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Blogs from Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, Asia - page 4
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January 7th 2010
Here are the pictures from Day 2 in Harbin the first place is a city park on an island. The second is a natural preserve/zoo for tigers. Sun Island Snow Art Park With so much snow and so many freezing days, someone came up with the idea to make the snow into something warm and cozy. Cozy as in cement that is painted white. Not cozy compared to a warm fire in the fireplace, but compared to the -18 temperature it is nice. So they start by making huge blocks of snow on the frozen river around the island. Then they move these blocks by truck into stacks and carve them into some awesome sculptures. Check out the pictures. Tiger Park Load all the tourists into small buses, where half of the windows are covered with ... read more
January 4th 2010
A 3 Hour Tour We loaded the bus early on Saturday Morning. I guess I should say that we boarded the bus after the driver spent 20 minutes banging on the door, so that it would open. I figured rubber seals freeze in this extreme cold. Anyway, we were anxious to begin our trip and happy to get out of the cold. It was about 10 below Saturday morning. It was suppose to be a 3 hour tour, I mean a 3 hour drive. A quick stop to pick up our last tour member and we were off for Harbin and the famous snow festivals and tiger park. There was some difficulty closing the door, but it ended up closing so we could go. As we started down the highway the fun began. Our driver was ... read more
December 13th 2009
The Korea trip has been trying for two dates still not has enough people sign up. Harbin is the final choice after some serious thinking; because that is the only place I did not go in China yet. I do not want to stay in Beijing for that long. Good practice for my Chinese too. It is off season and before the annual ice festival, train ticket is not that hard to get a soft sleeper. The school just finished yesterday, it is a little rush to pack for the cold weather. I thought it will be empty at the train, surprised it is packed. I took the “Z” train. The whole train is soft sleeper, so less people in the train and free up the restroom. I have the upper bunk as usual; I like ... read more
October 5th 2009
Oct 4, 2009 Up at 06:00 (for real Barbara), noodle breakfast $6. Several trips to the ticket windows, third class ticket to Harbin, 31 hrs $80. Does not leave until 9:00a. plenty to get organized. With ticket in hand this time cleared x-ray security and made it to my waiting room (think gate). After another conversation in Chinese (have I mentioned I don't speak any Chinese?) it appears I elected to use the porter pre-board option, $2, what a bargain. I showed me the ropes, and my carriage and my bunk. No one is allowed in the platform boarding area until the train is announced and you ticket is shown. Then all mayhem breaks loose, and you had better be fast as the passangers find there bunks, 3 high two stacks to the compartment 66 to ... read more
October 3rd 2009
H1N1 flu is serious and dangerous and very very scary. At least, that is how most of the Chinese think of it. Where you already could see people with a mask a few months ago, nowadays they are everywhere. Since a week, even the ladies at the desk of the dormitory are wearing the mask. Sometimes they put it off, but when you approach them, they put it back on immediately. Like you have a deadly disease! When I was in Hong Kong, there were everywhere antibacterial soap dispensers and the elevators where disinfected every hour. I didn't see this in mainland China. However, since two weeks Harbin is very scared of the flu, since in the Heilongjiang University 7 students were diagnosed with the flu. Immediately they stopped teaching in that university and people could ... read more
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Harbin, the fist two weeks
Published: September 6th 2009Asia » China » Heilongjiang » Harbin » My house
August 21st 2009
Because all the trains were booked, I had to take a plane to Harbin. With one hour delay, I arrived in Harbin in the dark. But of course, there were some friendly Chinese that helped me find my room. The instructions were not correct, but after a while I had a room and bedding etc. I share the room with a still unknown person and the kitchen without any appliances and the bath room I share with two Korean girls. Unfortunately they don't speak English, what I find a bit strange because I heard that even in primary school English is taught is South Korea... luckily my roommate turned out to be German, so I can communicate with her! The next day I met some of my classmates who already arrived the day before. During that ... read more
July 23rd 2009
Erlongshan - Two Dragon Mountain 20th-21st July We went on a trip with all of the Joy school staff from all of the school's in Daqing - completely paid for by our boss! So altogether there was about 70 people who went along. On Monday morning, the 20th we got up at around 3am and were at the train station by about 10 past 4. It was a rainy and miserable morning but it soon lightened when we arrived at the train station to some very excited and happy people! The train departed at 4.49am to Harbin. Unfortunately there were no seats left when we boarded so we stood up in very cramped conditions for the 2 hour train ride. When we arrived in Harbin we were met by Jason and soon enough we were ... read more
June 2nd 2009
Hello all, We are not living in Harbin but our city is not on the map so Harbin is the closest they had. Daqing is our hometown. We have been living in China for a year now as ESL teachers. Our stay will end on June 23rd. China has been great we have been to Beijing, Shanghai, Inner Mongolia, Harbin, back to my old town of Yan Cheng to see an old friends wedding and to a new friends home town. China has been so great, we have learnt so many things and have seen so many great things like the great wall. The biggest changeling for us over here would be the cultural barrier. I know they say that North China is the last great communist front but what I really did not know was ... read more
February 2nd 2009
“Welcome to Shanghai Pudong Airport! The current temperature in Shanghai is 50 degrees Fahrenheit with cloudy skies. ” As I walked up the jet way I ripped off my thick Eddie Bauer jacket, dropped my bags, fell to the ground, kissed the floor, and cried. Wow, let’s press the rewind button and find out what happened…. We woke up at around 7 in the morning to catch the metro to the Shanghai Railway Station. I definitely made the mistake of only bringing a duffle bag and a camera bag. If I could press rewind on life, I probably would have included a backpack in the mix (you’ll see why). Five of us (Me, Silas, Josh, Samantha, Mai) were walking to the metro station with loads of luggage all the way to the Shanghai Railway Station and ... read more
#111 Teaching at Taizhou Teachers College, China ( HARBIN: Part 2, World of Ice & Snow, Stalin Park, Buddhist Temples and Confucian Temple!)
Published: January 14th 2009Asia » China » Heilongjiang » Harbin
January 14th 2009
THIS IS PART "TWO" OF MY 2009 WINTER-VISIT TO HARBIN, THE "FROZEN" CAPITAL OF HEILONGJIANG, THE NORTHERN MOST PROVINCE OF CHINA: MY PRIMARY REASON FOR BRAVING THIS 24 HOUR TRAIN-JOURNEY FROM TAIZHOU TO SUB-ARCTIC HARBIN IS THE ANNUAL "ICE AND SNOW FESTIVAL", WHICH INVITES VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, DURING THE MONTHS OF DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY, TO ONE OF THE GREATEST SNOW- AND ICE-CARVING EXTRAVAGANZAS ANYWHERE ON EARTH. IN MY LAST TRAVELBLOG #110, I SHARED WITH YOU SOME PHOTOS OF THESE SPECTACULAR STRUCTURES OF ICE, ALONG WITH PHOTOS OF THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. SOFIA, THE ARTISTIC "SNOW CARVINGS" OF SUN ISLAND, AND THE 2009 DISNEY ICE WORLD IN THE HEART OF HARBIN. IN THIS TRAVELBLOG #111, PART 2 OF MY VISIT TO HARBIN, I WANT TO SHARE A MORE EXTENSIVE SERIES OF PHOTOS, HIGHLIGHTING THESE IMMENSE ... read more
