Blogs from Shanghai, China, Asia - page 11

Ich habe mich also nun doch entschlossen nach zwei Nächten Yangshou zu verlassen. So starte ich früh am Morgen zum Adrenalinkick mit meinem Motorradtaxi zum Busbahnhof. Dank Rucksack ist dies ja möglich und komplettiert mein China Abenteuer. Leider werde ich heut Opfer meiner eigenen "ich schau mal was passiert und kommt" Reisephilosophie. Ich traue der C-Trip App leider noch nicht über den Weg und starte also vollen Mutes zum Bahnhof in Guilin. Projektziel: Fahrtkarte per Schnellzug nach Hangzhou kaufen. Die App hatte mir freie Plätze angezeigt, im Bahnhof sieht die Welt leider ganz anders aus. Ich habe nicht damit gerechnet, dass die Studentenferien zu Ende sind und alles in die großen Städte zurück will. Nix geht mehr ... außer ich übernachte eine Nacht erneut in Guilin. Während ich 12.00 Uhr am Bahnhof stehe, entschließe ich der ... read more

Soooo, knowing that China censors its internet access, we downloaded a VPN on our laptop before leaving so that we could access more stuff while traveling. Sadly, the VPN is useless to us, as it is completely recognized and blocked by the Chinese firewall. Google and Facebook are likewise banned in China, so the previous blog I started is equally kaput. In short, we have very little communication with the outside world (an interesting conundrum that I've never experienced before and quite frankly puts a lot of "big picture things" into perspective...#1stworldproblems), which just goes to show how much of my life is tapped into Google products. Go figure.... So, I'm going back to our previous world trip blog, which while not as user friendly as the Google-based blog, at least makes it outside the political ... read more

The employment at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center has finished on the 15th July and it has been 2 year living in this grand metropolis. The time was sufficient but I am going to miss it. 20th July will be the start of a long journey home to Denmark. First episode: My friend and brother, Ataya Boy, will accompany me on the first an very exciting stretch: Shanghai-Xining-Lhasa-Kathmandu. We will do this in 10 days. Phase 1:Tibet A lot of things to consider for planning the trip to Tibet: apart from the actual travel itinerary proper travel permits for the region had to be obtained, which was a longer process (~25 days) and any travels outside of Lhasa must be done accompanied by guides if you are non-Chinese citizens. Also, altitude sickness was an issue that ... read more

Hele rare dingen. Dat zijn vaak de leukste dingen. Ik word vaak helemaal blij als er iets bizars gebeurd. Onder ‘bizar’ versta ik de dingen die je nooit in Nederland zou zien. Een erg ‘Westerse’ definitie, want het leuke is natuurlijk dat die bizarre dingen voor de Chinezen juist doodgewoon zijn. Zaterdag 4 juli was zo’n fijne bizarre dag. Fudan-universiteit had die zaterdag een stadstoer voor ons georganiseerd. Stipt om negen uur stond ik met mijn klasgenootjes bij de hoofdingang van de campus. Fudan is één van de beste en grootste universiteiten in China. De campus is enorm en heeft vele ingangen, maar de hoofdingang is gemakkelijk te herkennen. Er staat namelijk een metershoog beeld van Maozidong (die ken je als Chinese vader des vaderlands of als massamoordenaar, afhankelijk van welke geschiedenisboeken je leest). We namen ... read more

First stop, the Shanghai Museum. Short stay since I had plans to meet up with Kanon, a guy I met at breakfast at the hotel, who offered to show me around town. He’s originally from Shanghai and is visiting for some job interviews. At 32, he is far more traveled than most Chinese his age that I’ve met, having been around Europe and throughout a good deal of Asia, much of it on business. He’s just earned an MBA from a university in Singapore. There’s a lot to take in at the Museum and my 1 ½ hours only allowed me to scratch the surface of two sections, bronze and pottery, each filling an entire floor. The short stay was a reminder of how far ahead of the West the Chinese kingdoms were in both technology ... read more