Blogs from Hunan, China, Asia - page 19

After spending 6 days running around Hong Kong, we were lucky enough to get our Visa on the second attempt at the Chinese embassy. Because of the Olympics, the government are cracking down on multiple entry visas and visas lasting longer than 30 days so they can maintain tighter control on foreigners entering and exiting China. It has been a real painful process involving 2 full days sitting in the embassy trying to push our visa application through. I wish we bought our Visa in England! We spent 4 days visiting the sights of Hongkong, checking out the Avenue of Stars, the Peak Tram, Times Square, Soho, Kowloon, Causeway Bay and loads of markets. I even visited the largest computer store ever! and managed to find a really posh shopping centre called "Lane Crawford". I was ... read more

My next destination was to Fenghuang in Hunan province. I knew that it was going to be a long journey there so I'd mentally prepared myself for one or two problems along the way. It started relatively easy by jumping on a bus from Yangshuo back to Guilin. I then had a short wait in Guilin as the rained drizzled down. It was then a ten hour train ride to Huaihua a small nondescript town in Hunan province which serves as a hub for connecting trains. I was lucky enough to meet a lovely elderly Chinese couple on the train who took it upon themselves to look after me throughout the journey. Like most Chinese people I've met they were extremely friendly but also very inquisitive. I had told them that my Chinese language ability was ... read more

snow disaster As the whole global ecosystem is deteriorating, frequent natural calamities. Fire, Draught and Snow Disasters comes one by one. After Draught Disaster, Hunan was visited by the tremendous snow calamity in 50 years Last year. Massive crops and livestock died in snowstorms, and few people died in rescue operations. The view upon our sight, it's not Scenery, it's calamity. It's sound too bad. Destroy still in existence. Maybe everyone should assume responsibility to make the Earth better. For example, being a LOHAS. note: Hunan is the southern part of China ... read more

It's been exactly one week since we left the cozy confines of Hong Kong and crossed into mainland China at Shendzhen. Under the stern gaze of the Chinese Police we nervously handed our passports and tourist visas to the immigration officer. At this point, we had no idea what to expect... As we made our way through the Shendzhen train station we knew we needed to catch another train...most probably to Guangzhou, a major centre a couple hours inland where we could probably catch a train to anywhere in China....this is when we encountered our first problem...All English language and signage stopped. Most importantly, this included the train schedule and all people working the ticket booths.... There may be no more helpless feeling than standing in the middle of a train station, staring up at a ... read more

Time in An Ren with it's one main road, motor bikes, lorry trucks passing through with incredibly loud horns beeping at everything and anything even if it's 200 meters ahead; With my kind grandma neighbour and her grandson who bring me chestnuts by the bowl full weekly and just recent brought over freshly made Chinese pancakes; To the kind lady who cooks us as close to a homecooked meal as we get here; To the husband and wife who own the dumpling store on the corner, where we have been saying yi ger jou zer asking for a serving of dumplings, but it really means can we please have 1 dumpling... But they never laugh; To the average person walking down the street that nearly jumps out of their skin to see a Waigoren (foreigner). Life ... read more