Journal: China, 21 June 2002 I decided to fly to China after learning that a hellish 28-hour ferry cost 160,000 won (US$130), while a comfortable 2-hour flight cost 280,000 won (US$230). Soon after my arrival in Beijing, I remembered how glad I was to leave China after my previous visit. The cause of my irritation on this day was my inability to find my hostel (due to an innacurate Lonely Planet map) and the fact that everyone offering to help me was doing so only in an attempt to solicit money. Immediately my stubborness set in and I was determined not to give any money to these greedy people. The fact that I had just come from Japan and Korea, where everyone was so helpful, only compounded my frustrations. After walking around in circles in the pouring rain for over an hour, I finally managed to check into a Chinese hotel. I am fairly sure that I was the only westerner in this hotel. I got a room with satellite television for US$7 a night (this is a ridiculously inexpensive price for a hotel room in the center of Beijing). Immediately I noticed that I had gone from a country with heated western-style toilet seats to a country with communal holes in the ground. In my critical state-of-mind, everything that I noticed was negative. I noticed that the streets were filthy, I noticed that there was little or no western tourist-oriented infrastructure, I noticed the hacking and spitting, I noticed the fact that everyone wanted to rip me off, and I noticed the fact that so many personal interactions are with ignorant local people. I wanted to take the first available flight out of this cesspool. Thankfully I had a couple of football games on television to distract my thoughts for the time being. China, 22 June 2002 Thankfully today proved to be a 'good China day'. I went to the tourist information office armed with two plans: plan A involved me getting the first available plane to Bangkok and plan B involved me visiting Xian. I was going to see how things went at the tourist information office and decide at that point. Luckily I had the good fortune of meeting a young man who was of considerable assistance. I took full advantage of his helpful nature by using him to book all of my journeys as far as Bangkok. After booking my train and plane tickets, I visited Tiantan Gungyuan (Temple of Heaven Park). This large park supposedly houses some of the finest examples of Ming architecture in existance. The centerpiece of the park is the afforementioned temple. The Lonely Planet claims that the image of this temple is the true symbol of Beijing, garnering more usage than any other image. I seriously doubted this claim. In fact, I thought that I had not seen this image anywhere (including in the Lonely Planet). After seeing the temple, I am now seeing its image everywhere... on television advertisements, on newspapers, on buses, on postcards! I went to a local dingy eatery to watch the afternoon football match. Even though they did not speak English, the people in this restuarant were a joy to be around. We took turns pointing at phrases in my book, enjoying a great finger-pointing conversation. When they asked where I was from, I answered "Irelanda". They looked confused. Then I remembered how, in Korea, when we would say where we were from, people would invariably respond with the name of our footballing hero "Robbie Keane". So I altered my response to thier question to "Irelanda, Robbie Keane" and immediately received smiles and nods of understanding. While enjopying the football match on the television, I enjoyed a huge plate of freshly made noodles with vegetables and a large bottle of beer for a paltry 75 cents. By the time the soccer match had finished, the rain had stopped! Even though the light was fading, I siezed the opportunity to take some photographs around Tianamen Square. The square was abuzz with activity. There were people flying kites, people hawking goods, and herds of tour groups. I enjoyed some great interactions with local people wanting to practice their English-speaking skills. On my way back to the hotel, I thought I would visit an Internet Cafe and catch up on my journal writing. However, a sign on the door indicated that all Internet Cafes in Beijing have been shut down. Apparently a malicious fire in an Internet Cafe has led the authorities to close all Internet Cafes while they consider the matter. I then read an editorial in the China Daily newspaper which made the ridiculous claim that "they are simply a menace that ruin the innocent minors mentally and physically". It is a pity they have not considered the benefits that the internet offers. China, 23 June 2002 Today I visited the Great Wall of China. I took a 10-hour local tour that cost 50 RMB (about US$6) instead of a western tour that costs 300 RMB. The only other westerner on board was a Brazialian guy called Tarciso. However we were lucky to have a group of students from Hong Kong who took us under their wing. Sometimes when visiting a heavily-hyped attraction, I am left with disappointment afterwards. On this occasion, the Great Wall exceeded my expectations. It is a truely awesome sight. Although questionable as a line of defence from the invading Mongols, it is a tremendous elevated highway for transporting men and goods over mountainous terrain. First we visited the Great Wall at the relatively quiet location of Juyongguan. And then we went to the circus of tourists that is at Badaling. The winner of my 'favourite tacky souvenir of the day' award was a cuckoo clock that plays the tune of "The East is Red" on the hour. I wonder who I'll give this wondeful gift to? After the Great Wall, we visited Shisan Ling. This is a very impressive 40-square kilometer area containing the tombs of 13 Ming emperors. I took the time to visit Ding Ling, which is perhaps the most impressive of those tombs. After the tombs, we made our way back to Beijing after a very full day of sigthseeing. China, 24 June 2002 Today was another great day as I visited the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. Surprisingly it didn't rain today, but it was misty and foggy all day long. Actually I think that smog played a significant part in the poor visibility. I read in the newspaper that the 'land of the bicycle' boasts 9 of the 10 most polluted cities in the world. This is mainly due to the fact that coal provides 70% of China's energy needs. Beijing had 526 micrograms of smog per square meter, compared to a World Health Organization safe limit of between 60 and 90 micrograms. The Forbidden City is a truely awe-inspiring sight. It is the old home of the emperors of China. The architecture, stone carvings, and stone gardens are absolutely incredible. The audio tour, narrated by Roger Moore, provides some unintentional amusement thanks to his dramatic pauses while telling stories. For 500 years, the Forbidden City was off-limits to the general public. Today, you can purchase concessions from the Coca Cola canopy and then enjoy them while sitting at red plastic chairs and tables. Caffine-addicts can even purchase Starbucks within the walls of the Forbidden City. Somehow I reckon that this is only the start of what is sure to be an even greater level of commercialization. I spent this afternoon at the Summer Palace, which is an immense park that is built around a lake. The park houses several interesting structures and a series of beautiful bridges. One such structure is a 700-meter long outdoor corridor. The corridor has 8,000 crossbeams, each of which is covered by a unique and beautiful painting (of a mythical scene). The Summer Palace is yet another truly incredible sight, which was only enhance by the mythical atmosphere lent by the misty weather. I moved into a dorm bed in the International Far East Youth Hostel for the evening. This is definitely the best place to stay while visiting Beijing. It is very central (about one kilometer from Tianamen Square). It boasts a wonderful historic courtyard that serves as the perfect location to enjoy a few beers and meet fellow travelers. Unfortunately most of the people staying here at the moment are the kind of travel snobs that I dislike. Travel snobs are a breed of traveller who spend all of their time boasting about how far off the beaten track they get and how they hate travel-friendly places. China, 25 June 2002 The rains returned today, but I did not mind because I am taking the train to Xian. I visited a couple of markets to stock up on food for the train journey. I have a hard sleeper ticket for the 14-hour overnight journey to Xian (costing about US$34). At the train station, I bumped in Tarciso who is taking the same train. China, 26 June 2002 We arrived in Xian at the crack of dawn. I put my bags in storage and for a mere US$4 joined a Chinese tour of the sights to the East of Xian. Once again, lady luck was on my side as there were several people who could speak English on my tour. The most famous sight that we visited was the 2,000 year old army of Terracotta Warriors. In 1974 peasants digging for a well discovered what is considered to be one of the major archaelogical discoveries of the twentieth century: an enormous underground vault containing 6,000 life-size terracotta soldiers. Each soldier has a different physique, different facial features, and a different expression. Archaeologists have since discovered two more vaults. These three vaults comprise the army of terracotta warriors. And archaeologists believe that there is an even bigger army of warriors buried in the area. When discovered, many of the soldiers held real weapons. However these have since been removed and held in storage or displayed in the accompanying museum. There are also 35 chariots and life-size terracotta horses. I spent the afternoon exploring the city of Xian before once more stocking up for a long train journey. I am taking the late night train to Kunming. It is a 37-hour journey (costing about US$42 for a hard sleeper). My stockpile of foods and drinks consists of wine, water, juice, fruit, nuts, noodles, breads, and biscuits. China, 27 June 2002 This was a day spent on the train. I read, listened to some CDs, and watched the beautiful countryside from my window seat. A bottle of Great Wall wine heightened my appreciation of the countryside and facilitated conversation with the people in my compartment (even though they could not speak English... it's funny how one can somehow managed to bridge communication gaps when sharing a few drinks). The train journey gave me some time to reflect upon my decision to stick it out in China. On my first day back in this country, I questioned the wisdom of my return to such a difficult travel destination. Since that first day - a bad China day if ever there was one - I have had nothing but good experiences. I have visited three attractions (the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Warriors) that feature among the highlights of the entire trip. I have ventured to take public transportation and stay in local accommodations without problems (surprisingly so). China has proved to be a challenging, demanding, and frustrating travel destination. But is has also proved to be one of the most rewarding. So much so, that I would seriously consider coming back here for a longer visit. It really is a fascinating country at a fascinating time in its history, as it is caught between a traditional way of life and the adoption of a western-like culture. China, 28 June 2002 We arrived a few hours late in Kunming. Upon arrival, I had planned on immediately taking a bus to the traveller mecca of Dali. However, because of our late arrival, I decided to stay in Kunming because I didn't want to arrive in Dali late at night without a place to stay. I consulted my guidebook and decided to stay at the Camellia Hotel. This hotel has an annex building housing dorms for about US$3.50. This is an incredible deal because you get all of the amenities of a nice hotel for a fraction of the price. (And, best of all, the water pressure in the showers is almost at massage level!) Kunming is the main city in beauitiful Yunnan province. Most travellers agree that it is probably the nicest of the large Chinese cities. It has nice areas for people to hang out, a multitude of flowers in public areas, a charming district near the university, and a fascinating muslim district. Soon after checking in to the hotel, I noticed a girl reading in the courtyard. I grabbed my book and pretended to read nearby. Before long we were talking and ended up hanging out together for most of the rest of my time in Kunming. The girl in question is Cathy from San Francisco. She is a sign-language interpreter who is spending the summer in China to learn Chinese sign language. As the afternoon turned into evening, we befriended a number of other travellers. The most interesting of these were Bill and Mel. Bill (from San Diego) is without a doubt the most annoying person that I have ever met. The consensus was that he has redefinied the scale when it comes to annoyance. Mel (from Leeds) has spent the past year teaching English in Chengdu. She has a mouth like a sewer and an attitude to match - the kind of girl that you cannot help but like. While most of us were relatively civil towards Bill, Mel did not hold back, telling him exactly what we all wanted to say. It provided a great evening's entertainment. China, 29 June 2002 The rains returned to haunt me today. It didn't matter because I was not fit for much sightseeing today after drinking late into the night. We gained a new dormmate in Bertrand, a young man who had cycled from his home in Switzerland to China. He had travelled through the Middle East, Packistan, India, Nepal, and Tibet. He reminds me of another freak that we met while in Laos. This particular French guy was walking the length of Laos. I, on the other hand, have a much more sensible goal... to party my way around Asia. After gingerly arising, I planted myself at the bar. Before long, Cathy and Mel dragged me out for some fresh air. Within an hour the natural order of things was restored when I was back at the bar watching football and the girls were shopping. I enjoyed another late night and some great craic at the bar before going further afield to explore some of the other nightlife offerings in Kunming. At this point, Tom (from Oxford) joined our merry little band. China, 30 June 2002 I spent the day exploring Kunming with Cathy, Mel, and Tom. The fact that Mel speaks fluent Mandarin made the experience all the more interesting and pleasurable. We had a great time wandering around the markets and the muslim eateries of Kunming. At the markets, I made my favourite purchase of the trip - a mosquito killer. It looks like a tennis racquet, but has three metal meshes instead of strings. The two outer meshes act as an electrical ground and the middle mesh is live. When you move the racquet over the mosquito, zap!, instant electrocution. Like Guiness, this invention is pure genius. After spending most of the day on our feet, we were glad to settle into our local for the World Cup final. The fact that Brazil beat those dour Germans made a great evening all the more complete. Spending: $515 for 10 nights, including the following:
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