked at this place. She spoke very good English and I soon found out the bus was intending to go to two more factories and would not be back in Beijing until late in the evening. I asked her if there was any other way to get back to Beijing and she pointed me in the direction of a local bus. I left the tour and was soon on my way back. What a day.<br /><br /><a title="Badaling section of The Great Wall" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d85jjKIQI/AAAAAAAACgQ/DS094yJmJ38/s800/CSC_5874.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d85jjKIQI/AAAAAAAACgQ/DS094yJmJ38/s200/CSC_5874.jpg" /></a>On the bright side, I met some really nice and helpful people while trying to find my way back to the city. On the bus I even met a guy who walked me over to the subway and bought me a bottle of water on the way. That's the neat thing about traveling on my own, people are more likely to approach. I've met so many good people on this trip.<br /><br />This is my final day of sightseeing. Tomorrow I'll be doing some shopping then it's off to the airport and back home. It's been quite a trip. China is nothing like I expected. It's much more modern. Unfortunately historical areas getting replaced with new. The natural scenery is stunning and though there is pollution, it's not as bad as I expected. The country seems to be changing so fast.<br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both">The Great Wall at Badaling:</div><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d8yY2O9YI/AAAAAAAACgA/CWgQ0TNBfC4/s800/CSC_5880.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d8yY2O9YI/AAAAAAAACgA/CWgQ0TNBfC4/s200/CSC_5880.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d80bo8RDI/AAAAAAAACgI/iDeLbLJPXT8/s800/CSC_5885.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d80bo8RDI/AAAAAAAACgI/iDeLbLJPXT8/s200/CSC_5885.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Cherry blossoms near The Great Wall" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d88ssuzqI/AAAAAAAACgY/eeHjdKKDRBQ/s800/CSC_5878.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d88ssuzqI/AAAAAAAACgY/eeHjdKKDRBQ/s200/CSC_5878.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d8_HZ2apI/AAAAAAAACgc/UHIZGqJw9Sk/s800/CSC_5882.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9d8_HZ2apI/AAAAAAAACgc/UHIZGqJw9Sk/s200/CSC_5882.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-26682736468890975122010-04-26T16:47:00.000-07:002010-04-26T17:38:04.065-07:00Xi'an to Beijing<a title="Great Mosque" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YrATHo8mI/AAAAAAAACfY/9bb11AiuB34/s800/CSC_5808.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YrATHo8mI/AAAAAAAACfY/9bb11AiuB34/s200/CSC_5808.jpg" /></a>After spending much of the previous day seeing the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army">Terracotta Army</a>, I didn't actually have much time left in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi'an">Xi'an</a>. The city is pretty big and there are a number of sights recommended by the guidebook. I only had an hour to explore before heading to the airport.<br /><br />Conveniently, the hostel I stayed at was right in the centre of everything. I quickly walked over to the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Tower_of_Xi'an">Bell Tower</a> and the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_Tower_of_Xi'an">Drum Tower</a>. Both are pretty interesting in that they were once used to used to mark the sunrise (with a giant bell) and sunset (with drums). <br /><br /><a title="Great Mosque" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YqxsMR-MI/AAAAAAAACfM/RMT8k9UM2xs/s800/CSC_5807.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YqxsMR-MI/AAAAAAAACfM/RMT8k9UM2xs/s200/CSC_5807.jpg" /></a>The only other stop was the Muslim quarter and the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mosque_of_Xi'an">Great Mosque of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi'an">Xi'an</a></a>. The mosque was somewhat interesting in that it was built like a Chinese temple. If it weren't for the Arabic script, one would have a hard time telling the difference. I find it so fascinating that the religion was able to spread to so many places through China, so long ago. Much of it was through traders that had come via the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road">Silk Road</a>.<br /><br />It would have been nice to have spent more time in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi'an">Xi'an</a>, but I did look forward to flying back to Beijing. On the flight I ran into a Chinese man who actually helped me randomly on the streets of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi'an">Xi'an</a> the day before. It was a funny coincidence and he actually helped me in Beijing too, allowing me to take his taxi to the nearest subway station. I missed using the Beijing subway, it's so easy to get around!<br /><br /><a title="Dinner with traveler friends" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yqdgc33NI/AAAAAAAACe8/8ELWoMd57rc/s800/CIMG0432.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yqdgc33NI/AAAAAAAACe8/8ELWoMd57rc/s200/CIMG0432.jpg" /></a>Once I was all settled into the hostel, I had very little daylight left. I actually got in touch with the Australian couple who I met in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin">Guilin</a> and met them and some other travelers for dinner and drinks. It was quite nice to have some company and exchange some stories.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Bell Tower:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yqg9ZWbmI/AAAAAAAACfA/rQcW1Awnodc/s800/CSC_5802.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yqg9ZWbmI/AAAAAAAACfA/rQcW1Awnodc/s200/CSC_5802.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Drum Tower:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YqkuAdCMI/AAAAAAAACfE/y6vs_wNv1ic/s800/CSC_5803.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YqkuAdCMI/AAAAAAAACfE/y6vs_wNv1ic/s200/CSC_5803.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Great Mosque:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yqq3tkrMI/AAAAAAAACfI/ecdjVokYBHw/s800/CSC_5805.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yqq3tkrMI/AAAAAAAACfI/ecdjVokYBHw/s200/CSC_5805.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yq2pWdWoI/AAAAAAAACfQ/NwTUQm76KW4/s800/CSC_5809.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yq2pWdWoI/AAAAAAAACfQ/NwTUQm76KW4/s200/CSC_5809.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yq76HyowI/AAAAAAAACfU/1lzKzQ5T6UY/s800/CSC_5810.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Yq76HyowI/AAAAAAAACfU/1lzKzQ5T6UY/s200/CSC_5810.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YrFK7I2KI/AAAAAAAACfc/UAT7CEo75oM/s800/CSC_5812.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YrFK7I2KI/AAAAAAAACfc/UAT7CEo75oM/s200/CSC_5812.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YrKhk6kGI/AAAAAAAACfg/XjrVzA5onVI/s800/CSC_5814.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9YrKhk6kGI/AAAAAAAACfg/XjrVzA5onVI/s200/CSC_5814.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-65866533260444580032010-04-25T18:32:00.000-07:002010-04-25T18:43:11.729-07:00<a title="Face of a warrior" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmIsT-VoI/AAAAAAAACeE/yK0VDwavV2s/s800/CSC_5716.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmIsT-VoI/AAAAAAAACeE/yK0VDwavV2s/s200/CSC_5716.jpg" /></a>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army" target="_blank">Terracotta Army</a>, the final piece of my China trip puzzle. It was quite exciting to see it and there weren’t even as many tourists as I thought there would be. I was amazed by the size of the place and how much of it is still underground. Really, only a fraction has been unearthed.<br /><br />The place is divided up in three pits and the first contains most of the terracotta warriors. I was with three other people and an English speaking guide. As we made our way around the pits, I heard little of the guides explanations while I ran around taking photos from various angles. But I’ve actually read quite a bit about it beforehand and didn’t feel like I was missing much.<br /><br /><a title="Terracotta warrior" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmEAl9RNI/AAAAAAAACd0/Msdcv297_e4/s800/CSC_5708.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmEAl9RNI/AAAAAAAACd0/Msdcv297_e4/s200/CSC_5708.jpg" /></a>Near the unearthed army is the supposed tomb of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang" target="_blank">Qin Shi Huang</a>, the emperor who built the army to continue his reign in the afterlife. I have watched a documentary on him and very little is actually known about his tomb. All of it is buried and the claim is that it’s too dangerous to excavate it because the high concentrations of mercury. The emperor believed it would help preserve his body.<br /><br />Close by is a recreation of the tomb that tourists can explore. This was included in my tour and I went along, but really didn’t get much from the experience as the recreation is very much based on speculation and I think much of it was exaggerated. The actual tomb may be much different and may not be unearthed for years to come.<br /><br /><a title="Terracotta warriors" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Tl9g7Wf2I/AAAAAAAACdc/ATLg9u7AoHU/s800/CSC_5695.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Tl9g7Wf2I/AAAAAAAACdc/ATLg9u7AoHU/s200/CSC_5695.jpg" /></a>I had hoped to do some more sight seeing today, but when I got back to my hostel I got a little distracted chatting with some other travelers. One conversation was particularly funny as a man from Kenya was convinced that I was half black and tried to convince me of this too. Either he’s been in China for too long or I’m getting quite a tan.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Terracotta Army: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Overview of pit 1" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Tl_wF6JgI/AAAAAAAACdk/y6yHW7hEJc0/s800/CSC_5698.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Tl_wF6JgI/AAAAAAAACdk/y6yHW7hEJc0/s200/CSC_5698.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Terracotta Warriors" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmHnrSNOI/AAAAAAAACeA/ocu1G5LR7LY/s800/CSC_5709.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmHnrSNOI/AAAAAAAACeA/ocu1G5LR7LY/s200/CSC_5709.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Tl8Xr_12I/AAAAAAAACdY/At3vA0xtVNU/s800/CSC_5693.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Tl8Xr_12I/AAAAAAAACdY/At3vA0xtVNU/s200/CSC_5693.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Tl-x3MpOI/AAAAAAAACdg/dkgfTKPnUHE/s800/CSC_5696.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9Tl-x3MpOI/AAAAAAAACdg/dkgfTKPnUHE/s200/CSC_5696.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmAznHVGI/AAAAAAAACdo/HTQtAvciNhY/s800/CSC_5701.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmAznHVGI/AAAAAAAACdo/HTQtAvciNhY/s200/CSC_5701.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmBlpnVZI/AAAAAAAACds/OZNsEexoVNM/s800/CSC_5703.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmBlpnVZI/AAAAAAAACds/OZNsEexoVNM/s200/CSC_5703.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Terracotta Horses" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmCaXHPTI/AAAAAAAACdw/LPaZHsjs_0E/s800/CSC_5704.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmCaXHPTI/AAAAAAAACdw/LPaZHsjs_0E/s200/CSC_5704.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Unrestored soldiers: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Unrestored soldiers" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmGZFCVeI/AAAAAAAACd8/mhFORWAuw6U/s800/CSC_5711.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmGZFCVeI/AAAAAAAACd8/mhFORWAuw6U/s200/CSC_5711.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Unrestored soldiers" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmFANb-6I/AAAAAAAACd4/zwrMC440pDE/s800/CSC_5710.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9TmFANb-6I/AAAAAAAACd4/zwrMC440pDE/s200/CSC_5710.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-84634668454720107922010-04-24T04:27:00.000-07:002010-04-25T04:43:18.596-07:00Two hours in Hefei<a title="Park south of the downtown area" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9OPVKcembI/AAAAAAAACcg/gJGrdmIgEBI/s800/CSC_5389.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9OPVKcembI/AAAAAAAACcg/gJGrdmIgEBI/s200/CSC_5389.jpg" /></a>Most of today was spent on the bus and plane, but I did have a couple of hours walking around <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hefei">Hefei</a>, the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhui">Anhui</a> province capital. In my guidebook there is very little information about this place and I didn’t have much of an itinerary. The bus dropped me off fairly close to downtown and that’s where I decided to explore.<br /><br />I walked through a few parks and found them quite nice, but the best of the walk was visiting the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.chinadiscover.net/china-tour/anhuiguide/hefei-mingjiao-temple.htm">Mingjiao Temple</a>. When I got there, there was some kind of ritual being performed. Monks were sitting down and reading from texts while a voice over a loudspeaker recited the words. I found it kind of peaceful. <br /><br />From the looks I was receiving on the street, I got the impression that this city doesn’t see many foreigners. I had a lot of people stare and some say “hello” or “how are you” followed by laughter or giggling. It seems to be a mostly younger people. Two people I spoke with on the bus were university students and I wonder if much of the province’s young attend university here.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">One of many Communist style city statues: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Park statue" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9OPNPSx2oI/AAAAAAAACcQ/tFeWR3G1IKI/s800/CSC_5398.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9OPNPSx2oI/AAAAAAAACcQ/tFeWR3G1IKI/s200/CSC_5398.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Mingjiao Temple: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Mingjiao Temple" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9OPP_-jnQI/AAAAAAAACcY/YteAlctuH4E/s800/CSC_5394.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9OPP_-jnQI/AAAAAAAACcY/YteAlctuH4E/s200/CSC_5394.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Temple Monk" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9OPQqyUlFI/AAAAAAAACcc/Iwvrz63Li2o/s800/CSC_5390.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9OPQqyUlFI/AAAAAAAACcc/Iwvrz63Li2o/s200/CSC_5390.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-76380914346838902362010-04-23T17:24:00.000-07:002010-04-26T07:36:57.923-07:00Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain)<a title="Misty Western Side" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I5704gKoI/AAAAAAAACbU/gM26ztT8rpg/s800/CSC_5319.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I5704gKoI/AAAAAAAACbU/gM26ztT8rpg/s200/CSC_5319.jpg" /></a>China’s natural landscape continues to impress me. I mentioned before that I didn’t think I’d be doing so much hiking in China, but I’m very glad I am. I just got back from hiking <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_mountain">Huang Shan</a> and even with the hoards of tourists, it was quite nice.<br /><br />To get to the top, my guidebook said it would take two and a half hours using the shorter but steeper eastern slope. I was able to do it in one. The mountain, unlike the ones back home, has a giant summit with many sub peaks. Once I was at the top, I started exploring all the different areas. Many have interesting names like “Begin-to-Believe Peak” or “Cloud-Dispelling Pavillion.” The latter was quite interesting as clouds/fog really did disappear after reaching this point. The scenery is just fantastic, with little spruce trees jutting out of the most peculiar places!<br /><br /><a title="Crowds" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I6AJJiuDI/AAAAAAAACbw/IXG53-W9ql0/s800/CSC_5327.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I6AJJiuDI/AAAAAAAACbw/IXG53-W9ql0/s200/CSC_5327.jpg" /></a>The plan after was to head back down a different and longer way, the western steps. However, as I headed in that direction, I got into an unbelievable crowd of people. I have never experienced anything like it. Imagine <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnston_Creek_(Alberta)">Johnston Canyon</a> times a hundred, maybe more. I could only move as the crowd moved. I got increasingly frustrated and soon abandoned my plans to see the rest of the mountain and just wanted to get back down.<br /><br />I took the gondola down, where I had an interesting experience. I shared it with five others, all domestic tourists and they all wanted to get a picture of me. I’m not sure what it was, maybe the shaved head and my beard. In the past, traveling through southeast Asia, people have been fascinated by my beard. Most Asian people are unable to grow one.<br /><br /><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I5-2OEiPI/AAAAAAAACbo/0ZscBUF69ws/s800/CSC_5331.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I5-2OEiPI/AAAAAAAACbo/0ZscBUF69ws/s200/CSC_5331.jpg" /></a>On the bus back to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangshan_Shi">Tunxi</a> I had a really pleasant conversation with a guy from Singapore. He helped me find the right bus, then we talked about other places we traveled to. He has been to the Canadian Rockies and even had a drawing on him of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Rundle">Mount Rundle</a>. It made for an enjoyable bus ride.<br /><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">More Photos from Huang Shan: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Going up" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I56JETCpI/AAAAAAAACbI/EGIlM37QXMs/s800/CSC_5314.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I56JETCpI/AAAAAAAACbI/EGIlM37QXMs/s200/CSC_5314.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="If you thought you had a tough job" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I568ilEoI/AAAAAAAACbM/pj63X7ucaHo/s800/CSC_5315.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I568ilEoI/AAAAAAAACbM/pj63X7ucaHo/s200/CSC_5315.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I57RtUFYI/AAAAAAAACbQ/p__vriMC4ks/s800/CSC_5318.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I57RtUFYI/AAAAAAAACbQ/p__vriMC4ks/s200/CSC_5318.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I58OFXJAI/AAAAAAAACbY/k-hRwxwX1Nw/s800/CSC_5322.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I58OFXJAI/AAAAAAAACbY/k-hRwxwX1Nw/s200/CSC_5322.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I584TitwI/AAAAAAAACbc/FFxdlB-pi-k/s800/CSC_5325.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I584TitwI/AAAAAAAACbc/FFxdlB-pi-k/s200/CSC_5325.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I59VqfWgI/AAAAAAAACbg/xUnbRRLa2Rc/s800/CSC_5326.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I59VqfWgI/AAAAAAAACbg/xUnbRRLa2Rc/s200/CSC_5326.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I5-JR3ItI/AAAAAAAACbk/M-hmvyoq7K4/s800/CSC_5329.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I5-JR3ItI/AAAAAAAACbk/M-hmvyoq7K4/s200/CSC_5329.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Note the stairs in the background" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I5_TlxK0I/AAAAAAAACbs/DLmsXh8fZ0Q/s800/CSC_5335.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9I5_TlxK0I/AAAAAAAACbs/DLmsXh8fZ0Q/s200/CSC_5335.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-27737675938096841262010-04-22T05:53:00.000-07:002010-04-22T06:14:39.276-07:00Tunxi, aka Huangshan Shi<a title="Tunxi Old Town" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFAF7HjQI/AAAAAAAACaU/82En6PwKAfw/s800/CSC_5170.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFAF7HjQI/AAAAAAAACaU/82En6PwKAfw/s200/CSC_5170.jpg" /></a>The train ride was not too bad. It was a little small for me, but I’m a bit taller than the average Chinese person. Still, even with my backpack, I managed to get comfortable enough to get a pretty good sleep. Did I mention it was a fifteen hour train ride?<br /><br />I got to my destination, <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangshan_Shi">Tunxi</a>, but my plans didn't exactly pan out. <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangshan_Shi">Tunxi</a>, also known as Huangshan Shi is place most stop at before going on to hike <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_mountain">Yellow Mountain</a> (Huang Shan). I had hoped to hop on a bus, hike up the mountain and stay overnight at one of the summit hotels. However, when I tried calling, none of them had available rooms. Ah well, I figured I could spend a day in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangshan_Shi">Tunxi</a> then get an early start on the mountain tomorrow and do it all in one go.<br /><br /><a title="Lion at Old Town Gate" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFb8lJbAI/AAAAAAAACak/Ia_palIgKOo/s800/CSC_5162.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFb8lJbAI/AAAAAAAACak/Ia_palIgKOo/s200/CSC_5162.jpg" /></a>Walking around <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangshan_Shi">Tunxi</a>, I made an interesting observation. Back home if I were to walk through a dark alley or under a bridge, I would most likely see some shady people; drug users perhaps. In China instead of shady people, you see <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong">Mahjong</a> players. As I walked around <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangshan_Shi">Tunxi</a>, I got a little nervous when I passed by a gathering of people in a secluded area under a bridge, but as I got closer, I realized they were all playing <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong">Mahjong</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiangqi">Xianqi</a> and cards.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Walking around Tunxi: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Old Town" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFXxD5m1I/AAAAAAAACag/FUKoPnPMOs4/s800/CSC_5164.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFXxD5m1I/AAAAAAAACag/FUKoPnPMOs4/s200/CSC_5164.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Old Town" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BEso3UOBI/AAAAAAAACaQ/8RMquaF5yyc/s800/CSC_5169.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BEso3UOBI/AAAAAAAACaQ/8RMquaF5yyc/s200/CSC_5169.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Xin'an River" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFC1NK3mI/AAAAAAAACac/HGSgeuHWZrI/s800/CSC_5165.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFC1NK3mI/AAAAAAAACac/HGSgeuHWZrI/s200/CSC_5165.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Shady bridge" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFBdwPt6I/AAAAAAAACaY/1dPiRQH7af0/s800/CSC_5167.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S9BFBdwPt6I/AAAAAAAACaY/1dPiRQH7af0/s200/CSC_5167.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-81952290523602041002010-04-21T20:20:00.000-07:002010-04-21T20:33:50.368-07:00Oriental Pearl Tower<a title="Oriental Pearl Tower" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_B6OD1kXI/AAAAAAAACZg/THaAJuTfq_o/s800/CSC_5119.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_B6OD1kXI/AAAAAAAACZg/THaAJuTfq_o/s200/CSC_5119.jpg" /></a>Day two in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai">Shanghai</a> was pretty uneventful. I didn't have a whole lot of time, because I had a train to catch in the afternoon. I spent most of the day figuring out my remaining week in China and talking to other travelers in the lobby. I thought it would be nice to have a break from all the walking and didn't think I'd do anything, until one guy suggested going up the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Pearl_Tower">Oriental Pearl Tower</a>, the most recognizable feature of the city. The tower is the highest in China and third highest in the world. It had a subway stop right next it, so I didn't have to do much walking!<br /><br />I got there fairly quickly and took some photos around the base before going to the top. I didn't see a whole lot because of the fog, but I did have a fun experience walking on the glass floors. I used to have a fear of heights before getting into scrambling and climbing and walking on the glass (or plastic) panels brought some of that fear back. I was hesitant to step on them at first, as they looked quite flimsy and one even looked like it was cracked. It's been a while since I've felt that fear and I enjoyed the excitement.<br /><br /><a title="See-through flooring" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_CDT6YY9I/AAAAAAAACZs/k2KvxKzkJ0c/s800/CSC_5123.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_CDT6YY9I/AAAAAAAACZs/k2KvxKzkJ0c/s200/CSC_5123.jpg" /></a>It wasn't long before I had to hurry back to my hostel, pack my things and head to the railway station. I couldn't believe how busy the station was! It felt like it was busier than any airport I've been to, but that's just because there were so many people crammed into a single hall. There were other ways to get to my destination. I could have taken the bus or the plane, but I figured it would be good to experience the train at least once while in China.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Oriental Pearl Tower and Views: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Oriental Pearl Tower" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_CEg7OWTI/AAAAAAAACZw/lwK_n004xIo/s800/CSC_5122.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_CEg7OWTI/AAAAAAAACZw/lwK_n004xIo/s200/CSC_5122.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Shanghai" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_B-Xh89gI/AAAAAAAACZk/oB4qYg_c454/s800/CSC_5120.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_B-Xh89gI/AAAAAAAACZk/oB4qYg_c454/s200/CSC_5120.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Huangpu River" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_CAiZTpWI/AAAAAAAACZo/pqerjIRxrWg/s800/CSC_5121.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8_CAiZTpWI/AAAAAAAACZo/pqerjIRxrWg/s200/CSC_5121.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-27131013252215534902010-04-20T18:24:00.000-07:002010-04-20T18:55:46.717-07:00Dodging scams in Shanghai<a title="The famous skyline" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UdquVnQI/AAAAAAAACYI/VFXWzn5lKYg/s800/CSC_5069.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UdquVnQI/AAAAAAAACYI/VFXWzn5lKYg/s200/CSC_5069.jpg" /></a><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai">Shanghai</a> is like the New York of China. Skyscrapers seem to be everywhere you look and it's a busy place. I had planned to avoid it, but it was on route so might as well check it out. The guidebook suggested a whole bunch of museums and art galleries, but I prefer to be outside. I spent most of the day walking around, going through <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bund">The Bund</a>, the "Old Town" and the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_concession">French Concession</a>. <br /><br />I realized that everywhere you go in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai">Shanghai</a>, as a tourist, there's someone nearby that'll try to scam you. While taking photos at <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bund">The Bund</a>, a girl approached me about taking a photo of her and her friends. I was happy to help. After I took the photo they seemed to want to chat and wanted to find out where I was from. The conversation was quite pleasant, until I realized that it was all part of a scam. As soon as they started talking about "tea ceremonies" and inviting me out with them, I thanked them and moved on. This was something I had heard about before. They take you to a fancy restaurant that probably gives them a few bucks and then you end up flipping an expensive bill. I would ran into another group minutes later that did the exact same routine. I also ran into the "art students" who lure you to an art gallery and try and give you limited time deals on their hard-worked paintings. I politely declined.<br /><br /><a title="Shanghai architecture" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85Ue_LYvSI/AAAAAAAACYM/jC-ALNHCITA/s800/CSC_5070.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85Ue_LYvSI/AAAAAAAACYM/jC-ALNHCITA/s200/CSC_5070.jpg" /></a>As I walked to the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_God_Temple">City God Temple</a> and through the "Old Town" it was Rolex watches. Every single corner had men who were in my face trying to sell fake Rolex watches. It was the first time I really got frustrated with the peddlers. I bought a ticket to a nearby temple just to get away from the annoyances. The "Old Town" looked fairly new to me and it was like a giant shopping mall with couple of Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and overpriced Chinese food. I didn't stay there long.<br /><br />On the way back to my hostel I walked back through the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_concession">French Concession</a>. Here the appeal is old western style architecture. It didn't really do much for me. It didn't help that every corner had women and men trying to sell real leather "lady bags." I don't know why I looked like I would be interested in a "lady bag." <br /><br />The only neat thing about <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai">Shanghai</a> is how much it doesn't look like it's a city in China. I feel like I've already spent too much time here and look forward to moving on. Tomorrow I'll be taking my first overnight train, should be interesting.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">The Bund: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Walking around The Bund" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UZfU15CI/AAAAAAAACX8/v1lZAMhnUeI/s800/CSC_5060.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UZfU15CI/AAAAAAAACX8/v1lZAMhnUeI/s200/CSC_5060.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Walking around The Bund" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UbIHJZBI/AAAAAAAACYA/-a1G1CAkwxM/s800/CSC_5062.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UbIHJZBI/AAAAAAAACYA/-a1G1CAkwxM/s200/CSC_5062.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Skyscrapers everywhere" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UckPprnI/AAAAAAAACYE/a26ZII7Aekw/s800/CSC_5066.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UckPprnI/AAAAAAAACYE/a26ZII7Aekw/s200/CSC_5066.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">City God Temple and Old Town: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Old Town" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UjAqpIeI/AAAAAAAACYY/YiTh17sy6gE/s200/CSC_5074.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UjAqpIeI/AAAAAAAACYY/YiTh17sy6gE/s200/CSC_5074.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="City God Temple roof decoration" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85Ug7Bie3I/AAAAAAAACYQ/jQJ7eLmGvRk/s800/CSC_5072.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85Ug7Bie3I/AAAAAAAACYQ/jQJ7eLmGvRk/s200/CSC_5072.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Roof decorations in Old Town" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UiYGyy2I/AAAAAAAACYU/IDQD7jG2tNs/s800/CSC_5073.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UiYGyy2I/AAAAAAAACYU/IDQD7jG2tNs/s200/CSC_5073.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Streets of Shanghai: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Streets of Shanghai" href=""http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UklJze3I/AAAAAAAACYg/ioKVfcKEldA/s800/CSC_5076.jpg target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UklJze3I/AAAAAAAACYg/ioKVfcKEldA/s200/CSC_5076.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Streets of Shanghai" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UmvW_FjI/AAAAAAAACYk/YDHdkE7mfeE/s800/CSC_5077.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S85UmvW_FjI/AAAAAAAACYk/YDHdkE7mfeE/s200/CSC_5077.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-21417416544706591072010-04-19T17:22:00.000-07:002010-04-19T17:47:43.298-07:00Biking around Yangshuo<a title="My rental bike next to Yulong River" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYaiyS7LI/AAAAAAAACXI/22Gg190C_ss/s800/CSC_4937.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYaiyS7LI/AAAAAAAACXI/22Gg190C_ss/s200/CSC_4937.jpg" /></a>What a day! It started off a little bit slow, as I had trouble getting myself out of bed on yet another rainy day. Checked out of the hostel in <a target="_blank" href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Xingping">Xingping</a> and went to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangshuo">Yangshuo</a> for the day. There I decided to explore the surrounding area on a bicycle. I got some ideas of a route from the hostel I stayed at previously and got a decent bike, with a comfortable seat. <br /><br />Like with my Fishing Village hike, the route that was suggested by the hostel looked way more straight forward on the map. I got lost pretty much right away. The good thing was that I had a picture of the place I was trying to get to and often asked for directions. I followed the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yulong_River">Yulong River</a> which was really beautiful for scenery. It's quite calm so it was perfect for reflections. <br /><br />The trail I followed soon turned from a paved road to an extremely muddy and narrow dirt trail. Often I questioned whether I was on the right route. I also encountered many locals who were trying to get me to go down the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangshuo">Yangshuo</a> by way of bamboo raft. These guys were just horrible. Not only were they in my face about rafting, they also gave me wrong directions when I refused to go on the raft. The most reliable people were the villagers and farmers. <br /><br /><a title="View from Moon Hill" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYo7DUaGI/AAAAAAAACXY/gZjgZ3yJjgw/s800/CSC_4942.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYo7DUaGI/AAAAAAAACXY/gZjgZ3yJjgw/s200/CSC_4942.jpg" /></a>My destination was Moon Hill, a limestone arch formation. After a long, dirty and sometimes frustrating ride, I finally found it. I locked up my bike and bought an overpriced drink from an old lady taking advantage of thirsty travellers. This was a mistake, as she decided to follow me up the entire mountain to try and sell me more drinks. At the top she doubled her price. I politely declined and after taking some photos, I headed back down. She followed me persistantly and she was surprisingly quick for her age, but I did manage to lose her on the way down. I turned off into the bush once I was barely out of her sight and watched her run down past me then took my time enjoying the scenery. She was not too impressed when she saw me reach the bottom a few minutes after her. <br /><br />I didn't have a whole lot of time remaining as I had to head to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin">Guilin</a> to catch a flight to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai">Shanghai</a>. I spent the rest of the day in buses, taxis and on the plane. I arrived in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai">Shanghai</a> quite late and didn't see much of the city. I'm not a fan of big cities, but I'll try and take in a bit of it before I move on.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Biking around Yangshuo:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="The good trail" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYZsTtfsI/AAAAAAAACXE/deh2Xst47Uo/s800/CSC_4935.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYZsTtfsI/AAAAAAAACXE/deh2Xst47Uo/s200/CSC_4935.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Yulong River" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yTmq08HiI/AAAAAAAACWo/kDHY4pIBtE4/s800/CSC_4936.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yTmq08HiI/AAAAAAAACWo/kDHY4pIBtE4/s200/CSC_4936.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Yulong River" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYcAsV1vI/AAAAAAAACXM/xI_nIEGnu50/s800/CSC_4939.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYcAsV1vI/AAAAAAAACXM/xI_nIEGnu50/s200/CSC_4939.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Hiking Moon Hill:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Moon Hill" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYlrpGeRI/AAAAAAAACXQ/k8glOnouMKg/s800/CSC_4940.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYlrpGeRI/AAAAAAAACXQ/k8glOnouMKg/s200/CSC_4940.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="View from Moon Hill" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYnL85NXI/AAAAAAAACXU/G4zlgKVEIPQ/s800/CSC_4941.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYnL85NXI/AAAAAAAACXU/G4zlgKVEIPQ/s200/CSC_4941.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="View from Moon Hill" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYpXTPWaI/AAAAAAAACXc/tJrvFkuFqE0/s800/CSC_4947.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8yYpXTPWaI/AAAAAAAACXc/tJrvFkuFqE0/s200/CSC_4947.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-38604819637213685302010-04-18T17:04:00.000-07:002010-04-18T17:45:24.757-07:00Finding Yucun, The Fishing Village<a title="Looking for the Fishing Village" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug7YXhrpI/AAAAAAAACVA/GmUgjKQN5Q4/s800/CSC_4874.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug7YXhrpI/AAAAAAAACVA/GmUgjKQN5Q4/s200/CSC_4874.jpg" /></a>It was still raining when I got up, so I took my time getting out of bed. My intention today was to find the Fishing Village that's near <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a>. Yesterday I tried to hike to it and got lost, today I had a better idea of the route and took photos of the <a target="_blank" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ujopYHtwI/AAAAAAAACVw/QxIDmgEUJko/s200/IMG_0140.jpg">drawn map</a> at my hostel. The map makes it look pretty easy, the problem is that I have no idea whether that route is a street, a paved pathway or a dirt road or a combination of all of those. But I figured wherever I ended up it would be interesting. <br /><br />As I walked through the rural area, I passed a family that waved to me and said "hello" in English. One of the little kids seemed particularly excited and was full of smiles. I waved back and continued on. Walked for another twenty minutes and found myself walking back towards <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a>. Whatever route I took, I did a complete circle. I sighed, went back to the hotel and asked if they could write down the name of the fishing village so that I could ask people. They wrote it down and told me how to say it.<br /><br />This made such a difference. Every person I saw I simply said the name and I was pointed in the right direction. Pretty soon I found my way back to that family I saw earlier and though they laughed when they realized I had walked in a circle, they pointed me in the right direction once I told them where I was going. <br /><br /><a title="Fishing Village" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug_foxfxI/AAAAAAAACVQ/dEM4oTVIgDU/s800/CSC_4873.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug_foxfxI/AAAAAAAACVQ/dEM4oTVIgDU/s200/CSC_4873.jpg" /></a>The trail turned from a nice paved path to a narrow muddy trail. It went tright through a mountain pass and thick foilage. I was getting increasingly dirty and wet and on top of that the rain got stronger. Hiking with an umbrella, a rain poncho that barely fits me and taking pictures was a bit of a challenge. I just laughed when I thought about what I must look like to the people here. It was pretty foggy, but ocassionally the fog would lift and I could see some beautiful scenery. <br /><br />I got pretty excited when the trail started heading down and I could see the river. I knew I was close and felt quite happy that I finally found this place. Third times the charm! The hilarious thing was when I finally entered the village and saw bus loads of tourists. I guess this was a popular boat stop. I didn't see a single fisherman and what few sterets there were, they were lined with tables selling tourist trinkets, food and drinks. The people looked at me curiously, wondering why I was covered in mud. Ah well, the hike was nice. I took a bamboo raft back to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a>.<br /><br /><a title="The view from Laozhai Shan" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhFsdsTJI/AAAAAAAACVo/hDbHqxGgE8U/s800/CSC_4866.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhFsdsTJI/AAAAAAAACVo/hDbHqxGgE8U/s200/CSC_4866.jpg" /></a>Back at the hostel I met up with Matt and Lauren for lunch. I met them on the boat from Guilin and we talked about hiking up <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilin-yangshuo-guide.com/yangshuo-laozhai-hill.html">Laozhai Shan</a>, the mountain I went up yesterday. I suggested we go up after lunch if the clouds lifted. Lauren was a bit hesitant but Matt and I managed to convince her. It turned out to be a really good decision because the views we had were just jaw-dropping. It's hard to believe a place like this exists, even when you're looking right at it. It was this view that made me come to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a>. We took many photos and stayed on the summit for a bit before heading back down.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Finding the Fishing Village: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Hiking to the Fishing Village" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug74TuYkI/AAAAAAAACVE/q5kFApsFxYQ/s800/CSC_4875.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug74TuYkI/AAAAAAAACVE/q5kFApsFxYQ/s200/CSC_4875.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="The Li River" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug8xUswWI/AAAAAAAACVI/Wh_dpBG6pGM/s800/CSC_4876.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug8xUswWI/AAAAAAAACVI/Wh_dpBG6pGM/s200/CSC_4876.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Breakfast at Fishing Village" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug9kvwW6I/AAAAAAAACVM/TLq0oVruEC0/s800/CSC_4872.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ug9kvwW6I/AAAAAAAACVM/TLq0oVruEC0/s200/CSC_4872.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Fishing Village Pier" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhAlYFg5I/AAAAAAAACVU/y-Sd9MzZ6s8/s800/CSC_4871.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhAlYFg5I/AAAAAAAACVU/y-Sd9MzZ6s8/s200/CSC_4871.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Heading back to Xingping via Li River: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Heading back go Xingping" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhBo_5-nI/AAAAAAAACVY/mfrnmlXEpGU/s800/CSC_4870.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhBo_5-nI/AAAAAAAACVY/mfrnmlXEpGU/s200/CSC_4870.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Ferry to Xingping" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhDBqZkkI/AAAAAAAACVc/X9xKenpezRo/s800/CSC_4869.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhDBqZkkI/AAAAAAAACVc/X9xKenpezRo/s200/CSC_4869.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Views from Laozhai Hill</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Views from Laozhai Shan" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhD1YrxuI/AAAAAAAACVg/sOgOj0xB-Oo/s800/CSC_4867.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhD1YrxuI/AAAAAAAACVg/sOgOj0xB-Oo/s200/CSC_4867.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Views from Laozhai Shan" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhGdJzwqI/AAAAAAAACVs/N-nnZmghEDE/s800/CSC_4863.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhGdJzwqI/AAAAAAAACVs/N-nnZmghEDE/s200/CSC_4863.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Views from Laozhai Shan" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhEkyHA2I/AAAAAAAACVk/WDh266QnPTg/s800/CSC_4862.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8uhEkyHA2I/AAAAAAAACVk/WDh266QnPTg/s200/CSC_4862.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-33494464505340554132010-04-17T16:43:00.000-07:002010-04-17T17:09:36.503-07:00Xingping<a title="View from Xingping Pier" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDXtlTzWI/AAAAAAAACUU/T0jZenyp5Ek/s800/DSC_4626.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDXtlTzWI/AAAAAAAACUU/T0jZenyp5Ek/s200/DSC_4626.jpg" /></a>While on the boat ride along <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijiang_River">Li River</a>, I was talking to a couple from Ireland who told of a place just north of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangshuo_County">Yangshuo</a> called <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a> and they showed me a hostel pamphlet full of some really nice photos. One photo in particular captured my attention, taken from the summit of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilin-yangshuo-guide.com/yangshuo-laozhai-hill.html">Laozhai Hill</a>. I figured I would go check out this town, so when I woke up I packed my bags and hoped on the bus. It was only a short ride and within minutes of getting into <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a>, I found the hostel that produced the pamphlet. I decided to check in and start exploring the area.<br /><br />It was raining lightly but not enough to get soaked, so I packed my rain poncho and started hiking up <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilin-yangshuo-guide.com/yangshuo-laozhai-hill.html">Laozhai Hill</a>. It was quite lush and the steps were very slippery from the rain during the night, but it didn't take long to get to the top. Unfortunately I was in cloud the whole time. The view from the top is supposed to be spectacular, with a bend in the river and a ton of limestone formations in the background. I was barely able to see the river.<br /><br />As I started hiking back down, the rain intensified. Pretty soon it felt like I was swimming, not walking. I carefully made it down the mountain and wasn't quite sure what to do next. It's hard to get motivated when you're wet. I walked around the streets of <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a> for a bit and then returned to my hostel to get some ideas.<br /><br /><a title="Heavy rain in Xingping" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDV50-B8I/AAAAAAAACUM/HvKjs_LqdFk/s800/DSC_4572.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDV50-B8I/AAAAAAAACUM/HvKjs_LqdFk/s200/DSC_4572.jpg" /></a>The hostel recommended visiting the fishing village that's nearby, about an hour and a half of walking. I started heading in that direction, but my rain poncho ripped and I was getting pretty wet. So I returned to <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a>, bought an umbrella and decided to save the fishing village for tomorrow.<br /><br />I'm quite glad I decided to check out <a target="_blank" href="http://www.guilinchina.net/liriver/xingping_town.htm">Xingping</a>. It's pretty small, much smaller than Yangshuo and much quieter too. Too bad about the weather though. I'm getting quite skeptical that I'll get to see the surreal colours of this place at sunrise or sunset, the forecast is calling for more rain in the upcoming days.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Hiking Laozhai Hill: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Staring the hike" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDT7wG3FI/AAAAAAAACUE/HITs72KREk4/s800/DSC_4495.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDT7wG3FI/AAAAAAAACUE/HITs72KREk4/s200/DSC_4495.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="The path up" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDGBs-VRI/AAAAAAAACTw/9Ds-FfdNRiU/s800/DSC_4456.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDGBs-VRI/AAAAAAAACTw/9Ds-FfdNRiU/s200/DSC_4456.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Interesting route" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDHd9TlGI/AAAAAAAACT0/bYdXCru_w48/s800/DSC_4459.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDHd9TlGI/AAAAAAAACT0/bYdXCru_w48/s200/DSC_4459.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="View from the summit" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDTPsZahI/AAAAAAAACUA/5sfQ0zva1lQ/s800/DSC_4491.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDTPsZahI/AAAAAAAACUA/5sfQ0zva1lQ/s200/DSC_4491.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Xingping Town: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Xingping bridge" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDUqTVApI/AAAAAAAACUI/ocKc8qeEWrU/s800/DSC_4543.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDUqTVApI/AAAAAAAACUI/ocKc8qeEWrU/s200/DSC_4543.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Xingping streets" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDXDjfmiI/AAAAAAAACUQ/L7G3YgN2MqQ/s800/DSC_4578.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDXDjfmiI/AAAAAAAACUQ/L7G3YgN2MqQ/s200/DSC_4578.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Snail Hill in the clouds: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Snail Hill" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDYCq6GqI/AAAAAAAACUY/FLIN4hoMsNk/s800/DSC_4637.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8pDYCq6GqI/AAAAAAAACUY/FLIN4hoMsNk/s200/DSC_4637.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-28619205937079272572010-04-16T12:54:00.000-07:002010-04-16T13:12:44.014-07:00Li River to Yangshuo<a title="Li River" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5WqQ3oPI/AAAAAAAACSc/B3JzALEYcqk/s800/CSC_4448.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5WqQ3oPI/AAAAAAAACSc/B3JzALEYcqk/s200/CSC_4448.jpg" /></a>What a long day! It started with a trip down the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijiang_River">Li River</a>, from <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin">Guilin</a> to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangshuo">Yangshuo</a>. The trip lasted about four hours, but we first had to drive around <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin">Guilin</a> to pick up all the people who were coming along for the boat ride. I thought there were a lot of people, but compared to other boats we some on the river, ours didn't look nearly as packed.<br /><br />We set out from <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin">Guilin</a> at around 9:00 am. By the time we reached the really scenic areas of the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijiang_River">Li River</a>, the sun was already pretty high up and didn't have the best light for photos. I wondered if a boat were to set out much earlier to get to get the sunrise, whether it would be a lot more successful with tourists. All the boats set out at around the same time -- maybe it's regulated? Really the boat ride seems to be the major source of income in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin">Guilin</a>, everybody and their mother will try to sell you the boat tour. I got asked at the airport, in the taxi, at the restaurant, at a gallery, at a tea shop and several other times while walking around. I was surprised that they didn't ask me again on the boat. I spent most of the boat ride on the top of the boat, admiring the limestone formations and the life along the river. It was a little bit cold and hazy, but at least it wasn't raining.<br /><br /><a title="Buffalo in the nearby village" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i7lXDpevI/AAAAAAAACS8/qSWNtZnhK-k/s800/DSC_4366.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i7lXDpevI/AAAAAAAACS8/qSWNtZnhK-k/s200/DSC_4366.jpg" /></a>When we got to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangshuo">Yangshuo</a>, I signed up for bamboo rafting along the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yulong_River">Yulong River</a> and to the nearby Baisha village. I barely had enough time to check in and put my backpack in my room before I was off again. The rafting was really fun, though for photos it was a little challenging, as all the tourists, including myself, were given bright life jackets which got in almost every photo. Not sure they were completely necessary, the water really wasn't that deep. <br /><br />The scenery here has been used in a lot of media and movies. The nearby Dragon Bridge was used as a backdrop for <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Painted_Veil_(2006_film)"><i>The Painted Veil</i></a>. The view from it is apparently one of the default desktop backgrounds for Windows.<br /><br /><a title="Dragon Bridge" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i73Zzbb9I/AAAAAAAACTI/t5phh-nDOL8/s800/DSC_4395.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i73Zzbb9I/AAAAAAAACTI/t5phh-nDOL8/s200/DSC_4395.jpg" /></a>Though things aren't exactly as I expected. For whatever reason, I thought <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangshuo">Yangshuo</a> would be a lot more rural. When I saw fishermen in photos before coming here, I thought they were actually using cormorants to catch fish. The guide we had was telling us there's actually very few fishermen that still know how to train the birds. Most of the ones seen in photos are actually dressed up specifically for photos or shows. I saw one offering to let me take his picture for five yuen. I may take him up on that offer tomorrow, if the lighting is better.<br /><br />I've been really hoping for some sunrise or sunset photos, but that may be asking a lot considering it's been raining here for almost two weeks. The hostel I'm staying at today has a nice view from the rooftop and I spent the evening there having dinner and waiting in vain for the sunset. It just got dark and cold, so I went down to my room and started working on the blog. <br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Li River: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Twenty Yuen Image" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5WqcflfI/AAAAAAAACSg/qtYv7HBAg8s/s800/CSC_4450.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5WqcflfI/AAAAAAAACSg/qtYv7HBAg8s/s200/CSC_4450.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Limestone Formations" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5W7hLvXI/AAAAAAAACSs/UoM-bhCq8HU/s800/DSC_4164.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5W7hLvXI/AAAAAAAACSs/UoM-bhCq8HU/s200/DSC_4164.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Yulong River: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Bamboo Rafting" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5W_uPM_I/AAAAAAAACSo/bG1wchg9Eao/s800/CSC_4453.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5W_uPM_I/AAAAAAAACSo/bG1wchg9Eao/s200/CSC_4453.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Yulong River" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5WxGtKgI/AAAAAAAACSk/sXVJ2YPq1lg/s800/CSC_4451.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i5WxGtKgI/AAAAAAAACSk/sXVJ2YPq1lg/s200/CSC_4451.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Dragon Bridge" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i73N327zI/AAAAAAAACTE/wrYtcMpq3fI/s800/DSC_4388.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i73N327zI/AAAAAAAACTE/wrYtcMpq3fI/s200/DSC_4388.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="View from the Dragon Bridge" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i73aJUgoI/AAAAAAAACTM/5KLz7L27cNE/s800/DSC_4407.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i73aJUgoI/AAAAAAAACTM/5KLz7L27cNE/s200/DSC_4407.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Baisha Villager: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="A Man and his Buffalo" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i7lg46cQI/AAAAAAAACTA/zZZTMcJJYBc/s800/DSC_4374.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i7lg46cQI/AAAAAAAACTA/zZZTMcJJYBc/s200/DSC_4374.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Yangshuo: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Streets of Yangshuo" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i8IgNIRbI/AAAAAAAACTQ/_lZ-xqM7byk/s800/DSC_4441.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i8IgNIRbI/AAAAAAAACTQ/_lZ-xqM7byk/s200/DSC_4441.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Guesthouse Rooftop" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i7YhSvaUI/AAAAAAAACS4/1tE1kA9onC8/s800/DSC_4245.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8i7YhSvaUI/AAAAAAAACS4/1tE1kA9onC8/s200/DSC_4245.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-2039378405510082052010-04-15T16:17:00.000-07:002010-04-15T16:43:41.566-07:00Walking Around Guilin<a title="View from Solitary Peak" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpDX-5a-I/AAAAAAAACRY/QuOHY1fH9Jg/s800/DSC_3904.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpDX-5a-I/AAAAAAAACRY/QuOHY1fH9Jg/s200/DSC_3904.jpg" /></a>It was another rainy day, but it eased up in the afternoon. I didn't get out of my hostel until it stopped raining. It was absolutely freezing at night and I had a hard time just getting out of bed. I can't believe the difference humidity makes when it comes to cold.<br /><br />I made an effort to get out and see some of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin" target="_blank">Guilin</a> despite the cold and cloudy weather. The tourist map listed a few nearby attractions; parks with limestone formations. My first stop was Solitary Beauty Peak which is in the Ming Prince mansion. The buildings in the compound didn't interest me much, but I was interested in the views. I thought maybe I could see down the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_River">Li River</a>. However, once I got to the top, all I could see was a sprawling <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin" target="_blank">Guilin</a>. Buildings in every direction.<br /><br /><a title="Seven Star Cave" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpHzbYy1I/AAAAAAAACRk/Lt6O7Pcfg4s/s800/DSC_3961.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpHzbYy1I/AAAAAAAACRk/Lt6O7Pcfg4s/s200/DSC_3961.jpg" /></a>A guest at the hostel I'm staying at recommended checking out the Seven Star Park, so I made that my second destination. It's quite a large park, complete with waterways, waterfalls, temples, caves and even a zoo. The guidebook said the zoo is fairly run down, so I avoided it. The attraction here is supposed to be the Seven Star Cave. After checking out a bit of the park, I decided to head into the cave.<br /><br />What I wasn't prepared for was the cave tour. To see the cave, you must go with a guide as the guide turns the lights on and off. The guide is for domestic tourists and the tour is in Mandarin. Needless to say it was a very long tour and I didn't understand a thing, but the cave was very pretty with the lights.<br /><br />My final stop of the day was the Elephant Trunk Hill, named so because the limestone peak it surrounds resembles an elephant drinking water. It was a nice way to end the day. It was quiet and provided a nice stroll along the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_River" target="_blank">Li River</a>. I even managed to catch see cormorants before heading back to my hotel.<br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both">Ming Prince Park and View from Solitary Beauty Peak: </div><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Sprawling Guilin" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpGGYyWdI/AAAAAAAACRg/IFLVO58-pCU/s800/DSC_3952.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpGGYyWdI/AAAAAAAACRg/IFLVO58-pCU/s200/DSC_3952.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Ming Prince Mansion Walls" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpEz2UGlI/AAAAAAAACRc/XqJal6U1QsI/s800/DSC_3929.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpEz2UGlI/AAAAAAAACRc/XqJal6U1QsI/s200/DSC_3929.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both">Seven Star Park and Cave: </div><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Bridge to Seven Star Park" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpMojHiHI/AAAAAAAACRw/Dk9bnvpFoW0/s800/DSC_4023.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpMojHiHI/AAAAAAAACRw/Dk9bnvpFoW0/s200/DSC_4023.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Seven Star Cave" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpKaX2t0I/AAAAAAAACRo/LCOPJf5D6ZE/s800/DSC_3975.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpKaX2t0I/AAAAAAAACRo/LCOPJf5D6ZE/s200/DSC_3975.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Seven Star Cave" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpLk9cRZI/AAAAAAAACRs/1JAc_XSx9oY/s800/DSC_3982.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpLk9cRZI/AAAAAAAACRs/1JAc_XSx9oY/s200/DSC_3982.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both">Elephant Trunk Park: </div><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Elephant Park" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpNiTZXyI/AAAAAAAACR0/0ejux0MwHjQ/s800/DSC_4055.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpNiTZXyI/AAAAAAAACR0/0ejux0MwHjQ/s200/DSC_4055.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Cormorants" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpOm06h3I/AAAAAAAACR4/eljXVotBnSk/s800/DSC_4062.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpOm06h3I/AAAAAAAACR4/eljXVotBnSk/s200/DSC_4062.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a title="Fisherwoman" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpQAg4P1I/AAAAAAAACR8/nkkh36pTWmU/s800/DSC_4079.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8cpQAg4P1I/AAAAAAAACR8/nkkh36pTWmU/s200/DSC_4079.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-6804581729885724072010-04-14T11:23:00.000-07:002010-04-14T11:29:07.184-07:00Rainy in Guilin<a title="Bridges in Guilin" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8YHQOH_FZI/AAAAAAAACQ4/V1pEIHA5NLo/s800/DSC_3886.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8YHQOH_FZI/AAAAAAAACQ4/V1pEIHA5NLo/s144/DSC_3886.jpg" /></a>I got in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilin">Guilin</a> pretty late in the day. Part of that was because flights were delayed due to bad weather. The airport was quite apologetic and even gave out free lunches to everyone.<br /><br />When I arrived it was raining and from what I understand, it's been raining for quite a few days. That's a little disappointing, because it'll make it real hard to get good photos and views of the surrounding limestone peaks.<br /><br />Right after I checked in, I decided to go for a walk. I had about an hour before sunset and had hoped to see something picturesque. I could see the limestone peaks surrounding the city, but in the foreground were tall fancy hotels. The city itself is quite pretty too, with bridges and waterways all over the place. Unfortunately it was already pretty dark and gloomy and I didn't get much in the way of photos.<br /><br />As soon as it got dark, the place seemed to come alive. Everything was lit up in different coloured lights. Every tree, building, bridge and boat seem to have some kind of decorative lightning. It kind of made me think of Las Vegas. I think this place has an interesting night life. But partying is not for me, I would much rather sight-see. So I went back to my hostel to try and get to bed early and maybe get some sunrise shots tomorrow if it clears up.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8YHKwZzgZI/AAAAAAAACQs/6z4PvheesoE/s800/DSC_3863.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8YHKwZzgZI/AAAAAAAACQs/6z4PvheesoE/s144/DSC_3863.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8YHNlKToyI/AAAAAAAACQw/ca6C6Rtu-Zg/s800/DSC_3872.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8YHNlKToyI/AAAAAAAACQw/ca6C6Rtu-Zg/s144/DSC_3872.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8YHPGkHaYI/AAAAAAAACQ0/qzIthYJH2_c/s800/DSC_3877.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8YHPGkHaYI/AAAAAAAACQ0/qzIthYJH2_c/s144/DSC_3877.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-43976625831631200902010-04-13T08:02:00.000-07:002010-04-13T20:22:08.140-07:00Into the Stone Forest<a title="Shilin" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SVbYkx7JI/AAAAAAAACN0/62Wm3z3VOLM/s800/DSC_3720.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SVbYkx7JI/AAAAAAAACN0/62Wm3z3VOLM/s200/DSC_3720.jpg" /></a>It was a fairly relaxing day. The only thing on my agenda was to see <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilin_(Stone_Forest)">Shilin</a>, the "Stone Forest." It's about a 120 kilometers outside of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming">Kunming</a>. Luckily there are direct buses that go to the area and it was fairly easy to get to. <br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilin_(Stone_Forest)">Shilin</a> was on my agenda when I first thought about what I was going to do in China. I thought it would be similar to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsingy_de_Bemaraha_National_Park">Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park</a> in Madagascar, which I saw a documentary on and found quite fascinating. I believe both were formed in the same manner of erosion, however, I think <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilin_(Stone_Forest)">Shilin</a> is considerably smaller in comparison and quite a bit more popular with tourists. <br /><br />Unfortunately, the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilin_(Stone_Forest)">Shilin "Stone Forest"</a> is so modified for accessibility, that it loses its natural appeal. Pathways run throughout the park, often right through the formations. A couple view points have been installed right on top of the formations where mostly domestic tourists gather shoulder to shoulder to try and get a good birdseye view and a photo of themselves with the formations in the background. For what it is, it's quite overpriced. So far it's the most I've paid for admission, even more than The Great Wall.<br /><br /><a title="Yi People" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SRQlDf2SI/AAAAAAAACNc/vX-i-6Fc2_o/s800/DSC_3683.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SRQlDf2SI/AAAAAAAACNc/vX-i-6Fc2_o/s200/DSC_3683.jpg" /></a>Perhaps the high ticket cost was to pay for the dancers. The park had two stages where the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_people">Yi people</a>, dressed in traditional garb, performed various styles of dance. I took a few photos and hopped back on the bus to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming">Kunming</a>. <br /><br />Later I met up with Ed and Christine, who I've now met up with in three places in China. We went out for <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guo_qiao_mi_xian">"across the bridge" noodles</a>, a speciality among these parts. I'm not sure it was my favorite dish, but it's always fun to try the local cuisine. We finished the night off with some ice cream and smoothies. <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsingy_de_Bemaraha_National_Park"></a><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Shilin Stone Forest:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SS35sj71I/AAAAAAAACNs/85O8VKTINIs/s800/DSC_3762.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SS35sj71I/AAAAAAAACNs/85O8VKTINIs/s200/DSC_3762.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SSy9xtSVI/AAAAAAAACNo/wiozjdBL2Wo/s800/DSC_3759.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SSy9xtSVI/AAAAAAAACNo/wiozjdBL2Wo/s200/DSC_3759.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ShaxgMSTI/AAAAAAAACP0/e9cryZvB86Q/s800/DSC_3706.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8ShaxgMSTI/AAAAAAAACP0/e9cryZvB86Q/s200/DSC_3706.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SdjGmkmyI/AAAAAAAACPU/mke1H82aI8w/s800/DSC_3729.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SdjGmkmyI/AAAAAAAACPU/mke1H82aI8w/s200/DSC_3729.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Sf5gWc53I/AAAAAAAACPY/NrKNxKnRTBk/s800/DSC_3820.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Sf5gWc53I/AAAAAAAACPY/NrKNxKnRTBk/s200/DSC_3820.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Sa2BrvJwI/AAAAAAAACOw/sAeRHnZtvu8/s800/DSC_3659.jpg" href="" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Sa2BrvJwI/AAAAAAAACOw/sAeRHnZtvu8/s200/DSC_3659.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SanuIAvhI/AAAAAAAACOs/3Ii5K1uREzI/s800/DSC_3847.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SanuIAvhI/AAAAAAAACOs/3Ii5K1uREzI/s200/DSC_3847.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Yi People:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SUehgyudI/AAAAAAAACNw/JiYwaHuRQgA/s800/DSC_3854.jpg" href="" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8SUehgyudI/AAAAAAAACNw/JiYwaHuRQgA/s200/DSC_3854.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-2714900902869717892010-04-12T03:11:00.000-07:002010-04-12T17:03:04.060-07:00Kunming<a title="Flying Over Yunnan" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Mm7trfDOI/AAAAAAAACL4/9RRH1XOta54/s1600/DSC_3528.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Mm7trfDOI/AAAAAAAACL4/9RRH1XOta54/s200/DSC_3528.jpg" /></a>I left Shangri-La early this morning, caught a flight straight to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming" target="_blank">Kunming</a>. I could have gone by bus, but I didn't feel like a fifteen hour bus ride. A one hour flight was more to my liking and worth the extra money. I figure the less I spent on the bus or train, the more I can spend sight-seeing.<br /><br />I really didn't think about spending too much time in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming" target="_blank">Kunming</a>. It's a city of just over a million people and the capital of the Yunnan province. Reading the guidebook, there wasn't too much in the city I wanted to see, but to get to my next destination, it was a required stop.<br /><br /><a title="Yuantong Temple" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnAv0aUHI/AAAAAAAACMI/yk7hz-QhuhI/s1600/DSC_3606.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnAv0aUHI/AAAAAAAACMI/yk7hz-QhuhI/s200/DSC_3606.jpg" /></a>I spent most of the day exploring and found it a fairly easy place to walk around. I must have walked a good portion of the city today. Everything seems fairly new. Malls, McDonalds and KFC are everywhere, though I did see an occasional row of old wooden buildings hidden in alleyways.<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming" target="_blank">Kunming</a> has a large Chinese Muslim population (known as the Hui) and a couple of sights indicated in the guidebook were mosques. I was pretty impressed with the architecture of mosques I've seen in the past, while traveling through India and the Middle East. These ones here were so ordinary that I actually walked right by. I don't know why they were indicated in the guidebook. I suppose just because it's unique to see a mosque in this area.<br /><br />I also visited two pagodas which seemed to be quite old and the Yuantong Temple, which was the only sight I spent a bit of time at. The temple is quite pretty and much bigger than I thought. Spending some time on its grounds was a nice escape from the very noisy city streets.<br /><br /><a title="Kunming Downtown" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnGrFfmeI/AAAAAAAACMc/55nqh35mRPM/s1600/DSC_3649.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnGrFfmeI/AAAAAAAACMc/55nqh35mRPM/s200/DSC_3649.jpg" /></a>Perhaps my favorite thing about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming" target="_blank">Kunming</a> has been the number of bakeries I've come across. I've filled up on a whole bunch of unique baked goods. The most interesting was a sweet pastry that had a muffin like bottom and a fried egg on top.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">East Pagoda:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="East Pagoda" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Mm9SUQjqI/AAAAAAAACL8/iqQH78ZDxM4/s1600/DSC_3544.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Mm9SUQjqI/AAAAAAAACL8/iqQH78ZDxM4/s144/DSC_3544.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Old and new:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="McDonalds with old houses in background" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Mm-dWHriI/AAAAAAAACMA/k8FF7x_gMJw/s1600/DSC_3550.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Mm-dWHriI/AAAAAAAACMA/k8FF7x_gMJw/s144/DSC_3550.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Yuantong Temple:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Yuantong Temple" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Mm_P9CgeI/AAAAAAAACME/utr1z4VQiFo/s1600/DSC_3569.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8Mm_P9CgeI/AAAAAAAACME/utr1z4VQiFo/s144/DSC_3569.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Yuantong Temple" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnCBaBUFI/AAAAAAAACMM/hcFIWJffojw/s1600/DSC_3622.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnCBaBUFI/AAAAAAAACMM/hcFIWJffojw/s144/DSC_3622.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Yuantong Temple" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnDadm2TI/AAAAAAAACMQ/hB3IuRV9btM/s1600/DSC_3633.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnDadm2TI/AAAAAAAACMQ/hB3IuRV9btM/s144/DSC_3633.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Unimpressive Mosque:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Mosque" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnEPuL4wI/AAAAAAAACMU/mMgjVbWoWQw/s1600/DSC_3638.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnEPuL4wI/AAAAAAAACMU/mMgjVbWoWQw/s144/DSC_3638.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Kunming Downtown:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a title="Kunming Downtown" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnFCLGMjI/AAAAAAAACMY/D5-ZlaO4PXs/s1600/DSC_3645.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8MnFCLGMjI/AAAAAAAACMY/D5-ZlaO4PXs/s144/DSC_3645.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-67953667167443796642010-04-11T16:14:00.000-07:002010-04-12T03:01:47.605-07:00Shangri-La<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYADsyY2I/AAAAAAAACKs/yyrokJvEsbE/s1600/DSC_3447.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYADsyY2I/AAAAAAAACKs/yyrokJvEsbE/s200/DSC_3447.jpg" /></a>This morning I got up early, had breakfast and went out to the road to wait for a bus. There isn't an official bus stop here, but the buses do stop frequently. I was accompanied by an Australian couple and at the stop was an English guy. We waited for sometime and when a bus finally did come, it drove right past us. While we were waiting, a guy tried to offer us a ride for 250 yuen. I offered him 200 (50 each) and we were on our way.<br /><br />The destination was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri-La" target="_blank">Shangri-La</a>, which is actually a fictional name for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhongdian" target="_blank">Zhongdian</a>. James Hilton's <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Horizon_(novel)" target="_blank">Lost Horizon</a></em> book is where the name comes from. No one knew he actually based it on a real place. There are actually a few places in the region that claim the name, but according to my guidebook this is actually the place. It's assumed he read about in an early National Geographic article published by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Rock" target="_blank">Joseph Rock</a>, a famous botanist that had spent years in this area. To attract tourists <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhongdian" target="_blank">Zhongdian</a> has now officially been renamed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri-La" target="_blank">Shangri-La</a>.<br /><br />The place is quite beautiful. At 3,200 meters above sea level, it's the highest town I've stayed in. I left my things in the hostel and went out to see as much of the town as I could. While running around, I ran into a Canadian couple that I had met in Lijiang, Ed and Christine. I found out they were going to the Ganden Sumtseling Gompa, a monastery that houses over 600 Tibetan monks. I asked if I could tag along as I was planning to go to the same place.<br /><br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYB5-BKTI/AAAAAAAACK0/2vPE3tAmTDA/s1600/DSC_3503.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYB5-BKTI/AAAAAAAACK0/2vPE3tAmTDA/s200/DSC_3503.jpg" /></a>Going with them was excellent. Christine speaks Mandarin and she was also meeting up with a friend who lives here, so I got to learn quite a bit about the area, people and monastery. We walked around it for most of the day. A lot of it seems to be getting a facelift, which is too bad because I like that older look for the pictures. The monks here are apparently quite well off, they receive pretty good donations from businesses, in exchange for blessings.<br /><br />The highlight of the day was at the end of our walk. We were invited by a monk into his home. Inside he had us sit around a stove and brought out a plate of baked goods, yak cheese and nuts. Jokingly he offered us some yak milk tea and brought out a bottle of Sprite. We learned a little about him and how he lives in the monastery. It was quite a nice experience.<br /><br />After the monastery, I went out for dinner with Ed and Christine. We decided to have hot pot, as I had not tried it yet, as well as a few dumplings and pig leg, a local specialty. It was all very delicious.<br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both">Shangri-La Town: </div><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX67fdj4I/AAAAAAAACKU/7W2d3ugCJro/s1600/DSC_3359.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX67fdj4I/AAAAAAAACKU/7W2d3ugCJro/s200/DSC_3359.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both">The Monastery: </div><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX7sGaXhI/AAAAAAAACKY/fIS_-WDC23s/s1600/DSC_3404.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX7sGaXhI/AAAAAAAACKY/fIS_-WDC23s/s200/DSC_3404.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX8tZ__vI/AAAAAAAACKc/PGXGkyZE9jk/s1600/DSC_3410.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX8tZ__vI/AAAAAAAACKc/PGXGkyZE9jk/s200/DSC_3410.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX9YLcSzI/AAAAAAAACKg/8jHadaIPKqI/s1600/DSC_3412.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX9YLcSzI/AAAAAAAACKg/8jHadaIPKqI/s200/DSC_3412.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX-fpchsI/AAAAAAAACKk/0_HHx1Wx7Bk/s1600/DSC_3417.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX-fpchsI/AAAAAAAACKk/0_HHx1Wx7Bk/s200/DSC_3417.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX_GM7g1I/AAAAAAAACKo/5Rbly108QcE/s1600/DSC_3432.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JX_GM7g1I/AAAAAAAACKo/5Rbly108QcE/s200/DSC_3432.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYA9xtwQI/AAAAAAAACKw/CB9bd7J_9h4/s1600/DSC_3450.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYA9xtwQI/AAAAAAAACKw/CB9bd7J_9h4/s200/DSC_3450.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYCoXZaLI/AAAAAAAACK4/UOdhD1xTy4k/s1600/DSC_3505.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYCoXZaLI/AAAAAAAACK4/UOdhD1xTy4k/s200/DSC_3505.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="DISPLAY: block; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYDcoIbaI/AAAAAAAACK8/ccf3nbMf7Sw/s1600/DSC_3511.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8JYDcoIbaI/AAAAAAAACK8/ccf3nbMf7Sw/s200/DSC_3511.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-87230857621175897122010-04-10T07:41:00.000-07:002010-04-10T08:06:44.034-07:00Tiger Leaping Gorge<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQXrqg9DI/AAAAAAAACJQ/kTqKMaLTz2Y/s800/DSC_3230.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQXrqg9DI/AAAAAAAACJQ/kTqKMaLTz2Y/s200/DSC_3230.jpg" /></a>I'm in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutiaoxia_Town">Qiaotou</a> right now, the town where most people begin the hike to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Leaping_Gorge">Tiger Leaping Gorge</a>. I arrived here last night, on a bus that I wasn't sure was going in the right direction. Several times I tried to make sure I was on the right bus, but no one spoke English. I managed to say the name of the town enough times that when we actually got to it, people urged me to get off. There are very few direct buses here, most stop on the way to other places.<br /><br />The thing to do here is hike the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Leaping_Gorge">Tiger Leaping Gorge</a>. Named so because there is a fable that a tiger leaped across the river at some point long ago. The hike is normally done over a course of two to three days, but looked at the map and the distances, I was sure I could do it over one and catch a car back to the town. The hotel owner was doubtful.<br /><br />I started the hike a little after 9:00am. The first obstacle was the ticket booth. The hike trail is supposed to be free right now, because of the construction that's going on in the area, but the ticket booth was a little old lady that was swearing up and down that an admission of thirty yuen. I told her I would give her thirty yuen if she could give me a ticket for the hike. Of course she didn't have any tickets, she was just trying to take advantage of gullible tourists. <br /><br />I continued on at a pretty good pace and passed a few people who had left earlier. The scenery was great, though not quite what I thought it would be. What I wasn't expecting were the the number of villagers I encountered along the way. The hike passes through two villages proped up on the steep hillside.<br /><br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQ-2M9eoI/AAAAAAAACJs/DJZN6mikCFs/s800/DSC_3346.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQ-2M9eoI/AAAAAAAACJs/DJZN6mikCFs/s200/DSC_3346.jpg" /></a>I reached the destination, a restaurant along the road, at a little over 3:30 pm. With time to spare, I decided to hike down to the water. This actually added an additional two hours to the hike, but it was well worth it. You really appreciate the size of the gorge from the very bottom. Once I climbed back up to the restaurant and arranged for a car to take me back to town. <br /><br />The ride back to town was quite an experience. The road to the restaurant is being overhauled. The construction involved blowing up some of the rock and there was a ton of debris along the road. The driver would often get out of the car to clear rocks. There were also a ton of construction vehicles blocking the road and our driver would try to get around them along some very steep cliffs. The vehicle we were in had very little clearance and I was quite shocked that we were able to make it back to town with the car still in one piece. <br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Villagers: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQXEzp0NI/AAAAAAAACJM/AeETN0mOPpw/s800/DSC_3220.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQXEzp0NI/AAAAAAAACJM/AeETN0mOPpw/s200/DSC_3220.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQqTh5itI/AAAAAAAACJc/mZKGUs1FoFg/s800/DSC_3258.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQqTh5itI/AAAAAAAACJc/mZKGUs1FoFg/s200/DSC_3258.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQrU9SW4I/AAAAAAAACJg/Jc-pP9LED-4/s800/DSC_3261.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQrU9SW4I/AAAAAAAACJg/Jc-pP9LED-4/s200/DSC_3261.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Scenery: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQYcij_nI/AAAAAAAACJU/nCqyVgbZ_FQ/s800/DSC_3241.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQYcij_nI/AAAAAAAACJU/nCqyVgbZ_FQ/s200/DSC_3241.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQY0Gl4zI/AAAAAAAACJY/WWWK6LKwhRg/s800/DSC_3252.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQY0Gl4zI/AAAAAAAACJY/WWWK6LKwhRg/s200/DSC_3252.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQ8xBd7gI/AAAAAAAACJk/NsM-gGcCVk0/s800/DSC_3268.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQ8xBd7gI/AAAAAAAACJk/NsM-gGcCVk0/s200/DSC_3268.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQ93ehKNI/AAAAAAAACJo/-77TjIsk1dg/s800/DSC_3334.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S8CQ93ehKNI/AAAAAAAACJo/-77TjIsk1dg/s200/DSC_3334.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-37919660563843840192010-04-09T17:09:00.000-07:002010-04-10T07:54:25.873-07:00Around Lijiang<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CGxfIj7I/AAAAAAAACIY/lzKe-lroXWk/s1600/DSC_3143.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Monk" alt="Monk" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CGxfIj7I/AAAAAAAACIY/lzKe-lroXWk/s200/DSC_3143.jpg" /></a>I'm so sore! I rented a bicycle today and biked around <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_of_Lijiang">Lijiang</a>. I should have taken it for a test ride first, as the seat was most uncomfortable. I'm having trouble sitting today. Other than that it was a wonderful day.<br /><br />My first stop was the Fuguo Monastery. It was purely coincidental, as I meant to go to the Baisha Village and got lost. The guidebook described Fuguo as nothing but ruins, destroyed by the earthquake that struck the area in 1996. I figured it would at least have good views. As I biked up a seemingly never-ending hill, I was starting to have second thoughts about seeing it.<br /><br />When I got there, I noticed there were no ruins; the temple seems to be getting rebuilt. I decided to check out the farm house that was next to it. As I approached it, before I even got off my bike, an old man ran out of the farm house screaming "Nice to meet you!" He grabbed my bike and started walking off with it. I followed curiously. He set it against the wall and waved me inside the house.<br /><br />Inside the house, he offered me a seat at a table and brought out some tea. Looking around, I noticed that the farm house seemed transformed into a make-shift temple and the old man was a monk. After a couple of cups of tea, he gave me some incense to light and started praying. I knew he would ask me to donate some money and normally I would have stopped him, but I was happy to donate as not only did he give me tea, but I also got some neat photos from the whole thing.<br /><br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CIgb6niI/AAAAAAAACIg/5t04Lp3jr5g/s1600/DSC_3157.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CIgb6niI/AAAAAAAACIg/5t04Lp3jr5g/s200/DSC_3157.jpg" /></a>Just next to the Fuguo Monastery, I noticed a little peak with a whole bunch of prayer flags. I locked up my bike and hiked up to it. As I got higher, I noticed the flags were everywhere! It made me wonder if this was done sometime after the earthquake. From the top I had some nice views of the valley and Lijiang.<br /><br />Afterwards I rode to the Baisha Village and the Jade Peak Monastery (Yufeng Si). The village offered an insight into the daily grind of the Naxi People. Jade Peak Monastery was neat too as it seemed to be more of a Tibetan type, which prayer wheels all over the place. The highlight of the day was definitely my Fuguo Monastery experience.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Lijiang in the morning: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CA3KhuCI/AAAAAAAACIE/bWSAsJjl80w/s1600/DSC_3123.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CA3KhuCI/AAAAAAAACIE/bWSAsJjl80w/s144/DSC_3123.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CCcKLD5I/AAAAAAAACII/dKLU_k4nxIk/s1600/DSC_3129.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CCcKLD5I/AAAAAAAACII/dKLU_k4nxIk/s144/DSC_3129.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Fuguo Monastery: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CEq7v0TI/AAAAAAAACIQ/lC0RICKaF2I/s1600/DSC_3138.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CEq7v0TI/AAAAAAAACIQ/lC0RICKaF2I/s144/DSC_3138.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CF-Wa1dI/AAAAAAAACIU/1mQaPmZ_YA8/s1600/DSC_3142.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CF-Wa1dI/AAAAAAAACIU/1mQaPmZ_YA8/s144/DSC_3142.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CH1z5UhI/AAAAAAAACIc/0_wMzO6jfAA/s1600/DSC_3144.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CH1z5UhI/AAAAAAAACIc/0_wMzO6jfAA/s144/DSC_3144.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Views of the valley: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CDnKyxQI/AAAAAAAACIM/V3X7bqyeQWo/s1600/DSC_3136.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CDnKyxQI/AAAAAAAACIM/V3X7bqyeQWo/s144/DSC_3136.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Jade Peak Monastery</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CJuQuEkI/AAAAAAAACIk/zTwXy6BL2XI/s1600/DSC_3176.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CJuQuEkI/AAAAAAAACIk/zTwXy6BL2XI/s144/DSC_3176.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CK2NYNfI/AAAAAAAACIo/JdRGkDGBcNw/s1600/DSC_3181.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CK2NYNfI/AAAAAAAACIo/JdRGkDGBcNw/s144/DSC_3181.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CLqkQrfI/AAAAAAAACIs/2rwHyEr6yCg/s1600/DSC_3182.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7_CLqkQrfI/AAAAAAAACIs/2rwHyEr6yCg/s144/DSC_3182.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-45170874865771949412010-04-08T10:32:00.000-07:002010-04-08T10:38:26.386-07:00Lijiang, Yunnan<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74P1eTjlYI/AAAAAAAACGY/8Mjrq72LRm4/s1600/DSC_2999.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="View from the plane" alt="View from the plane" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74P1eTjlYI/AAAAAAAACGY/8Mjrq72LRm4/s200/DSC_2999.jpg" /></a>I’m in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijiang_City">Lijiang</a> now. I flew over from Chengdu and wow, what amazing landscape! I was glued to the airplane window the whole way over. It’s quite mountainous and although quite developed, it doesn’t seem as modern.<br /><br />The appeal of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijiang_City">Lijiang</a> is supposed to be its “old town,” situated near naturally occurring springs which are channeled via waterways running parallel to the narrow cobblestone streets. Overlooking the town is the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Dragon_Snow_Mountain">Jade Dragon Snow Mountain</a> (5,596m), which makes an appearance in most town photos.<br /><br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QNsD19kI/AAAAAAAACGw/JG2NORXdsIo/s1600/DSC_3056.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" title="Naxi cowboy" alt="Naxi cowboy" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QNsD19kI/AAAAAAAACGw/JG2NORXdsIo/s200/DSC_3056.jpg" /></a>The town is home to the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxi_people">Naxi</a> people, who have a unique language, customs and even a pictograph writing system. Though the latter was mostly used for religious purposes and has all but disappeared.<br /><br />Right after I checked in, I went to walk among the streets. While it’s quite pretty, I think there’s very little that’s old. The whole town is somewhat of a shopping mall and is overrun by mostly Chinese tourists. I had little motivation to take pictures of the much commercialized “old town” and instead just walked around sampling food and taking in the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxi_people">Naxi</a> culture.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" >Lijiang streets:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74P2mRFhSI/AAAAAAAACGc/UZjCsY3pl-w/s1600/DSC_3005.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Lijiang streets" alt="Lijiang streets" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74P2mRFhSI/AAAAAAAACGc/UZjCsY3pl-w/s200/DSC_3005.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QSSs7maI/AAAAAAAACHA/b973ot6u2jQ/s1600/DSC_3118.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Lijiang streets" alt="Lijiang streets" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QSSs7maI/AAAAAAAACHA/b973ot6u2jQ/s200/DSC_3118.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" >Lijiang food:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QRC6ZrfI/AAAAAAAACG8/oYZEkgmtGhg/s1600/DSC_3096.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Lijiang food" alt="Lijiang food" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QRC6ZrfI/AAAAAAAACG8/oYZEkgmtGhg/s200/DSC_3096.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QP_J72vI/AAAAAAAACG4/S9RsKMIIqC8/s1600/DSC_3094.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Lijiang food" alt="Lijiang food" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QP_J72vI/AAAAAAAACG4/S9RsKMIIqC8/s200/DSC_3094.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74P4d1sV2I/AAAAAAAACGk/3GNr8QS4VmE/s1600/DSC_3027.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Dried Yak Meat" alt="Dried Yak Meat" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74P4d1sV2I/AAAAAAAACGk/3GNr8QS4VmE/s200/DSC_3027.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74P3TgXsFI/AAAAAAAACGg/tqkN2Hl_CUY/s1600/DSC_3025.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Lijiang food" alt="Lijiang food" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74P3TgXsFI/AAAAAAAACGg/tqkN2Hl_CUY/s200/DSC_3025.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" >Naxi people: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QEKknV5I/AAAAAAAACGo/9N_e1tdUMGg/s1600/DSC_3047.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Naxi people" alt="Naxi people" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QEKknV5I/AAAAAAAACGo/9N_e1tdUMGg/s200/DSC_3047.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" >Jade Dragon Stone Mountain: </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QOptjuPI/AAAAAAAACG0/TCkqFHiykmQ/s1600/DSC_3088.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Jade Dragon Snow Mountain" alt="Jade Dragon Snow Mountain" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S74QOptjuPI/AAAAAAAACG0/TCkqFHiykmQ/s200/DSC_3088.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-44395980374114618562010-04-07T09:43:00.000-07:002010-04-07T10:22:15.351-07:00Chengdu Pandas<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2Fm5QkaI/AAAAAAAACFU/37QwiffKzTg/s1600/DSC_2875.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Feeding time in the morning" alt="Feeding time in the morning" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2Fm5QkaI/AAAAAAAACFU/37QwiffKzTg/s200/DSC_2875.jpg" /></a>It’s a very rainy day in <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu">Chengdu</a>. I had hoped to fly out of here to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijiang_City">Lijiang</a> right away, but lack of cheap flights meant staying here one more day. There isn’t much to see around Chengdu. It’s a fairly modern city. <br /><br />Thirty kilometers from town is a world famous <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu_Research_Base_of_Giant_Panda_Breeding">panda research facility</a>, which also functions as a panda zoo. I wasn’t going to make a stop there, but with a day to kill, I decided to check it out.<br /><br />It wasn’t too bad. I don’t know if there are many places that have as many pandas to see. They are also in open enclosures only a few feet away. For a thousand yuan ($150), they will even let you hold a young panda. For one-hundred yuan you can settle for a red panda. While they are pretty cute and this was tempting, I thought it was probably not a good thing for the animal so I passed on the offer.<br /><br />The rest of my day I spent walking around Chengdu. I went hunting for dumplings and found a street vendor serving them for a real good price. For four yuan ($0.60) I got ten steamed dumplings. They were delicious. Later I came across some skewered food and filled up on some pork and chicken on a stick. It was so good!<br /><br /><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2SIjW-RI/AAAAAAAACF0/HmvyqHKLuX8/s1600/DSC_2992.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" title="Rockies poster" alt="Rockies poster" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2SIjW-RI/AAAAAAAACF0/HmvyqHKLuX8/s200/DSC_2992.jpg" /></a>While waiting for my skewered meat to cook, I noticed a poster for “mineral water” that featured the Rockies and a Canadian train. I recognized <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Temple_(Alberta)">Mount Temple</a> right away. I highly doubt the water they’re supplying comes from the Rockies. Coincidently it’s the same water I’ve been buying during my stay in Chengdu. Now I’m a little suspicious. Perhaps my Mandarin speaking friends can help me figure out what this poster says?<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" >Giant panda:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2G2xH5HI/AAAAAAAACFY/ttjqANGoD8o/s1600/DSC_2878.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Older pandas are pretty lazy" alt="Older pandas are pretty lazy" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2G2xH5HI/AAAAAAAACFY/ttjqANGoD8o/s200/DSC_2878.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2JH0NZhI/AAAAAAAACFc/dHlggFwn3eM/s1600/DSC_2901.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Panda eating bamboo" alt="Panda eating bamboo" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2JH0NZhI/AAAAAAAACFc/dHlggFwn3eM/s200/DSC_2901.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2KNDfAaI/AAAAAAAACFg/FkD8EtYmRmA/s1600/DSC_2943.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Pandas playing" alt="Pandas playing" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2KNDfAaI/AAAAAAAACFg/FkD8EtYmRmA/s200/DSC_2943.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" >Red panda:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2LHx-ZwI/AAAAAAAACFk/3unqXuh3r7I/s1600/DSC_2972.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Red panda" alt="Red panda" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2LHx-ZwI/AAAAAAAACFk/3unqXuh3r7I/s200/DSC_2972.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2MAR_8CI/AAAAAAAACFo/dM68odAUsoI/s1600/DSC_2982.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Red panda" alt="Red panda" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2MAR_8CI/AAAAAAAACFo/dM68odAUsoI/s200/DSC_2982.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" >Park in Chengdu:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2Od7w9kI/AAAAAAAACFs/TusuBKLGdjE/s1600/DSC_2987.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="A park in Chengdu" alt="A park in Chengdu" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2Od7w9kI/AAAAAAAACFs/TusuBKLGdjE/s200/DSC_2987.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" >Delicious street food:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2Q2muF2I/AAAAAAAACFw/qiuIlT9k1kw/s1600/DSC_2991.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Skewered food" alt="Skewered food" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2Q2muF2I/AAAAAAAACFw/qiuIlT9k1kw/s200/DSC_2991.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;" ><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2TfbfqII/AAAAAAAACF4/uhqECuqVNkU/s1600/DSC_2993.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Dumplings" alt="Dumplings" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7y2TfbfqII/AAAAAAAACF4/uhqECuqVNkU/s200/DSC_2993.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-77018327212141160322010-04-06T08:59:00.000-07:002010-04-07T02:55:20.644-07:00Evil Monkeys of Emei Shan<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZZqSpowI/AAAAAAAACEA/6SB3fBL2Hsc/s1600/DSC_2722.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Qingyin Pavillion" alt="Qingyin Pavillion" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZZqSpowI/AAAAAAAACEA/6SB3fBL2Hsc/s200/DSC_2722.jpg" /></a>Roosters were still crowing and the weather was on the cool side when I left my hostel this morning. The plan was to hike a good portion of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Emei">Emei Shan</a>. The trail I had in mind would take me exactly to where I started yesterday, so in effect I would have hiked the entire mountain. More importantly, that trail passed the Qingyin Pavillion, which was in the set of photos I saw of China that inspired this trip. <br /><br />I was going at a pretty good pace until I got to the Qingyin Pavillion. There I was not only stopped by the gazebo that I wanted to photograph, but also by some amazing rock carvings and a pretty waterfall. I must have spent an hour just taking photos in that location.<br /><br />As I continued up, I realized it was going to be a very long day. I think hiking rock carved steps is harder than hiking on a dirt trail; I was really starting to feel my calves and knees. <br /><br /><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZqOAoEiI/AAAAAAAACEc/7sg0oUcZ_5c/s1600/DSC_2819.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" title="Tibetan Macaques" alt="Tibetan Macaques" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZqOAoEiI/AAAAAAAACEc/7sg0oUcZ_5c/s200/DSC_2819.jpg" /></a>The mountain is home to many <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Macaque">Tibetan Macaques</a>. I passed by a number of signs warning that there would be wild monkeys on the trail and that you should be traveling with partners. Also, the locals suggest you carry a bamboo stick or a slingshot as a way of warding them off. I had neither and I really didn’t think the monkeys would be a problem.<br /><br />They’re not that big, but some are pretty aggressive and have giant teeth. I walked passed a few without any problems, but one chose to grab my pants and seemed to want to climb up my leg. It also started making hissing sounds and showing its teeth. A lady who was nearby warded it off with her bamboo stick. This made me a bit intimidated. I think they just got used to people being passive and scared of them. <br /><br />During my next monkey encounter, I decided to try something different. A big one noticed me and started walking towards me, so in an effort to scare it I ran towards it. It changed its path and circled around me. When it was behind me it started approaching me again. I turned around as it circled me. It showed me its teeth and started hissing so, I did the same to it. It turned around and walked away! <br /><br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZlud8VEI/AAAAAAAACEQ/YjjxeSRszf0/s1600/DSC_2787.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Views from about a quarter of the way up" alt="Views from about a quarter of the way up" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZlud8VEI/AAAAAAAACEQ/YjjxeSRszf0/s200/DSC_2787.jpg" /></a>I didn’t have any monkey encounters after that, but I had a very long hike, with over 2,000 meters of elevation gain on seemingly never-ending steps. It also started to snow and I ran out of water. Running out of things was not a bit deal on this trail as there are a lot of food stands, I just had to haggle for a reasonable price. <br /><br />When I finally reached my destination, I was so relieved! It was great exercise and great scenery, but much too long. I feel quite worn out and will be taking it easy tomorrow.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Qingyin Pavillion:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZXeOXpbI/AAAAAAAACD8/qvczyA5CHCM/s1600/DSC_2687.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Qingyin Pavillion" alt="Qingyin Pavillion" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZXeOXpbI/AAAAAAAACD8/qvczyA5CHCM/s200/DSC_2687.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZcMFHlFI/AAAAAAAACEE/u_jypkuwOO8/s1600/DSC_2741.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Stone carvings at Qingyin Pavillion" alt="Stone carvings at Qingyin Pavillion" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZcMFHlFI/AAAAAAAACEE/u_jypkuwOO8/s200/DSC_2741.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZf1hLymI/AAAAAAAACEI/6bHtXUJCjPQ/s1600/DSC_2759.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Waterfall at Qingyin Pavillion" alt="Waterfall at Qingyin Pavillion" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZf1hLymI/AAAAAAAACEI/6bHtXUJCjPQ/s200/DSC_2759.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Tibetan Macaques (evil monkeys): </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZheS4b6I/AAAAAAAACEM/4Jil_NSKy08/s1600/DSC_2774.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Tibetan Macaques" alt="Tibetan Macaques" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZheS4b6I/AAAAAAAACEM/4Jil_NSKy08/s200/DSC_2774.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZo-5KLsI/AAAAAAAACEY/YdfPgFyUp58/s1600/DSC_2816.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Tibetan Macaques" alt="Tibetan Macaques" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZo-5KLsI/AAAAAAAACEY/YdfPgFyUp58/s200/DSC_2816.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Goods for the food stands:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZnyjvY1I/AAAAAAAACEU/15cPLI9_yBI/s1600/DSC_2794.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Goods for the food stands" alt="Goods for the food stands" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZnyjvY1I/AAAAAAAACEU/15cPLI9_yBI/s200/DSC_2794.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Xianfeng Tempe (1752m): </div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZs9wms3I/AAAAAAAACEg/CJl4FHnuFlc/s1600/DSC_2832.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Xianfeng Temple" alt="Xianfeng Temple" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZs9wms3I/AAAAAAAACEg/CJl4FHnuFlc/s200/DSC_2832.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Elephant Bathing Pool Temple (2070m):</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZvqzHw1I/AAAAAAAACEk/8ALiH7NG9sU/s1600/DSC_2838.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Elephant Bathing Pool Temple" alt="Elephant Bathing Pool Temple" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZvqzHw1I/AAAAAAAACEk/8ALiH7NG9sU/s200/DSC_2838.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZ-l-IonI/AAAAAAAACEs/KKH5WbpocO0/s1600/DSC_2839.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Elephant Bathing Pool" alt="Elephant Bathing Pool" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZ-l-IonI/AAAAAAAACEs/KKH5WbpocO0/s200/DSC_2839.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Views near my destination:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZ_8zlaZI/AAAAAAAACEw/A3B8Z9X1mxY/s1600/DSC_2843.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="The view near my destination" alt="The view near my destination" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7tZ_8zlaZI/AAAAAAAACEw/A3B8Z9X1mxY/s200/DSC_2843.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-48886252283599155432010-04-05T13:52:00.000-07:002010-04-05T14:08:27.214-07:00Emei Shan<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEFX8LVxI/AAAAAAAACCA/d8Vy-1-78Jg/s1600/DSC_2557.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Misty cliffs" alt="Misty cliffs" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEFX8LVxI/AAAAAAAACCA/d8Vy-1-78Jg/s200/DSC_2557.jpg" /></a>Today I spent most of the day on the bus and on <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Emei">Emei Shan</a>, one of the four famous Buddhist mountains. I wasn’t completely sure what I was going to do here. My original plan was to do just part of the mountain and not go to the summit. The mountain is not very high, but it’s quite spread out, so I didn’t think I’d have time to hike to the summit. However, on the bus I met some people who were also going to Emei Shan and were planning to take a two hour bus ride up the mountain to get near the summit. I decided to do the same thing.<br /><br />From where we were dropped off, we had about 650 meters of elevation gain to get to the top. It was quite foggy and it seemed unlikely that we would have any views from the top. The forecast called for rain.<br /><br />I set out at a pretty good pace and I found it to be quite a work out. There were stairs all the way to the top and for me this was more challenging than just a hiking path. But still, it didn’t take long to get to the summit. It’s known as the Golden Summit (3077 m), because of the brass clad <a target="_blank" href="http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_travel/2003-09/24/content_32414.htm">Jinding Temple</a> (Golden Temple) at the top.<br /><br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEtJ4KCYI/AAAAAAAACCU/e3395CNm5HI/s1600/DSC_2598.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" title="Golden Summit" alt="Golden Summit" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEtJ4KCYI/AAAAAAAACCU/e3395CNm5HI/s200/DSC_2598.jpg" /></a>Once I was at the top, I was absolutely in awe. It was not only clear, but the huge statue of <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantabhadra">Bodhisattva Samantabhadra</a> was quite a sight. There were hundreds of people, some pilgrims some tourists. From the cliffs a sea of clouds spread out as far as the eye could see. I was so glad I made the decision to go to the top.<br /><br />After taking some photos, I sat down for lunch and waited for my bus friends to catch up. Tonight I’m staying in the town at the base of the mountain and will explore a few more hiking trails tomorrow.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Starting out the hike with Momo, Eric, Jason & Kathryn:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pDhSf-hZI/AAAAAAAACB4/4YGWls33to4/s1600/DSC_2553.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Hiking with Momo, Eric, Jason and Kathryn" alt="Hiking with Momo, Eric, Jason and Kathryn" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pDhSf-hZI/AAAAAAAACB4/4YGWls33to4/s200/DSC_2553.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pD_1uT7dI/AAAAAAAACB8/8Ugu5KOQFM4/s1600/DSC_2555.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Misty cliffs" alt="Misty cliffs" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pD_1uT7dI/AAAAAAAACB8/8Ugu5KOQFM4/s200/DSC_2555.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Jieyin Temple (2540 m):</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEJumBswI/AAAAAAAACCE/g59GW-pJt-w/s1600/DSC_2569.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Jieyin Temple" alt="Jieyin Temple" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEJumBswI/AAAAAAAACCE/g59GW-pJt-w/s200/DSC_2569.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEUh8dhCI/AAAAAAAACCI/uwrq_mrbxHU/s1600/DSC_2580.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="A few shelters along the way" alt="A few shelters along the way" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEUh8dhCI/AAAAAAAACCI/uwrq_mrbxHU/s200/DSC_2580.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Sea of Clouds:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEnNc4-5I/AAAAAAAACCQ/-0smiRbBPik/s1600/DSC_2583.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Sea of Clouds" alt="Sea of Clouds" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEnNc4-5I/AAAAAAAACCQ/-0smiRbBPik/s200/DSC_2583.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (aka Puxian):</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEwyVkvpI/AAAAAAAACCY/2l_rtZv9eww/s1600/DSC_2603.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Bodhisattva Samantabhadra" alt="Bodhisattva Samantabhadra" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pEwyVkvpI/AAAAAAAACCY/2l_rtZv9eww/s200/DSC_2603.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pE2tomW5I/AAAAAAAACCc/6kj2KImA8vs/s1600/DSC_2615.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Candles at the Golden Summit" alt="Candles at the Golden Summit" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pE2tomW5I/AAAAAAAACCc/6kj2KImA8vs/s200/DSC_2615.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Jingding (Golden) Temple:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pE8XhMK3I/AAAAAAAACCg/s0CykrQnHfc/s1600/DSC_2623.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Jinding Temple" alt="Jinding Temple" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pE8XhMK3I/AAAAAAAACCg/s0CykrQnHfc/s200/DSC_2623.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Sheshen Cliffs:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pE_zeDhmI/AAAAAAAACCk/ueEgbw_dFYM/s1600/DSC_2635.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Sheshen Cliffs" alt="Sheshen Cliffs" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7pE_zeDhmI/AAAAAAAACCk/ueEgbw_dFYM/s200/DSC_2635.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-68216065879024747542010-04-04T07:41:00.000-07:002010-04-04T13:33:54.895-07:00What to do in Chengdu<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jo_zG4QpI/AAAAAAAACA0/Fl4MsSVOLlc/s1600/DSC_2460.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Wenshu Yuan" alt="Wenshu Yuan" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jo_zG4QpI/AAAAAAAACA0/Fl4MsSVOLlc/s200/DSC_2460.jpg" /></a>I almost missed my flight to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu">Chengdu</a> this morning. I was supposed to leave my Bejing hotel at about 5:30 am and set my alarm for 4:30 am so that I would have enough time to pack. I woke up without an alarm, decided to check the time and noticed it was 5:15 am. The alarm I set was for 4:30 pm! I quickly got out of bed, packed my things and showered by the time I received a phone call from reception to notify me that my airport taxi was waiting.<br /><br />The flight itself was only two hours. I started up a conversation with the man next to me, once I realized he spoke a little English. He moved to Beijing from Chengdu for work. He was telling me that a lot of people only get a week of paid vacation in China. After ten years you get two. That seemed pretty bad, I wonder if it's true. As we approached Chengdu, I could make out some extremely high mountains in the distance. The <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himalayas">Himalayas</a> perhaps?<br /><br />I got to the hostel, put my things in the room and went sight-seeing. I went to the nearby <a target="_blank" href="http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/sichuan/chengdu/wenshu_monastery.htm">Wenshu Yuan</a>, a Buddhist monastery. It wasn't too big and I got through it fairly quickly. There were a lot of monks, tourists, people praying and some just taking advantage of the quiet park within the monastery walls. I took a few pictures then sat down for a meal at one of the restaurants within the monastery's grounds. A vegetarian restaurant serving dishes that would normally be done with meat. In some photos on the menu, they even shaped the ingredients to look like meat. I enjoyed a <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan">Sichuan</a> style soup, which wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be. <br /><br /><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jpsU20AsI/AAAAAAAACA8/EsJAJABoTHc/s1600/DSC_2499.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" title="Sichuan soup" alt="Sichuan soup" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jpsU20AsI/AAAAAAAACA8/EsJAJABoTHc/s200/DSC_2499.jpg" /></a>Right in front of the monastery there is a kind of reconstruction of an old Chinese town. A China town? It seemed to be an amusement park of sorts, with locals eating candy, playing games and buying useless trinkets. It was all a bit odd. To get back to my hostel, I took a few back streets and went through a nice little street market. <br /><br />When I got back to the hostel and realized I forgot the cable for my netbook in Beijing. I was too rushed when I packed. At first I was quite upset and a bit stressed. I really didn't like the thought of having to carry a dead computer in my backpack for the rest of my trip. Also, I like keeping my blog going and without the netbook I would have to use internet cafes. That's what I've done in the past and it's a lot more effort, time and money. I got a little mad at myself for not checking the room over before I left, but decided to calm down and just see if I could find a cable locally. <br /><br />Explaining my problem to the reception at the hostel, they showed me an area on the other side of town that had a lot of computer stores. I hoped into a taxi, pointed on the map and I was off. The taxi dropped me off right in front of a computer store. I went in and within minutes they had my netbook hooked up and ready to go. They only charged me fifteen dollars for a new cable! I was so relieved.<br /><br />Staying at this hostel is quite nice. The staff is extremely informative and there are a lot of travelers coming through. Sitting in the lobby is just like watching the world come to you. I talked to a girl from Israel, a couple from England, some folks from Australia and Japan, it was quite nice. I think tomorrow I'm off to <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emei_Shan">Emei Shan</a> to do some hiking and perhaps stay a night on the mountain.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Wenshu Yuan (Buddhist monestary):</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7joWHDZJXI/AAAAAAAACAo/nR1uCm5DUFA/s1600/DSC_2453.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Door decoration" alt="Door decoration" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7joWHDZJXI/AAAAAAAACAo/nR1uCm5DUFA/s200/DSC_2453.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jolYmg9rI/AAAAAAAACAs/H1kqWLW-zmo/s1600/DSC_2457.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Corridors" alt="Corridors" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jolYmg9rI/AAAAAAAACAs/H1kqWLW-zmo/s200/DSC_2457.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7josnp9eJI/AAAAAAAACAw/zWdtEl3G7sM/s1600/DSC_2459.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Monestary structure" alt="Monestary structure" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7josnp9eJI/AAAAAAAACAw/zWdtEl3G7sM/s200/DSC_2459.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jpToY5NsI/AAAAAAAACA4/USWuevcthj4/s1600/DSC_2482.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Monestary structure" alt="Monestary structure" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jpToY5NsI/AAAAAAAACA4/USWuevcthj4/s200/DSC_2482.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jqjuU7G7I/AAAAAAAACBE/SgoXYDGuxkg/s1600/DSC_2512.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="People playing chess in the garden" alt="People playing chess in the garden" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jqjuU7G7I/AAAAAAAACBE/SgoXYDGuxkg/s200/DSC_2512.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jqrf2cEKI/AAAAAAAACBI/hUOL9AjavCQ/s1600/DSC_2522.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Monastery library" alt="Monastery library" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jqrf2cEKI/AAAAAAAACBI/hUOL9AjavCQ/s200/DSC_2522.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Outside the monastery:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jq8haUnXI/AAAAAAAACBM/33IMGTz0fLY/s1600/DSC_2543.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Reconstructed Chinese town" alt="Reconstructed Chinese town" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jq8haUnXI/AAAAAAAACBM/33IMGTz0fLY/s200/DSC_2543.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Street market:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jrC5QnJHI/AAAAAAAACBQ/A62XwQ9e8zE/s1600/DSC_2548.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Street market" alt="Street market" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jrC5QnJHI/AAAAAAAACBQ/A62XwQ9e8zE/s200/DSC_2548.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jrTTTdKFI/AAAAAAAACBU/tcXhO0NTt0c/s1600/DSC_2550.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Street market" alt="Street market" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7jrTTTdKFI/AAAAAAAACBU/tcXhO0NTt0c/s200/DSC_2550.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8109784285766388854.post-55840991757164449892010-04-03T05:49:00.000-07:002010-04-03T05:53:09.504-07:00Summer Palace<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cw67L-nRI/AAAAAAAAB94/U2MhWUDCy2s/s1600/DSC_2215.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Suzhou Street" alt="Suzhou Street" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cw67L-nRI/AAAAAAAAB94/U2MhWUDCy2s/s200/DSC_2215.jpg" /></a>I've changed my plans a bit. The whole train thing was giving me a bit of a headache. So rather than heading to the places I mentioned in my previous blog and making my way south, I've decided to take a flight as far south as I want to go and then head north. I've chosen <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chengdu">Chengdu</a> as my destination. I read a little bit about it, probably won't be staying there for two long. I'll use it as a base for a couple of days. The weather will be much warmer too and it'll get warmer as I head back north. Though it looks like there might be rain waiting for me when I arrive. My flight is tomorrow.<br /><br />I used the time today to check out the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace">Summer Palace</a>, in the northwest area of Beijing. It's a pretty huge area and I spent the entire day walking around it. I entered through the north, made my way over a hill, through a number of buddhist temples, then down the hill to the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming_Lake">Kunming Lake</a> and over to the South Lake Island. The area is quite pretty and quite bit. I managed to cover just half of it. Just like in the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbidden_City">Forbidden City</a>, there were thousands of tourists. Often shoulder to shoulder squeezing through corridors. Sometimes it seems the people just go with the crowd, unsure of where they're going. I've noticed that when I aim my camera at something bizarre, soon everyone behind me starts looking in the same direction and taking pictures of the same thing. <br /><br /><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxF-zW4vI/AAAAAAAAB94/V5miL2dvGDY/s1600/DSC_2271.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="righty" title="Longevity Hill" alt="Longevity Hill" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxF-zW4vI/AAAAAAAAB94/V5miL2dvGDY/s200/DSC_2271.jpg" /></a>I had a couple of delicious meals today. Finally decided to check out some restaurants. Both times I had a beef noodle soup. One was pretty plain and the other quite spicy. I wasn't sure how to order what I wanted, so I just pointed to a pictures they had on the wall or in the menu. Either way, I'm starting to feel a little more brave with going into restaurants.<br /><br />I got around primarily with the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Subway">Beijing Subway</a>. I have to say I'm so impressed with it. I've never experienced city transportation that's so intuitive and efficient. The trains come within three minutes, so usually there's one right when you get there. It costs about thirty cents and you can transfer to eight or more lines without paying anything extra or leaving the subway. It'll get you to pretty much every part of the city. It's quite clean too, though most of the city is suprisingly well kept. I barely noticed any garbage on the streets when I walked around. I wonder how much of that is due to the Olympics. The city government put a lot of money into teaching people certain manners. Posters and videos are still all over the city showing people to line up, not to spit or litter, to give up seats to the elderly and I even saw a video in form of a cartoon showing that groping others on the train is not appropriate. <br /><br />I've got to start writing these blogs when I'm not so tired. I've dozed off a few times during the previous entries. Time to get some sleep.<br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Suzhou Street at the north entrance of the Summer Palace:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cw_q7Mu7I/AAAAAAAAB94/l6nUWC4Cb9A/s1600/DSC_2236.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Suzhou Street" alt="Suzhou Street" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cw_q7Mu7I/AAAAAAAAB94/l6nUWC4Cb9A/s200/DSC_2236.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">North side of Longevity Hill:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxBYNolhI/AAAAAAAAB94/4LT4zAzEpBc/s1600/DSC_2266.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Longevity Hill" alt="Longevity Hill" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxBYNolhI/AAAAAAAAB94/4LT4zAzEpBc/s200/DSC_2266.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Inside one of the temples:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxo_4NH-I/AAAAAAAAB94/OR_k3VH9Oo4/s1600/DSC_2280.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Sacred statue on Longevity Hill" alt="Sacred statue on Longevity Hill" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxo_4NH-I/AAAAAAAAB94/OR_k3VH9Oo4/s200/DSC_2280.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">One of many paintings on the wooden beams of the Long Corridor:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxr3nD53I/AAAAAAAAB94/ZnEtEUDiZdk/s1600/DSC_2318.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Long Corridor beam paintings" alt="Long Corridor beam paintings" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxr3nD53I/AAAAAAAAB94/ZnEtEUDiZdk/s200/DSC_2318.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">The Marble Boat:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxt4BgGEI/AAAAAAAAB94/OZaBaf1EE1Q/s1600/DSC_2326.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Marble Boat" alt="Marble Boat" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxt4BgGEI/AAAAAAAAB94/OZaBaf1EE1Q/s200/DSC_2326.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Buddhist Fragrance Pavilion:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxv_t3obI/AAAAAAAAB94/6UbikUj7CMM/s1600/DSC_2335.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Fragrance Pavilion" alt="Fragrance Pavilion" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxv_t3obI/AAAAAAAAB94/6UbikUj7CMM/s200/DSC_2335.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">Kunming Lake:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxyGx8sZI/AAAAAAAAB94/IE1mcG1s7Wc/s1600/DSC_2341.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Kunming Lake from Fragrance Pavilion" alt="Kunming Lake from Fragrance Pavilion" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cxyGx8sZI/AAAAAAAAB94/IE1mcG1s7Wc/s200/DSC_2341.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;">South Lake Island:</div><br /><div style="clear: both; display: block;"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cx3J_TOTI/AAAAAAAAB94/Zbt5ETZqbAI/s1600/DSC_2445.jpg" target="_blank"><img class="lefty" title="Bridge to South Lake Island" alt="Bridge to South Lake Island" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_0ZcR59JQMW0/S7cx3J_TOTI/AAAAAAAAB94/Zbt5ETZqbAI/s200/DSC_2445.jpg" /></a></div>Markohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04925308436067950982noreply@blogger.com8