For Amy and Robert
Trip Start
Jul 16, 2008
1
12
31
Trip End
Jun 30, 2009
Urumqi,
Xinjiang Uygur,
China
Friday, September 5, 2008
We arrived to Beijing for the Olympics and three times prolonged our stay to the final 12 days. It was cheap but more expensive than in the rest of China. We only see this now, away from Beijing. A dorm bed in a new downtown hostel was 5 euro, a bus ride only 0,10, a botlle of Tsingtao beer 0,30 to 0,50. From the time you visited this busy metropolis, things have changed for better. In our opinion, for good. Air quality has much improved (probably not for long), the city is spotlessly clean, high (olympic) security, friendlyness, politeness (when they seized our beloved gas stove and one of the three knives they found, they were apologizing and at the same time wishing us pleasant stay in China).
The enormous quantity of must-see and other sites left us dead tired every evening, but all were worth seeing. The biggest tourist atraction in the world, the Great Wall (Guiness record by number of visitors), is amazing. We had pure luck to visit its most touristic part at Badaling on Sunday in summer time (the worst time to see it, when one really feels there are actually 1,3 billion Chinese) and had it for ourselves. Look at the photos: no Photoshop used...
The best thing in Beijing was the vast Summer Palace with its gardens, temples, pavillions etc. And "getting lost" in the sidestreets of Forbidden City. And the amazing new skyscrapers. China is really rushing ahead. Will it rule us in the future?
We were denied access to Tibet, which we really wanted to see. In the time of the Olympics and Paralympics it is closed to foreigners, unless with an organized group and expensive permit (200 eur). We learned this is not because of the security reasons, but to punish rebelious Tibetans to lose money from tourism.
Now we are in Xinjiang (NW) and Taklamakan desert (you know us - deserts and Muslims). We took a 40 hour hardsleeper train (no compartments), which is a great way to "tea and dine" and talk to Chinese. Usually communication is a problem, but this time we met a local speaking German, which made us a star attraction of our train car. This guy gave us an interesting insight on China, and back to passengers that were interested, the info on us - where we are from, what languages we speak, our travel. The major attraction was our unimaginable handwriting (diary) and Matej's huge appetite. They ate a lot, but we ate non-stop.
We keep a special post on "Chinglish" that will be regularly updated. Check it out and have fun with deciphering.
For now we shall enjoy the dry north-west and in about a week we continue to Yunnan province- cha, here we come!
Comments
The future and fuel cells
Hi! Your blog is amazing! So much better than ours! We ultimately posted photos of a hand-made version of your google map, but sadly without the same effect. It is really exciting to see where you have been and imagine where you might be now and where you are going.
I totally agree with you that China makes all look possible. When the Chinese decide to put their collective mind to a task, it will be accomplished. Whatever else they may be, they are effective. An American asked me - in that way Americans love to do - to sum up our trip to China in one sentence. The 5-word sentence I crafted on the spot was: Invent the fuel cell now. When we were there just over 5 years ago, we saw ribbons of highway being laid across the rice paddies and lines of track wending their way across the still empty horizon. China is the only place on earth I have personally ever seen that is truly anticipatorily supplying demand. Wild stuff.
Your last entry has you on the threshold of SE Asia. I imagine it will be quite the change from China (what wouldn't?). Moving through the alternatingly sleepy and frenetic tropics. In our trip to China, we did not get south of Chengdu so had to postpone all the beauty we heard about Yunnan Province. Later, on the GMP, the only nominal part of SE Asia we saw was Bangkok, but as we only spent 10 days there, principally in the Landmark Hotel, as we were in recovery mode from India, so I can't really say we have actually been to Thailand. So we await your impressions of that part of the world with bated breath. It is still on our 'list', so to speak. And, yes, the 'list' still exists, though it's been a bit dormant lately. I have recently, however, started to venture from time to time outside the parameters of Balmain. Big step! Last weekend we went for some casual walking through what the Sydneysiders call the 'Blue Mountains' (not actually mountains, but rather a high plateau cut into deep chasms by watercourses forming gorges, confusing the hell out of the original european settlers for just over a century).
A slightly bigger, though very familiar, trip is in the making: In 10 days time I return to 'my native place' (as the Indians would say), the USA, for a 6 week visit. I've timed it to coincide with those two important events: Halloween and Election Day. Robert stays here in the traces until my return at the end of November.
I imagine you will have crossed into SE Asia proper by then. How exciting! All reports are that the food is great, the people very friendly, and the landscape lovely if hot hot hot and wet. A friend of mind said she experienced a new kind of sweat in Vietnam. The locals, of course, seem born without sweat glands, so that is totally unfair. Drink lots of water along with the local brews, all of which receive a general thumbs up!
XOXOXOXOX
Amy