TravelStream™ news feed for member norsu on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/norsu en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:23:54 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1211714520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1211714520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1211714520/tpod.html Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:23:54 -0400 China

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Beijing, China

Ni hao viimeista kertaa! Pekingiin saavuttiin 25paiva yojuna-matkan jalkeen. matka oli vahan lyhyempi ja meni nopeesti nukkuessa. talla kertaa otettiin soft sleeperit ja vaikka ne makso vahan enemman niin haluttiin nukkua kunnolla ja vaan neljan hengen hytissa. (vaikka tuli uni siella edellisessakin)Meian hotelli oli ihan Pekingin rautatieaseman vieressa. Taa oli se pitkan matkan rt-asema silla Pekingissa on ainakin nelja eri. Kaveltiin siis Harmony hotellille kulman taaksen ja tsekattiin ittemme aamulla sisalle. Sita ennen piti kyl viela odottaa et turisti-info aukeaa et voidaan selvittaa milla tiella se on tarkalleen ettei turhaan laheta ettimaan sita tavaroitten kaa. Hotelli oli siisti ja makso 45euroa yo. Lahettiin melkeen heti kotiutumisen jalkeen tutkimaan kaupunkia. Taytyy sanoa et kerran Pekingissa helmikuussa kayneena olin positiivisesti yllattyny miten vihreeta ja lammin siel oli nyt. :) Viimeks palelin ja kaikki tuntu tosi harmaalta siella. Ensin tehtiin visiitteja pariin viereiseen ostoskeskukseen jonka jalkeen kaveltiin Pearl marketille (Hongqiao). Marketin jalkeen mentiin viereiseen Temple of Heaveniin. Kuten nimi sanoo kyseessa on temppeli hienossa ja isossa puistossa. Vaikuttavin oli ruusutarha siel puistossa, sadoittain erilaisia ruusuja ja ihana tuoksu ilmassa. Tosin ilmassa on ilmeisesti polya tai vastaavaa nain kevaan ja kesan tuntumilla ja aurinkoa ei kylla nahty kunnolla sen takaa vaikka lammin olikin. Temppelin jalkeen viela otettiin metro silkkikadulle ja marketille. ostettavaa ois ollu vaikka kuinka mut hillittiin viela ittemme. Maanantaina alko kolmen paivan suruaika sen Sichuan maan jaristyksen takia ja telkkarista tuli kaikilla 40-50:lla kanavalla uutisia ja dokkareita aiheesta.  Maanantaina tehtiin retki Kesapalatsille (Summer Palace) mika onkin hirveen iso alue tutkittavaks. Kaveltiin siella koko paivan. Sinne mentiin omin tein metroilla ja busseila ja se tulikin kymmenen kertaa halvemmaks kun esim. meian hotellin retket ois ollu! Puff..mita rahastusta. Siel oli hienoja puutarhoja, kiva jarvi ja makeet rakennukset. Sen lisaks sen kukkulan takana oli Suzhou Street, myyntikojuineen, mika muistutti aasialaista venetsiaa. Tiistaina kaveltiin taas paljon ja osteltiin jotain pienta. Keskiviikoks suunniteltiin taas retki. Talla kertaa Kiinan muurille. Matka kesti noin 2tuntia ja taas kerran saastettiin kun oltiin omatoimisia. Tosin meita taas melkein huijattiin. Koko matka makso noin 10euroa vahan alle ja siihen kuulu bussimatkat, lounas ja paasyliput Beijing Tourist Bus centre:sta. Paikan paalle meian opas kuitenkin selittaa et meian pitaa ottaa cable karry ylos sille muurille ja on pakko ostaa siihen liput 6euroa hlo. Mutisten me ja pari muuta lansimaalaista seka kaikki paikalliset ostettiin ne ja kirottiin kun ei siita taas ollu mainittu aikasemmin mitaan. Loppujen lopuks me kuitenkin paastiin nousemaan sille muurille ihan omin jaloinkin kun mentiin oikeesta sisaankaynnista eli oli ostettu liput ihan turhaan. Meinattiin teha reklamaatio kun mentais takas bussille. Kiinan muuri oli hieno, uskomatonta et se on kasin rakennettu sinne maen nyppyloille. Kuumahan siina tietty tuli nousta rappusia helteessa mut onneks oli pieni tuulenvire. Kun me parin tunnin paasta palattiin bussille me huomattiin et lisaa lansimaalaisia turisteja tuli ja jonotti ostamaan niita samoja kaapelikarry lippuja mita me ei siis ikina kaytetty. Myytiin sit yhelle pariskunnalle omamme kun ne oli joka tapauksessa menossa silla. Meian opas ei kai tykanny hyvaa tosta eleesta mut oma moka kun ei kertonu aiemmin eika tarttenu meian enaa alkaa kitisemaan siita.Yks pariskunta oli myohassa bussilta ja taalla ei ilmeisesti mattimyohasia odotella kun lahettiin siita huolimatta takaspain. Torstaina Raffi meni omille teilleen kattomaan mm.Tiananmenin aukion. Ma olin aikasemmalla reissullani nahny ne joten sovin treffit Amyn kanssa, Nokian tyokamuja Kiinassa. Amy vei mut shoppailemaan Pearl marketille ja huh kun se tinki kiinalaiseen tyyliin mita ikina halusinkaan ostaa! hahah.. se on oikeesti naky, ma luulin et ma oon hyva mut paikallinen kylla tietaa paljon kannattaa maksaa. Valilla en uskaltanu suutani avata ja seurasin niita kun tennismatsia. Se on hauskaa kateltavaa ja kuunneltavaa..valilla tuntuu et siina riidellaan pahastikin ja kuitenkin valilla molemmat osapuolet naurahtaa. Amyn avulla kumma kylla mun ostoskassit vaan kasvo ja kasvo ja lopuks muutaman tunnin jalkeen oli pakko antaa periks kun oltiin molemmat ihan nuutuneita. ;D Sen jalkeen Amy vei meiat syomaan kaupungin toiseen laitaan hutongeille eli pikkukujille. Sielta loyty pitkan ettimisen jalkeen se ravintola, jossa tarjoillaan perinteisia kiinalaisia snackseja. Amy toi poydan tayteen kaikkia erikoisuuksia joiden nimia en tosin muista kiinaks. Erikoisin mita jouduin maistamaan oli sisaelinsoppa...huh...maksa viela meni mut muut mahalaukun palaset sun muut oli vahan liikaa. ;D Mutta kokemus oikein hauska ja kaikki muu oli herkullista. Olinkin sit aika nuutunu kun paasin hotellille illalla ja piti viela pakata laukut siihen kuntoon et paastaan lentokoneeseen seuraavana aamuna. Heratys oli kuudelta ja piti viela ottaa iltamyssyt et uni tuli. :)Nyt kotona ollaan 20tunnin valvomisen ja lentojen jalkeen. Oli ihana naha perhe ja kavereita jo mut muuten on sellanen tunne kun ei ois kauan ollu poissa. Ihan huippua et kesa on nain pitkalla ja on lammin. Kaiken kaikkiaan reissu meni hyvin. Mut uskokaa pois, raskasta se on! Ma voisin sanoa et 8kk paikallaan jossain maassa ehka menis helpommin mut jatkuva reissaaminen on tosi raskasta. Lempipaikat loyty Japanista, Malesiasta ja Singaporesta ja paras rantapaikka tais olla Boracay Filippiineilla. :) Paljon jai viela nakematta ja harmittaa et aikaa oli loppujen lopuks niin vahan mut sehan tarkottaa sita et uus reissu on joskus tiedossa. Kaikkein upeinta oli naha erilaista elamaa ja tutustua paikallisiin. Tosin se tarkotti myos sita et naki paljon koyhyytta ja kurjuutta eika voi oikeen mitenkaan auttaa paitsi tuomalla turismilla rahaa paikallisille.. mut onks sekaan aina hyva jos se tuhoaa kulttuurin niinkun Indonesialaiset nuoret kerto mulle. Henkilokohtasesti myos elainten kohtelu tuntu tosi pahalta siella, meilla ne on niin tarkeita perheenjasenia. Samoin roskaaminen on ihan uskomatonta. Se ei vaan kuulu siiihen kulttuuriin ja tienposket on kyl niin taynna kaikkee mahdollista. Ei kai oo oikein paikkojakaan mihin niita roskia tyontas siella kun on miljoonittain ihmisia. :(Muihin reissaajiin oli vaikee tutustua, varmaan senkin takia et oltiin pariskuntana reissussa, vaikkei mitaan nysvareita ollakaan. ;) Muutamat illat vietettiin muitten reissaajien kanssa oluella kun vaan tavattiin kivoihin tyyppeihin. Paikalliset oli enemmankin kovia juttelemaan. Meil oli se onni et tunnettiin muutamissa maissa jo valmiiks ihmisia ja paikallisten kanssa kokee vahan enemman kun itekseen. Ja mita tulee meian suhteeseen, kaikki meni yllattavan hyvin. Vaikka viettaakin 24/7 aikaa toisen kanssa niin meil oli hauskaa, naurettiin paljon ja valilla riideltiinkin mut mitaan isoa konfliktia ei ollu ja ollaan edelleen yhdessa..haha :D Budjetista sen verran et se kylla ylitty vahan..heh. Japani, Etela-Korea, Spore ja HK verotti jonkun verran. Mitaan luonnokatastrofeja ei onneksemme koettu, kaikki oli joko ennen tai jalkeen meian reissun. Muutamia sairastumisia oli mut siitakin paastiin melko vahalla. Kokemuksena ihan mahtava! Kiitos meileista ja kun ootte jaksanu seurata blogia! NoraENGLISH:Ni hao for the last time! We arrived in Beijing on 25th after a night train trip. The journey was shorter and passed by quickly while sleeping. This time we had soft sleepers even though they cost more but we wanted to have good night sleep and less people in the cabin. (four that is) Our hotel was right next to Beijing railway station. In Beijingzhan subwaystation. We walked to Harmony hotel just around the block and checked in. Before that we still had to wait for an hour and half before the tourist info opened and we got more detailed information where exactly the hotel locates. You see, getting lazy already with all the luggage etc. and we did not dare to take a cab coz it was suppose to be near the station. The hotel was nice and clean with lot of Western tourists. Our room cost 45euros per night. On Sunday we basically headed to town after check in and went first to few malls. I must say this time I was positively surprised by Beijing. It was very green and warm and rather clean! Last time I was there in feb and it was very cold and grey there. After the malls we walked to Pearl Market (Hongqiao) and then to Temple of Heaven next to it. The rose garden was very impressive in there. Hundreds of beautiful roses and the smell was fascinating. Even though it was warm the sun never showed, there was such a heavy dust or smog in the air. After the temple we still took subway to Silk Street. On Monday they started a three day mourning period in China due to the Sichuan province earthquake. All the 40-50 tv channels only broadcast news and documents about the quake. It seemed really weird even though the whole thing was massive.On Monday we had a daytrip to Summer Palace organised by ourselves. The whole area was very vast and it sure took the whole day. It cost very little when you go there on your own compared to prices at hotel! Puff.. In Summer Palace there were nice gardens, a lake, cool buildings and behind the hill the Suzhou Street with its small souvenir shops was like Asian Venice. On Tuesday we walked again lot and planned the trip for Wednesday to The Great Wall. We left early in the morning and it took 2hrs by bus. We saved a lot again even though we nearly were cheated with the ticket. The whole daytrip cost a bit less than 10euros including bus, lunch, entrance tickets and helping guide. Bought from Beijing Tourist Bus Centre. Not bad, eh? However, once there the guide told us to buy cable car tickets othwerwise we could not climb to the wall. We and other couple were a bit annoyed by this and asked can we not walk. Nope was the answer. So we bought tickets, 6euros per person. Nevertheless, we did found entrance where you can just walk up to the wall and our tickets remained unused. We were planning on claiming the money back from our guide once back down.  The Great Wall was impressive, it's unbelievable it's been built by hands on the hills. We had two hours there and it was a bit exhausting to climb it up under burning sun. After returning to bus we noticed more Western tourists queueing for the cable car tickets and sold ours to a couple who were taking the c-car anyway. I suppose our guide did not like it since she was wathing us very carefully form the bus. But their fault not telling in the first place. On Thursday Raffi went to Tiananmen Sq etc. I have seen it last time so I had a date with Amy, my Chinese Nokia colleague. Amy took me shopping at Silk Market. Huh, she was such a haggler! Whatever I was interested in she haggled very hard, until she got very good Chinese price! It was very amusing to follow the situation, not daring to open your mouth and sometimes it even sounds like they're very furious. But in the end they usually smile and joke. With Amy's help my shopping bags grew and grew until we both were exhausted and left for dinner. Amy took me to further north to hutongs, small alleys that is where there is one very famous traditional Chinese restaurant. Amy filled the table with snack plates. Unfortunately I cannot recall the names of the food but it was delicious. Except for the intestine soup... okay, it was not bad but the idea did not suit me.. It was great experience once again and we enjoyed ourselves.  I was pretty rundown once I got back to hotel and I still had to back my bags for the next morning flight. The wake up was at six and we still took nightcaps before heading to bed. Now at home after 20hours of travelling. It was amazing to see family and friends again and it felt like I never was anywhere. And it's summer here which is great!Altogether the journey was excellent. But believe me, it was very hard travelling from one place to another for the whole 8months. My fave places were Japan, Malesia, Singapore and beach spot Boracay in the Philippines!Lot we did not see and it's a pity, after all the time goes by so fast! But it means we have chance to explore them later.. The best experience was to see different life and get to know locals. It also meant seeing the sad things, poverty, misery etc. And there is not much one person can do. Tourism is one way to help the locals but at the same time it destroys the local culture like Indonesian youngsters told us. Personally I feel very bad for the animals there, they are not treated like members of family like at home..for instance lot of straydogs with diseases. But sure humans have to come first. Plus the amount of rubbish! It's very common to throw your rubbish to ground and it's everywhere - I suppose they have no places to take it having millions of people producing rubbish. :(As a couple backpackers it was difficult to get to know other travellers better even though we both are outgoing!;)Few times we had fun eves having a beer with travellers. I think the locals were more interested in getting to know you. We were lucky having few friends in some countries already, you can experience so much more with locals. And what comes to our relationship. It's tough sometimes spending 24/7 together but in my opinion things went very well. We laughed a LOT and had some minor fights too but no major conflicts and we're still together...hahaha ;D My budget got a bit over the planned one but in general Asia is cheap. No natural disasters were experienced, many of them happened before or after. Few visits to doctor but nothing we could not handle. As an experience it was superb!Thanks for emailing me and following my blog. Nora
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1211185980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1211185980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1211185980/tpod.html Wed, 28 May 2008 07:20:32 -0400 China

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Nii hao Shanghain suunnasta! Junamatka Honkkarista Shanghaihin kesti siis 20tuntia. Alku naytti aika pelottavalta, paljon aanekkaita kiinalaisia juna taynna ja kaikilla oli kiire omaan punkkaansa. ;D Juna oli yllattavan hieno, oon kuullu kauhutarinoita paikallisista junista ja niiden kunnosta mutta taa oli oikeen kiva ja makuuvaunut muistutti pitkalti meian risteilijoiden hytteja. Meian "hytissa" oli siis nelja kiinalaista ja me kaks. Mulla oli ylasanky varattu ja Raffilla keskimmainen, tosin kiinalainen mies oli paattany ettei se nuku toisessa ylasangyssa vaan halus nimenomaan Raffin sangyn vaikka me maksettiin siita vahan enemman. Loppujen lopuks nukuttiin molemmat ylasangyissa ja ilman sita isoa untuvapeittoa siel ois kuollu hypotermiaan. Heh. Lahettiin kolmen maissa ja luettiin ensiks, myohemmin kaytiin syomassa. Raffille oli sanottu asemalla et Hong Kongin dollarit kay junassa joten ei nahty vaivaa niitten vaihtamisessa viela ja loppujen lopuks junassa kavikin vaan yuanit valuuttana.. Onneks mun edelliselt Pekingin reissulta oli jaany yuaneja ja saatiin maksettua. Yo meni hyvin ja koko hytti oli nukkumassa jo ysilta. Puol kuudelta aamulla meian hytin rouvat olikin sit jo hereilla ja puheliaalla tuulella.. Yheltatoista oltiin Shanghain juna-asemalla. Pienen seikkailun, ja metro-seka taksimatkan jalkeen, oltiin vihdoin White Mansion-hotellissa. Varattiin se jo aikasemmin ja maksettiin 22euroa yolta. Hieno hotelli ja viela hienompi huone 11:ssa kerroksessa. Tietty mun kuvissa se ei nayta niin makeelta jos ihmettelette ;D Loppupaiva meni niissa hoodseissa kavellessa ja tutustuessa. Seuraavana paivana oltiin taas tarmokkaita ja suunnattiin kohti French Concessionia, joka on ranskalaisvaikutteinen korttelialue Shanghaissa putiikkeineen ja lehmuksineen. Se oli aika kivannakosta aluetta ja huomattiin muutenkin et Shanghaissa on paljon puistoja, kukkaistutuksia ja viheralueita. Lopuks kaveltiin viela West Nanjing Roadia kohti Renmin Squarea ja siina vaiheessa jalat olikin jo levon tarpeessa. Meil oli tarkkaan suunniteltu aikataulu ja silti tuntu et aika ei riita kaikkeen. Jatettiin siis suosiolla Shanghain viereiset pikkukylat seuraavaan kertaan ja keskityttiin nahtavyyksiin kaupungissa. Jatkettiin siis keskiviikkona East Nanjing Roadia mika on virallinen shoppailukatu. Sen lopussa tuli joki ja Bund-kaupunginosa vastaan ja kaytiin siina valissa ostamassa seuraavat junatiketit Pekingiin. Nahtiin myos Pearl Tower joen toisella puolella mika on yks Shanghain kuuluisuus. Ja kun me lopulta loydettiin kaupungista nettikahvila mita ei ollu suljettu tai ei muuten vaan loytyny (muutamat Lonely Planetin suosittelemat siis..) vietettiin siella parisen tuntia. Tarkotus oli netin jalkeen jatkaa viela Pudongiin mutta mulle tuli akillinen sairaskohtaus (alkaa huolestuko, nyt kaikki jo hyvin;)) ja halusin mahdollisimman pian hotellille takas. Tietenkaan taksit ei suostunu ajamaan sinne jostain syysta ja metrot kesti niin kauan ja mul oli pienta tuskan hikea. Mut metrolla piti kuitenkin menna ja nahtavyydet riitti siell paivalle. Torstai-aamuna paasin jalleen kerran tutustumaan paikalliseen laakariin/sairaalaan. Mua vahan jannitti miten kommunikaatio sujuu kun englantia ei tunnu oikeen kukaan puhuvan. Mutta iltapaivalla oltiin jo elaintarhaa ettimassa kun lekurikeikka meni hyvin. Shanghain elaintarha oli ihan kiva paivaretkipaikka vaikka sisaankaynnin loytaminen olikin tyon takana... kierrettiin koko elaintarha ympari ennen kun oltiin oikeella portilla. Argh! Ja kyltteja ei ollu missaan...Eilen paastiin lopultakin Pudongiin, joen toiselle puolelle. Sita ennen kaytiin kuitenkin Yuyuan puutarhassa ja bazaarilla. Puutarha oli aika hienosti rakennettu ja koko alue oli kiinalaistyylista miinus jarkyttavat maarat turisteja. Sen jalkeen kaveltiin jokibulevardia kohti maanalasta tunnelia josta paasee toiselle puolelle. Ite tunneli oli melko hyvin piilotettu tai sit oltiin vaan tyhmia turisteja. ;) Se kyyti oli hauska gondoli-tyylinen hissi joka kuljettaa sut siel tunnelissa toiselle puolelle ja siel on erilaisia teemoja tehty valoilla. Pudongissa kaytiin China Sex Culture museossa, jossain merimaailmassa ja Superbrand kauppakeskuksessa. Ja tietty uutisista nahtiin illalla et oltiin missattu olympiasoihtu muutamalla tunnilla Bundilla!! Siina se Shanghai mita me ehittiin naha. Ma tykkaan et taal on paljon vihreeta niinkun jo aikasemmin mainitsin ja se ranskalaisuus nakyy joissain rakennuksissa mitka nekin on hienoja ja erityisesti ne kadut joita reunustaa lehmukset. Telkkarista ei paljon lansimaalaisia ohjelmia tuu, on nahny ehka yhen elainaiheisen ohjelman englanninkielella. Vaikka eihan tanne tolloa tultu kattomaan ;D Tosi hankala loytaa paikkoja taalla. Ma en tiia onks se puute kylteissa vai ollaanks me vaan daijuja..hahah.. meil on kuitenkin kaks karttaa ja kiinankieliset merkitkin niissa. Toinen asia mika mua hairitsee on naisten vessat. Sanotaan et noin kuus kymmenesta naisten vessasta on vetamatta aina! Ma en vaan ymmarra sita eika se oo pelkastaan Kiinan ongelma, muissakin Aasian maissa sama juttu. Se on vaan meille lansimaalaisille itseestaanselvyys, eiko?? Niin ja se kiire paasta ekana hissiin, metroon, bussiin, mihin vaan... hohhoi.. ;) Mut se on myos meilla kotona, ainakin M-junassa. Palaan raportoimaan viela Pekingista. Stop. NoraPS. Niin ja fotot laitan taas Macaolta asti kunhan loydan sen sallivan tietokoneen Kiinasta :) English pals:Nii hao from Shanghai!Train from HK to Shanghai took 20hrs like mentioned in last entry. The beginning looked scary; lot of noisy Chinese runnin around to find their bunk first. The train was actually nice. I had my prejudices again after hearing stories but this was realy nice and the sleeping cabins reminded me of our cruisers'. There were four Chinese in our cabin and us, six sleepers altogether. I had the upper bed and Raffi middle one reserved. The one Chinese guy had though decided to own the middle one even though Raffi had paid more for it. In the end we both slept in the upper beds and without the big fluffy  duvet we would've died of hypothermia, so efficient was the aircon. ;) First we read a bit before having on board take away dinner box. They told Raffi in the station that HK$ are valid on board and we didn't bother to change any yet. In the end they only accepted yuans and luckily I had few funny notes from my previous trip with which we could pay for the food. The night sleep was okay, our cabin was way down to sleep at nine already and at five thirty the same ladies were up and chatting. At eleven we reached Shanghai station. After a small scale adventure and after a subway and a taxi drive we were at White Mansion Hotel. We booked it earlier and it cost 22euros per night. Very fine hotel and even nicer room up in the 11th Floor. Of course it doesnt' look that fine in my pics for some reason, if you wonder ;) The rest of the day we walked in the hoods. The very next day we were up and running. French Concession ut was. That French-influenced block with its boutiques and lime trees. The area looked cosy and it was also something the whole Shanghai has, lot of parks, green areas and flower decorations. After F.Concession it was time for West Nanjing Rd all the way to the Temple which we didnt visit. And to Renmin Square where our legs were begging mercy. We had specific plan what to do and where to go each day. We agreed on leaving out the small tourist towns surrounding Shanghai for the next time and concentrate on the centre itself. So much time and still so little time.. On Wednesday we continued to East Nanjing Rd which is the official (one of them..) shopping street. At the end of the street there's Bund district with its old historical buildings.And the river and the famous Pearl Tower in the opposite shore. In between we bought train tickets to Beijing from CTIS. And we finally found an internet cafe from downtown that wasnt shut or vanished! (like few mentioned in LP book..) Few hours there and we were planning to hop on the other side to Pudong. Unfortunately I got suddenly very sick (no worries, Im alright now;)) and wanted to flee back to hotel asap. Of course for some reason many taxis declined taking us there, (maybe it wasnt good money, traffic jam, dont know?) and it took ages by subway as we had to changed few times. But subway it was after hunting for a taxi for a while. Sightseeing was over ofr the day.On Thursday morning I went to see a doc and was nervous how's the communication. But in the noon we were already searching for zoo after successful visit to doc. Shanghai zoo was nice daytrip as lonng as you find the bloody entrance. How hard can it be? It can, believe me. No signs nothing and only one entrance. Yesterday we visited Pudong district, on the other side of the river. Before that we still had a look at the Yuyuan Gardens and Bazaar. The garden was rather impressive including the Chinese style buildingd and gazebos. Minus the terrific number of tourists.We walked back to Bund along the riverside boulevard and looked for the sightseeing underground tunnel to Pudong, as it is called. The tunnel was very well hidden or we were just being stupid tourists... ;) The ride was on a gondola-style horizontal lift with different lights making you feel like in space. In pudong we went to China Sex Culture Museum (nothing much to mention) and some cheap look-a-like sea world next to it. And after had a dinner at Superbrand Mall. Naturally we missed the torch relay in Bund by few hours as we saw it in the eve in the news. That's our Shanghai in a nutshell. I like the fact they have lot of parks and green here like I already mentioned. And you can see the French history in many parts of the centre. The buildings are nice and so are the lime trees shadowing the streets. You cannot see much Western programmes in the telly, which is pity.. although its not taht we came here to watch telly ;D It's difficult to find places here, signs missing or is it just us?? We have two maps with Chinese characters too! The other thing that's bothering me is the toilet culture. At least what I've seen in women's side 6 out of 10 toilets are unflushed when I enter a public toilet (let it be public, in mall, squat, normal, anywhere, anything). And it's not just China but all over Asia..  I just don't get it coz for Westerners it's obvious, right?? Oh and the endless hurry to be first: lift, subway, bus, lines...  But that's something I see back home too ;D Especially in M-train... So I get back to you with my reports from Beijing next time. Full stop. NoraPS. All the pics starting from Macau will be added as soon as I find a suitable computer, in China or back home.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1210673880/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1210673880/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1210673880/tpod.html Wed, 28 May 2008 07:03:34 -0400 China

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Taalla taas, norttina ruudun takana. Honkkari on oikeen siisti paikka, ihanat vihreet kukkulat joka puolella ja korkeita pilvenpiirtajia niitten vieressa. Tosin luultiin molemmat et taal oikeesti puhutaan englantia.. haha, on tullu jo monta tapausta kun meit ei ymmarreta ja on ollu hankaluuksia. Saavuttiin siis lautalla maanantaina. Moni on kysyny tunnettiinko me maanantainen maanjaristys taalla mut ollaan varmaankin oltu lautalla siihen aikaan koska ei tiedetty mitaan ennen kun uutisista nahtiin ja tuntui kuulemma myos taalla. Taksilla tultiin meian hostellille ja siina oli jo eka ongelma kun taksikuski ei tienny tata katua vaikka ollaan tunnetulla paikalla. Samoin taksikeskuksen henkilo kenelle kuski soitti ei meinannu tajuta Paterson Streetia Raffin sanomana..;) Hostellin alaovella soitettiin kelloa ja omistaja kolmannesta kerroksesta sano kaiuttimesta et tulkaa vaan ovesta sisalle vaikka se vahan tiukka onkin ja pakotettiin alaovi auki. Meita vastaan tuli aulassa kiinalainen vanhempi mies joka huus meille kiinaks jotain vihasesti niin kauan kun aloillamme siina seistiin..haha.. ilmeisesti ovesta ei saa tulla vakisin sisalle ja tarvitaan ovikoodi mita meille ei siis ikina annettu. Hipsittiin nopeesti hissiin ja ylos. Se niista ekoista vastoinkaymisista. Kiinalainen temperamentti se vasta on jotain ;D Honkkarissa ollaan tahan mennessa vierailtu mm. Disneylandissa. Makso paljon vahemman kun Japanissa eika tarvinnu jonottaa kun korkeintaan 10minsaa ja kerran vaan. Oli ihan huippupaiva siella, oltiin kun lapsia taas ;) Hoidettiin meian Kiinan viisumi hakemus. Jonot oli hirveet ekana aamuna ja sen jalkeen ruvettiin miettimaan vaihtoehtoja kun piti olla hotellit ja lennot yms. Kiinassa valmiina et saadaan viisumi. Plaah, mika byrokratia ruljanssi se olikaan. Sit kaytiin monessa kauppakeskuksessa, seka Kowloonin kaupunginosassa, missa on hirveesti sporttiliikkeita ja Ladies Fashion katu (kaak! sielta en lahtenykaan ihan tyhjin kasin..), nahtiin Clock Tower, Avenue of Stars-katu missa on kuuluisien nayttelijoiden tahdet. Tosin ainoita keta ma tunnen oli Jackie Chan. Tanaan tehtiin reissu Peak Tramilla eli kukkularatikalla (vapaasti suomennettuna), Peak Towerille, mista on upeet nakymat alas. Lisaks Hong Kongissa on siistit 2-kerroksiset ratikat ja bussit, paljon shoppeja, paljon ravintoloita ja paaaaljon ihmisia. Tarkotuksena ois viela kayda ainakin Lan Kwai Fongilla kattomassa kuuluisaa iltaelamaa. Sunnuntaille ollaan varattu junaliput Shanghaihin. 20 tuntia kestaa junamatka mika saattaa olla melkonen kokemus mut sen jalkeen ainakin tiedetaan mita se on. ;) Tassa uusimmat juorunpoikaset meian reissulta. Tasan kaks viikkoa jaljella ja nyt se tuntuu jo "normaalien" ihmisten lomailuajalta ;D Odotan kyl kovasti et naan taas teiat kaikki mut toisaalta se pahin koti-ikava meni jo ohi. (sanotaan et 4-5 kk pois kotoota on se pahin vaihe) Ennen sita palaan viela paivittamaan blogia. terkuin NorppaEnglish:Hellou, Im back. HK is very cool place. Lovely green hills all over and high skyscrapers next to them. We both thought people speak English here but it's not actually as common as in Singapore for instance. We've had many communication difficulties already, just looking for to mainland.. So we arrived by ferry on Monday. Many people back home have asked whether we felt the major earthquake in Sichuan but nope. I suppose we were still on board coz we knew nothing until it was on the news. And it was felt here, so the news say. We took a cab to our hostel and the first prob was encountered when taxi driver did not know Paterson Street in English. He called to cab centre and let Raffi speak to the woman and she also had problems acknowledging the street even though it's pretty central. They got it finally and the next prob was on its way.. We rang the door bell and the owner on the 3rd floor answered through the speaker and instructed us to just push the door open. As we did so the guard on the lobby came storming towards us. He was older Chinese man and yelled angry in Chinese..ooops. You shouldn't push the door open, they have door codes there but nobody told us that and we got our part of Chinese temperament. ;D So far in HK we've been to Disneyland which was blast. Lot cheaper than the one in Japan and we didn't even queue long to get on the rides! Great day. The visa application for China we were to handle first thing. The line to immigration office was terrible each day and we had to come one hour before opening the next day. The whole applying is rather bureaucratic. You need to have hotels and flights booked etc. We visited many shopping malls, we had a walk in Kowloon. There are so many sports shops in one part of it and also the Ladies Fashion street (wohoooo, someone did not leave empty-handed..). We also saw Clock Tower, the Walk of Stars where there are stars of famous people on the pavement, although I did not know anyone else except for Jackie Chan.. Today we took the famous Peak Tram to Peak tower. The views were great!Besides they have these cool 2-storey trams and buses here, lot of different shops, restaurants and loooots of people! We're still planning on seeing the nightlife of Lan Kwai Fong before heading to mainland. We booked train tickets to Shanghai on Sunday. 22hours in a train must be something... but after that we know more.:) These are the newest updates. Exactly two weeks and Im back home, we're back home that is ;) Now it even starts to feel like normal people's holiday period ;D Im really looking for to seeing you my dearest family and friends even though the worst home sickness is gone (they say 4-5months abroad is the worst phase)  But before returning Im still updating my blog. Take care, Nora
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1210302000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1210302000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/11/1210302000/tpod.html Wed, 28 May 2008 06:39:08 -0400 China

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Macau, Macau, China

Ni hao. Terkut Macaolta, Aasian kasinokaupungista. Lennettiin Filippiineilta 8.paiva Macaolle. Tosin Cebu Pacific ilmotti meilitse et meian lentoaikatauluu oli muutettu ja jouduttiin ensin lentamaan Manilaan ja viettamaan 4tuntia siella ennen kun lennettais Macaolle. Lento Cebusta Manilaan kesti noin tunnin ja Manilasta Macaolle parisen tuntia ja risat. Manilassa oli hirvee ukkosmyrsky just kun meian ois pitany lahtee ja olin vahan hermostunu koko lennosta. (miten vaikeeta onkaan lentaa muilla lentoyhtioilla kun Finskilla ;)) Odotettiin et pahin myrsky menis ohi ja oltiin Macaolla loppujen lopuks illalla kymmenen jalkeen. Lentokentta ja erityisesti kiirtorata on makeesti rakennettu merelle. Sen jalkeen kun oltiin tsekattu sisalle meian hotelli Centraliin yritettiin loytaa ravintolaa lahistolta. Makkari oli ainoo paikka auki niilla nurkilla ja se sai kelvata. Meian hotelli makso 87euroa nelja yota. Hotelli oli jo vahan elahtaneen nakonen ja hajunen mut se oli taydellisella paikalla Largo de Senadon vieressa. Ekana paivana alotettiin kiertelemaan Senadon lahiymparistoa missa on mm. Monte Fort kukkula, St.Paul kirkon jaannokset ja muuten paljon portugalilaisvaikutteisia rakennuksia. Niin ja maisteltiin kuuluisia portugalilaisia kananmunapiirakoita (egg tarts) mmmm!!;) Illalla olikin sit aika menna kiertelemaan kuuluisia kasinoita. Mun taytyy sanoa et kaverit on aina luokitellu mut henkiloks joka ei pelaa paljon hedelmapeleja ja/tai uhkapeleja. Oon aina hengittamassa muitten niskaan etta ekan voiton sattuessa ottaa rahat ulos...heh. Kasinot Macaolla on ihan omaa luokkaansa, toinen toistaan hienompia ja suurempia. Me alotettiin tunnetuista Lisboa ja Grand Lisboa-kasinoista joissa pelattiin ihan muutamaa hedelmapelia. (huom.kaytan sanaa hedelmapeli slottipeleista..en tieda mika on ees oikee kasite suomeks ;)) Naitten jalkeen mentiin viela Wynniin ja MGM:aan, mista sit loydettiinkin ehdoton lempipeli. Naa kasinot oli taynna aika aasialaistyylisia peleja ja ma oon varma et ne on ihan huijausta, sellasia monimutkseks tehtyja hedelmapeleja, ei hyva! Ja siks taa loyto oli simppelimmasta paasta ja niin kavi et ma lahdin voitolla sina iltana kotiin..tosin nyt ei puhuta satasista edes..hahaha.. Pysahdyttiin viel kotimatkalla, kello kaks yolla, Emperor-kasinolla pelaamassa samaa pelia ja kotiin paastiin lopulta neljalta aamulla.. ;) Ja taytyy myontaa et ma olin aika innoissani sen illan jalkeen ja odotin jo seuraavaa iltaa pelien aaressa. Ravintoloita oli melkeen mahdotonta loytaa Macaolla. Meian opus sano et kasinojen alueella vaihtoehtoi on paljon mut ennen kello 10 aamulla ja kello 10 jalkeen illalla ei mikaan meian hotellin lahella ollu auki. Makkaria lukuunottamatta ja se oli yks iso miinus. Markettejakaan ei hirveesti siella nakyny ja siks oli aina taisteltava et saatiin murkinaa masuun. Paivalla kaytiin jossain kaupungin puistossa, oisko ollut Vasco da Gama. Hienosti tehty lampi ja paljon vihreeta keskella pilvenpiirtajia. Sen jalkeen noustiin Guia kukkulalle missa on Macaon maamerkki, majakka. Illalla oli taas peli-ilta ja mentiin Grand Lisboaan. Raffi pelas pokeria ja ma olin mun lempi hedelmapelin parissa. Valitettavasti onni ei suosinu ja ma havisin rahat, pelibudjetti pienet 20euroa ja risat. Ja yks peli makso n.20 Macaon sentivoa eli ei paljon.Kolmantena paivana retkeiltiin Taipa-saarelle missa mentiin Venetian-kasinoon ja kauppakeskus kompleksiin. Se oli tosi upee, hienoja merkkiliikkeita ja tietty venetsialaistyyliin rakennettu. Kaytiin viela Macaon puolella parissa uudessa kasinossa ihan kattomassa kun kaikissa on eri tyylit. Sands-kasinon vieressa on Fisherman's Wharf, missa oli kiva viela kierrella illalla. Ja Raffin voittaessa illalla viela MGM:ssa hedelmapelin parissa munkin piti viela tuhlata rahojani ja havita, tietty. Kolme iltaa perakkain kasinoilla riitti vahaks aikaa ;) Kaiken kaikkiaan Macao on suht rauhallinen ja turvallinen paikka. Paljon turisteja ja vahan ravintoloita ;) Kasinot on se suurin nahtavyys. Luinkin just lehdesta et Macao on ylittany Hong Kongin turistimaaran tana vuonna. Tahan mennessa 7.5miljoonaa turistia on kayny Macaolla! Huh.. Suosittelen lampimasti. :) Hong Kongiin paasee Macaolta lautalla alle tunnissa mika on vahan kun meian Hki-Tallinna. Honkkarista kuullaan taas. NoraEnglish:Ni hao. (even though I thinks it's Cantonese they speak here..) Greetz from Macau anyway, the Casino centre of Asia! We flew from the Philippines on 8th May. Cebu Pacific informed us that the flight schedule has changed and we had to fly through Manila, spend 4hrs there and continue to Macau. After an hour we reached Manila. There was huge thunderstorm there at the time of our flight and I was pretty nervous. (for a Finn it seems Finnair is the one and only reliable airline..;)) A bit later we took off after the worst thunder was gone and it took appr.2hours and we were in Macau around ten in the evening. The airport and especially the airstrip was cool, they've been built on the sea. After check-in to Central Hotel we still tried to find a place to eat but it seemed McDo was the only place open nearby. Our hotel cost 87euros per four nights. The hotel and rooms have seen their best days but the location was perfect. Just next to Largo de Senado- plaza. The first day we mingled around the town, near Senado plaza. We saw Monte Fort and the ruins of St.Paul Church among others. And had a taste of the famous Portuguese egg tarts! Delicious!In the evening it was time to have a glance at the local casinos. I must say Im the very least a gambling person. My friends always laughing at my style of (me or having them) taking money out after first win. ;D Casinos in Macau are very glittering and fancy, and the next one's always fancier than previous.  We started from Lisboa and Grand Lisboa where we only played one or two slot games. After these we still went to Wynn and MGM. In the latter we found our very fave slot machine. Many of the slot machines are Asian style and seem like they've been made complicated and surely rip you off! And that's why this one was great, very simple and very giving ;) And so it happened I chose the right machine and left as a winner that night. On our way "home" we still had a look at Emperor casino and got stuck with the game again. In the end we were home at four in the morning.. ;) And I must confess, I was pretty giddy waiting for the next night out in casinos!!  It was pretty hard to find restaurants in the area of our hotel. Our guidebook said there are many near the casinos but next to our hotel there weren't many options before ten in the morning and after 10 in the eve. Except for McDo. And that's one big minus for the place. The next day we went to a park, Vasco da Gama I think. After that we took a cable car to Guia Hill where there's the landmark of Macau, the lighthouse. In the eve it was game night again and Grand Lisboa it was. Raffi played some poker in a table and I remained busy with the same slot game. Unfortunately this wasn't my night and lost my game budget 20euros. haha, I know it's not much and one game in the machine cost 20Macau sentivos so it's much cheaper than in Finland. On our third say in Macau we took a bus to Taipa island and Venetian casino and shopping complex. It was very glamorous, lot of brand shops and shopping arcade was built in a Venetian style. After returning to Macau we still had a view of few casinos and at Fisherman's Wharf, next to Sands casino, where it was very atmospheric to walk at dark. Altogether Macau is rather peaceful and safe place. Lot of tourists but not too many restos.. Casinos are the greatest sight and I just read from a newspaper that Macau has exceeded Hong Kong in the number of tourists, 7.5million tourists been there and only this year already! I recommend the place warmly and it's easy trip from/to Hong Kong. Less than hour by ferry, like Helsinki-Tallinn back home.Get back to you from HK.Nora
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1210064100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1210064100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1210064100/tpod.html Wed, 07 May 2008 08:17:20 -0400 The Philippines

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Cebu City, Visayas, Philippines

Heips, ei paljon lisattavaa, Filippiinien entrit on nyt paivitetty blogissa ja kuvat lisatty, nauttikaa! Cebu-cityssa ollaan pari yota ja lennetaan kohti Macaota. Cebu vaikuttaa kivemmalta kaupungilta kun Manila, vahan rennompi ja vihreempi. Taalla viela shoppaillaan vahan ja seuraava entri onkin Kiinan puolelta. NorppaHello, nothing much to add, updated all the blogs from the Philippines and added all the pics too so enjoy!Two nights left in Cebu city which seems pretty nice. More easy going and greener than Manila. Here some more shopping before flying off to Macao. Take care and stay alert for the entries from China. Nora
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1209622080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1209622080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1209622080/tpod.html Wed, 07 May 2008 08:13:00 -0400 The Philippines

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Panglao Island, Philippines

Holla, Tagbilaraniin, Boholiin, saavuttiin parin tunnin lauttamatkan jalkeen ja Panglao-saaren Alona-ranta 20minsan tricycle matkan jalkeen ja se menikin iisisti. Tosin hotellit oli suht buukattuja joten paadyttiin toiseen sveitsilaisen omistamaan hotelliin, tai resorttiin joka olikin aika..noh, parhaat paivansa nahnyt. Calypso oli resortin nimi ja huone makso tosin vaan 650pesoa eli kympin verran. Huoneessa kyl stinkkas, oli kosteeta ja suihku/vessa oli aika kamala mut jaatiin silti sinne. Tyontekijat oli tosi mukavia ja se helpotti. Uima-allas oli sen nakonen ettei sita oo putsattu vahaan aikaan ja muutenkaan siel ei ollut paljon tekemista. Niin ja puolet menun mainitsemista ruuista oli loppu.. joten ruuan kanssa oli vahan ykstoikkosta. Meian oli tarkotus menna Chocolate Hillseille skootterilla jos saa ois sallinu kolmantena paivana (skootterin lainaus kuulu huoneen hintaan) mut sillon tietty sato ja sit paatettiin jatkaa matkaa takas Alona-rannalle missa on vahan enemman tekemista. Alonalla tsekattiin sisalle Bohol Divers Resort nimiseen resorttiin mista saatiin nipa-hutin tyylinen huone 800pesolla. Siella varattiin seuraavalle paivalle snorklausretki Balicasag saarelle. Alona on enemmankin sukeltajien suosiossa mut paastiin mukaan samalle veneelle ja snorklattiin kun kaikki muut sukels. Hmm.. niin ja ekaa kertaa nahtiin kaks kilpikonnaa!! Sen lisaks paljon muita fisuja mut edelleenkin Indonesia pitaa pintansa mun lemppari snorklauspaikkana. Alona rantsulla seuraavana paivana mentiin snorklaamaan rannalle ja siella nain mm. yhen ravun ja Raffi naytti mulle bongaamansa nemo-fisut mitka oli hauskoja! Voih, se olikin sit vika kerta snorklaamassa meian reissulla. Otettiin lunkisti viela Alonalla ennen kun jatketaan matkaa Cebuun. Alonalla muuten todistettiin outo ilmio..auringon ymparilla oli sellanen rengas mika oli kauttaaltaan tummempi kun muu taivas.. ma luulin eka et mun aurinkolasit on jotenkin vialliset mut Raffi naki saman ja otettiin fotoja siita. Noh, se ei oo selvinny mika se on ja onks ihan normaalia tuollapain maailmaa eli jos joku kuvista osaa sano mista kyse niin thanks. :) Cebu kutsuu seuraavaks ja sit lennetaankin Macaon kasinomaailmaan. :) NorsuliiniEnglish:Holla, Tagbilaran, Bohol was reached after two hours in a ferry and Panglao island's Alona Beach after 20mins in a tricycle. Few hotekls we tried were booked so we agreed on going to Swiss owned Calypso few kms further in Dauan beach. Well the resort had seen its best days. Rooms cost 650pesos, that is around 10euros but t stank and was very humid and toilet/shower was awful really. The staff was very nice though. The pool however looked like it wasnt cleaned for a while and beach wasn't very nice either. Yeah, and half od teh menu portions were not available so the choices remained limited. We were planning to do a trip to Chocolate Hills on the third day since the resort offered a scooter incl.in the room price. It kept raining so we took off and changed a hotel to Alona Beach where there were more things to do. In Alona we checked-in to Bohol Divers Resort where we got a nipa hut style room for 800pesos. There we also booked a snorkkeling trip to Balicasag island. Alona is very popular among divers so we were teh only ones snorkkeling. It was also cheaoer to just join them in that boat than to rent a whole boat to ourselves. First time we saw two turtles while snorkkeling, that was awesome. Besides many fish but still I keep claiming Indonesia is the best place fro snorkkeling so far. At the Alona-beach the next day we did some snorkkeling more and Raffi showed me many different colored nemo-fish there, and they were hilarious!  And that was the last snorkkeling time on our trip.. buaaah. The rest of the time we took it very easy at Alona. We also saw this werid phenomenon at Alona. I happened to look at the sky and saw this ring around the sun. It was darker than the rest of the sky and nothing we've ever seen. Maybe it's normal at that side of the earth, I don't know so anyone more clever, let me know if you happen to know. See the pics. Two more days in Cebu and off we go to casino world of Macao. nora
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1209119520/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1209119520/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1209119520/tpod.html Wed, 07 May 2008 07:32:46 -0400 The Philippines

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Sipalay, Visayas, Philippines

Heips, Matka jatku viimeks Dumaguetesta minivanilla kohti Sugar Beachia. Noukittiin matkalla viela Dauinista Nadinen kaveri Mark kyytiin ja kolmen ja puolen tunnin paasta oltiin Sipalayssa mista otettiin vene kohti Driftwood Villagea. Sipalayssa meil oli viel pizzatauko Driftwood Cityssa mika on ravintola siin rannalla. Driftwood Village oli meian resortin nimi siella Sugar Beachilla ja sen omistaa Peter ja Daisy, joiden haihin me paastiin myos kuokkimaan. Peter on Nadinen, Raffin siskon, Sveitsin kamuja ja niinpa paikan paalla oli paljon sveitsilaisia ja osa Daisyn filippiinisukulaisia, oletan ;) Me saatiin nipa hutti resortissa joka makso 800pesoa yolta. Hutit oli sijotettu puutarhaan ja koko paikka oli siks tosi kiva, erakkomainen niinku Robinsonin koti konsanaan. Paikka oli tosi rauhallinen ja valilla meil jopa oli tekemisen puutetta ennen ku loydettiin bilispoyta ja tikkataulu ;) ja olut.. Me viettettiin viis yota Driftwoodissa. Saa oli tosi huono, sato ekat kaks paivaa melko lailla koko ajan, aamusin paastiin uimaan mut muuten lueskeltiin kirjoja, pelattiin jotain tai hengailtiin muitten vieraitten kaa. Me oltiin aika innoissamme et paastiin osallistumaan sveitsilais-filippiini haihin Driftwood Villagessa. Haat oli siis sunnuntaina ja sillon saakin sattu suosimaan. Mentiin kaheks viereiseen kirkkoon (tai no ne vieraat jotka mahtu, me oltiin muutenkin vahan kuokkavieraita ja pysyttiin ulkona) missa Daisy ja Peter vihittiin. Paikalla oli hirveesti kylalaisia ja sit tietty sukulaiset. Haat oli ilmeisesti vahan suuremmalla mittakaavalla valmisteltu kun yleensa ja siks paikalliset oli mielenkiinnolla kattomassa paikan paalla mita siella tapahtuu. Morsian tuli sen perheen kanssa vesipuhvelin vetamana paikalle. Ne siis seiso sellasen bambukelkan paalla ja Tractor (vesipuhvelin nimi) veti ne kirkon eteen. haha.. oli aika hauska naky. Yli tunnin paasta paastiin vihdoin rannalle jatkamaan haakemuja.  Rannalla meiat aseteltiin istumaan, kaikki oli hienosti laitettu: poydat, ruuat, kaakut jne. Ja tietty koko yon grillattu kokonainen possu! (saatiin esimakua kun kuultiin sen raukka possun teurastus edellispaivana ja ma vannoin etten koske siihen lihaan...) Daisyn ja Peterin sukulaistytot ja pojat oli hienosti pukeutunu. Miehilla oli paikalliset juhlapaidat ja morsiusneitokoorilla upeet iltapuvut. Ja tietty itse juhlapari naytti hyvalta myos! Raffi tais heittaakin et Peter on kun Anthony Banderas..haha. Morsiusneidot esittikin hauskan tanssin ensimmaisena ohjelmanumerona siina syomisen ohessa. Ruokana oli paljon erilaisia lihasooseja ja grillatun possun lihaa, mika olikin hyvaa! :) Kivaa oli myos et ymparilla pyorineet kylalaiset paas myohemmin syomaan myos ylijaaneita ruokia mita olikin ilmeisesti paljon. Morsiusneitojen tanssin jalkeen tais olla kaakun leikkuu ja viinipullon avaus. Kaakku oli ihan sairaan hienon nakonen...oikee maiskis maiskis vaikka se loppujen lopuks jaikin kai syomatta. No Raffille saatiin piffattua jostain pala mut muuten se "numero" meni ihan ohi kaikilta vierailta.Morsiamen kimpunheiton vuoro tuli ja me Nadinen kanssa osallistuttiin vastahakosesti siihen. Mulla oli ensinnakin sellanen tunne et oon kuokkavieras mut menin sit kuitenkin ja sovittiin et seistaan takarivilla mihin se kimppu ei ainakaan lenna. Sen lisaks siel oli melkein kaikki morsiusneidot ja muutama muu eli ainakin paljon sinkkunaisia jotka varmasti nappaa sen meian edesta. Mut kavikin niin et se kimppu lens suoraan kohti meita (kts. Raffin todistefoto..;)) Nadine loikkas tarkotuksella pois tielta ja, noh, pakkohan mun oli se napata ettei kaakku mun takana menny pilalle..haha..selityksia...mut joo, se tuli suoraan kohti, niin simppelia se oli. Sen jalkeen ma jouduin esittelee itteni koko juhlavaelle, olin varmaan ihan punanen niitten sadan ja risat ihmisen eessa. Ja niin oli kyl Raffikin..haha.. ei hitto. Ja kun ma lopulta paasin Raffin viereen istumaan ja sanoin Raffille et varoo sen muovituolinsa kanssa et se kaatuu kohta ja Raffi heitti yhen parhaimmista vitseistansa et sil on mut ottamassa sen kiinni..haaahaa. ;D Kuulin loppuillan kommentteja millon on haat jne. Paastiin kuitenkin kaiken nauramisen jalkeen eteenpain ohjelmassa. Daisy ja Peter vapautti viel kaks kyyhkysta ja tanssi hitaan. Sen lisaks oli viel puheita. Ruoka korjattiin suht nopeesti ja bandi jatko viela soittamista. Myohemmin oli viel rantadisco valoineen kaikkineen. Oli tosi kiva osallistua naihin haihin ja oli aika hienot rantahaat..romanttinen ymparisto vaikken mikaan romantikko ookaan. :) Viini ja olut tais menna kuitenkin paahan niin nopeesti et mentiin suht aikasin meian bungalowiin nukkumaan. Seuraava paiva meni chillatessa ja sita seuraavaks saatiin aikaseks snorklausretki. Meressa oli hirveesti vaaleenpunasia suht isoja meduusoja matkalla meian snorklauskohteeseen. Snorklatessa nahtiin muutama vihasen nakonen pallokala ja pari pienta meduusaa. Snorklauksen jalkeen mentiin Easy Diving resorttiin kolalle ja vahan hengailemaan. Koko sen venematkan naky hienoja valkosia rantoja ja harmitti kun meil ei oo sen enempaa aikaa Filippiineilla teha beach ja isle hoppingia. :) Keskiviikkona oli aika jattaa hyvastit Driftwood Villagelle ja Raffin siskolle, joka jai viela lomailemaan sinne muutamaks paivaks. Ja taytyy sanoa et oli oikeesti tosi kivaa olla siella ja meil oli oikeen hauskat pelikorttisessiot kolmisin. :) Sipalaysta otettiin paikallinen busa ja jouduttiin vaihtaa se pari kertaa matkalla ennen kun oltiin Dumagueten bussissa. Ekan vaihdon jalkeen seisottiin ihan taydes bussissa aika pitkaan. Katto tuli vastaan meita pitkia ja oltiin kun sillit purkissa ja nopeet soi hitaat kun paikat vapautu. Raffi seiso oviaukolla koko matkan ja siellahan on siis ovet auki koko matkan. Ma aina pelkasin et koht se tippuu ojaan sielta kun kuski pistaa hanaa...haha..mut joo, paastiin ehjana perille vaikka hermoja valilla kiristikin. Vika bussi oli kutenkin suht tyhja aircon ja sillon viimestaan helpotti. Dumaguetessa oltiin yo taas Worldview Pension Plazassa ja seuraavana aamuna jatkettiin lautalla Boholiin vikalle rantakohteelle. NorsuEnglish:Halloo. So the minivan ride continued up until we reached Sipalay. On the way we picked up Mark, Nadine's friend, in Dauin. After three and half hours we were in Sipalay and had pizza in Driftwood City resto on the beach boulevard.  Driftwood Village was our resort called in Sugar beach and it is owned by Peter and Daisy whose wedding we also got to participate in. Peter is Nadine's Swiss friend and Nadine is Raffi's sis (to clear things up if you haven't read previous entries). So there were lot of Swiss and Pilipino guests, relatives there. We stayed in nipa hut that cost 800pesos per night. The hut was very nice and airy and were located in a garden-like atmosphere, like Robinson's home. The resort was very calm and sometimes we were in lack of action. That was before we found the pool table and darts and started playing cards with Nadine. :)  We stayed in the resort for five nights. The first two days the weather was poor, it kept raining and we only swam in the morning when it still was clear. Otherwise we read books, played something and just kept hanging out with other guests. We were pretty excited to participate in a Swiss-Filipino wedding in Driftwood Village by chance. The wedding was on Sunday and even weather happened to be good. The blessing started at two in the local church. There were numerous villagers and wedding guests there and we simply stayed out of the church since we were the kind of uninvited guests. The wedding were very interesting to the locals as I assume they hadn't experienced similar event earlier, not at the same measurement anyway. The bride and parents arrived on a bamboo sleight dragged by Tractor, the water buffalo. It was very musing! Over an hour later we headed to the beach to continue the wedding reception. The settled people down to tables and everything just looked lovely. And there was the over night barbecued piggy too! (we had foretaste the day before when they butchered the poor piggy and I said I won't touch the pork meat..) Daisy's and Peter's relatives were nicely dressed, men in local shirts and bridesmaids had beautiful eve gowns. And surely bride and groom were very lovely too. Raffi even joked about Peter looking like Anthony Banderas, and yes there was some similarities! :) The bridesmaids had great entertainment number as they had made a dance show while we ate. Food was very meaty but good, with different meats and sauces, rice and pork meat chunks that were great! I also liked the fact that the locals, villagers received some food too after guests were finished and I think there was pretty much left so it was nice. After the bridesmaids number I think the newlyweds cut the cake and opened a wine bottle. The cake looked delicious! Raffi managed to have one piece later but otherwise the cake and food disappeared so fats we missed it. After cake cutting there was the bride threw the bouquet. First of all  felt like a gatecrasher at the party and was a little reluctant to attend to that but went with Nadine after all. We had a plan to stay in the back row so that we don't in any case get it. Besides us there were all the bridesmaids and few other unmarried woman and so the chance of having the bouquet was very limited... ;) But did it happen that the bunch of flowers flew straight to us, Nadine jumped away from it and I just had to grab it before it hit the cake..  I know, explanations... hahah.. but sincerely, it came straight towards us.. see Raffi's pic. After that I had to introduce myself to all the hundred and more guests and and I must have been as red as rose at that point! But so was Raffi too!hahaha... When I finally got to my seat and mentioned to Raffi to watch out in his chair as it looked like it's falling in the soft sand and he laughed saying: I have you to catch me up! hahaha...very funny.. so I most likely earned another nickname too, the Catcher.. ;D After all the laughing there was other numbers still in the programme. Peter and Daisy released two doves, slowdanced and few guests had speeches. The band kept playing and later there was beach disco with lights and all. It was a pleasure to be part of the wedding day and we did enjoy it. The beach atmospehere was very romantic even though Im not into cheesy stuff. ;) We turned in quite early though, it must've been the wine and beer that caught us.  The next day was chilling out and the day after we went snorkkeling with others. There were so many pink jellyfish in the sea on our way to final destination! Luckily we only saw two small ones in the end. More like two evil looking bufferfish and others. After snorkkeling we had cola in Easy Diving Resort. The beaches we saw during the boatride were beautiful and it's a pity we don't have more time in the Philippines to do beach and isle hopping!On Wednesday it was time to say goodbye to Driftwood Village and Nadine, who stayed there still few more days. I must say in the end I enjoyed the peace and quiet there and it was fun especially playing cards with nadine and Raff, we had pretty good sessions there, singing Chasperli (however you write it. ) ! :D From Sipalay we took a local bus to Dumaguete, although we had to change buses twice. After the first change we had to stand nearly the whole 1,5hours. The roof  met our heads Westerners are we are and it was very intimate as more and more people filled the bus. Raffi stood at the entrance and they have the door open in the bus the whole ride so when the bus driver hit the gas I was afraid Raffi will hit the ditches sooner or later..haha.. we survived the trip and the episode was behind us as soon as we jumped on the next bus with aircon and lots of space. In Dumaguete we spent one night in Worldview Pension Plaza again and the next morning took a ferry to Bohol, our final beach location in the Philippines. Nora
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1208762580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1208762580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1208762580/tpod.html Wed, 07 May 2008 07:15:38 -0400 The Philippines

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dumaguete, Visayas, Philippines

Moikkelis ja terkut taas Filippiineilta. Paastiin viimein lahtemaan IloIlosta eteenpain Negrosille. IloIlosta Bacolodiin kesti noin tunnin verran pienella nopeella lautalla. Ja se kyyti olikin aika tuskanen. Ma luulin et me kuollaan niihin aaltoihin ja siihen vauhtiin ja Raffi oli viel vahan heikkona flunssan jalkeen ja se heiluminen ilmeisesti lisas huonoa oloa. Oltiin siis ihan kypsia sen tunnin jalkeen lauttamatkoihin. ;) Bacolodista jatkettiin bussilla Dumagueteen, joka kesti viitisen tuntia. Se oli kans aika uuvuttava bussimatka mut paastiin lopulta perille. Ja ma sain junttirajan toiseen kasivarteen t-paidasta kun roikutin katta ulkona koko matkan..hahah ;) Bacolodin bussiasemalla ehin kayda vessassa ja tricycle-kuski oli jo ehtiny huiputtaa Raffia maksamaan ihan liikaa kilsan-parin matkasta keskustaan hotelliin. Sovittiin et ens kerralla odotetaan et tinkimisen mestari on paikalla, eli mina. No eihan se hinta paha oo meian hintatasossa mut turisteja kyl hoykytetaan 6-0 ja se on arsyttavaa, varsinkin kun meillakin on budjetti kehissa. Joka tapauksessa paastiin Worldview Pension Plaza hotelliin mika oli oikeen mukava yllatys. Ja huone makso vaan 850pesoa eli 13euroa, aamupalalla, tv:lla, kuumalla vedella. Jei. Dumaguete olikin mukava yllatys kaupungiks. Sellanen lunkki merenrantakylanen. Ja loydettiin Le Chalet-niminen sveitsilaisravintola missa viihdyttiinkin yllattavan usein. Schnitzelit ja rostit maistu kummasti pitkasta aikaa ja vihanneksia, ah, oli niin paljon tarjolla annoksissa verrattuna filippiinien lihapitosiin ruokiin :) Meian oli alunperin tarkotus jatkaa Siquijor-saarelle muutamaks paivaks ennen kun treffattais Raffin sisko mutta Raffi kavi laakarissa varmistamassa ettei sen hyonteisen (?) pistot ja flunssa liittyny mitenkaan yhteen ja paatettiin et on turha ees menna sille saarelle. Niin ja ettette huolestu siella paassa niin pistot oli laakarin mukaan polypunkkien tai vastaavien ja ne lahti pian sen jalkeen kun allergialaakkeet oli syoty. Dumaguetessa ei oikeestaan ollu paljon tekemista. Me ois buukattu snorklausretki ja retki laheisille jarville mut hinnat oli liian huimat. Paatettiin et mennan omin nokkinemme etelakarkeen lomaresorteille paivaks nauttimaan auringosta mut laiskoteltiin ja mentiin ettimaan viereista Silaman rantaa. Se ranta oli kuitenkin meren peitossa ja se paiva meni siis hengailun parissa. Raffi tosin maisto Kinalaw-nimista fisusalaattia (makin Boracaylla) mika on hyva tomaatti-sipuli-viinietikka salaatti mis on raa'an fisun palasia. Tosin mun Boracayn annoksessa ne fisupalat tuntu ja maistu ihan kypsalta ja siks pystyin sen syomaankin, heh. Joten Dumaguetesta tykattiin enemman kuin muista kaupungeista missa ollaan taha asti Filippiineilla oltu. Perjantai-aamuna mentiin Raffin siskoa, Nadinea, vastaan Dumagueten lentokentalle ja lahettiin minivanilla yhessa kohti Sipalayta ja Sugar Beachia.NorsuliEnglish:Hell-o. Greetz from the Philippines once again. We finally made it from Ilo Ilo to Negros island. The speed ferry took about an hour to Bacolod in the east coast of Negros and boy was that ride something. I honestly thought we're gonna die, the boat's gonna collapse in those waves and with that speed and Raffi was still bit weak from the feverish flu he had had. So we pretty much had enough of ferry rides at that point. But we made it and took a bus from Bacolod to Dumaguete which took five more hours. Rather exhausting but I was glad to move on. Plus I got this nice 'jerk' tan (as they call it back home..) to my other arm as it hung out from the window the whole ride. hah. ;) In Bacolod bus station nature called before we continued and by the time I was finished (which was few mins!) a tricycle driver had managed Raffi to agree on a price to the centre.Which was way too much for 1-2km trip! But we agreed next time Raffi'll have to wait until the haggling meister is back..haha. It isnt much money in our scale but the principle of tourists paying way too much more than locals is just rude. I mean, it's okay to pay a bit more than locals naturally but we have our budget too!Anyway, we got to Worldview Pension Plaza hotel which was very nice surprise. Nice clean rooms with telly, breakfast, air con and warm shower. And it cost 850pesos, 13euros that is. Dumaguete was also a pleasant surprise as city. Very laid pack place with sea boulevard. We found a Swiss resto Le Chalet in the town and mmm the food was good for a change. We had plans to continue to Siquijor island for a few days from there before we'd meet Raffi's sis but since Raffi went to a doc the first day and since it looked like we could probably do good trips from Dumaguete we decided to stay there. Well Raffi's insect bites and flu was nothing serious in the end, after allergy meds the dustmite bites were gone and life was normal...or was it the Swiss food after all? ;D  There was nothing much to do in Dumaguete and we would've booked a snorkkeling trip or trip to the Twin Lakes in case they were not so damn expensive. We agreed on going to the southern tip of Negros by ourselves and spend a day on the beach there. We got lazy, who can blame us after travelling for 7months, and just decided to look for the Silaman Beach 1km north of Dumaguete. Nothing much there as see was reaching the wall already so that's it for the beach. We ended up in a resto nearby Raffi having a taste of pilipino food, kinilaw- raw fish salad.So Dumaguete wasnt bad at all. On Friday morning we met Raffi's sis, Nadine, at the Dumaguete airport and continued to Sugar Beach with minivan. Nora
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1208330160/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1208330160/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1208330160/tpod.html Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:55:23 -0400 The Philippines

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ilo Ilo City, Philippines

 IloIlossa ollaan. Oli aika jattaa Boracay taakse ja katsastaa muutkin paikat. Filippiineilla ois niin paljon nahtavaa ja ajan puutteessa hylattiin jo ajatus lentaa Palawanin provinssiin mika on kuulemma yks kauneimpia paikkoja. Taytyy siis selvasti teha uus reissu. IloIlo on pysahdyspaikka matkalla Negrosin saarelle lomailemaan. ;) Valitettavasti Raffille tarttu mun kuumeinen flunssa ja ollaan jo neljatta yota taalla. Me ei pahemmin tykata naista filippiini-kaupungeista ja odotetaan jo kovasti seuraavaa rantakohdetta. Cataclanista tanne kesti noin 4,5tuntia minivanilla ja tasta otetaan lautta Negrosille kun molemmat ollaan siina kuosissa. Sen enempaa en nyt paivittele. Klara vappen kaikille nain etukateen! :) NEnglish:In Ilo Ilo city, Raffi caught my fevery flu too and we stay here longer than planned to. Nothing much to update besides. Just that you know we're alive and breathing. Looking for to get on a beach again.. we really dont dig these pilipino cities much. Take care all. Enjoy the first of May in advance! N
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1207651320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1207651320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/norsu/10/1207651320/tpod.html Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:47:00 -0400 The Philippines

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Boracay, Philippines

Ehdottomasti matkan paras paikka tahan mennessa, Boracay! Seitseman kuukautta menny ja nyt me vasta tajuttiin mita me lahettiin lomalla hakemaan..hahaha.. Boracaylle saavuttiin n.4-5tunnin venematkojen jalkeen. Ensin Roxas-Cataclan isolla veneella ja sitten pikkupaatti itse Boracaylle. Boracaylla mentiin White Beachille mika on pitka valkonen ranta taynna resortteja. meian oli pohjosessa, Boracay Breeze Resort ja saatiin hieno huone 1300pesolla yo. Me ei paljon muuta tehty kun hengailtu rannalla, uitu ja illalla syotiin. Ensinnakin ranta oli ihana, kaikki paikalliset oli keskipaivalla jossain piilossa joten siel ei ollu montaa auringonpalvojaa. Meri oli taydellinen, viela rinnan korkeudellakin sa nait jalat pohjassa, vesi oli niin kirkasta ja lamminta!Ja rantaravintolat, huh mika valikoima! Illalla ranta taytty patjoista ja kynttiloista kun ravintolat aukas ulkoilmabaarit. Ihan taydellista. Ja maailman parhaimmat shaket Jonah's-rantabaarissa! Mmm... en voi oikeestaan muuta sanoa. Me ei tehty muuta kun chillattu niin kauan kunnes mulle tuli flunssa, taas. :(  Ma hengailin sit loppuajan huoneessa koittaen parantua ja meian suunnitelmat menna saaren ympari, kayda snorklausretkella jne. meni siina. Viisumit kuitenkin uusittiin etta voidaan jaada maahan 21paivan sijaan 5viikoks. Ja se maksokin huimat 50euroa!! Joka tapauksessa Boracaylla lomailtiin taysin rinnoin monta paivaa. NorppaEnglish:Absolutely the best place on our trip so far! This is the place where we realised what we were suppose to look for on our holiday, H-O-L-I-D-A-Y! We've been moving from place A to place B so intensively we totally forgot to relax. ;) Well it's not too late even though it's our seventh month... We were in Boracay after 4-5hrs boat trips. First Roxas-Cataclan by a big ship, then small boat to Boracay. In Boracay we ended up in White Beach like so many others and in the north of the beach we had room in Boracay Breeze Resort, for 1300pesos per night. Very nice hotel indeed. We didnt do too much actually, just swam, sunbathed and ate. The beach is just lovely, the locals are hiding in the noon so we basically have the whole beach to ourselves! ;) The sea is lovely, so crystal-clear and warm! And the restaurants, so many to choose from. In the evenings the shore is full of mattresses, candles and music. Just perfect! It was perfect as long as I caught a flu. After that I stayed in bed trying to get better. It muct have been the stress of travelling and when we found the place to loose out it hit me. I dont know.. Anyhow, no plans for snorkkeling or driving around the isle. :( We did renew our visas though. Instead of the 21-days you get in the customs once arriving we applied for more. You get 59 days for 3000pesos, 50euros, huh! No matter what Boracay it is. ;) N
]]>