TravelStream™ news feed for member gonetilwhenever on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/gonetilwhenever en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:42:43 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181448000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181448000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181448000/tpod.html Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:42:43 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Playa Blanca, Spain and Canary Islands

If you are reading this entry to get some tips for Lanzarote; its sights, sounds and attractions - you might as well click your 'Back' button now!Our intention when we booked our trip to Lanzarote was to relax, relax and relax.That was exactly what we did.We booked 18 nights in a private villa in Playa Blanca through a website while we were in Beijing a coupld of weeks earlier. We booked the flights via the internet and then the hire car, guess what, via the internet. This was a true test to DIY internet holidays and it all ran smoothly.Our villa was a two-bedroom place with a private pool, satellite TV, DVD player, dishwasher, washing machine and a great modern / spanish decor (PICS). The only reason we left the villa was to go to the local town and stock up on provisions. We didn't eat out at all, the novelty of being able to cook for ourselves after 18 months on the road was much more of a treat than eating in some restaurant and having to pick somehting off a menu.The most eventful part of our 'holiday' was Andrew getting toothache, which meant we had to find an english speaking dentist and get a root canal done on our insurance. It actually worked out cheaper than getting it done at home so in that way it worked out well.And that was it. We saw nothing of the island, other than the 35 minutes of scenery that we passed between the airport and the villa.IT WAS GREAT!!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181275200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181275200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181275200/tpod.html Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:11:58 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Cwmbran, United Kingdom

We were the last people Andrew's parents expected to see when they opened the front door. We had touched down in Heathrow, picked up a hire car and drove back to South Wales to surprise them. Verdi's parents were unfortunately on holiday in Borneo; they had read our TravelPod entries and decided they wanted to try their luck in seeing the elusive orange men.We caught up with Andrew's family and dumped all of our travel gear and souvenirs, repacking our bags for our trip to Lanzarote.A quick visit to the shops to top up our supplies of suntan lotion and aftersun and we were ready to go. Luckily we had only been home for a day so hadn't had the chance to settle back into our normal lives. It would have been much harder to get going again if we had been home for much longer...although the lure of a private villa in the sun with all modern luxuries would probably have been enough to drag us away!Lanzarote here we come!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181102400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181102400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1181102400/tpod.html Mon, 06 Aug 2007 05:36:34 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Beijing, China

We managed to get much more sleep on the return journey to Beijing; we swapped bunks, put earplugs in and took a travel pill that knocked us out for most of the journey. We were back in Beijing for a few days before catching our flight back to the UK and had one more place on our list of things we wanted to see; the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is an enormous collection of buildings set in vast landscaped Chinese gardens. It was built in the 12th century and then continuously developed and expanded by subsequent dynasties over the next few hundred years. The main features of the palace are the central lake, large hilltop tower and the long corridor. We wandered around the picturesque lake with the Seventeen Arch Bridge in the background and took in the elegant architecture that surrounded the waters edge (PIC). As we made our way around the lake we came to the 'Tower of the Fragrance of the Buddha' that looms over the palace with its multi-level pagoda-like structure (PIC). It is possible to pay extra to go up to the tower but we were more interested in the long corridor that continues to surround the lake. The Long Corridor is a 2500-foot long covered walkway that features over a thousand unique painted murals. Each painting is different and adds a colourful and attractive façade to the winding walkway (PICS). At the end of the corridor is one of the most impressive, intriguing and ostentatious features of the Summer Palace; the Marble Boat. The Empress Dowager Cixi, a frivolous spender of the countries money, commissioned the boat to take her across the palace lake. It is indeed made of marble and is quite a feat of engineering, especially for the time, remarkable in the way that such a heavy stone can float let alone be crafted into a huge boat (PIC). Throughout the Summer Palace we consistently passed massive tour groups of Chinese people. It amused them no end to see us turn the tables on them and point our camera at their group (PIC). Climbing the hilled areas of the palace gardens we delved into a much quieter, serene section with very few other tourists to be seen. We wandered along the tree-lined pathways and discovered the occasional bandstand-style building lurking amongst the landscaped shrubs. In one building we came across an old local guy playing a long wind instrument...alone (PIC). The calming melody transcended through the layers of greenery and gave the place a magical aura. It seemed so far away from the bustling, tourist-ridden network of palace buildings just a few hundred metres away. As we descended the hilled region of the palace gardens we came to the enclosed 'Garden of Harmonious Interests'; a series of pagodas linked by walkways around a small lake (PICS). The garden was a haven away from the nearby crowds and seemed to be a favourite spot for local musicians and singers. Each pagoda was occupied by a different group of performers who were playing away with vigor. The problem was that it didn't really help with the relaxation; the music was loud and whiny and many of the instruments (including the women's singing voices) were shrill and ear piercing. Perhaps it just wasn't our style of music but we had to get out far sooner than we would have liked!  As part of our final day in Beijing we decided to go back to the Silk Market and take further advantage of the potential bargains to be had there. We bought a couple of pairs of trainers for Andrew (60 quid in the UK, 5 pounds in the Silk Market!), and four designer handbags for Verdi (too expensive in the UK, nice and cheap in the Silk Market!). We could have kept spending and spending but we had no room in our luggage and could only take one bag on our BA flight home...shame! The flight back to the UK was trouble-free and all our souvenirs made it home to our relief. We would pop back to South Wales to surprise Andrew's parents (Verdi's folks were in Borneo at the time) and drop off our bags before packing up again and heading off for three weeks in a private villa in Lanzarote! We needed some relaxation after all the hard work of the last 18 months. It may sound crazy but if you've traveled for any length of time you'll know how exhausting it can actually be!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180843200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180843200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180843200/tpod.html Sat, 04 Aug 2007 05:01:35 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Xi'an, China

The overnight train from Beijing to Xi'an was fairly luxurious, comfortable and surprisingly quiet, but for some reason we still didn't get much sleep. In fact, Verdi didn't get a wink! Regardless of this fact, when we arrived in Xi'an the first thing we did was book our return journey on the same overnight train. We hoped that the return journey would provide a better nights sleep and the good price meant that we simply couldn't justify paying for a flight and an additional nights accommodation in Beijing.  Outside the station we met a representative from the hostel we had booked. They provided a free pickup, but what they didn't tell us was that we would have to walk for about 10 minutes (with our heavy bags) to get to this pickup! We weren't best pleased! The hostel was a bit like a converted school but was a reasonable price and fairly clean and comfortable. It had a decent café / restaurant with views down the main street, a book exchange and free WIFI. We especially liked the poster of Wayne Rooney - or 'Roonry' as the Chinese obviously know him! (PIC)  Having had very little sleep we had a cheeky nap once we had checked in and didn't see anything else of that morning. Once we had freshened up we then decided to see what Xi'an town centre had to offer. We were only in Xi'an for 3 days so needed to make the most of our time there.  As already mentioned, our hostel was on the main street that runs through the centre of the walled part of Xi'an. Further along this street are the Drum and Bell Towers, a couple of the main tourists attractions in the town. The towers are impressive structures, if slightly out of place in what is otherwise a fairly modern, cosmopolitan looking town. The drum tower was the first structure we came across; a multi-layered building flanked on either side by a long row of huge drums. We decided that the tower would be more interesting from the outside so we didn't bother paying the fee to actually climb up inside the building (PICS). We popped into a nearby teashop (PICS) and bought a couple of the teas we had enjoyed in Beijing and a couple of special teacups to brew the teas. The teashop was on the edge of the Muslim Market, a permanent market and a popular feature in Xi'an. We wandered through the market and began to get pretty hungry looking at all the delicacies cooking away on the outdoor stoves. After finding some food we continued to the Bell Tower, which is set in the centre of a huge roundabout at the junction of several busy roads. Again we opted to take in the views of the exterior rather than the interior (PICS).  That evening we took a local bus to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda; a seven-storey pagoda that comes to life at night. There is a light and fountain show every night and the locals are big fans. It was a Friday night and the whole of Xi'an had seemingly decided to take in the show. We strolled around the gardens for a while until the music began and the fountains started up. Many people were standing in the areas between the fountains so we made our way through the crowds and took up our position to get some good views of the fountains and the pagoda in the background.  No sooner did the fountains kick into action then we noticed a considerable downpour of spray. We realised that everyone in the central part of the grounds was perfectly willing to get soaked and proceeded to run in and out of the fountains getting drenched. We weren't quite so willing, especially with our camera in hand so we tried to get out quick - not easy when there are a few thousand people between you and dry land! The show was a beautiful arrangement of lights and fountains and went on for ages. We stuck around for almost an hour and it was still going when we left. One huge fountain at the end of the garden would spray about 100 feet in the air and every time the wind blew it would saturate the surrounding area, making it particularly treacherous for Verdi's slippery sandals!  Having got the knack of the local buses we decided to take the public transport to the Terracotta Army the following day. This was the main reason for our visit to Xi'an and we couldn't wait to see the famous ancient sculptures. We had agonized over how to get to the site of the Terracotta Army; whether to take the easy option of an organized tour, simply pay for a driver, or take the cheaper and slightly more adventurous route of using local transport. We decided on the latter but had been given mixed information regarding how and where to get the bus. In case you are thinking of doing it yourself, let us clear things up. You take the green no.306 bus from just outside the train station. As you stand facing the station entrance the bus park is on your right. It is not on the other side of the wall. Just get on the bus and a person will come around to collect the money, which is about 7 Yuan (50p) per person one way. Stay on the bus until the very last stop, the other stops are just for locals or a couple of naff touristy attractions. You can even buy drinks on the bus for 2 Yuan! Arriving at the Terracotta Army, there is a short walk to the gardens at which point you can decide whether to take the mile-long walk to the entrance or get an electric car to do the legwork for you. You'll never guess which option we took! Getting out of the electric car we bought our tickets (entry is 90 Yuan or 6 GBP) and moved into the large open courtyard. The whole complex surprised us somewhat as it was much more modern and well kept than we had anticipated. We were expecting a dusty tin-roofed archeological site with the warriors set behind railings and crowds of people to squeeze through to get a view. We couldn't have been more wrong. There are three concrete buildings covering the 'pits' where the warriors are located. A number of other buildings contain a cinema, exhibitions and a museum and the entire place was very quiet. We had previously been advised that it was best to start with pit 3 and work backwards. We did just that. Pit 3 was a small site with a selection of crumbling statues and a few horses sandwiched in between the rubble. Pit 2 was an enormous site with plenty of evidence of digging but not much else to see. There were very few warriors present let alone well-preserved ones. We were beginning to become a bit disappointed with what we were seeing. Pit 1 was the one to change our mind. Again the site was massive but this time it was crammed full of wonderfully preserved and restored statues. Thousands of warriors and horses were arranged amongst the open tombs, each with individual and unique features (apparently each face was modeled on a different member of the emperors private army). Despite the signs saying 'no photography' (PIC!), everyone in the building was snapping away like there was no tomorrow. Even the guards dotted around the pit were completely unbothered about the use of cameras. The warriors were amazing. The scale was so vast and the detail so intricate; the statues even had fingerprints sculpted onto them! We were able to get much better photos than we had expected and in some cases we could get level with the warriors, rather than just looking down on them from a raised mezzanine (PICS).  After a couple of hours of wandering around we caught the no.306 back to Xi'an and popped into a nearby supermarket for some supplies. The supermarket was simply gigantic and it took us nearly as long to find a few provisions as it did to see the entire Terracotta Army!  Wandering back through the centre of Xi'an Andrew began to get some chest pains every time he breathed in deeply. We couldn't work out why at first; after all we hadn't done anything strenuous - for weeks! We finally worked out that it was the pollution in the city. Xi'an is probably the most polluted city we had been to on our travels, in terms of air pollution. Even though the weather was fine and warm there wasn't a glimpse of blue sky. The sky was continually a bright grey, caused by the shear volume of pollution from vehicles and industry. Air pollution is a huge problem in China, with the Chinese government opting to sacrifice the environment in favour of economic development. It is only recently that the government have been trying to do something but they are still of the opinion that the growth of the countries wealth is far more important than the air we breathe!  We felt we had seen everything we wanted to in Xi'an and Andrews's lungs were glad to be back on the train to Beijing. Hopefully we would get a bit more sleep on the return trip. The double ensuite cabin was certainly comfortable enough!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180238400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180238400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180238400/tpod.html Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:07:53 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Beijing, China

At Beijing airport we struggled to get a taxi, with no driver wanting to have to deal with a foreigner or try and figure out where our hostel was. We asked an airhostess and a tour agent to translate our hostels name and address into Chinese but they each wrote something different so we were none the wiser. When we finally found a taxi driver who was up for the challenge he just squinted at the symbols in front of him and nodded as if he knew where to go. Half an hour later we found ourselves going round in circles so tried to get our driver to ring the hostel. It seemed he didn't have a clue how to ring the number we gave him so we had to do it ourselves. Another 20 minutes and three expensive calls to the hostel and we eventually pulled up outside our accommodation! The complete lack of any common language was proving to be a bit of a challenge.  On checking into the hostel we came across the common situation of being given a twin room when we had previously booked a double. After a lengthy discussion in some sort of broken English we were put into the hostels only suite. This sounded great, especially as it was worth 3 times the price of the double room. It would have been great had it not smelt of damp, and had a massive damp patch outside the bathroom! The lime green furniture was an acquired taste but the fancy power shower with lights, a radio and various jets was a welcome addition. We were expecting to stay the one night in the suite and then move to a double room for the rest of our stay. The following morning, after being woken up at 9am by a member of staff to change rooms, we discovered that they didn't actually have any double rooms for us to move into! It seemed the hostel had a policy of 'it doesn't matter what you booked - if someone in that room wants to stay longer they can!' We asked if they would have a double room available and they simply didn't know - so we ended up staying in the suite for the duration.  Our hostel was smack bang in the old enclosed streets, known as hutongs; a dying breed in Beijing as the developments for the 2008 Olympics are gradually tearing them down to build more "attractive" housing. The hutongs are one of the only places in Beijing to see old China, the dusty narrow streets packed with bicycles and locals shuffling around between the tiny houses.  We walked up one of the larger roads and hoped we were heading in the right direction to get to the Forbidden City. We didn't have a map or a guidebook so we were trying to guess our way there! We did eventually find it - who needs SatNav when you've got Verdi?! The Forbidden City was enormous and absolutely heaving with tourists, at least we assume they were tourists; we were about the only westerners in sight! We picked up a clever little GPS audio tour and started our journey around the city. There were loads of interesting features dotted around the place, many of which were added by one ostentatious empress who had a penchant for anything frivolous and over-the-top. We had seen a lot of this type of architecture before in many other temples, especially in Hong Kong and certain 'Chinatown' areas of Singapore and Malaysia. The most impressive and unique aspect of the Forbidden City was the sheer size of the central buildings - they were mind blowing (PICS). Unfortunately the main building at the centre of the city was covered in scaffolding and off-limits to visitors due to the renovation works that were underway in preparation for the Olympics.  As we emerged from the opposite end of the Forbidden City we found ourselves faced with the vast open space of Tian'anmen Square. Well, it would be a vast open space if it weren't eternally full of tourists! Tian'anmen Square is infamous for the massacre that occurred in 1989 when thousands of students and intellectuals were slaughtered for opposing the government's regime that they felt was restricting their freedom and civil rights. It was the anniversary of the massacre (which is actually kept pretty quiet in most of the country) a few days after our visit and as such the place was probably more busy than usual. The square and the busy 8-lane road alongside it harked back to the harrowing images of the tank and the student during the massacre. The iconic image of the Chinese flag flying at the front of the square was one we simply had to take (PIC).  There are a few "must-do's" in Beijing: The Great Wall, a Peking Roast Duck dinner and an Acrobat Show. We planned to do all three and the first of them was the Acrobat Show. There are a couple of top-notch shows and we booked one through our hostel for about 6 pounds each including transport. The show was a full house and once again we were among very few westerners. We didn't mind this at all and it indicated that the Acrobatic show, although tourist driven, is clearly a popular form of entertainment for the local people. Within seconds we could see why. The show was simply breathtaking, like a junior version of Cirque du Soliel. The oldest member of the troupe must have been no more than 17 or 18 and most of the performers were not even teenagers. There were about 15 different performances, each as spectacular as the next, and we were left spellbound and speechless by the amazing talents we saw (PICS & VIDS). Make sure you download the Hopping Hats videos - BRILLIANT!  We met back up with our minibus to get us to our hostel and chatted to a few other tourists who had been to Beijing's other well-known shows; the Kung-fu and the Chinese Opera. As the discussions progressed we all determined that the Acrobatics show was the best of the three, the other two being a bit slow and padded out with weak storyline instead of action. We decided not to bother seeing the other shows.  The Peking Roast Duck was next on the list of must-do's and we discovered a place just down the street from our hostel that specialised in the original dish. The place wasn't hard to find, what with all the red neon lighting and the huge 'Roast Duck' signs adorning the shop front. We were lucky enough to find a young Chinese girl who was a part-time English student and helped us to get seated and to decipher the menu. We opted for a steamed dumpling dish alongside the duck meal and were not disappointed. The duck was less crispy and a bit more rare than we were used to from the UK but both dishes were still excellent - and fantastic value! We managed to get a little private room of our own to enjoy the meal (PIC) - though the décor did tend to have more than a passing resemblance of Amsterdam's Red-light district!  It was time to complete the must-do list and to do the most eagerly anticipated of the three, in fact one of the most eagerly anticipated experiences of our entire journey...the Great Wall of China. We agonized and debated over which part of the great wall to see. There are three places in the Beijing area that you can still visit sections of the world famous structure; Badaling, Mutianyu and Simatai. Each section has different features to suit each tourists needs. Badaling is the closest section to the city and as such it is by far the busiest section with most of the tourist buses turning up at this part of the wall. Mutianyu is further away than Badaling and is a much quieter section. It is a well preserved and restored part of the wall in attractive surroundings. Simitai is a much more remote and crumbling section of the wall and tourists normally visit this area as part of a demanding 10km walk from one part of the wall to another. This area is very isolated and you would be unlucky to see another group of people anywhere in sight.  In the end we opted to go to Mutianyu. We wanted to go to a quieter section but the strenuous walk over broken sections of wall wouldn't have agreed with Verdi's knees and ankles so the decision was made for us. Our hostel had an organized tour to the Mutianyu wall, taking in some Ming tombs and a few obligatory 'tourist' stops along the way. We would have rather done the trip to the wall with a private driver so that we wouldn't be stuck to a timetable or have to go to the other places we weren't that bothered about. However, a private driver would have cost twice the price of the tour, which included lunch and entrance to the wall. The Ming Tombs were quite dull and disappointing, with very little to see and no access to the actual tombs. We were given a load of history about the tombs, which was interesting in parts, but we were glad to be back on the road and heading towards the wall. In between the tombs and the wall we were dragged into two Jade factory shops, at which point we were told to say we were from the USA, as we would then be allowed to leave after 30 minutes instead of an hour - apparently American tourists spend more quickly so they can leave sooner. We just couldn't believe that we were held captive until our time expired, none of us bought anything (apart from the one American on our trip - guess the stereotype must be correct!) The weather got continually worse as we approached the Great Wall. The mist, cloud and drizzle stayed throughout the day and didn't show any signs of clearing up. We took the chair lift to the top of the wall and walked around for an hour or so. We were told we had less than two hours on the wall, which annoyed us slightly as that was the only reason we had joined the tour. As it happened, the poor weather meant that we were ready to leave within the two hours. We had strolled along a section of the wall and took some photos of various angles but the views were unfortunately quite dull and disappointing (PICS). We could tell that they would be much better in the sunshine, and this section of the Great Wall was clearly a picturesque and quiet part - it was just bad luck that the weather had failed us.  We could have caught the chair lift back down to the car park but there is another option at Mutianyu - a toboggan ride. The toboggan had been closed when we arrived but luckily the weather had improved slightly and they re-opened the ride. Our luck didn't extend to the ride itself as we were both stuck behind people who didn't share our 'need for speed'! We managed to experience glimpses of how good the toboggan could be, when we held back and waited for the path ahead to clear - we could then get up to full speed for a few seconds before having to slam on the brakes again - very frustrating. We would definitely recommend it, as long as you can get a good full-speed run.  On our way back to Beijing we asked if we could take a quick detour via the 'under construction' Olympic village. The crowning glory of the complex is the main stadium, otherwise known as the "bird's nest" (for obvious reasons) (PIC). We couldn't get too close, as the whole site is still a mess of building work. Hopefully they'll finish it soon; the Olympics starts in less than a year and the construction of the stadium began on Christmas Eve 2003! Our tour guide wasn't quite ready to get rid of us and proceeded to take us to a Chinese medicine shop (with 'free' foot massage that we had to pay for), and a traditional teahouse (with 'free' tea that we were expected to purchase afterwards). The foot massage was relaxing, and some of the tea quite tasty, but we were all just ready to get back to our hotels and rid ourselves of the pressure of parting with more money!  Before catching an overnight train to Xi'an we had the day to explore the commercial centre of Beijing, and maybe pick up a few souvenirs. One of the main shopping streets in the city is Wangfujing Street, within a ten minute walk of our hostel. It is a bustling pedestrianised strip crammed with chain stores and local sellers alike. Unfortunately, as was the case all over Beijing, it was undergoing a facelift ahead of the Olympics so this spoilt the overall appearance somewhat. We decided to take a turn off into the back streets and explore the nearby market. This proved to be far more interesting as the crowded stalls had much more character and life about them. The tourist tat was intermittently punctuated with food stalls...but these were no ordinary food stalls! The main snack on display was scorpion on a stick, accompanied by starfish and sea horse. We were fascinated by these intriguing delicacies, so took a quick photo (PIC). We were even more amazed to find that when the flash went off the scorpions all wriggled around - they were still alive! Andrew was tempted to try one, but with a 12-hour overnight train just ahead we thought it best to give it a miss. We spotted one chap actually preparing the stinger kebab, casually grabbing the tiny scorpions by their stings and lancing them onto the wooden shaft - not a job for the faint hearted (or those allergic to scorpion stings!) (PIC)  We wandered across the city to the Friendship Store, a tourist driven souvenir place that is supposed to be a great place to buy gifts, mementos and local artifacts. Only if you're loaded with cash it seems! The place was huge and had every souvenir you could imagine, but the prices were extortionate and there was no room for haggling. Useless!  We then ventured next-door to the Pearl / Silk Market. Now this name is fairly misleading. Although they do indeed sell pearls and silk, there is far more on offer over the seven or eight gigantic floors. Everything from electronics and clothing to souvenirs and sporting goods are available at massively reduced prices. They all claim to be 'designer' but are merely good copies, and best off all - you can barter like there's no tomorrow. We bought a chopstick set and a mahjong kit, the latter we knocked down from 700 Yuan to 150 for a very good quality boxed set!  With no time left to continue shopping (we would return) we returned to our hostel, picked up our bags and headed to the Beijing West train station to catch our overnight train. Everything in the station was in Chinese with very few people who spoke a word of English. Eventually we found our crowded VIP waiting room and then finally boarded the train. We had opted to pay for the most expensive, 2-berth deluxe sleeper. It had an en-suite, air-con, table and chairs and a TV for each bed. It was fairly pricey at about 50GBP each one-way but this was still far cheaper than a flight, and far more comfortable. We would soon discover whether we would be booking a return journey, or opting for the winged transport back to Beijing!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180281600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180281600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1180281600/tpod.html Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:08:55 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Lhasa, China

We arrived in Lhasa and after collecting our luggage made our way to check in for our connecting flight to Beijing. After numerous checks with various forms of security, and our passports disappearing for a while, they were actually going to let us leave the airport and into Tibet. We couldn't believe it! We had wanted to go to Tibet but had to change our plans when it looked like the combination of visas, permits and 'programmes' would be too expensive (see the previous entry). Now it turned out we didn't need any of it and we could have just left the airport with less hassle than those people with the correct paperwork who were stuck with security trying to get through! Unfortunately we had our connecting flight and no time in between the flights to venture out and see a bit of Lhasa.  So, we wouldn't recommend trying to get into Tibet without the advised paperwork but it was frustrating that we could have done it. Perhaps we were just lucky and other people would be stopped. Or perhaps we would have been pulled aside on trying to leave Lhasa - but it was a shame we couldn't take advantage of our free access to Tibet!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1179810000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1179810000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1179810000/tpod.html Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:08:17 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Kathmandu, Nepal

The bus back to Kathmandu was a bit bumpier than the previous one to Pokhara, and for some stupid reason we stopped for our buffet lunch at 10:30 am - no-one wanted it! It was still good value though.  Back at the Tibet Guest House we weren't able to get the room we had booked (Suite) but got a cheaper Super Deluxe which actually turned out to be better.   We picked up our Chinese Visas after several more turns in a queue, and a spot of preferential treatment for anyone with darker skin. We got talking to an Aussie guy called Arran whilst in the queue that we had briefly spoken to when we applied for our visas the previous week. Arran had shared some similar experiences to us (i.e. got ripped off left, right and centre and had very few fond memories of Vietnam) and we agreed to meet him and his travel mate, Brad, at an Israeli Restaurant that they recommended. The restaurant was superb, with great vegetarian fare and cushions on the floor giving the place a very hippy 'New Age Traveller' vibe.  We returned from the restaurant to watch the Champions League Final, in which Liverpool were robbed by match-fixing Italians who shouldn't have been in the competition anyway! Andrew was slightly bitter!  Our flight to Beijing had to go via Lhasa (Tibet) and then Chengdu before reaching its final destination. We tried to get a taxi to the airport from our hotel but they told us that it would be around 1000 Rupees as there was a strike on (the normal price was about 200)! Unwilling to pay that amount Andrew went out onto the empty streets and waited until a taxi finally drove past, at which point he managed to negotiate a fee of 600 Rupees. There was indeed a strike on in Kathmandu and this meant that all public transport and taxis were stopped. Our driver took the back roads to get to the airport, as locals would have stoned any vehicle seen on the road. We were concerned we may never get to the airport as there were many road blocks and our driver seemed to be getting lost and asked every driver he passed where he should / could go safely (although this could have been to avoid the locals vigilantes). We did eventually arrive in plenty of time and paid our driver what we had agreed, though he did try and get more out of us! (shocker) It was just our luck that the one day we needed a taxi to get to somewhere by a deadline, would be the day they have a strike. To top it all off the strike wasn't even a transport strike - it was a teacher's strike.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1179378000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1179378000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1179378000/tpod.html Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:06:44 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Pokhara, Nepal

The Greenline bus to Pokhara was half empty, thankfully with no screaming children on board. We passed a few accidents and followed rivers and tiered hillsides through the Nepalese countryside. We saw masses of school children on their way to school in their various school uniforms, some having to walk miles to get their education each day. The bus actually ended up being great value. It was quite clean and comfortable and we were given a free bottle of mineral water each and stopped for a free buffet lunch halfway through the journey. We even arrived ahead of schedule and planned to return to Kathmandu via the same Greenline bus - much better than flying!  We had booked into the Shangri-La Hotel, an expensive one but we had managed to negotiate a great price of $60 per night instead of the usual $200. Unfortunately, although the hotel was nice to look at (PIC) it had some major drawbacks. There were no tea or coffee facilities, no fridge and no WIFI. Most frustratingly it was far enough out of town that we would have to pay for a taxi each way anytime we wanted to look around or even eat somewhere other than the expensive hotel restaurants. We checked out of the Shangri-La the following morning and moved to a hotel in the centre of Pokhara. Although it wasn't quite as plush, the Barahi Hotel was only $40 and still had a pool, Sky TV and restaurant and it was walking distance to the rest of the town. We immediately took advantage of the pool, and the sunny weather, before giving the bed a test drive with an afternoon nap.  We spent the afternoon wandering around the quiet little town with its long main street of restaurants and shops. Unfortunately the backdrop wasn't quite as we had hoped, with low-lying cloud obscuring the Anapurian Mountains. Eventually, as the evening set in, the clouds parted to give us a view of the largest of the surrounding mountains, Macchupucchare (PIC). It was a spectacular sight with the setting sun shining onto the peak and lighting it up with an ethereal glow. We walked down to the shores of Lake Phew, which borders the western side of Pokhara and the waning light of dusk produced some beautiful colours and shadows before us (PIC). We sat at a local café and enjoyed a leisurely coffee as the sun continued its journey beyond the horizon and out of sight.  Our days in Pokhara were exactly as we had intended...Lazy! We got up late, had slow, relaxed breakfasts in one of the many cafes and restaurants in the main street (a little English/Nepalese place called 'The Love Shack' was our favourite) and then wandered around the shops or lounged by the pool during the afternoon. The Nepalese trick of an evening power cut disrupted Andrew's enjoyment of a Liverpool football match so we spent the evening watching the cultural show in the hotel garden (a nightly event) (PICS).  Verdi decided that she couldn't wait any longer and opted to try the hotel hairdresser for a long-awaited haircut. Unfortunately she later wished she had waited a little longer as the hairdresser decided to go against everything Verdi tried to ask for and gave her a fringe and chopped chunks out where the chunks should have been left in!  Andrew also decided to have a haircut, on his face! He had his very first cutthroat shave (PIC), which after Verdi's disastrous experience may not have been the best idea. Luckily it went without a hitch, or a stitch, and Andrew was left clean-shaven and massaged. Although the bloke did want to massage more and more of Andrew, no doubt expecting extra money. By the time he told Andrew to take his trousers off we threw him a hundred rupees and told him enough was enough!  After five relaxing days in Pokhara we caught the Greenline tourist bus back to Kathmandu. We didn't quite get to see the kind of dramatic scenery we were hoping for in Pokhara as most of the mountain range was constantly shrouded in cloud and fog. Nevertheless it was a peaceful and attractive place that allowed us time to relax and re-energise before continuing our journey to China the following week. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1178946000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1178946000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1178946000/tpod.html Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:05:25 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Kathmandu, Nepal

We thought our introduction to India wasn't great (bag broken into and hair clippers stolen) but that was a breeze compared to our first impressions of Nepal!&nbsp;We knew that we would have to pay for a visa when we arrived at Kathmandu Airport; Jet Airways had told us that it would cost about 1000 Indian Rupees so we brought more than enough. Besides, most airports have an ATM near to the customs desk so that you can withdraw the necessary payment.&nbsp;The Nepalese visa required payment in either US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand Dollars, British Pound, Euros or Japanese Yen. They DIDN'T accept Indian Rupees, despite India being their next-door neighbour. Ridiculous!&nbsp;We had to leave our passports, go through passport control and customs, past baggage check and security, past all the tour information and outside to the only ATM in the airport. After beating away numerous taxi and hotel touts we got to the ATM to find that it wasn't working! Argghhhh!&nbsp;Even if it had been we would have got Nepalese Rupees - which the visa desk doesn't accept! WHAT?!!&nbsp;Our only option was to exchange our Indian Rupees for US Dollars. Nope. Unlike all other money exchanges, the ones in Nepal don't exchange large Indian notes, the 500 and 1000 Rupee (6 &amp; 12 quid) notes are illegal in Nepal so we couldn't change most of our money. Is someone having a joke?&nbsp;Finally we returned to the visa desk and tried to explain our predicament - not easy when no-one spoke much English, and we hadn't had time to develop our Nepalese (i.e. we knew none).&nbsp;We had to queue up again (in a different queue that conveniently happened to be the longest one left!), fill out a different form and get a free 3-day visa. We would then have to go to immigration in 3 days time to get a visa extension. All because they didn't accept Indian Rupees and couldn't be bothered to fix their ATM.&nbsp;Nepal was going great so far!&nbsp;&nbsp;We booked a hotel from the tourist information desk at the airport and got a free transfer into the main tourist area of Kathmandu, Thamel. The room we had booked at the Tibet Guest House was a bit grotty (and a twin - again!) so we asked to change to a better room. We got the suite for a decent price of $30 and decided to give it a go; after all we would be there for at least 5 nights.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thamel was a quieter, friendlier place than we had expected. The narrow, uneven streets are laden on both sides with souvenir stalls, restaurants and hiking shops, their wares spilling onto the streets in an attempt to draw in the tourists. The only cars that trundled around the streets, and trundling was all they could do on the bumpy, unkempt roads, were small cars that locals used as taxis. It seemed anyone could use their car as a taxi, without any real license. Otherwise, the streets were filled with bicycle rickshaws, beggars and the occasional cow.&nbsp;We called into a recommended restaurant for dinner, Fire &amp; Ice Pizza. The food was reasonable but pricey and the added tax and service charge (totalling 25%) made it even more expensive.&nbsp;&nbsp;We couldn't do much planning or booking on our first full day in Kathmandu as it was a Sunday and most places were closed. We spoke to a hotel arranged tour agent who gave us some information and prices for day trips in Kathmandu, Everest flights, transport to Pokhara and getting to Tibet.&nbsp;No sooner did we get the information, and more crucially the prices, of getting to Tibet than we regretfully decided to cut Tibet from our itinerary. In order to get from Nepal to Tibet there are a number of bureaucratic steps you have to go through. Firstly you need to get a permit to travel and this requires you to be on some sort of tour 'programme'.&nbsp;There are basically three programme options; a lengthy overland tour that goes by bus from Kathmandu to Lhasa (the capital of Tibet), a shorter city tour of each city joined with a flight between the two, or the quickest, most flexible option where you basically pay for a taxi to pick you up at Lhasa airport (this can be classed as a programme somehow). The two actual tours were too long and too expensive for us to contemplate so we were left with the 'taxi' option. This cost $170 each - one expensive taxi!&nbsp;Once you have a permit you need to get a visa, which cannot be an individual one it has to be as part of a group. Luckily for us a group can be classed as two people. The main restriction to this visa is that you must leave China with exactly the same people as you entered. Fine for us but a real pain for people travelling alone.&nbsp;When all the costs were totted up we found that our planned three day visit to Lhasa would have cost us over 700 pounds! That was just too damn expensive. We would have liked to have experienced Tibet and especially to have seen the Potala Palace but it just wasn't worth that big a chunk of our rapidly depleting budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our first project on Monday morning was to call into the Nepalese Immigration. We took the correct amount of US dollars with us; after all we couldn't pay for our visa in Nepalese Rupees at the airport, and got there for the opening time of 10am.&nbsp;The office opened 15 minutes late at which point the staff decided to sit down, drink coffee and chat for another 45 minutes, right in front of a room full of people waiting to be served! We filled out the forms and handed over our passports. We were given the invoice for $30 each and then went to pay.&nbsp;They didn't accept US dollars!&nbsp;Even though the notice on the wall said dollars, the invoice said dollars and the airport accepted dollars; the immigration office would only take rupees! Luckily an American woman in the queue behind us had enough rupees to change our money back so that we could pay for the visas. As one final insult we had to go away for a few hours and then return later that day to get our passports. It seemed that even though the airport can give you a visa immediately it takes the immigration office a whole day to stamp your passport!&nbsp;<i>'All because the airport didn't accept Indian Rupees and couldn't be bothered to fix their ATM.'&nbsp;&nbsp;Our lack of a passport also meant we couldn't do our second task of the day - to get our Chinese visa. The visas could only be processed on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday so this would mean waiting until Wednesday, unless we could get the process started that afternoon.&nbsp;&nbsp;Task number three: Change our Air China ticket (Lhasa to Beijing) to leave from Kathmandu instead. Not as easy as it would seem. Despite having done a very similar thing with our Virgin Blue tickets back in New Zealand we couldn't do it here. Air China wouldn't change or refund our ticket, even for a fee. This left us with only one option, to buy another ticket from Kathmandu to Lhasa to meet our current flight. We would be in Tibet for a few hours but couldn't leave the airport - or see anything of the place!&nbsp;&nbsp;After picking up our passports from the Nepalese Immigration we rushed over to the Chinese embassy to try and get the ball rolling for our visa. Yet another brick wall; the Chinese embassy no longer processes visa applications! You what?!&nbsp;There is now a separate place that deals solely with visa applications, and it's nowhere near the embassy. Another taxi ride took us to the correct place, which was closed! That's it - we gave up and went back to our hotel.&nbsp;&nbsp;Back at the Tibet Guest House we sat in the lounge area and made use of the free wireless Internet. While surfing away we got chatting to a couple of Haitian chaps who were in Kathmandu as part of a large UN mission to oversee the upcoming elections that were due to take place in the near future. Nepal was at that moment fairly unstable and had suffered from unrest in the previous months due to the conflict between the government, the king and the Maoist people. It was widely expected that the king would be dethroned and an election would take place to build a new parliament.&nbsp;The elections were initially due for the time we were in Nepal, which probably would have resulted in us having to give Kathmandu a wide berth. However, the elections had been rescheduled and the Haitians, with their experience of tense political situations in their own country, were drafted in to help with the logistics of the forthcoming elections.&nbsp;We had a great chat to the Haitians about their lives in Haiti, and the US where their families were now living, and the job that they had to do in Nepal. They would be away from their families for months on end, which was obviously hard, but they did get long holidays, and relatively good pay, to ease the pain a little.&nbsp;We asked the Haitians what they thought of the hotel food, as they had been there a while. They grimaced and suggested it wasn't the best, saying in fact that they had found most Nepalese food to be remarkably poor. We decided to give the hotel restaurant a go as we were tired but soon realised the Haitians were spot on. The food was completely tasteless and disappointing. We would have to find somewhere else to eat from then on.&nbsp;&nbsp;There are a few moments in our travels that require one to sit back and take stock of what you have seen. You don't appreciate it fully at the time and it all goes by so quickly that you don't get the chance to breathe it all in. This day we encountered one of those moments, a scenic flight over the tallest mountain on earth, Everest.&nbsp;It's one of things that you just have to do if you are in the position to do it. We were in Kathmandu and Everest was as close to us as it would ever be. A 45-minute scenic flight would cost about 130 pounds for the two of us so we signed up and waited at the airport for our flight to leave. The planes were small, with about 20 people per flight and everyone is guaranteed a window seat.&nbsp;We took off and within minutes were above the Himalayas and staring down at snow covered mountains and huge eroded riverbeds caused by the violent melts that take place each spring. Not long after the landscape started to grow, and grow, and the white of the snow capped peaks became blinding as we started clicking away with the camera from every possible angle. The panoramic views were absolutely breathtaking (PICS).&nbsp;As the big ones approached, we could see eight of the twenty 8000m+ mountains in the world, including the mother-of-them-all, Everest. We were allowed, one-by-one into the cockpit to get a superbly clear view of the entire mountain range before us (PIC). It was at this point that the pilot pointed out to us our first glimpse of Everest. First of all it looked like a double peak with a nearer mountain appearing to be of similar height but as we rounded that nearer peak we could see Everest in all its glory, the image that we hoped to see with Everest towering over its neighbouring mountains (PICS).&nbsp;The flight seemed to be over in a flash and it was with a helpless reluctance that we returned to Kathmandu airport, but not without drama. As we left the shuttle bus that took us from the plane to the terminal, Verdi decided to take a tumble down the steps and whack her leg on the way. Luckily she managed to stay on her feet but a nasty looking bruise was to follow.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our city tour was organised through our hotel and our driver and guide, Heeda, was a native of Kathmandu. We asked Heeda to pick us up from the airport and we got straight on with the tour after our Everest flight. There's nothing like cramming it in!&nbsp;We had chosen a few of the key sights in and around Kathmandu to take in; Boudhnath Stupa was the first on the list. A stupa is essentially a religious statue built on a mound and it has several key features; eyes that look in all four directions, 13 steps to 'heaven' and an 'umbrella' that stands at the very top (PICS). Hundreds of locals visit the stupa each day and worship at the temples dotted around the circumference, a few of which we visited and were fascinated by the long lines of prayer wheels that line the walls (PIC) and a few huge prayer wheels that the older locals struggled to rotate and walk around three times as part of their prayer rituals.&nbsp;Our stomach began to grumble as we had missed breakfast due to the unearthly time we had to get to the airport for the Everest flight. Heeda recommended a hotel around the stupa that had a rooftop restaurant and we sat outside and watched the people below as they congregated for what turned out to be a funeral procession. Thousands of locals gathered and followed a coffin around the stupa, again making three revolutions. The body would then go to be cremated.&nbsp;Despite the huge amount of people we were amazed by how quiet it was around the stupa, especially as it was so loud and hectic just outside the walls of the Boudhnath area. It was as if the people within the stupa respected the sanctity of the area and kept the noise to a minimum. It also helped that the whole place was pedestrianised!&nbsp;Heeda took us into an art studio to have a look at some traditional artwork being created. The paintings are known as mendala's and are ridiculously detailed works, some of which can take up to a year to complete and the prices reflect this, some of the larger ones costing thousands of pounds. Even the smallest ones, which we would have considered buying cost around $100 - we considered no further!&nbsp;&nbsp;From Boudhnath we drove across Kathmandu to Patan, an ancient suburb and the home of the most impressive of three Durbar Square's in Kathmandu. The square has a collection of buildings, each with different architecture and varying purposes (PICS). Heeda gave us an abundance of detailed historical information, which kind of went in one ear and out the other - lists of kings who had built certain things and the dates on which buildings were destroyed and rebuilt, and destroyed and rebuilt....and destroyed and rebuilt! It was all a bit much but the buildings were still very interesting to look at, and the quirky locals even more so (PICS).&nbsp;Patan had a certain ancient charm, a combination of the hustle of the throngs of locals and the narrow cobblestone streets and crumbling buildings.&nbsp;&nbsp;Leaving Patan we drove northwards to Swoyambhunath, our final destination of the half-day tour. Swoyambhunath has another stupa, also known as the Monkey Temple, and it can be seen from almost anywhere in Kathmandu as it sits atop a large hill on the northern outskirts of the city.&nbsp;After a climb of around 120 steps we reached the top and took in the amazing views over the whole of Kathmandu as it sprawled away from us (PIC). The stupa is smaller than Boudhnath but has just as much character and many locals still make the journey out to this more isolated religious site. In fact, there were numerous religious ceremonies, offerings and prayer sessions going on as we looked around the place.&nbsp;A fascinating craft stall caught our eye as we wandered around; the outside of the store was completely covered in colourful and slightly freaky masks (PICS). We decided that we wouldn't buy one; it would probably scare the life out of us if we walked into any room with that on the wall!&nbsp;&nbsp;Our half-day tour actually ended up taking close to 6 hours and we were surprised to find out that they didn't charge us for the extra couple of hours, though we did give Heeda a decent tip to make up for it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Another few hours of planning and Internet searches led us to booking our flight home from Beijing to the UK. We found a superb deal with British Airways of all airlines that would get us back to London for less than 300 pounds each. We couldn't miss out so we took a rough guess of when we would have done all our sightseeing (and run out of money) and committed ourselves to a finish date!&nbsp;&nbsp;That night we managed to find a decent place for food in the centre of Thamel; Helena's Restaurant. It had been given a good write up in the lonely planet and it didn't disappoint. We would definitely be going back there!&nbsp;&nbsp;The Chinese Visa was still something that needed sorting out, especially as we had heard it could take up to a week to get it, so we went back to the visa office and spent a few hours filling out forms and waiting in line. We got chatting to a Belgian couple, Mike &amp; Eve, who had been travelling on and off for about 4 years and were about to travel through China to go and buy some horses in Mongolia. They would then spend a couple of months travelling around Mongolia on horseback, despite never having even ridden a horse before - brave!!&nbsp;It was lucky we had met them as they mentioned that we needed a photocopy of our passports, which we didn't have. Andrew disappeared down the road to get some copies made as Verdi stayed in the queue so that our time wasn't wasted. We could have picked our passports up the following Monday but we were planning on being in Pokhara so a week to complete the visa was fine by us.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kathmandu, in fact all of Nepal, has a strange quirk that we discovered abruptly one night. All of a sudden the power cut out, nothing unusual in South East Asia as we had discovered during the past 5 months, but Nepal do things slightly differently. The power was out for about 45 minutes before we went down to reception to ask if they knew why the power had gone off. They replied, very matter-of-factly that the power goes off every Wednesday and Thursday evening for 2 hours. The government is apparently so corrupt that they don't allow enough power to be made and therefore a shutdown has to be enforced from 6pm till 8pm twice a week!&nbsp;With nothing to do but eat we called back into Helena's Restaurant and enjoyed a 'romantic' candlelit dinner for two. The whole of Thamel seemed to deal easily with the power cut. Out came the petrol generators and the candles and business continued as usual. Guess they must be used to this kind of planned disturbance as it happens so regularly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The following morning we made an early start and got on the 'Greenline' tourist bus to Pokhara. It would have cost us about four times the price to fly so we sacrificed the quicker journey for the cheaper option; after all we had loads of time to kill with our new flight to Beijing a week later than initially planned.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1183003200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1183003200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/gonetilwhenever/round_the_world/1183003200/tpod.html Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:42:20 -0400 Wide-eyed Welshies wander the wonders of the world...for as long as the money lasts!

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Cwmbran, United Kingdom

The journeys over - we'll update this soon!
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