Yes, I prefer Beijing to Shanghai in almost every way. Shanghai people are disliked by almost everyone, their accent sounds horrible, Shanghai has the cheek to actually have some decent public transportation and forward thinking government, Shanghai has more skyscrapers than people (i think) and Shanghai has more money than it knows what to do with.
Anyway, it now has more of my money than I would like it to. Even in a chinese restaurant (with some beers, admittedly) the bill hit 50+ RMB; about 20 more than equivalent in Beijing. Then the bars, well it's close on 4 pounds for a pint in almost anywhere here nowadays. Fortunately a friend took me out to the Piano bar in Jin mao building, the 88 story skyscraper, whose bar requires minimum spend of 8 pounds a head.
Yesterday a yellow sports car zoomed around, for the sake of zooming; today i had to go to the ridiculously trendy xintiandi with the gucci shops selling real gucci watches, and people actually buying something from them! Then there is the car issue... Shanghai rations its number of new license plates each year so prices are driven up through official auctions. Not that that stops anyone buying a car here.
Moving on, since when I talk about Shanghai i always say the same things, I had the wonderful pleasure of going into starbucks to enquire about their wireless internet and being told, i would have to pay for some card or something to use it, but that the coffee place next door was free. I know Starbucks likes to provide good service, and i was thankful, but i wonder if this is going too far?
Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
The 17th Big
Yesterday the 17th Big finished. It was the 17th Communist Party of China's party meeting which takes place every 5 years and is so important, it is called the 'big meeting' in Chinese. So it means lots of extra police on the streets, guarenteed blue skies and lots of behind the scenes shuffling going along as the current Leadership will be in power for another 5 year term -but at this mid way point, start to promote those they want to succeed them. In China, the most important thing for a PM is normally to retain control after they finish their term.
In the western media the analysis of the 17th Big is all about who those new people will be and what changes might there be in the next 5 years to policy -but most commentators are left guessing as there is such secrecy involved (no-one even knew the exact start or end dates of the meeting until 2 weeks before) and rarely any new policies are ever declared at such meetings.
Yesterday was also the half marathon which was generally not too badly organised logistically but definitely some room for improvement; such as putting signs up to warn motorists the roads would be closed (no-one knew so there were huge traffic jams all over north-west beijing), finishing the race in a park and not in a slip lane of a highway and them many other things they could do to actually make the environment fun and lively. Never mind, the weather was good and that is all that matters!
The most exciting development of the last 2 weeks? A new subway line opened -finally, and before the Olympics the one next to my apartment will be open making life so much easier.
In the western media the analysis of the 17th Big is all about who those new people will be and what changes might there be in the next 5 years to policy -but most commentators are left guessing as there is such secrecy involved (no-one even knew the exact start or end dates of the meeting until 2 weeks before) and rarely any new policies are ever declared at such meetings.
Yesterday was also the half marathon which was generally not too badly organised logistically but definitely some room for improvement; such as putting signs up to warn motorists the roads would be closed (no-one knew so there were huge traffic jams all over north-west beijing), finishing the race in a park and not in a slip lane of a highway and them many other things they could do to actually make the environment fun and lively. Never mind, the weather was good and that is all that matters!
The most exciting development of the last 2 weeks? A new subway line opened -finally, and before the Olympics the one next to my apartment will be open making life so much easier.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
The Chams
Back around 1,500 years ago there was a small empire covering southern Vietnam along the coast that lasted around a thousand years through was constantly fighting the Chinese (in the north) and the Khmers (in the West). Of course I had never heard of them but keen to learn more went to the site (called My Son) with the most Cham remains, which was religious site.
Unfortunately, despite having a guide (who seemed more keen on talking about selecting a female virgin from amongst our group to throw in the sea for good luck than telling us about the Chams) and the area being a UNESCO -protected site; I came away having learned very little from the poor museum and disappointed from viewing the limited remains of the site (partly destroyed by time, partly during the Vietnam war).
Most striking though was the TOTAL lack of information anywhere, no signs saying what the building used to be used for, what it was made of, how it was made, who made it, when it was built or anything. I know there is not much information about the Champa Empire but there must be some. An embarrassment to UNESCO, especially since there is a sign up declaring one of their restoration projects 'a model restoration project'! ha ha. Anyway, the whole group agreed the 4 USD we had paid was probably only used to pay for the (quite nice) paving stones on the paths. Fortunately the boat ride back was quite pleasant with a wonderful breeze!
In complete contrast to the disappointment of going to My Son, a visit to Hoi An was one of the highlights of Vietnam. The city was an important port a few hundred years ago with traders from across East Asia using it frequently but then, all of a sudden, deserting the town to use another nearby port instead due to the river in Hoi An silting up. They left behind an old town of a few square kilometres of wonderful old buildings, mostly wooden, though some with French influence. The town has a wonderful set of 'attractions' like temples, museums, houses open to the public, cultural sites and so on that can be visited as well as just walking around the streets and into the houses; many of which have lots of information and the owners proudly tell you of their family history.
Of course, most of the contents of those buildings is now taken over to art galleries or gift shops, but the buildings are unchanged and the atmosphere is lively with a busy local market and plenty of friendly backpackers. It is rather unlike Li Jiang in China which has almost no local atmosphere (as insanely crowded as it is with tourists) and has been restored and rebuilt countless times and, though being pretty to look at, lacks little other opportunities to learn about the town's culture or history. The best part to Hoi An, though, was the swimming pool (and accompanying bar with free cocktails for an hour a day) and the beach, which is totally under-rated.
Unfortunately, despite having a guide (who seemed more keen on talking about selecting a female virgin from amongst our group to throw in the sea for good luck than telling us about the Chams) and the area being a UNESCO -protected site; I came away having learned very little from the poor museum and disappointed from viewing the limited remains of the site (partly destroyed by time, partly during the Vietnam war).
Most striking though was the TOTAL lack of information anywhere, no signs saying what the building used to be used for, what it was made of, how it was made, who made it, when it was built or anything. I know there is not much information about the Champa Empire but there must be some. An embarrassment to UNESCO, especially since there is a sign up declaring one of their restoration projects 'a model restoration project'! ha ha. Anyway, the whole group agreed the 4 USD we had paid was probably only used to pay for the (quite nice) paving stones on the paths. Fortunately the boat ride back was quite pleasant with a wonderful breeze!
In complete contrast to the disappointment of going to My Son, a visit to Hoi An was one of the highlights of Vietnam. The city was an important port a few hundred years ago with traders from across East Asia using it frequently but then, all of a sudden, deserting the town to use another nearby port instead due to the river in Hoi An silting up. They left behind an old town of a few square kilometres of wonderful old buildings, mostly wooden, though some with French influence. The town has a wonderful set of 'attractions' like temples, museums, houses open to the public, cultural sites and so on that can be visited as well as just walking around the streets and into the houses; many of which have lots of information and the owners proudly tell you of their family history.
Of course, most of the contents of those buildings is now taken over to art galleries or gift shops, but the buildings are unchanged and the atmosphere is lively with a busy local market and plenty of friendly backpackers. It is rather unlike Li Jiang in China which has almost no local atmosphere (as insanely crowded as it is with tourists) and has been restored and rebuilt countless times and, though being pretty to look at, lacks little other opportunities to learn about the town's culture or history. The best part to Hoi An, though, was the swimming pool (and accompanying bar with free cocktails for an hour a day) and the beach, which is totally under-rated.
After the War ...
I spent a day spent travelling around the area known as the De-Militarized Zone which was set up as buffer between North and South Vietnam when the country was split after WW2. Once the war between the two countries started it quickly became very heavily militarized indeed!
Viewing some of the sites; such as bomb craters, old look-outs and pill boxes, monuments to the dead, a cemetery and the remains of a bombed out tank lying by the road I began thinking what it must have been like for the soldiers who were fighting there in the 60s and 70s. I've been reading an excellent book, The sorrow of war, by a North Vietnamese who fought throughout the war and through tremendous strokes of luck managed to live through countless battles. The book really adds to the feeling of imagining what it was like (and i suppose still is in other countries) in the midst of a war.
Most obvious were the brand new forests that covered the landscape; all of the trees in the whole area were planted after the war and most of the villages were rebuilt too. There does not seem to be too much of an impact of the war on the Vietnamese now; though i did not get a chance to talk to any war veterans. Everyone else seems to have quickly forgotten the war, happy that the country is back together again and developing so fast. Maybe the generation of young people whose lives were totally changed from fighting (as described so vividly in the book) has now been overtaken by the new generations since; Vietnam suffered a population explosion after the war and continues to grow (there is a 2-child policy for urban residents) and so with this in mind and despite the many many differences between the 2 countries, maybe there is some hope for countries like Iraq, in 30 years....
Viewing some of the sites; such as bomb craters, old look-outs and pill boxes, monuments to the dead, a cemetery and the remains of a bombed out tank lying by the road I began thinking what it must have been like for the soldiers who were fighting there in the 60s and 70s. I've been reading an excellent book, The sorrow of war, by a North Vietnamese who fought throughout the war and through tremendous strokes of luck managed to live through countless battles. The book really adds to the feeling of imagining what it was like (and i suppose still is in other countries) in the midst of a war.
Most obvious were the brand new forests that covered the landscape; all of the trees in the whole area were planted after the war and most of the villages were rebuilt too. There does not seem to be too much of an impact of the war on the Vietnamese now; though i did not get a chance to talk to any war veterans. Everyone else seems to have quickly forgotten the war, happy that the country is back together again and developing so fast. Maybe the generation of young people whose lives were totally changed from fighting (as described so vividly in the book) has now been overtaken by the new generations since; Vietnam suffered a population explosion after the war and continues to grow (there is a 2-child policy for urban residents) and so with this in mind and despite the many many differences between the 2 countries, maybe there is some hope for countries like Iraq, in 30 years....
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Solitude
The first trip to Halong Bay was canceled due to thunderstorms (the evidence we saw later in the bay with 2 sunken ships!); the second (when we returned 4 days later) was full of incredible weather, views and food. We spent a few days lounging on an 'Imperial Junk' which actually was rather Imperial-like, wooden, 3 decks etc, kayaking, swimming, cycling and looking at the spectacular limestone peaks.
It was the first time I had slept on a boat before (almost felt like a cruise) and the first time, memorably, to sleep on the top of a boat under a perfectly clear sky, all alone, looking up at the stars and the moon. I am always surprised that the stars are still there since i so rarely see them (not just because of the pollution, also because of all the ambient light in all the cities) but it is always worth reflecting on how far away they are and how small we really are. It is even more poignant when in the sea and there is not a sound to be heard or a person to be seen. It was a wonderful benefit of falling asleep on the deck and then waking up at 2am to enjoy the serenity. After a few hours sleep down below, I was back up for sunrise which was just as fantastic. All the pictures will be up on flickr later. For me, it was the highlight of the trip. And yet, it is so simple!
After that we were back in the craziness of Hanoi at rush hour with as many motorbikes as people, less cars than travel agents and less buses than cafes. One can only wonder what the city might be like if people could afford to buy cars (or cars were made locally), since the roads are so narrow and motorbikes ... everywhere. One opportunity for the budding entrepreneur is to sell non-petrol powered motorbikes though. The city smells of Diesel unfortunately.
We've also been shopping rather a lot, eating rather a lot (though me less so, since i ate something that did not agree with me), drinking endless mango shakes, getting frustrated at how the museums close for lunch and on mondays and so on. I have to say the buildings here are so much nicer than in China- and stranger too, since all buildings are very narrow and deep (they are taxed based on their street-frontage); the women are much prettier (i think it is the humidity); the museums better (well we only went to one but it was the complete opposite of the equivalent in Beijing, thankfully).
Interestingly after meeting my Plan colleagues I have realised how alike Vietnam is with China; the same pretend Commmunist/Socialist government, the same state controlled media, the same crazy economic growth (to get faster now Vietnam has joined the WTO), the same corruption, the same entrepreneurship, similar food, similar language (as similar to chinese as French is to english roughly) , similar recent history etc. It is not that surprising since China used to occupy Vietnam for several hundreds of years leaving behind linguistic, religious and educational legacies.
It was the first time I had slept on a boat before (almost felt like a cruise) and the first time, memorably, to sleep on the top of a boat under a perfectly clear sky, all alone, looking up at the stars and the moon. I am always surprised that the stars are still there since i so rarely see them (not just because of the pollution, also because of all the ambient light in all the cities) but it is always worth reflecting on how far away they are and how small we really are. It is even more poignant when in the sea and there is not a sound to be heard or a person to be seen. It was a wonderful benefit of falling asleep on the deck and then waking up at 2am to enjoy the serenity. After a few hours sleep down below, I was back up for sunrise which was just as fantastic. All the pictures will be up on flickr later. For me, it was the highlight of the trip. And yet, it is so simple!
After that we were back in the craziness of Hanoi at rush hour with as many motorbikes as people, less cars than travel agents and less buses than cafes. One can only wonder what the city might be like if people could afford to buy cars (or cars were made locally), since the roads are so narrow and motorbikes ... everywhere. One opportunity for the budding entrepreneur is to sell non-petrol powered motorbikes though. The city smells of Diesel unfortunately.
We've also been shopping rather a lot, eating rather a lot (though me less so, since i ate something that did not agree with me), drinking endless mango shakes, getting frustrated at how the museums close for lunch and on mondays and so on. I have to say the buildings here are so much nicer than in China- and stranger too, since all buildings are very narrow and deep (they are taxed based on their street-frontage); the women are much prettier (i think it is the humidity); the museums better (well we only went to one but it was the complete opposite of the equivalent in Beijing, thankfully).
Interestingly after meeting my Plan colleagues I have realised how alike Vietnam is with China; the same pretend Commmunist/Socialist government, the same state controlled media, the same crazy economic growth (to get faster now Vietnam has joined the WTO), the same corruption, the same entrepreneurship, similar food, similar language (as similar to chinese as French is to english roughly) , similar recent history etc. It is not that surprising since China used to occupy Vietnam for several hundreds of years leaving behind linguistic, religious and educational legacies.
Mud and rain
Up in the hills of North-West Vietnam where it permanently rains and is always green, with fresh air and waterfalls everywhere you look.... there is also a lot of mud. There was also a lesson learned. When preparing clothing to go hiking, it is worth copying the tour guide. That means choosing wellington boots and a large umbrella over hiking boots, rain coats etc. Lesson learned.
During the trip we chatted with the various tour guides, spent the night in a village (that had WiFi and computer thanks to a pilot project from various companies and foreign governments), met millions more Australians (it is their school holidays) and checked out schools and toilets (interesting for me, as related to work. Less interesting for the others in the group!)
It is also a region where children only go to school for 5 years maximum, so they can work in the tourism industry making and selling jewelery and clothing along side their grandmothers. It was very depressing to see grandmothers who have worked their entire lives in the fields, brought up countless children and grandchildren and lived through Wars against France, China, the USA etc only to be almost begging you to buy their handicrafts. It is a real shame, especially as the Women are not that poor, but still feel they need to get as much cash as they can anyway they can to provide for their families.
The area also houses a local branch of 'baguette et chocolat' which is a wonderful French cafe that trains street children to work there and provide jobs for them. Their chocolate mousses are to die for.... They need to open in China!
During the trip we chatted with the various tour guides, spent the night in a village (that had WiFi and computer thanks to a pilot project from various companies and foreign governments), met millions more Australians (it is their school holidays) and checked out schools and toilets (interesting for me, as related to work. Less interesting for the others in the group!)
It is also a region where children only go to school for 5 years maximum, so they can work in the tourism industry making and selling jewelery and clothing along side their grandmothers. It was very depressing to see grandmothers who have worked their entire lives in the fields, brought up countless children and grandchildren and lived through Wars against France, China, the USA etc only to be almost begging you to buy their handicrafts. It is a real shame, especially as the Women are not that poor, but still feel they need to get as much cash as they can anyway they can to provide for their families.
The area also houses a local branch of 'baguette et chocolat' which is a wonderful French cafe that trains street children to work there and provide jobs for them. Their chocolate mousses are to die for.... They need to open in China!
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