After a little more than 2 months on the road, I've made it back to Hong Kong completely intact. Although HK is still technically part of the trip, in my mind, the trip is over. The next six days in Hong Kong are just going to be days of relaxation and reccuperation. No travel plans to arrange, no pressing schedule to meet. The only things on the agenda are: 1. Get a LONG needed haircut; 2. See my friend Eunice (aka Eu-Eu); 3. Do some hiking on some of Hong Kong's fabulous trails, and maybe hit the beach; 4. Hang out with my grandma.
It's bittersweet to be back here....I know I last wrote about being exhausted both mentally and physically, but at the same time, there's nothing quite like the high that you get from traveling. I've learned a lot in the last nine weeks, both about the art of travel, and also, a lot having to do with the difficulties of conducting field research. If anything, traveling in China has definitely taught me patience!
China is a really fascinating place to visit. It hasn't been an easy travel destination, a la Europe, but it has been a rewarding one. It requires a lot of work and effort to get around alone (as opposed to being on a tour), especially if you don't have the language skills. A lot of the stereotypes about China and Chinese people carry a grain of truth, but a lot of them don't hold any water whatsoever. I've been the beneficiary of a lot of generosity and patience from many Chinese people along the way.
I'm happy to report that I've also picked up quite a bit of Mandarin, which is fantastic, because that was definitely a goal. I've always complained that one of the weaknesses of language instruction at UofT is the strong emphasis on reading and grammar, and not nearly enough attention on actual speaking and listening, which I feel is the most important aspect of learning a language. I think that the next few days here in HK will be difficult, because whatever little Cantonese I ever spoke has been completely replaced by Mandarin. Thank goodness English is so widely spoken here....
My last two days in China were quite pleasant. The actual bus ride from Shangri-La to Kunming was a bit of a butt-breaker, but Kunming itself was a surprisingly nice city. It's the only Chinese city I visited where the sky was actually clear and blue. Kunming doesn't have a whole lot to offer in terms of tourist sites, but it has a sweet urban culture that makes it a nice city to walk around. The hostel I stayed at was great. My roommates for the night were two Israelis who turned out to be a lot of fun, and more importantly, didn't snore!
And so the adventure has come to an end....
Monday, August 20, 2007
One More Thing
An interesting article published by the New York Times that is actually very closely related to what I'm studying....
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/world/asia/16tibet.html?_r=1&ref=asia&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/world/asia/16tibet.html?_r=1&ref=asia&oref=slogin
Alright boys and girls, this is probably it for posts from Mainland China. I'm leaving Shangri-La in a couple of hours, heading to Kunming by bus (a nice, short 13 hours away), and will then hop on a plane bound for Shenzen, and then will taking the KCR or turbojet back to Hong Kong...total travel time is probably around 2 days. I
'm exhausted....for the last two nights, my roommate has been a Chinese guy who just doesn't seem to have an off button. From the moment you walk into the room, it's just chatter chatter chatter. I probably only understand half of what he's saying, but that seems to be enough to encourage him to keep talking. The only way to get him to shut up is to say "wo shui jiao" (I'm going to sleep)....and then cover my head with the blanket, and secretly put on my headphones and listen to music for the rest of the night, enjoying the relative peace and silence.
In any case, chatty roommate notwithstanding, I think I'm reaching the point of traveler's burnout. It's only been a little over two months, but I'm just mentally and physically exhausted. I've met a bunch of people who have been traveling for several months, and I'm in awe of their seemingly boundless energy. I feel like such a bad traveler.
China highlights?
1. Horse trekking in Sichuan
2. Beijing...finally climbing the Great Wall, and also meeting a couple of really interesting and inspiring Americans.
3. Cheap food....delicious food...spicy food....cheap food....giant bowls of steaming hot soup noodles for 3 yuan (less than 50 cents!!)?? Unheard of!
4. Bus/train rides through some really beautiful parts of the country, especially Sichuan and Yunnan.
5. Playing with a baby panda in Chengdu.
6. Meeting super friendly and kind Chinese people.
China lowlights?
1. Getting puked on.
2. Dealing with the ridiculousness that can be China...long "line ups" that are really just crowds of pushing and shoving people (especially at train/bus stations/post office)....really really grumpy customer service....etc, etc...
3. Hidden fees, getting ripped off because you're a foreigner.
4. The total non-existence of personal space....is this your seat? good, cause you're sharing it with me!
5. Endless rain...it is, after all, the rainy season here.
6. Snoring roommates...obnoxious roommates....
Alright, farewell from the Motherland...when next I write, it'll probably be from censor-free HK!
'm exhausted....for the last two nights, my roommate has been a Chinese guy who just doesn't seem to have an off button. From the moment you walk into the room, it's just chatter chatter chatter. I probably only understand half of what he's saying, but that seems to be enough to encourage him to keep talking. The only way to get him to shut up is to say "wo shui jiao" (I'm going to sleep)....and then cover my head with the blanket, and secretly put on my headphones and listen to music for the rest of the night, enjoying the relative peace and silence.
In any case, chatty roommate notwithstanding, I think I'm reaching the point of traveler's burnout. It's only been a little over two months, but I'm just mentally and physically exhausted. I've met a bunch of people who have been traveling for several months, and I'm in awe of their seemingly boundless energy. I feel like such a bad traveler.
China highlights?
1. Horse trekking in Sichuan
2. Beijing...finally climbing the Great Wall, and also meeting a couple of really interesting and inspiring Americans.
3. Cheap food....delicious food...spicy food....cheap food....giant bowls of steaming hot soup noodles for 3 yuan (less than 50 cents!!)?? Unheard of!
4. Bus/train rides through some really beautiful parts of the country, especially Sichuan and Yunnan.
5. Playing with a baby panda in Chengdu.
6. Meeting super friendly and kind Chinese people.
China lowlights?
1. Getting puked on.
2. Dealing with the ridiculousness that can be China...long "line ups" that are really just crowds of pushing and shoving people (especially at train/bus stations/post office)....really really grumpy customer service....etc, etc...
3. Hidden fees, getting ripped off because you're a foreigner.
4. The total non-existence of personal space....is this your seat? good, cause you're sharing it with me!
5. Endless rain...it is, after all, the rainy season here.
6. Snoring roommates...obnoxious roommates....
Alright, farewell from the Motherland...when next I write, it'll probably be from censor-free HK!
AARRGGHHHHH!!!!!!!
Damn it! I just wrote a rather lengthy note about China's ethnic minorities cultures, and the myths about Canadian nationalism.....and then the internet went dead, and my note was forever lost...I don't have the energy to write it out again, so....yeah....that's that.
Chillin' With the Locals
Today, I spent the day in Baisha, a small Naxi village located about 20 km outside of Lijiang. It was a great little day trip, and I highly recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in this part of the world. As I was wandering around the muddy little streets, a little old lady approached me and started chatting me up...at first, I was absolutely suspicious and thought that she was definitely after money, but it turns out that she was just a sweet woman, looking for a little company. I wound up chilling with her for a couple of hours, sitting in her garden, drinking tea and eating peanuts and sunflower seeds.... she even brought out a traditional Naxi outfit and insisted that I try it on! She didn't speak any English, and her Mandarin was more like a local dialect, so communication was a little tough, but it was a lot of fun.
Baisha is actually a bit of a mecca for practioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). There's a world-famous doctor named Dr. Ho (He, in pinyin), who runs a private clinic there. If you get a chance, you should look him up on Google, because his story really is quite interesting. I was walking down the street, when suddenly, out of no where, a smiley old man popped out of a building, and said to me, in perfect English, "Hello, I'm Dr. Ho!"....it was Dr. Ho in the flesh! My first Chinese celebrity! He took me to his office and gave me some "healthy tea", and we wound up chatting for a while about the difference between Western medicine and TCM...well, he chatted, and I listened. He also showed me a bunch of articles written about him in the Western press...all very interesting. Before I left, he insisted that i take some "healthy tea" back with me, for free! I couldn't leave without offering anything, so I wound up making a donation to the clinic.
Hehehe...this is SO typical of me, it's not even funny. I actually forgot when I was supposed to fly home, and for the last two months, I'd been planning to head back to HK on a specific date at the end of August...well, yesterday I recieved a friendly email reminder from United Air, telling me that my flight to San Francisco actually leaves several days earlier than I had thought! Holy smokes...thank goodness they sent me that email, otherwise I would not have been back in HK in time for my flight home!
I've now been in Asia for just over two months; I've been having a fantastic time, but I won't lie....I'm beginning to really feel the wear and tear of living out of a backpack. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm home sick, but I'm certainly looking forward to going back to my little apartment, having regular access to laundry, and sleeping in my own bed again. Also, I'm REALLY looking forward to having access to English-language newspapers again! Due to censorship, it's all but impossible to get any English newspapers here except for the "China Daily", which is China's English-language propaganda machine. The other day, I found a two week old copy of the International Herald Tribune, and almost died of joy....it's pathetic...I know....F
inally, thanks to those of you who sent me updates on Harper's new cabinet... partisanship aside, Peter Fuckin' MacKay for Defense? Oh dear....
Baisha is actually a bit of a mecca for practioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). There's a world-famous doctor named Dr. Ho (He, in pinyin), who runs a private clinic there. If you get a chance, you should look him up on Google, because his story really is quite interesting. I was walking down the street, when suddenly, out of no where, a smiley old man popped out of a building, and said to me, in perfect English, "Hello, I'm Dr. Ho!"....it was Dr. Ho in the flesh! My first Chinese celebrity! He took me to his office and gave me some "healthy tea", and we wound up chatting for a while about the difference between Western medicine and TCM...well, he chatted, and I listened. He also showed me a bunch of articles written about him in the Western press...all very interesting. Before I left, he insisted that i take some "healthy tea" back with me, for free! I couldn't leave without offering anything, so I wound up making a donation to the clinic.
Hehehe...this is SO typical of me, it's not even funny. I actually forgot when I was supposed to fly home, and for the last two months, I'd been planning to head back to HK on a specific date at the end of August...well, yesterday I recieved a friendly email reminder from United Air, telling me that my flight to San Francisco actually leaves several days earlier than I had thought! Holy smokes...thank goodness they sent me that email, otherwise I would not have been back in HK in time for my flight home!
I've now been in Asia for just over two months; I've been having a fantastic time, but I won't lie....I'm beginning to really feel the wear and tear of living out of a backpack. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'm home sick, but I'm certainly looking forward to going back to my little apartment, having regular access to laundry, and sleeping in my own bed again. Also, I'm REALLY looking forward to having access to English-language newspapers again! Due to censorship, it's all but impossible to get any English newspapers here except for the "China Daily", which is China's English-language propaganda machine. The other day, I found a two week old copy of the International Herald Tribune, and almost died of joy....it's pathetic...I know....F
inally, thanks to those of you who sent me updates on Harper's new cabinet... partisanship aside, Peter Fuckin' MacKay for Defense? Oh dear....
I Was a Five-Year-Old Communist
Due to bus ticket availability, it turns out that I've had to stay in Chengdu for an extra day, and will be leaving for Lijiang tomorrow instead of today. This is actually sort of a blessing, as it allowed me to fullfill a childhood dream of seeing a live panda for the first time ever! Sichuan is home to China's panda population, and Chengdu is the site of a major Panda Breeding Research Centre. This morning, I made the pilgrimage over to the centre, and did what everyone does when they first see a flesh and blood baby panda...completely melted and fell apart. I totally lost control of my adult self, and couldn't stop "awwing" and cooing. What can I say...pandas have always had a special place in my heart, ever since my fifth birthday, when my uncle gave me a stuffed panda bear as a gift. His name was "Gong Gong", and he was just about the most fabulous gift I had ever received...I now realize that Gong Gong was a communist bear! He wore a red star pin and a typical commie hat....I loved that bear so much...I would occassionally take the hat off the bear and put it on my head....I was a five-year-old Communist...
Queen of the Throne
In most areas of life, I feel like I'm a relatively low maintenance lady. That being said, if there's one thing I really miss about North America, it's the throne-style toilet. Call me lazy/uncoordinated/picky/prissy/whatever, but the squatters that are all the rage here suck ass. They're especially difficult to use when you're feeling tired/drunk, as their use requires meticulous balance, direct aim, and a precise stance, otherwise, you risk getting *stuff* everywhere. Oh the luxury of the throne....
Why Haven't I Heard of This Place Before?
To all of my loyal readers (all five or six of you), have any of you ever heard of Jiuzhaigou before? If you have, raise your hand (Daisy, put your hand down). Until about a week ago, I'd never heard of this place before; in the Lonely Planet Travel Guide, it gets less than two pages of coverage (which is nothing), and on almost all travel websites I've looked at, there's no mention of it anywhere. Well, if any of you ever plan to take a trip to China, you MUST put it on your list of destinations. The Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve is absolutely beautiful....really, I'm in jaw-dropping awe of just how gorgeous it is here. I'm still feeling pretty under the weather, so I only saw maybe 1/4 of the park, but it was well worth hauling my ass out of bed at 6am and the outrageous ticket price. My photos will never do it justice, you have to come see it for yourself.
I'm leaving Jiuzhaigou tomorrow morning for a 13 hour bus ride back to Chengdu, and *hopefully* I'll be leaving Chengdu the next morning for the 20 hour bus ride to Lijiang (Yunnan). It's not ideal to spend 33/48 hours in a bus... but time is short, and sights are plenty. My plan for Yunnan is to spend a few days in Lijiang, head up to Shangri-La for a couple of nights (I have an important appointment there that I can't miss!), go down to Dali for a bit, and then finish off with a quick trip to the Yuanyang Rice Terraces. It seems fairly ambitious for two weeks, but I'm gonna do my best to make it work. This is all contingent on my ability to actually get the appropriate tickets for the buses/trains/planes that will be necessary to get around.
On a final note, I hear that Mr Harper is planning on unveiling a big cabinet shuffle next week....the Globe and Mail website is super slow here, so I'm having difficulty getting a lot of news on Canadian politics.....if any of you are feeling super generous, could you perhaps update me when it happens??
I'm leaving Jiuzhaigou tomorrow morning for a 13 hour bus ride back to Chengdu, and *hopefully* I'll be leaving Chengdu the next morning for the 20 hour bus ride to Lijiang (Yunnan). It's not ideal to spend 33/48 hours in a bus... but time is short, and sights are plenty. My plan for Yunnan is to spend a few days in Lijiang, head up to Shangri-La for a couple of nights (I have an important appointment there that I can't miss!), go down to Dali for a bit, and then finish off with a quick trip to the Yuanyang Rice Terraces. It seems fairly ambitious for two weeks, but I'm gonna do my best to make it work. This is all contingent on my ability to actually get the appropriate tickets for the buses/trains/planes that will be necessary to get around.
On a final note, I hear that Mr Harper is planning on unveiling a big cabinet shuffle next week....the Globe and Mail website is super slow here, so I'm having difficulty getting a lot of news on Canadian politics.....if any of you are feeling super generous, could you perhaps update me when it happens??
Man is a Political Animal
While interacting with Chinese people, I've always tried to stay away from sensitive political/cultural topics as much as possible (except where research demands it)....that being said, in the last 24 hours, I've gotten quite an (unsolicited) earful on a couple of taboo issues: Taiwan and Tibet. I was out for Sichuan-style hot pot (huo guo) yesterday with a few of the girls who I went horse-trekking with, when the topic of Taiwan came up.
Now, for any of you who are unfamiliar with the Taiwan/China situation, here's a brief (and incomplete) rundown: Taiwan is an island province off the East coast of mainland China; in the early 20th century, there was a civil war between the Communists and the Kuomingtang for control of China; clearly, the CCP won, and the Kuomingtang fled to Taiwan (also known as Formosa), where the government declared independence from the PRC, and has since set up a "democratic" regime. China has never recognized Taiwan's right to self-determination, and considers it a rogue province. Every now and again, Taiwan tries to flex its muscles and demands recognition, but for the most part the international community hasn't given it; most countries (Canada and the US included, prefer the "one China" policy stance; after all, who can really afford to piss off the Red Giant?). Recently, Taiwan made a bid for membership to the United Nations General Assemby (which it lost in the 1970s, I *think*), which would be the ultimate form of recognition. Okay....long story short, China still thinks of Taiwan as part of the Motherland, Taiwanese generally do not. Anyhow, over dinner, Taiwan came up, and I was really shocked by how passionate these girls felt about Taiwan being a part of China...my own feelings on the issue aside (I'm somewhat undecided, but I lean more towards supporting Taiwanese independence), it was really surprising how strongly they felt about Taiwan. I always think of Chinese youth as being incredibly politically ambivalent, but I guess Taiwan is one of those topics that really strikes a chord and brings out the Aristotleon political animal in all of us.
On the topic of Tibet, I was reading the news this morning (thank God China hasn't blocked the New York Times or Globe and Mail websites), and found out that two Canadians had been arrested in Beijing for taking part/organizing a "Free Tibet" protest. Once again, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Tibet situation, here's a very incomplete rundown: China and Tibet have historically had a rough relationship, with periodic chunks of time where China would invade Tibet; in the mid-twentieth century, China annexed Tibet, and has since been conducting what many consider to be an ethnic and cultural genocide in Tibet. The Dalai Lama is the official head of state-in-exile, and has been in India, pushing for Tibet's indepedence for decades. Anyhow, the Tibet is a pet cause for a lot of social activists, and every now and again, they hold protests in strategic places; in April, there was a protest at the Everest Base Camp (which led to the Chinese government completely clamping down on who can now go to Tibet, making it almost impossible to get permits to even get to Lhasa), and yesterday, a group of protesters unfurled a huge banner on the Great Wall saying "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008", which is almost identical to the official slogan for the 2008 Olympics. In any case, earlier, I was sitting in a tea house, drinking tea (trying to fight fever and cold), when the owner of the joint asked me where I was from; when I told her Canada, her face lit up, and she began to talk about how brave/stupid the protesters in Beijing were...I should mention that she was ethnic Tibetan. She didn't really voice an opinion on the status of Tibet (probably because of my limited understanding of Mandarin, and perhaps out of fear/caution), but I'm assuming that she was pro-Tibet.
I'd be super interested in hearing what other Chinese people (both Han, and the minority groups) have to say about Taiwan and Tibet, but it's not something that I'd ever bring up...I feel like it's just asking for trouble. Coming from a political science background (with a particular interest in China's role in the international system), it's really hard not to ask taboo questions, and poke around where I shouldn't. Anyhow, that's your history/political lesson of the day....you can take it and flush it down the toilet if you so desire....
Now, for any of you who are unfamiliar with the Taiwan/China situation, here's a brief (and incomplete) rundown: Taiwan is an island province off the East coast of mainland China; in the early 20th century, there was a civil war between the Communists and the Kuomingtang for control of China; clearly, the CCP won, and the Kuomingtang fled to Taiwan (also known as Formosa), where the government declared independence from the PRC, and has since set up a "democratic" regime. China has never recognized Taiwan's right to self-determination, and considers it a rogue province. Every now and again, Taiwan tries to flex its muscles and demands recognition, but for the most part the international community hasn't given it; most countries (Canada and the US included, prefer the "one China" policy stance; after all, who can really afford to piss off the Red Giant?). Recently, Taiwan made a bid for membership to the United Nations General Assemby (which it lost in the 1970s, I *think*), which would be the ultimate form of recognition. Okay....long story short, China still thinks of Taiwan as part of the Motherland, Taiwanese generally do not. Anyhow, over dinner, Taiwan came up, and I was really shocked by how passionate these girls felt about Taiwan being a part of China...my own feelings on the issue aside (I'm somewhat undecided, but I lean more towards supporting Taiwanese independence), it was really surprising how strongly they felt about Taiwan. I always think of Chinese youth as being incredibly politically ambivalent, but I guess Taiwan is one of those topics that really strikes a chord and brings out the Aristotleon political animal in all of us.
On the topic of Tibet, I was reading the news this morning (thank God China hasn't blocked the New York Times or Globe and Mail websites), and found out that two Canadians had been arrested in Beijing for taking part/organizing a "Free Tibet" protest. Once again, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Tibet situation, here's a very incomplete rundown: China and Tibet have historically had a rough relationship, with periodic chunks of time where China would invade Tibet; in the mid-twentieth century, China annexed Tibet, and has since been conducting what many consider to be an ethnic and cultural genocide in Tibet. The Dalai Lama is the official head of state-in-exile, and has been in India, pushing for Tibet's indepedence for decades. Anyhow, the Tibet is a pet cause for a lot of social activists, and every now and again, they hold protests in strategic places; in April, there was a protest at the Everest Base Camp (which led to the Chinese government completely clamping down on who can now go to Tibet, making it almost impossible to get permits to even get to Lhasa), and yesterday, a group of protesters unfurled a huge banner on the Great Wall saying "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008", which is almost identical to the official slogan for the 2008 Olympics. In any case, earlier, I was sitting in a tea house, drinking tea (trying to fight fever and cold), when the owner of the joint asked me where I was from; when I told her Canada, her face lit up, and she began to talk about how brave/stupid the protesters in Beijing were...I should mention that she was ethnic Tibetan. She didn't really voice an opinion on the status of Tibet (probably because of my limited understanding of Mandarin, and perhaps out of fear/caution), but I'm assuming that she was pro-Tibet.
I'd be super interested in hearing what other Chinese people (both Han, and the minority groups) have to say about Taiwan and Tibet, but it's not something that I'd ever bring up...I feel like it's just asking for trouble. Coming from a political science background (with a particular interest in China's role in the international system), it's really hard not to ask taboo questions, and poke around where I shouldn't. Anyhow, that's your history/political lesson of the day....you can take it and flush it down the toilet if you so desire....
Birthday Curse
For the second time in three years, I spent my birthday in China. And for the second time in three years, I spent my birthday being sick in China. Two years ago, for my 21st birthday, I was in Hong Kong, and spent the day alternating between lying in bed, feeling like death, and running to the bathroom... unfortunately, this was not from having spent an amazing night out on the town, but the results of what can only be delicately described as "traveler's illness" (use your imagination). This year, I spent my birthday in Songpan, alternating between lying in a tent, feeling like death, and bouncing around on a horse with a wooden saddle. This too was not from an amazing night out on the town, but the result of altitude sickness. Altitude sickness doesn't hit everyone, but when it does, it can really suck. In my case, it was actually just a bad headache, but since I'm one of those lucky individuals that NEVER gets headaches, it felt pretty damn awful. I also think that the altitude messed with my subconscious, because while on the mountain, I had some pretty fucked up and surreal dreams....in one, I was a product quality control manager of Japanese and Korean tents, and in another, I back in high school, auditioning for a role in a play...weird, right? Anyhow, thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, they were all appreciated.
Aside from the altitude issues, Songpan has been pretty cool. The area is really beautiful, and the town is quite small, and is full of ethnic minorities (mostly Tibetans and Hui), so it has quite a bit of local charm and character. I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Juizhaigou, which is further north in Sichuan. The UN has declared it an officially protected biosphere, and everyone I've met so far has told me that I absolutely must go there...so off I go.
Aside from the altitude issues, Songpan has been pretty cool. The area is really beautiful, and the town is quite small, and is full of ethnic minorities (mostly Tibetans and Hui), so it has quite a bit of local charm and character. I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Juizhaigou, which is further north in Sichuan. The UN has declared it an officially protected biosphere, and everyone I've met so far has told me that I absolutely must go there...so off I go.
You Smell Like Cheese!
One of the crappy things about traveling through China at this time of year is the weather. It's so stinkin' hot and humid, it's unbelievable. I don't wanna complain, I mean, after all, I'm lucky to be here at all, but holy smokes it's HOT here! I used to find summers in Toronto to be quite oppressive, but the T.dot has NOTHING on China. I don't know how people here live with out air conditioning...I mean, it's just so damn sticky and gross!
One of the best things about traveling in China is how cheap the food is, and more importantly, how delicious it is! The Sichuan province is particularly well-known for its spicy food and tasty snacks. There's a special Sichuanese chili pepper that they use that will probably burn a hole through my stomach before I leave, but I just can't resist it.The typical Asian diet is quite low in dairy products, and so from the Asian perspective, we consume a lot of dairy; I was recently informed by a friend that most Asians think that people from North American and Europe smell weird....they think that our sweat smells like cheese! How crazy is that? I've gotta say, when I'm in Toronto, when I catch a whiff of a non-deodorized individual, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely not cheddar.....That being said, something I find incredibly curious is the lack of deodorant availability here... I'm running low, and I've been searching every drug store I've come across for a stick of anything, but so far, nothing......it could wind up being a stinky last few days before I get back to Hong Kong, but I guess no one will notice if they're not wearing deodorant either.
I've spent the day wandering around Chengdu, checking out a couple of temples, and eating popsicles. Nothing too taxing, nothing too exciting. I'm leaving Chengdu tomorrow morning for Songpan, where I'm going to embark on a five day horse-trek, which I'm super pumped about. After that...who knows. Every single person I've met here has told me that I should go to Juizhaigou, but I don't know if i have time.....I need to get back to Chengdu to zip down to Yunnan province for a couple of weeks, before heading back East.
One of the best things about traveling in China is how cheap the food is, and more importantly, how delicious it is! The Sichuan province is particularly well-known for its spicy food and tasty snacks. There's a special Sichuanese chili pepper that they use that will probably burn a hole through my stomach before I leave, but I just can't resist it.The typical Asian diet is quite low in dairy products, and so from the Asian perspective, we consume a lot of dairy; I was recently informed by a friend that most Asians think that people from North American and Europe smell weird....they think that our sweat smells like cheese! How crazy is that? I've gotta say, when I'm in Toronto, when I catch a whiff of a non-deodorized individual, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely not cheddar.....That being said, something I find incredibly curious is the lack of deodorant availability here... I'm running low, and I've been searching every drug store I've come across for a stick of anything, but so far, nothing......it could wind up being a stinky last few days before I get back to Hong Kong, but I guess no one will notice if they're not wearing deodorant either.
I've spent the day wandering around Chengdu, checking out a couple of temples, and eating popsicles. Nothing too taxing, nothing too exciting. I'm leaving Chengdu tomorrow morning for Songpan, where I'm going to embark on a five day horse-trek, which I'm super pumped about. After that...who knows. Every single person I've met here has told me that I should go to Juizhaigou, but I don't know if i have time.....I need to get back to Chengdu to zip down to Yunnan province for a couple of weeks, before heading back East.
It's a Small World After All
I have arrived in Chengdu. After four days on a boat floating upstream the Yangtze river, I stopped for seven hours in Chongqing before hopping on a train to Chengdu.
People always say the world is small, and tonight, for the first time, I truly appreciate that statement. When I was in Beijing, one of my roommates was a truly obnoxious fellow who smelled really bad. I was so happy to leave the Beijing hostel, if only to get away from him. So...I arrived at my hostel in Chengdu about an hour ago, and the first thing I did was go to the bar....after a five hour train ride in a packed car, I was feeling the need for a little booze to loosen up....anyhow, who is the first person I see in the bar??? In a country of 1.3 billion people (not including tourists!), in a city with about 30 different hostels, and a zillion hotels and guesthouses....who is the first prson I see in the bar???? What are the chances? WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?????????? The world truly is a very small place. Seriously, I'm in a country with a little less than 20% of the world's population, and somehow, I managed to find the most nauseating individual on the planet, not once, but TWICE in less than a week! Moving on....
Cruising up the Yangtze was a nice break from the stress that normally accompanies travel. I didn't do much except for sleep, watch the Three Gorges and life on the river banks, and read a lot. I was a little concerned before hand, as I had bought a ticket on a Chinese passenger ship, where no English is spoken, and VERY few foreigners ever use them. I totally lucked out though....my roommates wound up being a Chinese guy who spoke perfect English, and a Canadian (who was quite a strange fellow, but that's not the point)...
On the train ride to Chengdu, it suddenly hit me that I only have about three weeks left before I need to hightail back to Hong Kong. I'm shocked and dismayed by how much I want to see/do in such a short period of time. I've decided to cut a lot out of my original plan; I figure it's more worth while to see less, but appreciate it more.
People always say the world is small, and tonight, for the first time, I truly appreciate that statement. When I was in Beijing, one of my roommates was a truly obnoxious fellow who smelled really bad. I was so happy to leave the Beijing hostel, if only to get away from him. So...I arrived at my hostel in Chengdu about an hour ago, and the first thing I did was go to the bar....after a five hour train ride in a packed car, I was feeling the need for a little booze to loosen up....anyhow, who is the first person I see in the bar??? In a country of 1.3 billion people (not including tourists!), in a city with about 30 different hostels, and a zillion hotels and guesthouses....who is the first prson I see in the bar???? What are the chances? WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?????????? The world truly is a very small place. Seriously, I'm in a country with a little less than 20% of the world's population, and somehow, I managed to find the most nauseating individual on the planet, not once, but TWICE in less than a week! Moving on....
Cruising up the Yangtze was a nice break from the stress that normally accompanies travel. I didn't do much except for sleep, watch the Three Gorges and life on the river banks, and read a lot. I was a little concerned before hand, as I had bought a ticket on a Chinese passenger ship, where no English is spoken, and VERY few foreigners ever use them. I totally lucked out though....my roommates wound up being a Chinese guy who spoke perfect English, and a Canadian (who was quite a strange fellow, but that's not the point)...
On the train ride to Chengdu, it suddenly hit me that I only have about three weeks left before I need to hightail back to Hong Kong. I'm shocked and dismayed by how much I want to see/do in such a short period of time. I've decided to cut a lot out of my original plan; I figure it's more worth while to see less, but appreciate it more.
Chinese Babies Need Diapers
After a glorious 20 hour train ride, I arrived in Yichang in one piece yesterday morning. I was feeling slightly battered from sharing a six-bed cabin with a family of ten, but otherwise it was a pleasant enough train ride. Yichang is sort of a run-of-the-mill Chinese city. It's not big enough for a lot of western brands to have moved in, but it's large enough for it to feel like a city. Yeah, it's got a population of 4 million, so clearly it's a city. It's a fairly pleasant place to spend a day. It sits on the Yangtze river, and there's quite a nice park that runs along the river, which made for a lovely afternoon stroll yesterday.
At 5pm this afternoon, I'll be boarding a boat bound for Chongqing. It's going to be a four day journey along the Yangtze River, passing through the Three Gorges....it should be a nice relaxing four days of not much....I hope.
For the most part, I really like kids. I think that Chinese babies are pretty damn cute, but if there's one thing that drives me nuts about babies in China, it's the fact that 95% of them don't wear diapers! If there's one western company that needs a stronger marketing campaign in China, it's Pampers. Apparently, the traditional method of potty training kids around here is to cut a giant hole in the crotch of their pants, and just let them run around and do their business whenever the feeling moves them. The training part comes when parents try to get their kids to go pee on command by whistling in their ear. Clearly, it must be a fairly effective method as most kids I've seen over the age of 3 seem to be well trained, BUT, in the mean time, it means that walking the streets of any Chinese city is an obstacle course of side stepping delightful little puddles of baby pee and feces. China is meant to be traveled wearing closed-toe shoes.
At 5pm this afternoon, I'll be boarding a boat bound for Chongqing. It's going to be a four day journey along the Yangtze River, passing through the Three Gorges....it should be a nice relaxing four days of not much....I hope.
For the most part, I really like kids. I think that Chinese babies are pretty damn cute, but if there's one thing that drives me nuts about babies in China, it's the fact that 95% of them don't wear diapers! If there's one western company that needs a stronger marketing campaign in China, it's Pampers. Apparently, the traditional method of potty training kids around here is to cut a giant hole in the crotch of their pants, and just let them run around and do their business whenever the feeling moves them. The training part comes when parents try to get their kids to go pee on command by whistling in their ear. Clearly, it must be a fairly effective method as most kids I've seen over the age of 3 seem to be well trained, BUT, in the mean time, it means that walking the streets of any Chinese city is an obstacle course of side stepping delightful little puddles of baby pee and feces. China is meant to be traveled wearing closed-toe shoes.
40 Days Since the Beginning, 40 Days to the End
Greetings from Beijing! I have left the clean air and grassy steppe of Mongolia and am now in the thick of the smog of Beijing. I've been hanging around here for the last three days, and I'll be moving on to Yichang (Hubei) on Saturday. The train ride to Yichang is 22 glorious hours, but luckily it's an overnighter, which hopefully means I will be able to sleep through a good chunk of it. I'm planning on catching an upstream boat from Yichang to Chongqing. The boat goes along the mighty Yangtze River, and passes through the Three Gorges. I've passed the half way point of my trip now, and so in just over a month, I'll be flying out of Hong Kong, bound for Toronto, via a four day layover in San Francisco. Between now and then, my plan is to do the Yangtze river thing, make my way through Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Guanxi. I've made the difficult and sad decision to cut Tibet from my schedule....I'm going to have to save it for my next trip over.
I feel like I need to make some closing remarks on Mongolia, seeing as I left it a little short the last time. I've decided that Mongolia has been by far the best travel experience that I've ever had. It is the least developed country I've ever visited, which was fascinating. Four days of horse-trekking around Khovsgol Nuur National Park was probably the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. Like I said before, Mongolians are so incredibly friendly and helpful, and are just a tonne of fun to hang around. I was really quite sad to leave Mongolia, and so I've decided that I'll have to make a return visit within the next few years. I want to go back and see more of it before Macdonald/Starbucks/KFC decide to move in. I'm thinking that next time, I'll definitely have to do a lot more horse-trekking, and perhaps ride a camel and learn how to milk a yak.
I visited Beijing in 2005, and so I've already seen a lot of the major tourist sites; this time around, I'm just hanging out, and trying to do some trip planning for the next five weeks.The one major site that I missed in Beijing last time around was the Great Wall of China. As I've previously mentioned, you're not a hero/man until you've climbed the Great Wall, and so yesterday, I became a superhero/man. It was a 10km hike, and it took 3.5 hours to make it to the finish line. Let me tell you, I was one sweaty beast at the end of the walk. There were actually salt stains on my shirt from the sweat. I also have the world's worst farmer's tan, that has slowly but surely been developing since Mongolia. When I get back to Toronto, you can all feel free to make fun of it. My knees are a little achy today, but other than that, all is well.
I feel like I need to make some closing remarks on Mongolia, seeing as I left it a little short the last time. I've decided that Mongolia has been by far the best travel experience that I've ever had. It is the least developed country I've ever visited, which was fascinating. Four days of horse-trekking around Khovsgol Nuur National Park was probably the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. Like I said before, Mongolians are so incredibly friendly and helpful, and are just a tonne of fun to hang around. I was really quite sad to leave Mongolia, and so I've decided that I'll have to make a return visit within the next few years. I want to go back and see more of it before Macdonald/Starbucks/KFC decide to move in. I'm thinking that next time, I'll definitely have to do a lot more horse-trekking, and perhaps ride a camel and learn how to milk a yak.
I visited Beijing in 2005, and so I've already seen a lot of the major tourist sites; this time around, I'm just hanging out, and trying to do some trip planning for the next five weeks.The one major site that I missed in Beijing last time around was the Great Wall of China. As I've previously mentioned, you're not a hero/man until you've climbed the Great Wall, and so yesterday, I became a superhero/man. It was a 10km hike, and it took 3.5 hours to make it to the finish line. Let me tell you, I was one sweaty beast at the end of the walk. There were actually salt stains on my shirt from the sweat. I also have the world's worst farmer's tan, that has slowly but surely been developing since Mongolia. When I get back to Toronto, you can all feel free to make fun of it. My knees are a little achy today, but other than that, all is well.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
How to Milk a Reindeer
After 12 days of bumping around all over Mongolia in a Russian van with two Brits and an INSANE driver, I am back in Ulaanbaatar for one last night before I catch my flight back to Beijing tomorrow night. The last week and a half has been pretty nuts. Mongolians are by far the friendliest and most generous people I've ever met. For the last twelve days, it's been a mix of camping and staying in family gers (also known as yurts, which are traditional Mongolian felt homes), which has been mostly fun, although a little cold. The food has been...okay. I'm not a big cow's milk drinker to begin with, but over the last week and a half, I've had the *pleasure* of trying: yak milk, fermented mare's milk (you read that right, HORSE milk), reindeer milk (I didn't even know you could milk a reindeer), and salty cow milk. To make sure it was a balanced diet, I was sure to try marmot meat, an assortment of different milk curds, and Mongolian vodka. And to top it off, it seems that at every ger I stayed at, there was always a box that will forever be known as the "random body parts" box, full of different animal parts that were ready to be eaten; can I interest anyone in a nice slab of yak liver or sheep stomach lining? I consider myself to be fairly open-minded when it comes to trying new foods, but the mare's milk and stomach lining was pretty difficult to choke down. Unfortunately, there always seemed to be a happy smiling Mongolian staring at me, waiting for me to finish whatever delicacy they had just handed me, which means that there was no sliding the food into my pocket/trash can/my horse's mouth.I'm pretty pooped, so this is going to be a short one, but Mongolia has been great. For all my moaning and groaning about how blech UB is (and i still stand by that), Mongolia has been a fantastic experience, both as a traveler and as a researcher. I'm sad to be leaving Mongolia tomorrow night (I'm actually feeling a little teary at the thought of it!), but I definitely think I'll be back again in the not too distant future.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Finally!
After spending six days in UB waiting for someone to sign a piece of paper and put a stamp in my passport, I have finally been granted permission to hit the field. Tomorrow morning I'm tossing my gear into a Russian or Japanese jeep (TBD based on price), and am heading for Northern Mongolia. I'll be gone for nine days, and will be flying out of UB on July 23 back to Beijing.
Today marked the official beginning of the Nadaam Festival, which is Mongolia's biggest national holiday. It's a three day event, featuring the three "manly" pursuits: horse-racing, archery and wrestling. I went to the opening ceremonies this morning, which was an *interesting* experience. Mongolia has the lowest population density in the world, but i think that all 2.5 million Mongols were trying to make their way into the stadium; somehow, I wound up with somebody's kid in my lap for a large part of the show! I'm not sure if I'm going to bother catching any of the main sporting events, as I have no interest whatsoever in watching archery or wrestling. As for horse-racing, Mongolian horsemen are nuts! It's truly awe-inspiring watching them do what they do, but I think I might just wait until I get out of UB to see a real horse-race. I
suppose an honourary fourth "manly" category would be the alcohol-consumption contest. Apparently Nadaam is a particularly alcohol-drenched event. Mongolia's choice of poison: either vodka (thanks to the Soviet history) or beer. On a somber note, UB has a very high unemployment rate, which goes hand in hand with a very high rate of alcoholism. Single women (such as myself) are not advised to walk around UB late at night unaccompanied, due to the significantly increased chance of muggings and assaults that are alcohol-induced.
This is probably the last time that I'll have internet access for the next week and a half, so you are hereby relieved of reading my ranting and raving. Who knows, if I meet a Mongolian steppe prince and decide that life a nomad's life of salty tea and mutton meat actually really do suit me, this could be my last post ever! If that's the case, to all of you, come look for me if you ever decide to visit Mongolia!
Today marked the official beginning of the Nadaam Festival, which is Mongolia's biggest national holiday. It's a three day event, featuring the three "manly" pursuits: horse-racing, archery and wrestling. I went to the opening ceremonies this morning, which was an *interesting* experience. Mongolia has the lowest population density in the world, but i think that all 2.5 million Mongols were trying to make their way into the stadium; somehow, I wound up with somebody's kid in my lap for a large part of the show! I'm not sure if I'm going to bother catching any of the main sporting events, as I have no interest whatsoever in watching archery or wrestling. As for horse-racing, Mongolian horsemen are nuts! It's truly awe-inspiring watching them do what they do, but I think I might just wait until I get out of UB to see a real horse-race. I
suppose an honourary fourth "manly" category would be the alcohol-consumption contest. Apparently Nadaam is a particularly alcohol-drenched event. Mongolia's choice of poison: either vodka (thanks to the Soviet history) or beer. On a somber note, UB has a very high unemployment rate, which goes hand in hand with a very high rate of alcoholism. Single women (such as myself) are not advised to walk around UB late at night unaccompanied, due to the significantly increased chance of muggings and assaults that are alcohol-induced.
This is probably the last time that I'll have internet access for the next week and a half, so you are hereby relieved of reading my ranting and raving. Who knows, if I meet a Mongolian steppe prince and decide that life a nomad's life of salty tea and mutton meat actually really do suit me, this could be my last post ever! If that's the case, to all of you, come look for me if you ever decide to visit Mongolia!
Salt is NOT a Flavour!
I'm not a fantastic cook. I like to cook, but I don't pretend to be a master chef. That being said, I feel quite confident when I say the following: "Salt is not a fucking flavour!!!" To quote the fine folks over at Bon Appetit Magazine, "salt is a flavour enhancer, not a flavour on its own." Someone must translate that article into Mongolian in order to explain to most Mongolian chefs/cooks/roadside restaurant owners that there's really no need add massive amounts of salt to everything that passes human lips! I kid you not, they even add salt to the tea! No joke, salty tea. What next? Shrimp-flavoured yogurt?
Worthless Money
I've been in UB for four days now, and I'm beginning to get antsy. Unfortunately, I'll be waiting at least another day or two before I can leave for the field because there's been a delay on getting some essential paper work done. This is a tad frustrating as I've already booked my flight back to Beijing (July 23), which means that every day that I spend here, waiting for the bureaucratic engine to start moving, I'm losing time that could potentially be spent outside of UB. Sigh....I'm trying not to get frustrated, but holy smokes, if I ever become a senior official in the Mongolian government, the first thing I would do is bring in a team of efficiency experts to whip this town into shape!
Yesterday, I took a day trip out to Khustain National Park. KNP was established specifically as a sanctuary for the takhi, Mongolia's wild horse, which is apparently the only wild horse left in the world. KNP is about an hour and a half outside of UB, so it's easily done in a day. The drive out was incredibly bumpy and twisty, but the scenery was a refreshing change from UB's urban sprawl. Lots of cows, horses, sheep and goats all over the road. I kept thinking, if we hit one of them, the driver will probably just throw it in the trunk of the car and call it dinner. KNP itself is basically 50, 620 hectares of hilly grassland, with no trees, and tonnes of rock hard animal poo everywhere. It was quite a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, just walking up and down the hills.
One of the hardest things I find about traveling is keeping track of how much money I have on me. It's difficult because I'm always trying to do approximate mental conversions, which doesn't always work out. One CAD is worth just over 7RMB (Chinese yuan), and 1100 MNT (Mongolian Tugrik). This may seem straight forward enough, but Mongolian currency is all paper money, and the smallest denomination is 20 MNT, which is worth less than 2 cents CAD. My wallet, which at home is normally empty, is stuffed obese with bills right now; there must be at least 50 or 60 bills, which makes a nice wad of cash, but in reality, it's only worth about 20CAD... not even enough to effectively grease the palm of the seedy bureacrat who is responsible for holding up my paperwork.
Yesterday, I took a day trip out to Khustain National Park. KNP was established specifically as a sanctuary for the takhi, Mongolia's wild horse, which is apparently the only wild horse left in the world. KNP is about an hour and a half outside of UB, so it's easily done in a day. The drive out was incredibly bumpy and twisty, but the scenery was a refreshing change from UB's urban sprawl. Lots of cows, horses, sheep and goats all over the road. I kept thinking, if we hit one of them, the driver will probably just throw it in the trunk of the car and call it dinner. KNP itself is basically 50, 620 hectares of hilly grassland, with no trees, and tonnes of rock hard animal poo everywhere. It was quite a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, just walking up and down the hills.
One of the hardest things I find about traveling is keeping track of how much money I have on me. It's difficult because I'm always trying to do approximate mental conversions, which doesn't always work out. One CAD is worth just over 7RMB (Chinese yuan), and 1100 MNT (Mongolian Tugrik). This may seem straight forward enough, but Mongolian currency is all paper money, and the smallest denomination is 20 MNT, which is worth less than 2 cents CAD. My wallet, which at home is normally empty, is stuffed obese with bills right now; there must be at least 50 or 60 bills, which makes a nice wad of cash, but in reality, it's only worth about 20CAD... not even enough to effectively grease the palm of the seedy bureacrat who is responsible for holding up my paperwork.
Swallowing the Gobi
After having spent the last three weeks in the giant steam-bath known as China, Ulaanbaatar's air is insanely dry. On the upside, this means that I can wear my hair down for the first time since leaving Toronto, and not worry about it expanding a zillion inches out, but on the downside, it means that my throat feels like its been rubbed with sand paper. This is actually an apt description, as I'm thinking that I've probably swallowed at least a couple of fist fulls of Gobi sand. My voice has probably deepened by an octave, which would be fantastic if I was looking for a career as a phone-sex operator (which is a conceivable backup if neither the foreign service nor watermelon farming work out), but in the mean time, it means waking up several times in the night because my throat has gotten SO DRY, or running to the washroom because of all the water that I've been drinking. My single biggest expense in Mongolia thus far? Bottled water. I've actually spent more on bottled water than on food and accommodations combined.
I feel like I should write something nice about Ulaanbaatar. Although I still stand by my statement about UB being the ugliest city on the planet, I have decided that there are some redeeming qualities. At the top of my list, UB actually has a fantastic cafe culture, which is something I've always felt is sorely lacking in Toronto. There are lots of Euro expats living in UB, which means that it's a fairly lucrative business to get into. Secondly, most public establishments that choose to play music tend to favour house, traditional Mongolian, afro-beat or jazz, which is definitely a significant step up from China's obsession with 90s pop and Christmas jazz. Third....well, I think two is actually pretty good... Anyhow, I'm done bashing UB, let the good times roll!
I feel like I should write something nice about Ulaanbaatar. Although I still stand by my statement about UB being the ugliest city on the planet, I have decided that there are some redeeming qualities. At the top of my list, UB actually has a fantastic cafe culture, which is something I've always felt is sorely lacking in Toronto. There are lots of Euro expats living in UB, which means that it's a fairly lucrative business to get into. Secondly, most public establishments that choose to play music tend to favour house, traditional Mongolian, afro-beat or jazz, which is definitely a significant step up from China's obsession with 90s pop and Christmas jazz. Third....well, I think two is actually pretty good... Anyhow, I'm done bashing UB, let the good times roll!
The Ramblings of a Grouchy Traveler
I was wrong....Ulaanbaatar is not just a bit of an eyesore....after having spent a good chunk of the day walking around, I feel like I can now say that UB is quite possibly the biggest eyesore on the planet. No offense, but Mongolia, you need a better capital city.
Today has been a so-so day. I'm a little sleep deprived (the result of too much coffee at the Beijing Airport, the presence of 7 snoring roommates, no pillow and a bit of traveler's anxiety), a little sunburned (which is infuriating because I was so judicious in applying sunscreen SPF 65 this morning, and reapplying this afternoon!), and a little grouchy. I received some relatively upsetting news via e-mail this morning, which has sort of put a damper on my day. Finally, the weather has been quite grey and drizzly today, which tends to put me in a meloncholic state of mind. In my travel experience, I knew that a day like today was bound to come along sooner rather than later. It's impossible to go on a trip of any length without having a couple of days that just make you wanna go home and fix a cup of tea. However, it still sucks when bad days sneak up on you. That being said, I'm convinced that tomorrow will be a better day!
Due to my mood, I didn't really do much today. I arrived in Mongolia sooner than I had originally planned, so I've got some time before I'll be meeting up with my colleagues. UB isn't a city that is particularly rich in culture and history (well, at least not in the culture and history that I, as a complete foreigner, can really appreciate), so the next couple of days are going to be spent just walking around, visiting a few museums and monastaries, getting my paper work in order before heading out to the field (this could actually prove to be a bit of a challenge....apparently, some palms may need to be greased), and doing some reading.
Some observations about Mongolia (or at least UB and its citizens):Mongolian sounds like a fascinating language; it's a member of the Ural-Altaic family of languages, which means that it's related to Turkish, Hungarian, Kazakh and Korean. It sounds quite gutteral, and if you're not listening carefully, you might mistake it for Russian or some other Eastern European language. Mongolians have a pretty distinct look; certain features seem to be very typically Asian (eyes, hair coulour/texture, bone structure of the nose), but some remind me very much of Aboriginal Canadians from the North, especially the cheekbone structure. Also, many Mongolians have very fair skin and pink cheeks, which is remarkable considering how intense the sun is here. UB is not a city for pedestrians; car traffic is pretty insane, and drivers seem to believe that the horn is a leaning post. That being said, Ulaanbaatarians (correct me if that's not the correct term) are quite friendly, smiley and want to be helpful. The owner of the guesthouse where I'm staying speaks perfect English, and he has a wicked accent. I should try to record it so y'all can hear it.... There are a lot of French and British tourists here. I think that there must be some sort of historical tie between France and Mongolia.
One final note, it's sort of insane how much difference a border can make! China and Mongolia are SO wildly different, it's almost difficult to believe that they're neighbours. The best thing about Mongolia so far?? This will sound ridiculous, but it's definitely the uncensored access to the news! For the last three weeks I've felt so cut off from the world outside of China (i have some things to say about China's state-run CCTV and journalism in China in general, but that'll have to wait for another day)....the last thing that I remember making the headlines in North America was that Paris Hilton was going back to jail. Okay, I've been rambling on, I should go. Hopefully when next I write, I won't be in such a cranky mood. Peace and love!
Today has been a so-so day. I'm a little sleep deprived (the result of too much coffee at the Beijing Airport, the presence of 7 snoring roommates, no pillow and a bit of traveler's anxiety), a little sunburned (which is infuriating because I was so judicious in applying sunscreen SPF 65 this morning, and reapplying this afternoon!), and a little grouchy. I received some relatively upsetting news via e-mail this morning, which has sort of put a damper on my day. Finally, the weather has been quite grey and drizzly today, which tends to put me in a meloncholic state of mind. In my travel experience, I knew that a day like today was bound to come along sooner rather than later. It's impossible to go on a trip of any length without having a couple of days that just make you wanna go home and fix a cup of tea. However, it still sucks when bad days sneak up on you. That being said, I'm convinced that tomorrow will be a better day!
Due to my mood, I didn't really do much today. I arrived in Mongolia sooner than I had originally planned, so I've got some time before I'll be meeting up with my colleagues. UB isn't a city that is particularly rich in culture and history (well, at least not in the culture and history that I, as a complete foreigner, can really appreciate), so the next couple of days are going to be spent just walking around, visiting a few museums and monastaries, getting my paper work in order before heading out to the field (this could actually prove to be a bit of a challenge....apparently, some palms may need to be greased), and doing some reading.
Some observations about Mongolia (or at least UB and its citizens):Mongolian sounds like a fascinating language; it's a member of the Ural-Altaic family of languages, which means that it's related to Turkish, Hungarian, Kazakh and Korean. It sounds quite gutteral, and if you're not listening carefully, you might mistake it for Russian or some other Eastern European language. Mongolians have a pretty distinct look; certain features seem to be very typically Asian (eyes, hair coulour/texture, bone structure of the nose), but some remind me very much of Aboriginal Canadians from the North, especially the cheekbone structure. Also, many Mongolians have very fair skin and pink cheeks, which is remarkable considering how intense the sun is here. UB is not a city for pedestrians; car traffic is pretty insane, and drivers seem to believe that the horn is a leaning post. That being said, Ulaanbaatarians (correct me if that's not the correct term) are quite friendly, smiley and want to be helpful. The owner of the guesthouse where I'm staying speaks perfect English, and he has a wicked accent. I should try to record it so y'all can hear it.... There are a lot of French and British tourists here. I think that there must be some sort of historical tie between France and Mongolia.
One final note, it's sort of insane how much difference a border can make! China and Mongolia are SO wildly different, it's almost difficult to believe that they're neighbours. The best thing about Mongolia so far?? This will sound ridiculous, but it's definitely the uncensored access to the news! For the last three weeks I've felt so cut off from the world outside of China (i have some things to say about China's state-run CCTV and journalism in China in general, but that'll have to wait for another day)....the last thing that I remember making the headlines in North America was that Paris Hilton was going back to jail. Okay, I've been rambling on, I should go. Hopefully when next I write, I won't be in such a cranky mood. Peace and love!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Chasing Chinggis
After a full day of traveling, I have officially arrived in Chinggis' homeland. I left my hostel in Xi'an at 7:50am, and arrived in Ulaan Bator at 8pm, after spending four hours at the Beijing airport. I have nothing to report at the moment, except to say that UB appears to be a perfect example of how NOT to plan a city....it doesn't appear as though Soviet city planners put any thought into how UB was developed, because quite honestly, the city is a bit an eyesore. From the air, UB is probably the ugliest city I've ever seen; it's just one giant urban sprawl. Hmmm...maybe I'm being prematurely harsh, and should give it some time, but so far....it's not looking good.
Ain't Got Nuttin' but Mutton
I've been in Xi'an for a few days now, and every day I've been here, I've had some sort of mutton dish. Mutton is all the rage here. I was informed that this is because Xi'an has quite a large Muslim population that can't eat pork (which is widely featured in Chinese cuisine), therefore pork is replaced by mutton from Inner Mongolia.
Speaking of Mongolia, I'm leaving for Ulan Bator in less than 24 hours!!! After much paperwork and red tape, I have a Mongolian visa in my passport, and a red hot ticket from Xi'an to UB (via Beijing) in my backpocket (well, actually, it's my backpack). Apparently mutton is the base for every single meal in Mongolia, so I'm going to do my best to find a non-mutton meal this evening.
This morning, after seeing my mother off to the airport, I visited Xi'an's "Great Mosque". As I mentioned, Xi'an has a considerable Muslim population, and is home to one of China's largest mosques. It was my first time ever visiting a mosque, and I have to say, I wish I had paid more attention during my first-year religion course, because I think that most of the finer details of the structure flew completely over my head. Unfortunately, it was raining quite heavily, so I didn't stick around too long.
Now that my mother is gone, I've changed accommodations, and I'm not staying at a youth hostel. My roommates are four roaring Scottish guys and a very quiet Japanese girl, so it should be an interesting evening.....
Speaking of Mongolia, I'm leaving for Ulan Bator in less than 24 hours!!! After much paperwork and red tape, I have a Mongolian visa in my passport, and a red hot ticket from Xi'an to UB (via Beijing) in my backpocket (well, actually, it's my backpack). Apparently mutton is the base for every single meal in Mongolia, so I'm going to do my best to find a non-mutton meal this evening.
This morning, after seeing my mother off to the airport, I visited Xi'an's "Great Mosque". As I mentioned, Xi'an has a considerable Muslim population, and is home to one of China's largest mosques. It was my first time ever visiting a mosque, and I have to say, I wish I had paid more attention during my first-year religion course, because I think that most of the finer details of the structure flew completely over my head. Unfortunately, it was raining quite heavily, so I didn't stick around too long.
Now that my mother is gone, I've changed accommodations, and I'm not staying at a youth hostel. My roommates are four roaring Scottish guys and a very quiet Japanese girl, so it should be an interesting evening.....
Excuse me, can you please get out of third gear?
Most of you already know that I don't drive. I've taken lessons, but my G1 expired awhile ago, and I've never been particularly interested in really learning the art of road travel. That being said, I do know enough about driving to know that staying permanently in third gear is not a great idea, which is apparently the gear that most Chinese drivers like to stay parked in. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when the car starts to rumble and jump, that's a sign that you should be switching gears?? For some reason, Chinese drivers like to try to hit 100km/hr in third gear, which results in a very loud and bumpy ride. Beyond that, Chinese drivers just don't seem to have any concept of road safety! Not only are a lot of taxis/vans/buses falling apart, but the obsession with speed, combined with the desire to pack people into vans/buses like a can of sardines, and the lack of road rules observation means that I spend most of my time on the road with my eyes covered, and muttering prayers under my breath. It seems as though the demarcations of lanes doesn't really mean anything, since drivers regularly straddle two lanes, wander across a six-lane highway without signalling, and often veer into oncoming traffic at extremely high speed, as though they're playing Chicken! Road travel in China is definitely not for the faint-hearted. I'm amazed that I haven't seen a major road accident yet. I can't help to laugh when people back home complain about how crazy Toronto/Montreal drivers are......
Baptism by Vomit
Today, I believe I passed a real rite of passage in traveling through China. I got puked on. No joke. I was sitting on a bus, going from Huangshan to Hangzhou, in order to catch a plane to Xi'an, when suddenly, out of nowhere, my right ankle and foot got splattered with some nice warm vomit being expelled from the kid across the aisle. I had been warned by other travelers that it would happen eventually that somewhere, somehow, it would happen. I didn't believe; well, I've officially been converted through my own baptism by vomit. It was pretty disgusting, I was not pleased, but the poor kid looked so miserable and had vomit all over his pants, I actually felt bad for him.
I'm now in Xi'an, which is a former capital of China. It's best known as the Terracotta Warriors site, which was only discovered sometime in the later 20th century. I spent the evening walking around the Muslim Quarter, which is really just one giant food stand. It was interesting, lots to see, lots to eat. If any of you brilliant folk happen to know what the difference is between mutton and lamb, let me know....I'd look it up, but since wikipedia, my source for all information, is blocked in China, I'm feeling incapable of doing a good old fashioned e-search. On the topic of food, let me just say that China is a watermelon lover's paradise. It must be watermelon season, because on every street corner, freh watermelon is on sale. In the countryside, along the road, there are dozens of stands selling watermelon from the fields behind the road. As most of you already know, I love watermelon. LOVE it. I live on the stuff during the summer time. I'm thinking of eschewing a career in the foreign service or elsewhere, and just moving to China to become a watermelon farmer.
I'm now in Xi'an, which is a former capital of China. It's best known as the Terracotta Warriors site, which was only discovered sometime in the later 20th century. I spent the evening walking around the Muslim Quarter, which is really just one giant food stand. It was interesting, lots to see, lots to eat. If any of you brilliant folk happen to know what the difference is between mutton and lamb, let me know....I'd look it up, but since wikipedia, my source for all information, is blocked in China, I'm feeling incapable of doing a good old fashioned e-search. On the topic of food, let me just say that China is a watermelon lover's paradise. It must be watermelon season, because on every street corner, freh watermelon is on sale. In the countryside, along the road, there are dozens of stands selling watermelon from the fields behind the road. As most of you already know, I love watermelon. LOVE it. I live on the stuff during the summer time. I'm thinking of eschewing a career in the foreign service or elsewhere, and just moving to China to become a watermelon farmer.
I Am a HERO!
Apparently, in China, there's a saying that you're not a hero or a man until you've climbed the Great Wall. I was recently informed that the same applies to those who haven't climbed Huangshan (Yellow Mountain). Well, as of two hours ago, I've climbed Huangshan TWICE, so I feel entitled to the moniker of "Hero", with a capital H. Move over Jet Li! I'm still waiting for my manly bits and pieces to grow in though....Climbing Huangshan for a second time was a remarkably different experience from the first. I was here in August of 2005, and the place was just an anthill of tourists. Today, for long stretches of the climb, I was completely alone, without another human behing in sight. Also, the weather today was kind of terrible for climbing a mountain. It was thundering the entire time, and drizzly. My mom decided that her travel-wearied body just couldn't handle the 3 hour climb, so I was on my own in the rain, which was actually quite pleasant. On the topic of travels with an older parent, I can only say that although it's been nice to have my mom with me for the last week, and she'll be with me for the next week, I will be relieved when our time on the road together comes to an end. It's just an entirely different way of traveling; normally, if I'm on my own, I'd be staying at hostels, meeting other travelers, going out at night, and doing backpacker type things; with my mother, it's hotels, early evenings, and a preview of what traveling with the AARP would be like. I'm not complaining, it's nice to stay in hotels with clean washrooms and bedding that smells as though it's actually been washed recently, but traveling with my mom certainly has some drawbacks. I'm going to go get myself a massage now. Though I am a Hero, even Heroes are prone to getting a little sore after climbing a fairly steep mountain all afternoon.
Southpaws of the World, Unite!
So, in the last two weeks since arriving in Asia, I've had approximately a dozen people ask me, "why do you write with your left hand??" Now, for the Asians in the crowd, you know that in general, there's a strong cultural preference among Asians to write with your right hand; however, my parents, being the renegades that they were and still are, never enforced this with me, and thus I am a leftie. My lefthandedness is a real topic of fascination among the Chinese people I've met, you'd think that they'd never seen anyone use their left hand before! Typically, it goes as followed: I'll be writing down something for someone (my Chinese name, my email address, a book title, etc, etc...), and he/she will immediately zoom in on my writing hand; there'll be a look of confusion/awe/bewilderment/absolute horror/a furious whisper with a cohort, and then a timid, "why do you write with your left hand?" I'll do my best to explain that I've always used my left hand, that it's always been natural to me. Next, the individual will smile and nod, and say something along the lines of: "You must have a very powerful right hemisphere of your brain!" or "how wonderful!" or "you must be very smart to have mastered such a difficult talent!"....anyway, I'm not sure if they're just giving me lip service, but then secretly running home to cleanse themselves of their meeting with the devil, but I find it curious how much attention it draws. Southpaws of the world, unite! Com'on, it's common knowledge that we lefties (all 20-25% of us) are far more intelligent, creative, and better looking than the hegemonic right! I'm now in Huangshan City (Tunxi), in the Anhui province of China. Anhui is one of the poorest provinces, located in the eastern-central region of the country. Huangshan translates as "Yellow Mountain" in English. Huang=Yellow, Shan=Mountain. I was actually here two years ago on my own, but my mother really wanted to come, so I figured, why not? Huangshan is widely considered to be the most beautiful mountain in China; I believe part of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was filmed here, but don't quote me on it. Our plan is to climb up tomorrow during the day, and spend the night at the summit in order to see the sunrise. Last time I was here, I spent a total of 20 hours in the area, which means that I basically ran up and down the mountain, and paid dearly for it, as I couldn't really walk down stairs for the next week because I was SO sore. Hopefully this year's climb will be a little more leisurely; I'm sure it will be, I really can't see my mom running up a mountain. On a closing note, I'd like to ask anyone whose ever been to China, or better still, anyone who is from China (ahem...Daisy....Wen...ahem), what's with the rock hard beds here? Maybe I'm just spoiled by my super fancy posturepedic at home, but the beds here are about as comfortable as sleeping on a giant slab of rock. I know it's a little early on to be saying it, but I'm definitely looking forward to going home and sleeping in my own bed. I feel like an old granny when I say it, but my back just can't handle China. I'm going to go hobble off and find myself a walking cane now, so I bid you all a good night.
Becoming a Tourist Attraction
Last night, I took a train from Hangzhou to Nanjing. For those of you who may need a brush up on your Asian history, Nanjing is a former capital of China, and was the site of a major massacre committed by the Japanese during World War II. You might be familiar with the term "the rape of Nanking/Nanjing", which is a reference to the WWII event. Anyhow, I haven't actually visited any of the massacre memorial sites yet, but I image that I will be thoroughly blue afterwards. I've had the opportunity to talk to some Chinese people about their thoughts on the whole Sino-Japanese relationship, and it's sort of astonishing to hear how much genuine loathing exists, especially in younger people. I wonder how much of it is a product of the Chinese education system.Anyhow, back to my train story. I was sitting quietly on the train, minding my own business, when I noticed that the two girls sitting next to me were whispering and stealing glances in my direction; after a few minutes of consultation, one of them asked me where I was from. I guess that's all it took to break the ice, because within seconds, I was surrounded by six Chinese people, all asking me questions, wanting to know where I was from, what I was doing in China, if I had eaten dinner yet, how old I am, if I am in school, if I want to take a look at pictures of their families, etc, etc, etc... I was a total tourist attraction, it was nuts! These people knew more about American films and television that I do! They asked me if I watch "Lost" or "Prison Break", and seemed incredibly disappointed when I told them I don't. I should pick up some bootleg dvds of the shows, just to be better prepared for the next time... Within an hour or so, I had used up all of my Mandarin, so conversation kind of stalled at that point, but luckily the jovial fellow sitting across the way from me insisted that he show me how to play video games on his cellular phone, which was....okay. I'm a little rusty on playing video games; the last time I seriously played video games, "Street Fighter" was all the rage. It actually made me a little nostalgic for my youth, and makes me want to go home and find a console!
Like a Virgin....Smelling Shit for the Very First Time
So, I've only been in Asia for a little more than a week, but I feel like I can say with absolute confidence and certainty that Madonna's "Like A Virgin" is the single most popular song in all of China. It's the song that serenades you as you buy shoes, wait for trains, eat in restaurants, and pee in public washrooms. I've noticed that popular music in China is a healthy mix of 90s pop (Bryan Adams is HUGE), smooth jazz (a la Kenny G), and a touch of Christmas music for good measure. I'm now in Hangzhou, which is about 1 1/2 hours away from Shanghai. Actually, that's not true; Hangzhou is normally about 3 hours away from Shanghai, but thanks to a snazzy new bullet train that started running a couple of months ago, you can now get here in just under 80 minutes. Hangzhou is quite a scenic town, it's famous for "West Lake", which is quite a lovely body of water. This evening I tried "Beggar's Chicken", which is a Hangzhou speciality; it is a whole chicken that has been wrapped in lotus leaves and baked in a clay pot. To be totally honest, I didn't find it to be particularly wonderful...in fact, I thought it was kind of tasteless. My mom, however, couldn't stop talking about how great it was, and how fantastic it is to eat a Hangzhou speciality in Hangzhou.Speaking of food, tonight, I was walking down the street, minding my own business, when suddenly, BAM! I was assaulted by the most vile odour I've ever encountered. It was stinky tofu being freshly fried in a pot on the side of the road. Now for those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, stinky tofu is a preserved tofu that smells like shit. SHIT. S-H-I-T. It's powerful stuff, I swear, you could have smoked Saddam out of his hole by wafting in the scent of stinky tofu. Anyhow, what is most shocking is that the stuff is incredibly popular! My mom loves the stuff...she says it brings her back to the sunny days of her youth. In any case, although I think that frying stinky tofu on the side of the road should be made a crime punishable by law, I am quite amazed by how much food is available at street stalls here. Not only the quantity, but the selection and the price. You can get just about anything you want on the side of the road...stinky tofu? done. rack of lamb? sure, why the hell not? fried egg? no problem. Fresh cut mango? sounds good to me! One last thing: I was walking around looking for a good coffee shop this morning (I've come to accept that I can't function without a cup of coffee in the morning), and decided to ask a local guy on the side of the road. He began to tell me about this AMAZING coffee shop around the corner. He'd never been there before because it was too damn expensive, but he imagined that it must be fantastic because they charged so much and so many lao wei (foreigners) went there and sat for hours. He told me that I'd probably never had anything like it before, and that it must be really special....he walked me around the corner, and led me straight to a Starbucks.
Friendly Cab Drivers
So, if there's one thing that I really love about traveling in China, it's definitely the cheap cab rates, and the generally friendly drivers. In Shanghai, the flag falls at 11RMB, which is the equivalent of approximately 1.75$ CAD. The first 2KM is 11RMB, and subsequent distance is something like 1RMB/KM, which is ridiculously cheap. On those lazy early mornings in Toronto, trying to get to SFUX for 5:15am, a three minute cab ride sets me back 8 bad boys, so I'm savouring the distance my dollar takes me here.Cab drivers in China have been hit and miss in the past, but these last few days, I've had a string of good luck with very talkative men who seem to relish the idea of teaching a young "lao wei" (Chinese for "foreigner") some local talk. They're so impressed with my pathetic mandarin language skills, it's pretty ridiculous. I've had a cab driver try to teach me all of the key phrases for bargaining at the market ("too expensive!" "are you trying to make me laugh??" "that's my last offer!"...), another talk to me about the politics of living in Shanghai, but not being from Shanghai, and another one tell me all about his new grandson. Hopefully I'll have similarly friendly cab drivers outside of Shanghai. I'm leaving Shanghai tonight, but first, I'm off to get a massage and do some walking and shopping around some of the back alleys of Shanghai. I still haven't figured out how to take the photos off of my camera and put them on the computer, so....this may be a non-illustrated blog......if any one of you can tell me how to do the transfer thing, that would be fantastic, because I, as most of you already know, am a total luddite.
Stressed in Shanghai
Within 24 hours of arriving in Shanghai, I managed to lose my mother. Holy SHH****TTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My mom and I have traveled together in the past, and it's always been fine, but somehow in a tiny museum, I managed to lose her for three frickin' hours. I wasn't too concerned, because she speaks mandarin, and knows the address of the hotel we're staying at, but still, if I lost my mother in Shanghai, and something happened to her, I would be facing certain crucifixion...so after wandering around for a few hours looking everywhere for her, I decided that it would be best to return to the hotel, knowing that we had a dinner date with my cousin in the evening, and she would probably find her way back there eventually. When I got back to the room, lo and behold, who do I find napping peacefully in bed? I feel like a dodged a real bullet........
Blocked in China
So, along with the BBC, CBS, Wikipedia, Google, and CNN, it turns out that the host for my travel blog is also a blocked website in China. I can live without my blog, but what the hell am I going to do without the BBC or Wiki??Greetings from the Motherland! I got to Shanghai last night, and am about to head out for the day. Thankfully, Shanghai is considerably cooler than Hong Kong, although the air pollution here is probably a thousand times worse...I don't think I'll be seeing the sun for a few days.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Leaving for the Motherland
Alright, after five okay-ish days in Hong Kong, I'm packing up my bags and heading towards the Motherland...a.k.a. the red monster called China. Starting today, I'm going to be living out of my backpack for abou two months, which I think will be fun for about two weeks before it begins to get really old.
Hong Kong, for the most part, has been a nice week of not doing much of anything. I'm not a big Hong Kong person...the heat, the humidity, the insane congestion, the frequent drip of air conditioner window units hitting poor, unsuspecting pedestrians...it's not for everyone. I'm quite excited about the China leg of my trip, although the same issues of heat/humidity/peeing air conditioners and congestion all apply. Since I arrived in Hong Kong, just about every hong konger I've met has had some sort of ominous warning about travels through China. I find that there is a real prejudice among HKers about mainland China and the people. Some of it is well warranted, but I definitely think that quite a lot of it is unfair. There's a real sense that China is uncivilized and just a jungle of blood-thirsty subhumans who are looking to screw you over. After spending six weeks in China, perhaps I will feel the same way, but at the moment, I'm feeling optimistic.
Okay, I should get back to packing, so this is it for now. In fact, depending on whether or not I can access this site in China, this could be it for quite awhile. If that's the case, I'll try to post updates and photos on Facebook. Zai jian!
Hong Kong, for the most part, has been a nice week of not doing much of anything. I'm not a big Hong Kong person...the heat, the humidity, the insane congestion, the frequent drip of air conditioner window units hitting poor, unsuspecting pedestrians...it's not for everyone. I'm quite excited about the China leg of my trip, although the same issues of heat/humidity/peeing air conditioners and congestion all apply. Since I arrived in Hong Kong, just about every hong konger I've met has had some sort of ominous warning about travels through China. I find that there is a real prejudice among HKers about mainland China and the people. Some of it is well warranted, but I definitely think that quite a lot of it is unfair. There's a real sense that China is uncivilized and just a jungle of blood-thirsty subhumans who are looking to screw you over. After spending six weeks in China, perhaps I will feel the same way, but at the moment, I'm feeling optimistic.
Okay, I should get back to packing, so this is it for now. In fact, depending on whether or not I can access this site in China, this could be it for quite awhile. If that's the case, I'll try to post updates and photos on Facebook. Zai jian!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Mongolia, PLEASE Let Me In!!!!!
I have been in Hong Kong for four days now. It's been a fairly quiet few days, just getting adjusted to the time difference, and learning how to deal with the incredibly oppressive humidity. I don't wanna spend a lot of time bitching and moaning about the weather, but I would like to say that I've come to accept that if the humidity is this bad everywhere I go, I can pretty much bank on not having a single good hair day between now and September.
I spent most of the weekend with my mom, just walking around Kowloon and part of the New Territories. I've only been to Hong Kong with my mother once, and it was back in 1994, so it's been quite a different experience being here with her as an adult. I am a little taken aback by how at home and in her element she appears to be. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting my mother, she's not what I would describe as being somebody who is very good with directions or finding her way around. She has been living in a relatively small and compact suburb of Vancouver for about three years, but still manages to get lost if she's more than a block or two away from home; however, in Hong Kong (a gigantic city that she hasn't lived in for more than thirty years, and only visits at most for a few weeks a year) she seems to know every single bus route and MTR (the subway system) station by heart! It's sort of amazing how she's still very much a "local".
My mother is going to be coming with me to mainland China for two weeks before I head off for Mongolia. We're leaving for Shanghai on Wednesday evening. I have a cousin from Canada who has been working there for the last few years, so I'm quite looking forward to seeing her again. I visited her during the summer of 2005, and it was great to be able to see Shanghai with someone who knows the city both as a local, but also as a foreigner. As a local, she knows of great restaurants/bars/lounges that aren't total tourist traps, and as a foreigner, she appreciates some of the touristy places. In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing my cousin, and hopefully enjoying some of the Shanghai contemporary art scene and nightlife.
Tomorrow morning I have to go to the Mongolian Consulate in Hong Kong to hopefully sort out once and for all my visa problems. As of now, I still don't have the necessary documentation to get into Mongolia, which is pretty frustrating, seeing that i'm pretty much on a first name basis with every employee of the Mongolian Embassy in Ottawa after having called them every other day for the last month. If I don't get this damn visa, it looks like I'm going to have to seriously modify (i.e. completely tear apart and start from scratch) my research plan....... something I'm hoping to avoid.
Tuesday is a public holiday in Hong Kong for the Dragon Boat Festival. I don't really know what the deal is with Dragon Boat racing, but hopefully I'll find out on Tuesday. Okay, I think that's all for now. I better go practice my best "please-give-me-a-visa-because-i'm-a-very-sweet-girl" face in the mirror. Wish me luck!
Steph
I spent most of the weekend with my mom, just walking around Kowloon and part of the New Territories. I've only been to Hong Kong with my mother once, and it was back in 1994, so it's been quite a different experience being here with her as an adult. I am a little taken aback by how at home and in her element she appears to be. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of meeting my mother, she's not what I would describe as being somebody who is very good with directions or finding her way around. She has been living in a relatively small and compact suburb of Vancouver for about three years, but still manages to get lost if she's more than a block or two away from home; however, in Hong Kong (a gigantic city that she hasn't lived in for more than thirty years, and only visits at most for a few weeks a year) she seems to know every single bus route and MTR (the subway system) station by heart! It's sort of amazing how she's still very much a "local".
My mother is going to be coming with me to mainland China for two weeks before I head off for Mongolia. We're leaving for Shanghai on Wednesday evening. I have a cousin from Canada who has been working there for the last few years, so I'm quite looking forward to seeing her again. I visited her during the summer of 2005, and it was great to be able to see Shanghai with someone who knows the city both as a local, but also as a foreigner. As a local, she knows of great restaurants/bars/lounges that aren't total tourist traps, and as a foreigner, she appreciates some of the touristy places. In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing my cousin, and hopefully enjoying some of the Shanghai contemporary art scene and nightlife.
Tomorrow morning I have to go to the Mongolian Consulate in Hong Kong to hopefully sort out once and for all my visa problems. As of now, I still don't have the necessary documentation to get into Mongolia, which is pretty frustrating, seeing that i'm pretty much on a first name basis with every employee of the Mongolian Embassy in Ottawa after having called them every other day for the last month. If I don't get this damn visa, it looks like I'm going to have to seriously modify (i.e. completely tear apart and start from scratch) my research plan....... something I'm hoping to avoid.
Tuesday is a public holiday in Hong Kong for the Dragon Boat Festival. I don't really know what the deal is with Dragon Boat racing, but hopefully I'll find out on Tuesday. Okay, I think that's all for now. I better go practice my best "please-give-me-a-visa-because-i'm-a-very-sweet-girl" face in the mirror. Wish me luck!
Steph
Friday, June 15, 2007
Hong Kong
I have arrived in Hong Kong in one piece, and thankfully, so has my luggage. I left my apartment in Toronto at 4AM on Thursday morning, and landed in Hong Kong at 7PM Friday night, which basically means it took about 24 hours to get here. For the most part, the trip over was uneventful. I flew from Toronto to Vancouver, had a quick sushi lunch with my brother, and then hopped on the plane for the 13 hour ride to Hong Kong. While getting to Hong Kong proved to be straight forward and simple enough, finding my mother in the Hong Kong Airport was like a game of cat and mouse! Without getting into the details, it basically took an hour to find my mom, which was just enough time to begin to feel slightly abandoned and panicky....
Since arriving at the family house a couple of hours ago, I've done nothing except for attempt to unpack (i.e. unfurl some wrinkled clothing and throw them over the back of a chair), and let my grandmother peel and feed me lychees. I'm pretty pooped, but I'm trying to hold of sleep for another hour or two, hoping that it'll help beat the jetlag. The weekend is looking to be relatively low key. I think that I might go to visit some of the walled villages in the New Territories area of Hong Kong tomorrow, and maybe hit the beach on Sunday. Most people don't realize it, but Hong Kong actually has some really beautiful beaches and hiking trails, so I'm going to try to take some of it in before jumping over the border into China. Anyhow, there's really nothing else to write about right now.... Oh, I will mention that the air in Hong Kong is pretty nauseating. As the plane was coming down through the clouds towards the airport, the clouds weren't your typical white-grey; instead, they're a delightful blend of purple and brown. The pollution combined with the heat and humidity makes walking through Hong Kong feel a little bit like you're having a picnic in a dumpster. And on that cheerful note, I bid you goodnight.
Steph
Since arriving at the family house a couple of hours ago, I've done nothing except for attempt to unpack (i.e. unfurl some wrinkled clothing and throw them over the back of a chair), and let my grandmother peel and feed me lychees. I'm pretty pooped, but I'm trying to hold of sleep for another hour or two, hoping that it'll help beat the jetlag. The weekend is looking to be relatively low key. I think that I might go to visit some of the walled villages in the New Territories area of Hong Kong tomorrow, and maybe hit the beach on Sunday. Most people don't realize it, but Hong Kong actually has some really beautiful beaches and hiking trails, so I'm going to try to take some of it in before jumping over the border into China. Anyhow, there's really nothing else to write about right now.... Oh, I will mention that the air in Hong Kong is pretty nauseating. As the plane was coming down through the clouds towards the airport, the clouds weren't your typical white-grey; instead, they're a delightful blend of purple and brown. The pollution combined with the heat and humidity makes walking through Hong Kong feel a little bit like you're having a picnic in a dumpster. And on that cheerful note, I bid you goodnight.
Steph
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Packing Up
With something like 29 hours between now and when I'll be hopping into cab bound for Pearson International, I'm beginning to feel the stress of departure looming upon me. I feel like I've spent the last two weeks in permanent preparation mode, and yet there is still much to be done. I've got to finish packing my bags and my apartment, turn my keys over to my apartment sitter, sort out some final work related details, finalize my course selection for September, pick up an assortment of bug sprays and mosquito netting, say farewell to some departing friends who will no longer be in Toronto this fall, and make a dozen phone calls.
Unfortunately, I went for my final round of travel vaccinations this morning, and so I'm feeling a little dopey and can't move my right arm above shoulder level. On the bright side, I can sleep easy knowing that I'm probably not going to be getting yellow fever, typhoid, hep. A, or hep. B....although rabies, malaria and japanese encephalitis remain in the realm of possibility. Oh well, if I get bitten by a rabid dog we'll just call it a cultural experience. I've never seen the inside of a Mongolian hospital, I'm sure it could be interesting....
I was with a dear friend this evening discussing my expectations for the coming ten weeks, and it suddenly dawned upon me that I haven't really considered what I'm hoping to get out of the experience. I've thought an awful lot about the research side (for those of you who have been lucky enough to avoid talking to me about it, I'm doing field research on the politicization of ethnicity), but beyond that... I'm keeping it pretty low key in terms of expectations.
My rough travel route is as followed:
1.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Huangshan/Tunxi, Xian, Beijing. (China)
2.Mongolia, starting in Ulan Bator, and working my way to the Gobi Desert
3.Back to Beijing, and either taking the train up to Lhasa (Tibet), or flying to Chengdu in the Sichuan province. Getting to Tibet could prove to be a real challenge, as you need a special permit from the Chinese government; unfortunately, there were some recent American protests at the Everest Base Camp over the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the upcoming Beijing Olympics, and the Chinese government has stopped issuing permits to foreigners.
4. Depending on whether or not I get to Tibet, I'll come down through the Sichuan province, work through Yunnan, Guizhou, Guanxi and back to Guangzhou, which is the Chinese province closest to Hong Kong. If I don't get to Tibet, I'll have more time, and I might try to swing through Northern Vietnam (from the Yunnan province) to Halong Bay. If I do get to Tibet, I'd be interested in taking the Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Kathmandu (Nepal), but realistically, I think I might be hard pressed for time.
Ten weeks feels like a long time, but I'm thinking that already this is a fairly charged schedule. I'm sad to know that I won't be able to make it to the Xinjiang province in China (it borders Pakistan, home to more ethnic minorities than Han Chinese, and makes up approximately 1/6th of China's territory), but it's quite far and difficult to get to, and not necessarily the safest place to be traveling alone as a female traveler. If any one of you well-weathered travelers has recommendations of interesting places to visit or things to do, drop me a line. With the exception of Mongolia and a couple of stops in China where I have a certain research schedule commitments to follow, my path is quite flexible and open to change.
I'll try to post regularly, but I warn you now that as I encounter keyboards with different key layouts, you can expect the quality of grammar and spelling control to go down significantly.
Next time I write, I will be enjoying the stinking hot heat, pollution and humidity of Hong Kong, catching up with some friends and family, and hopefully indulging in several bowls of mango/sago/pomelo soup!
Peace and love!
Steph
Unfortunately, I went for my final round of travel vaccinations this morning, and so I'm feeling a little dopey and can't move my right arm above shoulder level. On the bright side, I can sleep easy knowing that I'm probably not going to be getting yellow fever, typhoid, hep. A, or hep. B....although rabies, malaria and japanese encephalitis remain in the realm of possibility. Oh well, if I get bitten by a rabid dog we'll just call it a cultural experience. I've never seen the inside of a Mongolian hospital, I'm sure it could be interesting....
I was with a dear friend this evening discussing my expectations for the coming ten weeks, and it suddenly dawned upon me that I haven't really considered what I'm hoping to get out of the experience. I've thought an awful lot about the research side (for those of you who have been lucky enough to avoid talking to me about it, I'm doing field research on the politicization of ethnicity), but beyond that... I'm keeping it pretty low key in terms of expectations.
My rough travel route is as followed:
1.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Huangshan/Tunxi, Xian, Beijing. (China)
2.Mongolia, starting in Ulan Bator, and working my way to the Gobi Desert
3.Back to Beijing, and either taking the train up to Lhasa (Tibet), or flying to Chengdu in the Sichuan province. Getting to Tibet could prove to be a real challenge, as you need a special permit from the Chinese government; unfortunately, there were some recent American protests at the Everest Base Camp over the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the upcoming Beijing Olympics, and the Chinese government has stopped issuing permits to foreigners.
4. Depending on whether or not I get to Tibet, I'll come down through the Sichuan province, work through Yunnan, Guizhou, Guanxi and back to Guangzhou, which is the Chinese province closest to Hong Kong. If I don't get to Tibet, I'll have more time, and I might try to swing through Northern Vietnam (from the Yunnan province) to Halong Bay. If I do get to Tibet, I'd be interested in taking the Friendship Highway from Lhasa to Kathmandu (Nepal), but realistically, I think I might be hard pressed for time.
Ten weeks feels like a long time, but I'm thinking that already this is a fairly charged schedule. I'm sad to know that I won't be able to make it to the Xinjiang province in China (it borders Pakistan, home to more ethnic minorities than Han Chinese, and makes up approximately 1/6th of China's territory), but it's quite far and difficult to get to, and not necessarily the safest place to be traveling alone as a female traveler. If any one of you well-weathered travelers has recommendations of interesting places to visit or things to do, drop me a line. With the exception of Mongolia and a couple of stops in China where I have a certain research schedule commitments to follow, my path is quite flexible and open to change.
I'll try to post regularly, but I warn you now that as I encounter keyboards with different key layouts, you can expect the quality of grammar and spelling control to go down significantly.
Next time I write, I will be enjoying the stinking hot heat, pollution and humidity of Hong Kong, catching up with some friends and family, and hopefully indulging in several bowls of mango/sago/pomelo soup!
Peace and love!
Steph
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Oh, how embarassing!
I'm so ashamed! I always thought that "traveling" was spelled with two 'l's, but apparently I was wrong. To the spelling police out there, my sincere apologies.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
The Inaugural Blog
Rather than flood your email inboxes with stories and photos that you may or may not be interested in reading/seeing, I've decided that it would be far more efficient to set up a travel blog that you can choose to visit at your own volition.
For those of you who are not aware, I am exactly one week away from departure from Toronto Pearson International Airport, bound for Asia! I'll be hitting Hong Kong temporarily, but I'll be spending most of July and August travelling through China, Mongolia, Tibet, and (hopefully) Nepal or Vietnam. The purpose of the trip is twofold: it's part personal 'vacation' (although sometimes travelling doesn't seem like vacation), and part research. I'm super pumped to go, but I will admit that I'm feeling some stress over the thought of sleeping in hostels and being on the road non-stop for almost three months.
Before departure, I have three critical tasks to complete. If anyone has any recommendations for any or all of these categories, let me know.
1. Find cute and comfortable shoes for the trip (in a moment of temporary insanity, I almost seriously considered those hideous"crocs", but I just can't bring myself to be seen in public and immortalized in photo wearing them).
2. Stock my iPod with new music and podcasts for the road.
3. Choose some books to take for the LONG plane and train rides.
One last thing, I should explain the title of the blog. "Chasing Chinggis" is my homage to Genghis Khan, who is known as Chinggis Khan, the great ruler/warrior in Mongolia. Since the Mongole Empire under his rule covered huge parts of where I'll be travelling, it seems only appropriate.
I don't have much to say right now, but to those of you who I don't see before departure, or potentially won't be seeing in September, have a great summer, and please keep in touch!
Steph
For those of you who are not aware, I am exactly one week away from departure from Toronto Pearson International Airport, bound for Asia! I'll be hitting Hong Kong temporarily, but I'll be spending most of July and August travelling through China, Mongolia, Tibet, and (hopefully) Nepal or Vietnam. The purpose of the trip is twofold: it's part personal 'vacation' (although sometimes travelling doesn't seem like vacation), and part research. I'm super pumped to go, but I will admit that I'm feeling some stress over the thought of sleeping in hostels and being on the road non-stop for almost three months.
Before departure, I have three critical tasks to complete. If anyone has any recommendations for any or all of these categories, let me know.
1. Find cute and comfortable shoes for the trip (in a moment of temporary insanity, I almost seriously considered those hideous"crocs", but I just can't bring myself to be seen in public and immortalized in photo wearing them).
2. Stock my iPod with new music and podcasts for the road.
3. Choose some books to take for the LONG plane and train rides.
One last thing, I should explain the title of the blog. "Chasing Chinggis" is my homage to Genghis Khan, who is known as Chinggis Khan, the great ruler/warrior in Mongolia. Since the Mongole Empire under his rule covered huge parts of where I'll be travelling, it seems only appropriate.
I don't have much to say right now, but to those of you who I don't see before departure, or potentially won't be seeing in September, have a great summer, and please keep in touch!
Steph
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
