October 15, 2002, Yangshuo, China
Hong Kong is a crazy place! At least that's what my dad thinks. He says it's like Times Square (before the make-over) set in Chinatown. Upon arrival we went straight to Tsim Sha Tsui on Nathan Road, where 2 large buildings contain probably 100 guesthouses for backpackers: Chungkin Mansion (cheapest) and Mirador Mansion (cleaner). So this time my parents decided for the latter and we settled in our smallest place yet: 5 X 8 ft. (2 beds!) + bathroom for US$ 25... not bad (Cosmic Guesthouse on the 12th floor). But the area around the building was a zoo: "Hello, Rolex?", Hello, cashmere suit?", camera shops, Bombay hookers, McDonald's, food stalls, bars, restaurants, etc. etc. (even a mosque). Our time in Hong Kong was mostly spent on running errands, such as getting film developed, buying film, mailing stuff back home, getting our Chinese visas (very convenient through our guesthouse), etc. We also visited the Temple Street night market, entirely geared to tourists, but with few souvenirs. Instead you get designer clothing (fake), gadgets (the latest is a tiny wireless TV camera), sunglasses, etc. and more junk.
A nice escapade from all this was visiting a friend of Mom's family, Joe, a Goan from Houston, who had settled with his Japanese wife and daughter on Lantau Island. The day before we had a super dim sum lunch with him, right near the Star Ferry terminal. We took a speed ferry to Discovery Bay where a large part of Hong Kong's expats live (complete with Filipina nannies). So it was like being in Europe or North America: mostly white families living in condos with views of the sea and other islands. An entirely different atmosphere! We enjoyed a nice exotic fruit salad and headed back to Kowloon for some more shopping. While Mommy went looking for the perfect monopod, Papa and I went to visit the Teddy Bear museum (which was allright).
4 days later on Oct. 6 we finally reached China - the mainland - gosh, with all that Chinese spoken in Taiwan and Hong Kong, I thought we were already in China. "China is different", my parents keep complaining... but then they saw it 10 years ago!
We arrived here on the mainland via a comfortable 1 1/2hr train-ride reaching the large city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton). We settled in for 1 night in a large hotel as we hoped to catch another train to Yangshuo the next evening. Here we got our first impression of the new direction China is moving in. New and modern buildings, people colourfully dressed in clothes other than the mono-toned Mao jacket and pants. More western influences are also seen in advertising and products. Things are all changing for the better. The streets were still crowded with people but they have smiles and definite hope on their faces. Quite a few people spoke a bit of English as well. That being said, keep in mind that this was the big city - the small rural towns and villages are a whole different ball-game which we shall be experiencing in the next 3 months.
After getting some mailings done, we set out to find lunch: the famous Cantonese 'dim sum' - our favourite kind of eats - was what we were after. The food was tasty and we tried a few new things along with the typical Cantonese cuisine. Since we had bought our ticket for the 14 hr. train-ride the next day, the rest of the time in Guangzhou was spent wandering around the older section of town with its cobblestone streets and side alleys. There I got a first-hand look at the vendors with their products (dead or alive!). There were the usual containers of fish, turtles, snakes, eels, frogs etc. There were also alleys that contained shops with cages out front. These held chickens, snakes, rabbits, birds, and some with small cute kittens and puppies as well -(what's that all about...!). I kept saying to mummy "those little guys are only for pets.... right?' to which she would answer "ah, uh, sure, if you say so..." (what's that all about???)
The evening of Oct. 7th. we arrived at the train station ready for our sleeper train to Guilin. This is next to the small picturesque town of Yangshuo, where my parents thought it might be nice to take a break from the 'road' and spend some 'vacation time'. The train station was quite an experience. There were very large crowds outside and inside, all waiting to catch trains, still the country's main mode of transportation (bus and plane are increasingly available too). In the large waiting hall of our train somewhat organized queues of people suddenly burst into a mad rush when the boarding gates finally opened. My parents smiled at each other - this was now the real China! We had reservations for 2nd class (hard) sleepers, therefore we could sit back and watch the kayos unfold. When it was our time to board we were shown to a train car with triple-decker beds and I was glad to have the very top bunk across from another girl and her mother. The bunks complete with pillows and bedding were a great playground for me. I especially loved climbing up and down the ladders. Must have been a comfortable ride as I slept through the night while we slowly chugged along.
We arrived in the city of Guilin the next afternoon of Oct. 8th and caught the first bus out to Yangshuo (1 hour south). The small town has always been a backpackers' haven. Quite laid-back, serving western food, and nestled in among the rice fields and unique hill formations along the Li Jiang River. Generally a nice getaway from it all. Boy, were my parents in for a surprise! (I tell you - the folks are living in the past again...) They had both visited here previously, and were expecting some change, but I could tell by their fallen jaws that they were not ready for the rows and rows of cafes, restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops that now lined the 2 main streets. They were also not ready for the multitude of tourists who were pleasantly supporting these establishments. I however, took it all in stride and enjoyed checking out the many trinkets and carvings the peddlers kept offering me (if only I had control of the purse strings - I think I could make all these people very rich). We found a nice, little hotel on the main strip among the cafes and shops (Yangshuo is really quite small). My lunch of Hawaiian pizza (can't get any more American than that) was wonderful and not a grain of RICE on it! All the restaurants had similar menus of pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, hamburger, French fries, pancakes, etc. I was told I could have any and as much as I wanted. Unfortunately ice-cream is now officially off the list of things I can order and I must wait till I reach home again in 9 1/2 months. After being on the road and entertaining my parents for the past 2 months, I was READY for a vacation and some R&R. I have never been to Katmandu (Nepal), Ubud (Bali), or Leh (India), but I'm told this place is similar as a backpackers' town.
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