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!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Cafes and Motos
It is true, Vietnam is even more crazy than Cambodia for motorbikes. Approximately 1 for every 2 people in Hanoi (so maybe there are some kids that do not have one!), and very few cars. Unfortunately all the motorbikes are petrol powered, and not electric.
Hanoi is a very cool city with some nice art galleries, French colonial buildings, fantastic food, wonderful fruit, small streets and lots of cafes. We went to 3 cafes today as well as 1 restaurant. i managed to have 2 ice cream deserts! We also had a massage, and the poor little 20 year old was sweating by the time she finished trying to manhandle me!
This does not bode well for my supposed preparations for the half marathon. i did manage a 65 minute run before i left Beijing; but i need to do more exercise up in the mountains next week to keep fit with so much great food to try, and cheap local beer to drink! The next 3 days will be spent in supposedly spectacular Halong bay on boats, beaches and kayaks. Often these kinds of trips are a bit hit-and-miss as the tour operators are not always trustworthy about the quality of the boats etc, so fingers crossed.
Some people here speak Chinese, but not many, which is actually useful for talking to my travelling buddy behind the locals' back. Weirdly the word for goodbye in Vietnamese sounds a lot like the word for 'number 2' in Chinese.
Hanoi is a very cool city with some nice art galleries, French colonial buildings, fantastic food, wonderful fruit, small streets and lots of cafes. We went to 3 cafes today as well as 1 restaurant. i managed to have 2 ice cream deserts! We also had a massage, and the poor little 20 year old was sweating by the time she finished trying to manhandle me!
This does not bode well for my supposed preparations for the half marathon. i did manage a 65 minute run before i left Beijing; but i need to do more exercise up in the mountains next week to keep fit with so much great food to try, and cheap local beer to drink! The next 3 days will be spent in supposedly spectacular Halong bay on boats, beaches and kayaks. Often these kinds of trips are a bit hit-and-miss as the tour operators are not always trustworthy about the quality of the boats etc, so fingers crossed.
Some people here speak Chinese, but not many, which is actually useful for talking to my travelling buddy behind the locals' back. Weirdly the word for goodbye in Vietnamese sounds a lot like the word for 'number 2' in Chinese.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Registered
Once upon a time when I first came to China 3 years and 3 days ago I stayed in a little apartment with 2 bedrooms and 1 living room; a kitchen and a small toilet/bathroom. There were 4 people living there (me in the living room). 2 and a half months later, just before my visa was to run out and i had to get it extended, I went to the local police station to 'register'. Unfortunately I turned up on a Saturday, and the man who could register would only come to work on Monday.
On the Monday I went back to the police station to register only to be told that I need to register within 24 hours of moving into the apartment, and since I had been there since Saturday, unregistered, I would be punished for breaking the law. This is, of course, absurd -what was I to do? In hindsight the lesson is never try to register on a weekend! My punishment was to sit for 1-2 hours with a friend translating for me, though neither of us had to say or do anything. Instead we watched as the special man wrote out pages and pages of stuff bout what i had done wrong. He literally wrote about 8 pages by hand. Then, for some totally unknown reason declared he had to make another copy of his essay (not sure why the photocopier was not used...) by hand.
I had to 'accept' my punishment and make sure to register within 24 hours of any apartment i ever stay in ever again in China (unless it is a hotel where you register at the hotel). I was even told if i broke the rule again i might not be allowed into the country, so i am sure there was no computer involved (and my essays were just filed in some backroom) so noone would know.
None the less I was sufficiently scared to have NOT registered in any of the 2 places in Beijing or 3 places in Xi'an I have lived since (and the many many other friends' places i have spent a few days in Shanghai and elsewhere). But I decided, last week, in my new place in Beijing to register (because someone put a sign on our front door telling me to!). And since the place i live is fancy and there are other foreigners living there (there are quite literally more than 100 buildings in the complex), it was relatively painless: Ask the office responsible for area D for instructions. They direct me to the office responsible for areas A-E for a note that takes 5 minutes. They direct me to the police station, where 10 minutes later I was registered.
The main problem was the fact my passport was at the Vietnam embassy. I had hurried off to show may face as soon as the sign appeared on the door with a photocopy of my passport; only to have to ask the question "If i come back in 2 days to register properly will I be fined/punished?" Deja Vu anyone? Anyway the police woman almost laughed at me, like she really gave a monkey and when i returned 2 days later, all was good :)
And now I am back in Xi'an again; in 8 days time I will be on holiday in Vietnam. Such is life. And the highlight of the last couple of weeks? coming to the office today and being able to see the mountains 10 miles away (for the 4th time in a year). Actually the highlight was me running 15km (once) and 12 km (once) as part of my preparation to run (and hopefully complete without stopping and within 2 hours) the Beijing half marathon in a month's time.
The worst part of the week was hearing of the death of Anita Roddick. 1 of the few people that comes to my mind as a real role model who really made a lasting difference in the World and kept to her values as well as spreading those values across the World. But, having amassed a fortune of 100+ million pounds, what a shame she will not be alive to spend it on all the good causes she has helped over the years.
On the Monday I went back to the police station to register only to be told that I need to register within 24 hours of moving into the apartment, and since I had been there since Saturday, unregistered, I would be punished for breaking the law. This is, of course, absurd -what was I to do? In hindsight the lesson is never try to register on a weekend! My punishment was to sit for 1-2 hours with a friend translating for me, though neither of us had to say or do anything. Instead we watched as the special man wrote out pages and pages of stuff bout what i had done wrong. He literally wrote about 8 pages by hand. Then, for some totally unknown reason declared he had to make another copy of his essay (not sure why the photocopier was not used...) by hand.
I had to 'accept' my punishment and make sure to register within 24 hours of any apartment i ever stay in ever again in China (unless it is a hotel where you register at the hotel). I was even told if i broke the rule again i might not be allowed into the country, so i am sure there was no computer involved (and my essays were just filed in some backroom) so noone would know.
None the less I was sufficiently scared to have NOT registered in any of the 2 places in Beijing or 3 places in Xi'an I have lived since (and the many many other friends' places i have spent a few days in Shanghai and elsewhere). But I decided, last week, in my new place in Beijing to register (because someone put a sign on our front door telling me to!). And since the place i live is fancy and there are other foreigners living there (there are quite literally more than 100 buildings in the complex), it was relatively painless: Ask the office responsible for area D for instructions. They direct me to the office responsible for areas A-E for a note that takes 5 minutes. They direct me to the police station, where 10 minutes later I was registered.
The main problem was the fact my passport was at the Vietnam embassy. I had hurried off to show may face as soon as the sign appeared on the door with a photocopy of my passport; only to have to ask the question "If i come back in 2 days to register properly will I be fined/punished?" Deja Vu anyone? Anyway the police woman almost laughed at me, like she really gave a monkey and when i returned 2 days later, all was good :)
And now I am back in Xi'an again; in 8 days time I will be on holiday in Vietnam. Such is life. And the highlight of the last couple of weeks? coming to the office today and being able to see the mountains 10 miles away (for the 4th time in a year). Actually the highlight was me running 15km (once) and 12 km (once) as part of my preparation to run (and hopefully complete without stopping and within 2 hours) the Beijing half marathon in a month's time.
The worst part of the week was hearing of the death of Anita Roddick. 1 of the few people that comes to my mind as a real role model who really made a lasting difference in the World and kept to her values as well as spreading those values across the World. But, having amassed a fortune of 100+ million pounds, what a shame she will not be alive to spend it on all the good causes she has helped over the years.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
A very Chinese experience continued
After the last day of the trip, I feel like I need to add to the previous list:
-A hop-on, hop-off bus strip around Chong Qing which included a stop at a 'museum', but which is actually a shop selling kitchen knifes and where you get a 20 minute 'demo' and then buy the knifes. Actually the demo was quite good and it seems the price was not too bad since 80% of all the Plan staff made a purchase -I hope our tour guide will be happy with the commission she must have got!
-A visit to a few Communist History sites (actually they were mostly prisons where the Communist revolutionary martyrs were locked up/died during the civil war with the KMT) which all my colleagues had read about extensively at school. I accepted the fact that it is sad that people died in a civil war, but was not so sure the sites were really that big a deal, since there was no historical significance to the prisons what-so-ever: no famous communists were there, no defining moment of the civil war took place, no barbaric acts etc. Never mind, it was still somewhat interesting to read all the propoganda.
-A view of a place where the Yangtze River meets another river and you can see the 2 colours of the river mixing. The Chinese think this is interesting; the Westerners tend to think more which of the colours indicates which river is most polluted...
-A group photo. This is obligatory, even at a simple half day conference there are group photos. Everyone says 'Qiezi' (sounds somewhat like cheese when you pronounce it and hence has the same effect of making people smile) and holds their 2 fingers up in a 'V' for Victory (the same fingers as swearing but with your palm away from you). This happens across East Asia.
-A fantastic hotpot (i.e. fondu where you boil your own food) in Chongqing. The spicier it is the more ice-cold beer needed to deal with it :)
-A hop-on, hop-off bus strip around Chong Qing which included a stop at a 'museum', but which is actually a shop selling kitchen knifes and where you get a 20 minute 'demo' and then buy the knifes. Actually the demo was quite good and it seems the price was not too bad since 80% of all the Plan staff made a purchase -I hope our tour guide will be happy with the commission she must have got!
-A visit to a few Communist History sites (actually they were mostly prisons where the Communist revolutionary martyrs were locked up/died during the civil war with the KMT) which all my colleagues had read about extensively at school. I accepted the fact that it is sad that people died in a civil war, but was not so sure the sites were really that big a deal, since there was no historical significance to the prisons what-so-ever: no famous communists were there, no defining moment of the civil war took place, no barbaric acts etc. Never mind, it was still somewhat interesting to read all the propoganda.
-A view of a place where the Yangtze River meets another river and you can see the 2 colours of the river mixing. The Chinese think this is interesting; the Westerners tend to think more which of the colours indicates which river is most polluted...
-A group photo. This is obligatory, even at a simple half day conference there are group photos. Everyone says 'Qiezi' (sounds somewhat like cheese when you pronounce it and hence has the same effect of making people smile) and holds their 2 fingers up in a 'V' for Victory (the same fingers as swearing but with your palm away from you). This happens across East Asia.
-A fantastic hotpot (i.e. fondu where you boil your own food) in Chongqing. The spicier it is the more ice-cold beer needed to deal with it :)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
A very Chinese experience
Last week 135 of Plan China's 150 staff began our annual retreat. In truly Chinese style it took 23 hours to get to our destination via coaches and trains; though we all had beds the electric fans on the 25 year old trains struggled to beat the 30 degree evening heat. We ended up at a place called Bamboo Sea, 'not that famous' a place according to my colleagues almost none of whom had heard of it before.
Not that that matters, it was far enough into the mountains to have fresh air and a great opportunity for me to be forced to speak more chinese. Unfortunately most of my colleagues from the field offices have rather thick accents. Bamboo Sea was, as the name implies, a forest entirely made of Bamboo (not actually a sea, but a metaphor) which was rather large and took up several mountains.What makes the trip so Chinese?
-the tour guide talking for more than 2 hours on the bus about the local area, then organising a 2 hour karaoke competition on the bus (she did not get the humour when i sang Oasis' Wonderwall whilst looking at her: "I don't believe that anybody// Feels the way I do about you now") and forcing everyone to participate.
-the party 1 evening whereby offices/groups perform 'short' skits which in total lasted over 3 hours. It did look funny, and everyone else was laughing a lot, even though i had barely a clue what anyone was saying. Never the less there was some fruit and munchies...
-the 'sightseeing' which requires being bussed around the area we were in between various bamboo related sights (often involving lots of carvings of famous sayings or legends into the rock that is really nothing to do with bamboo and that are found at every famous place in China).
-the food which was 90% made of bamboo dishes. There are, in my recent experience, at least 30 different dishes you can make from bamboo and many other herbal medicines that can be created from bamboo according to the women trying to sell it to me.
-the incredible amount of photos the chinese people took of bamboo and of themselves in front of bamboo (bamboo is quite common all over china).
-lunch on a boat cruising along the river looking at more bamboo
-how loud (and how fast) chinese people speak on buses
and so on.... Anyway it has been a fun trip and great to get out of the office and enjoy more social time with my colleagues. Especially after reading Only 1 percent of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the EU.
Not that that matters, it was far enough into the mountains to have fresh air and a great opportunity for me to be forced to speak more chinese. Unfortunately most of my colleagues from the field offices have rather thick accents. Bamboo Sea was, as the name implies, a forest entirely made of Bamboo (not actually a sea, but a metaphor) which was rather large and took up several mountains.What makes the trip so Chinese?
-the tour guide talking for more than 2 hours on the bus about the local area, then organising a 2 hour karaoke competition on the bus (she did not get the humour when i sang Oasis' Wonderwall whilst looking at her: "I don't believe that anybody// Feels the way I do about you now") and forcing everyone to participate.
-the party 1 evening whereby offices/groups perform 'short' skits which in total lasted over 3 hours. It did look funny, and everyone else was laughing a lot, even though i had barely a clue what anyone was saying. Never the less there was some fruit and munchies...
-the 'sightseeing' which requires being bussed around the area we were in between various bamboo related sights (often involving lots of carvings of famous sayings or legends into the rock that is really nothing to do with bamboo and that are found at every famous place in China).
-the food which was 90% made of bamboo dishes. There are, in my recent experience, at least 30 different dishes you can make from bamboo and many other herbal medicines that can be created from bamboo according to the women trying to sell it to me.
-the incredible amount of photos the chinese people took of bamboo and of themselves in front of bamboo (bamboo is quite common all over china).
-lunch on a boat cruising along the river looking at more bamboo
-how loud (and how fast) chinese people speak on buses
and so on.... Anyway it has been a fun trip and great to get out of the office and enjoy more social time with my colleagues. Especially after reading Only 1 percent of the country’s 560 million city dwellers breathe air considered safe by the EU.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Banteay Srei amongst the trees
Banteay Srei is undoubtedly the most beautiful of all the temples in Angkor. Many people miss it as it is 25km from the main complex, but the completeness, the intricacies, the colours, the designs and the stories are breathtaking. I walked around it for over an hour doing at least 6 laps and still did not want to leave.
Bayon and lake 2
Bayon, one of the most impressive temples in Angkor has an incredible amount of faces carved into the rocks and some even more incredible carvings of daily life, wars and escapades the rulers got up to at the time. One of the many interesting aspects of Angkor's temples is the various religious influences on them: sometimes Buddhist, sometimes Hindu depending on the year. And of course, depending on which ruler built the temple.
Pretty hut
A family's home in rural Cambodia. Nearby is their 1 pig, a small fire that they cook over and some other huts.
Painting of the killing fields
Evidence of the incredible regime run by Pol Pot wiping out a third of Cambodia's population. A visit to the school that was turned into an interrogation/torture centre coupled with a trip out to where the unlucky inhabitants were clubbed to death is sobering. The children (of which there were hundreds, often only a few years old) somehow ended up being killed as 'children of political enemies' by being held by the legs and swung against trees. How does mankind do such things?
Adam and massive tree in Ta Phrom
Indiana Jones eat your heart out. These are the big mama trees that are taking over thousand year old temples. does put the little old human into perspective
Angkor Wat rising above the forest
Angkor Wat and the many other temples are lying around in a jungle... almost literally. indeed the smaller temples are so rarely visited it is a fantastic experience to be there alone amongst the nature.
Stunning Angkor Wat at first light
Angkor Wat at sunlight; photos do not do it justice... though i did try enough times!
Mirror image of Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat -the greatest of all the temples at Angkor which is now in tiny Cambodia but which used to be the centre of an empire covering most of South East Asia. At sunrise it is incredible.
Immaculate Banteay Srei carvings -closeup 2
Imagine entire temples packed full of carvings like this; built more than a thousand years ago -and the hundreds of temples sited in a 'capital' whose population was 1 million people! And then, they all disappeared and the jungle swallowed up the entire complex. As spectacular as Angkor and surrounding temples are, the area around it is one of the poorest in Cambodia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)