Blogs from China, Asia - page 2240

We joined about 1.5 million other visitors on a Chinese national holiday to explore the Forbidden City in Beijing. It was a blistering hot and insanely busy day, but despite it all, it was still fascinating to see. Still, at times I was confused as to what people were really more interested in seeing, the Forbidden City or a group of foreign people. Today we became the subjects of so many family photos I couldn't even begin to count them! It started out innocently (or so I thought)...a mother saw me comment on her daughter's cool holiday hat, and then asked me to join them in a photo. As time passed, some more people approached and asked to take pictures...I started thinking this was a little weird. Then I noticed that some people who were just ... read more

I posted a sign and got 3 people to share a 4WD with me for 900yuan. Michael from Germany, Hubert from Austria, and Marleen from Holland. It took us 4 hours to get to the lake which is still frozen. This is the second-largest saltwater lake in China. On the way, we could see pilgrims prostating their way to Lhasa, yak and sheep herds on the hills with with snow on the peaks, nomad tents, sections of the infamous new railroad and a "parade of exactly 91 Chinese army trucks"! The landscape is harsh: brown rocky soil, snow, icy lake. The wind is brutally cold, particularly for a tropical Brazilian. It's ~minus 5-10 centigrade, and the 4718 meters above sea level makes it hard to breath. My advice: do NOT do what I did. Follow the ... read more

After leaving the monastery we have the tedium of a 7.5 hour bus journey to Quinchong, where we will start our Yangtze River cruise. None of us are looking forward to bus journey, not just because of the length, but also because on previous buses some of the passengers frequently spat loudly out of the window. At first we are feeling smug with ourselves, because we have managed to get the front seats which should ensure that we'll have a good view. Also, the spitting we feared does not take place as this is one of the big modern air-conditioned coaches in which the windows do not open. Unfortunately, the journey is still a trying experience because the bus driver and his assistant have an almost incessant converstaion that is as frantic as it is loud. ... read more

Guangzhou is to the west of America as Dalian is to the east. People in Guangzhou are relaxed and take time in their lives to truly spend freely. People in Dalian are busy - never have time to do anything but study and work. Guangzhou is full of greenery and has water running through it. Dalian has no greenery and has water running on two sides of it. These are some of the observances I've made today as I have traveled around Guandong a little bit - to parts of Guangzhou, Foshan and Daliang. This morning after getting ready for the day I walked around and found the metro to Yuexiu Park where I walked around for quite some time. There were people relaxing in all different parts of the park. Sitting reading books, dancing with ... read more

Hi all, Spent yesterday having a "rest", all the walking and sight seeing has battered our feet into a smelly mess! Ended up having a few beers in the bar with an Irish couple from Dublin who had just spent a year teaching English in Japan. They are travelling roughly the same path as us through Asia before heading to India and then back to Ireland! Got up this morning and headed over to Pudong on the eastern bank of the river. Decided to take the local transport again and hopped onto the river boat ferry for about 3p! It was interesting to mingle with the locals and smile politely as they all stare at you. I got the impression that not many Western people get the public ferry, which isn't really surprising as it would ... read more