Just got back from Halong Bay and the first thing I want to say is that it is really beautiful and the water was a very ocean green. However, I was a little dismayed when they charged us for all drinks. I just thought it was going to be alcohol that was separate but nope. It included all drinks including drinking water.
Halong Bay is recommened but maybe it not with Hanoi Backpackers' Hostel. Their tour is a little more expensive (so I thought it would be nicer). But nope it sounded like the other tours I have other people take. Kayaking was really fun though. My first time. And I ran into a jellyfish! Cool things that look like plastic bags. Good thing I didn't get stung though. Heard bats in a water cave.
Why do I feel that every Vietnamese person is trying to rip me off? I just can't shake that feeling.
Cat Ba island is a piece of shit. It's like a cheap version Las Vegas with it's changing lights and attempt at a fountain show. A lot of prostitute solicitors and people asking if you want weed. Sketchy and dodgy place.
Going to Sapa for about five/six days. I have a flight to Luang Prabang on the seventh of October.
I really, REALLY hope Sapa is nice.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Playing Frogger in Hanoi
Rash is upon me. I am hoping the medicine I picked up early this morning works. The rash isn't spreading but it's not exactly going away either. Not super itchy though, but still uncomfortable. Drinking lots of water. I went to have some Cha Ca for lunch (grilled fish in some sort of flavored oil). It was okay. They don't give you a lot of fish but a lot of veggies. The noodles were good I guess. Going to try Little Hanoi 1 tonight.
Crossing the streets in Hanoi is a little bit like playing a live version of Frogger with one life. Except there are only motorbikes and small cars. Also, the cars don't always stay in the same lane.
I am still trying to decide if I should go to Halong Bay tomorrow. My back looks really disgusting with the peeling of patches of skin. I bought some more 30pdf sunscreen. I still have four hours to decide.
Crossing the streets in Hanoi is a little bit like playing a live version of Frogger with one life. Except there are only motorbikes and small cars. Also, the cars don't always stay in the same lane.
I am still trying to decide if I should go to Halong Bay tomorrow. My back looks really disgusting with the peeling of patches of skin. I bought some more 30pdf sunscreen. I still have four hours to decide.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Setting foot in Hanoi
A bit screwed here. I don't remember my PIN for my ATM card and I just went over my limit on how many times I could try. Luckily, I had about 200 RMB left to exchange for VND. So I can live for about 2 days but not have any fun. Hopefully, I can remember it by tomorrow so I can have some real cash to do some of the tours around here. My visa expires on the 14th and I plan to be in Vietnam the latest on the 13th. Heading to Laos after Vietnam.
So... anyways. Hanoi is hectic. Really small streets and touts/hawkers are everywhere. 'Hello, motorbike' is often heard throughout the city. Had some okay Pho today but going to try the restaurant my LP suggested. Not too fond of staying too long in this city. Going to see if I can go to Ninh Binh soon.
So... anyways. Hanoi is hectic. Really small streets and touts/hawkers are everywhere. 'Hello, motorbike' is often heard throughout the city. Had some okay Pho today but going to try the restaurant my LP suggested. Not too fond of staying too long in this city. Going to see if I can go to Ninh Binh soon.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Monkeys and the Perhentians
Back to civilization people! Or at least to places where they have regular electricity for 24hours, 7days a week. Long post so bear with me (3 days without posting, so... yea...)
On my last on Penang Island I went to the Botanical Gardens and so a lot of macaque monkeys. They were swarming the place and right on the sidewalk. The monkeys were quite aggressive and seemed to want all any kind of bags people had in their hands. There was a sign, actually many signs, saying that people should not feed the monkeys. But people did anyways. Cute monkeys but just don't get too close.
Visited the colonial section of Georgetown again before waiting for my bus at the hostel. I really don't get how Georgetown became a UNESCO heritage city. It's dirty and not very pretty at all. Maybe the mixing of cultures but you get that everywhere in Malaysia. I would think more so in Melaka than Penang.
The hostel I stayed at in Georgetown, 100 Cintra Street, was very nice except it had no mosquito netting in the dorm rooms. I basically doused myself in repellent right before bed. It definitely had a very colonial Chinese feel to it.
RANDOM NOTE: I have been approached several times by people of the Indian subcontinent and they say 'Sir, you are very lucky, you want to know why?'. I think this is a scam for some sort of fortune telling but I'm not sure. Any insight would be helpful. I was approached in Hong Kong, Macau, and in Kuala Lumpur.
Alright, so after an hour or two of waiting I got on my 70RM minibus ride to Kuala Besut, the city that has the jetty where boats take off to go to the Perhentian Islands. I was traveling with Chinese-Malay family. I lied to them and said I was from Taiwan (meaning I grew up there). Then they started to talk to me in Min Nan Yu (the Hokkien, Taiwanese dialect). I didn't know what to say but lie that my family didn't speak Taiwanese in our home. They asked me about the geography which I half-assed lied about and about the military draft. I gave them some random number of years I had to serve. Anyways, they bought it but I don't know if whole-heartedly. I was too tired to care and tried to sleep in the cramped quarters.
I got to Kuala Besut at 4am! The man working at the boat office came early for me. (The bus driver arranged this). But man was I pooped and just slept in the office until the first boat at 7am left. At this time I met up with a very indecisive Spanish couple and they were just being troublesome to the travel office. They couldn't decide on a guesthouse and made everyone else at the boat wait for them. This is the second Spanish couple that made a fuss. The first was in Yangshuo (they were fighting with the boatman about the price and my friend Jason and I got in the middle of it).
Eventually, got onto the boat and got onto Perhentian Kecil, the smaller of the two islands. The guesthouse I wanted to stay at, Matahari Chalet, was fully booked so I had to find another one. I ended up at a place called Symphony Village and got a private a frame hut. It was okay but really old and creaky. Plus there was a monitor lizard who liked to lounge on my roof (monitor lizards are huge; like 1m or more). At least, it had a mosquito net, which worked, and a fan, which cooled me.
On the first day, I decided I wanted to go snorkeling. Very bad idea. I was ill-prepared for the ocean. My sunscreen was almost out and I had to scrape what I could over my body. I didn't think to take my motion-sickness pill because the boat ride there was fine. Okay, at the first dive spot and I totally kind of freaked because I have never snorkeled before. I swallowed some of the sea water. Eventually I got the hang of it. But after a while I felt really nauseous. I don't know if it was the nasty seawater in my stomach, sea-sickness, or my lack of sleep on the mini-bus. In hindsight, I think it's the combination of the three and more of the latter. Saw some clownfish, parrotfish, huge sea turtles, and reef sharks. But felt really sick so I had the boat driver take me back after three dive spots.
I went back to my hut and slept. When I woke up my back was really tender and I though 'Shit, how the hell did I get sunburned'. It's probably because my sunblock isn't waterproof for the entire four hours I went snorkeling. Probably should have re-applied it after each spot, what I had left of anyways.
For the next two days, I stayed in the shade and only went into the water twice. It was excruciating because the water looked really inviting. It's clear and the shallows go on for about 20 meters with little white fish swimming around you. But I knew I would get even more sunburned (I did; now my upper chest, knees, and shoulders are also burnt)
Took a overnight bus with a pushy Argentinian girl and dodgy Belgian guy to KL. Arrived here. Now, waiting at a net cafe before my 4:20pm AirAsia flight to Hanoi. Heard it's raining there.
On my last on Penang Island I went to the Botanical Gardens and so a lot of macaque monkeys. They were swarming the place and right on the sidewalk. The monkeys were quite aggressive and seemed to want all any kind of bags people had in their hands. There was a sign, actually many signs, saying that people should not feed the monkeys. But people did anyways. Cute monkeys but just don't get too close.
Visited the colonial section of Georgetown again before waiting for my bus at the hostel. I really don't get how Georgetown became a UNESCO heritage city. It's dirty and not very pretty at all. Maybe the mixing of cultures but you get that everywhere in Malaysia. I would think more so in Melaka than Penang.
The hostel I stayed at in Georgetown, 100 Cintra Street, was very nice except it had no mosquito netting in the dorm rooms. I basically doused myself in repellent right before bed. It definitely had a very colonial Chinese feel to it.
RANDOM NOTE: I have been approached several times by people of the Indian subcontinent and they say 'Sir, you are very lucky, you want to know why?'. I think this is a scam for some sort of fortune telling but I'm not sure. Any insight would be helpful. I was approached in Hong Kong, Macau, and in Kuala Lumpur.
Alright, so after an hour or two of waiting I got on my 70RM minibus ride to Kuala Besut, the city that has the jetty where boats take off to go to the Perhentian Islands. I was traveling with Chinese-Malay family. I lied to them and said I was from Taiwan (meaning I grew up there). Then they started to talk to me in Min Nan Yu (the Hokkien, Taiwanese dialect). I didn't know what to say but lie that my family didn't speak Taiwanese in our home. They asked me about the geography which I half-assed lied about and about the military draft. I gave them some random number of years I had to serve. Anyways, they bought it but I don't know if whole-heartedly. I was too tired to care and tried to sleep in the cramped quarters.
I got to Kuala Besut at 4am! The man working at the boat office came early for me. (The bus driver arranged this). But man was I pooped and just slept in the office until the first boat at 7am left. At this time I met up with a very indecisive Spanish couple and they were just being troublesome to the travel office. They couldn't decide on a guesthouse and made everyone else at the boat wait for them. This is the second Spanish couple that made a fuss. The first was in Yangshuo (they were fighting with the boatman about the price and my friend Jason and I got in the middle of it).
Eventually, got onto the boat and got onto Perhentian Kecil, the smaller of the two islands. The guesthouse I wanted to stay at, Matahari Chalet, was fully booked so I had to find another one. I ended up at a place called Symphony Village and got a private a frame hut. It was okay but really old and creaky. Plus there was a monitor lizard who liked to lounge on my roof (monitor lizards are huge; like 1m or more). At least, it had a mosquito net, which worked, and a fan, which cooled me.
On the first day, I decided I wanted to go snorkeling. Very bad idea. I was ill-prepared for the ocean. My sunscreen was almost out and I had to scrape what I could over my body. I didn't think to take my motion-sickness pill because the boat ride there was fine. Okay, at the first dive spot and I totally kind of freaked because I have never snorkeled before. I swallowed some of the sea water. Eventually I got the hang of it. But after a while I felt really nauseous. I don't know if it was the nasty seawater in my stomach, sea-sickness, or my lack of sleep on the mini-bus. In hindsight, I think it's the combination of the three and more of the latter. Saw some clownfish, parrotfish, huge sea turtles, and reef sharks. But felt really sick so I had the boat driver take me back after three dive spots.
I went back to my hut and slept. When I woke up my back was really tender and I though 'Shit, how the hell did I get sunburned'. It's probably because my sunblock isn't waterproof for the entire four hours I went snorkeling. Probably should have re-applied it after each spot, what I had left of anyways.
For the next two days, I stayed in the shade and only went into the water twice. It was excruciating because the water looked really inviting. It's clear and the shallows go on for about 20 meters with little white fish swimming around you. But I knew I would get even more sunburned (I did; now my upper chest, knees, and shoulders are also burnt)
Took a overnight bus with a pushy Argentinian girl and dodgy Belgian guy to KL. Arrived here. Now, waiting at a net cafe before my 4:20pm AirAsia flight to Hanoi. Heard it's raining there.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Pulau Penang
Blogging from Penang in an internet cafe at the moment. Don't know how long I should stay here. Eight minutes to blog. Okay, so I haven't had any really good food here yet. Maybe the agar jelly with lemon was good. But nothing out of this world to hit my tastebuds. Going to Penang National Park today but I have to buy a towel before I head out. Don't know how that's going to work. It could be interesting.
Don't have a lot to say. Penang is what you would imagine a southeast asian city to be. Small, dirty, small roads, and lots of hawker food stalls. Still super nice people. I just need to get to the beach.
EDIT: Okay just had some awesome Penang Asam Laksa, Satay, apple and orange juice, and icy cendol. To top it off I had some really good street dim sum. They had fried taro dumplings that don't taste like ammonia! Penang night markets are where it is at. The morning keow kak was not very good at all. Can't wait to try the food courts tomorrow. More Cendol and maybe some radioactive colored ABC.
So today I went to Penang National Park. It was extremely irritating because I thought I would be able to walk along the beach to get to Monkey Beach so I brought sandals. Ended up that I had to trek through the jungle to get to the beach and there were no monkeys in sight. Bad breaks. The water felt nice on my feet though. For a moment there, I thought I was getting heatstroke. My whole upper body felt really, really hot.
I have this weird roommate in my dorm room. He is half Malay, half Chinese. Stays out all night and sleeps all day. I am guessing he is a bouncer of sorts in a nightclub and is saving money sleeping in a dorm. Who knows.
All right. I have no plans for tomorrow in my last day in Penang but maybe the botanical gardens and Penang Hill. Then, the late 'mini-bus' to Kuala Besut and on to the Perhentian islands. Woohoo. Tropical paradise here I come.
Don't have a lot to say. Penang is what you would imagine a southeast asian city to be. Small, dirty, small roads, and lots of hawker food stalls. Still super nice people. I just need to get to the beach.
EDIT: Okay just had some awesome Penang Asam Laksa, Satay, apple and orange juice, and icy cendol. To top it off I had some really good street dim sum. They had fried taro dumplings that don't taste like ammonia! Penang night markets are where it is at. The morning keow kak was not very good at all. Can't wait to try the food courts tomorrow. More Cendol and maybe some radioactive colored ABC.
So today I went to Penang National Park. It was extremely irritating because I thought I would be able to walk along the beach to get to Monkey Beach so I brought sandals. Ended up that I had to trek through the jungle to get to the beach and there were no monkeys in sight. Bad breaks. The water felt nice on my feet though. For a moment there, I thought I was getting heatstroke. My whole upper body felt really, really hot.
I have this weird roommate in my dorm room. He is half Malay, half Chinese. Stays out all night and sleeps all day. I am guessing he is a bouncer of sorts in a nightclub and is saving money sleeping in a dorm. Who knows.
All right. I have no plans for tomorrow in my last day in Penang but maybe the botanical gardens and Penang Hill. Then, the late 'mini-bus' to Kuala Besut and on to the Perhentian islands. Woohoo. Tropical paradise here I come.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Entering the land of sudden rains and satay
Oh god, I love satays and Malay satays are the best. I am staying at the Red Palm in Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle district. Got into KL yesterday night and had no reservation at any of the hostels but was hoping to get a reservation here. Arrived a little bewildered at KL Sentral station but took the monorail and eventually found my way there. The Red Palm was fully booked but recommended a guesthouse close by. I stayed there yesterday night and staying at the Red Palm tonight.
Anyways, after putting my bags down I walked around the Bukit Bintang area and had some amazing satay. I had five sticks of chicken satay, five sticks of beef satay, and a seafood fried rice. That in total was about 13 RM; equivalent to approximately 4 dollars. Looking forward to trying keow teoy or curry laska or asan laksa.
Malaysia is an interesting country. Really nice people, great food, and not extremely crowded. Too bad people skip it in favor of Thailand or other locations. Although, the large amount of backpackers says otherwise.
Going to be going to Penang tomorrow and maybe headout to the Perehentian Islands. Should be an interesting week in Malaysia.
Anyways, after putting my bags down I walked around the Bukit Bintang area and had some amazing satay. I had five sticks of chicken satay, five sticks of beef satay, and a seafood fried rice. That in total was about 13 RM; equivalent to approximately 4 dollars. Looking forward to trying keow teoy or curry laska or asan laksa.
Malaysia is an interesting country. Really nice people, great food, and not extremely crowded. Too bad people skip it in favor of Thailand or other locations. Although, the large amount of backpackers says otherwise.
Going to be going to Penang tomorrow and maybe headout to the Perehentian Islands. Should be an interesting week in Malaysia.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Second Macau Post
Was walking around the Grand Lisboa and the Wynn Macau casinos and felt a little nostalgic about home and Las Vegas. The water show at the Wynn is a much smaller scale version of the Bellagio fountain shows. Still entertaining but doesn't carry the same wow factor.
One thing about Hong Kong and Macau that I didn't know was how multi-cultural it is. There are a lot of people from Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Philippines. Walking around on Sunday and Monday, there were so many filipinas sitting around the Central station playing games and reading. I even found a filipino snack vendor. Good fried bananas. In Kowloon, there is a huge mosque in the center of Nathan Rd. Many people asking if I wanted to buy a watch.
Just thinking of home for a bit after watching the water show at the Wynn. Will be fun trip but end will be sweet as well.
One thing about Hong Kong and Macau that I didn't know was how multi-cultural it is. There are a lot of people from Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Philippines. Walking around on Sunday and Monday, there were so many filipinas sitting around the Central station playing games and reading. I even found a filipino snack vendor. Good fried bananas. In Kowloon, there is a huge mosque in the center of Nathan Rd. Many people asking if I wanted to buy a watch.
Just thinking of home for a bit after watching the water show at the Wynn. Will be fun trip but end will be sweet as well.
Portugal or China
Macau is an interesting beast of a city. It has the spanish peninsular flair in some of the buildings and definitely dark yellows and whites that flow through the city definitely sways the city in a portugese vibe. Yet, they are Chinese people everywhere.
I picked what has to be the worst hotel in Macau. It's dark, dirty, the tv looks like it came from the '50s, and it's a regular place for prostitutes to bring their client. I hope my luggage is safe.
Tomorrow I go to Kuala Lumpur. One problem, the charge hasn't showed up on my credit card since they have put the block on it. I do have a confirmation email and a confirmation number hoping it will be okay.
Ciao until Malaysia.
I picked what has to be the worst hotel in Macau. It's dark, dirty, the tv looks like it came from the '50s, and it's a regular place for prostitutes to bring their client. I hope my luggage is safe.
Tomorrow I go to Kuala Lumpur. One problem, the charge hasn't showed up on my credit card since they have put the block on it. I do have a confirmation email and a confirmation number hoping it will be okay.
Ciao until Malaysia.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Go straight to HK, do not pass go, do not collect 200RMB
In HK and it's definitely night and day between here and the mainland. Brief entry because I have to go to the post soon. HK night markets have nothing on Taipei night markets. The famous temple st market is laughable comparatively. I definitely had the feeling of being somewhere not China the moment I stepped past Chinese immigration. The Chinese was in traditional form and people actually started using Cantonese. It was actually shocking for me that people in Shenzhen didn't use more Cantonese.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thrice Blessed and the tourguide from hell
Okay. This will be a more proper entry than the last one. I just recently came back from Jiuzhaigou (Nine Village Gully) and Huanglong. The place is absolutely pristine and immaculate. The water is crystal clear and spectacular karst formations. I know I know, pictures. But these internet places don't have a sd slot to upload pictures so it'll have to wait until I get to a place that does. That said our tour guide was a total bitch. The tour my aunt put me on said that the evening activity was optional, but when I arrived at Jiuzhai airport the tour guide said that it's required and I have to pay the 360RMB to see some 'rich' tibetan family house. (Side note: all the tibetans here are super rich because of the tourism. They all have cars and nice remodeled houses). Fuck no, I'm not going to some 360RMB activity. I called the tour company manager and he called the tour guide. She didn't persist any longer but that wasn't the end of it. Her attitude toward me was really bad from that point on. She helped others take pictures but me the single traveler didn't get any help from her. Luckily, the people in my tour group were super nice and helped me take pictures. I walked most of the place with a guy from Anhui province. Cool guy and had lots of questions about the US. Back to the tourbitch. I also had a discount on account of my 'student' id. The tour guide pays for the ticket. I asked her to reimburse the savings to me and she told me to call the tour company because she's not sure if she should pay me back. Of course you pay me back you backwards repugnant bitch. The tour company is all the way back in Chengdu. Why would they pay me when the savings go right into your pocket? Whatever, I called and told her to pay me the 100RMB (I know, not a lot but that's two nights hostel stay, which is a lot for a traveler on a budget!). She threw the money on the counter and was again giving me attitude. Whatever, I'm venting here but she really did destroy the mood of this beautiful place. Highly recommended if you don't get tourbitch. Anyways, I told my aunt this and she was absolutely livid. She called and is now trying to get the tourguide's license revoked. Take that bitch. Service job is definitely not your calling!
Now back in Chengdu, I was just notified that I would be taking a single room because of huge chinese tour group is taking over my dorm room. Lucky! Just had dinner with my grandaunt and granduncle's family. They gave two good luck charms. One buddhist charm from Chengdu and one tibetan buddhist charm from Lhasa. I had earlier received a buddhist charm from my aunt in Beijing that was from Emei mountain. They really are cool gifts and thoughtful. But I feel kinda funny wearing all three necklaces at the same time with my yak hoof bracelet. The dinner was really good and my aunt and uncle took me to a village close to the city. We had a nice relaxing afternoon eating farm food and playing cards. We played this three person game translated to be called 'Annoy the landlord'. Kind of like big two except it's two players against one.
Time to book my stay in Hong Kong. Should have done that a long time ago but oh well.
NOTE: Unfortunately, 'happy' meals were not on offer through my travels. Although, I did hear from another travler that they were on the menu in Dali.
Now back in Chengdu, I was just notified that I would be taking a single room because of huge chinese tour group is taking over my dorm room. Lucky! Just had dinner with my grandaunt and granduncle's family. They gave two good luck charms. One buddhist charm from Chengdu and one tibetan buddhist charm from Lhasa. I had earlier received a buddhist charm from my aunt in Beijing that was from Emei mountain. They really are cool gifts and thoughtful. But I feel kinda funny wearing all three necklaces at the same time with my yak hoof bracelet. The dinner was really good and my aunt and uncle took me to a village close to the city. We had a nice relaxing afternoon eating farm food and playing cards. We played this three person game translated to be called 'Annoy the landlord'. Kind of like big two except it's two players against one.
Time to book my stay in Hong Kong. Should have done that a long time ago but oh well.
NOTE: Unfortunately, 'happy' meals were not on offer through my travels. Although, I did hear from another travler that they were on the menu in Dali.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Pandas! Black, white and red
Brief entry. Pandas were really cute in Chengdu. Black, white, and red ones. Wasn't willing to take the exorbitant 1000RMB fee to have my picture taken with one but it was a good experience none the less. Saw two pandas playing pretty roughly.
Going to Jiuzhaigou, the day after tomorrow. Expensive part of my trip. More expensive than the last two weeks put together. Oh well. So many people have recommended it, it seems I have to go. Had excellent spicy hot pot today, although I am afraid of the runs tonight.
My family is kinda eccentric but in a cool way. My grandaunt and granducle are very elegant and amiable in their elderly way.
Going to Jiuzhaigou, the day after tomorrow. Expensive part of my trip. More expensive than the last two weeks put together. Oh well. So many people have recommended it, it seems I have to go. Had excellent spicy hot pot today, although I am afraid of the runs tonight.
My family is kinda eccentric but in a cool way. My grandaunt and granducle are very elegant and amiable in their elderly way.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Return from the mouth of the tiger
I'm back blogging after a brief hiatus. Three days ago, I started the trek through Tiger Leaping Gorge. At the hostel in Lijiang, a group of four formed to go to Qiaotou, the starting town for most gorge treks. Two Chinese people, an Englishman, and me. As we boarded the bus for Qiaotou, we met up with five more people. Two Germans, a Dutch couple, and a Thai girl. This was going to be a group of nine. I actually found this quite funny since nine is the number in the ring fellowship. Yes, very nerdy reference to LOTR, I know. Got to Qiaotou and got accosted by a couple of people trying to see if we wanted to drive to the middle leaping stone. There weren't aggressive like the rest of the people around China trying to sell their services. Right after, the others were looking for a luggage storage. (I didn't need it because I knew I was heading back to Lijiang.)
They stowed their bags at Margo's Cafe, aka crazy-middle aged Australian woman living in the middle of nowhere China for eleven years. Crazy is actually not the right word; maybe more like quirky and eccentric. She was wearing low cut shorts for a woman who was maybe not in the best shape (Her gut was showing). I had a chicken wrap which was okay. The others had fried rice, which the Chinese duo said was actually really, really good.
After getting lost for a bit in town trying to find the starting point of the route. We were on our way. There were a couple locals following us up with horses to see if we wanted to rent them in case any of us got tired. No one was that tired to pay for horses, but they were annoying none the less. It was almost mocking, "Look here I am riding a horse, just having a leisurely stroll through the mountains." Vultures, I say, vultures.
It started raining right when we got to a rest stop so we were lucky. So was the woman in charge as she got a lot of business from our group buying water and fruits from her. There was no end to the rain for twenty minutes and all of a sudden sunshine. The weather was very fickle in Yunnan the time I have been here. Right after the rest stop was the twenty-eight bends. It really should be called on hundred bends since it felt like we already went through dozens of bends before the stop.
Our target was Halfway Guesthouse. We past by the Tea Horse Guesthouse first and it took another hour before we got to our destination. The scenery after Tea Horse Guesthouse is absolutely amazing. The trail is right against the cliff and you can see the Jade Dragon mountains on the right (~6000m) and the Haba mountains looking left and up (~5500m). We past a few waterfalls and got to our destination a little after 7pm. In total, we walked about seven hours on the first day.\
The view from the Guesthouse at dusk is spectacular. My dorm room was facing right against the Jade Dragon mountains. It really made me feel how small I am as a man against the majesty of nature. At night we saw some fireflies and the Englishman taught us a fun card game called Shithead. No winners, only one loser.
Woke up at around 9am and had breakfast. The group started out again after 10am and there was again beautiful scenery on the trail. Luckily, at that time my legs were not nearly as tired as I thought they would be. Lots of up and down but we made it to Tina's and had lunch at noon. I had fried rice, first of many I would have in the next day. Then we had to pay 20rmb just to get down to the gorge. This was in addition to the 50RMB entrance fee (I cheated this by saying I was a student; half-price!).
As we got to the middle leaping stone down in the gorge, the others decided to brave the rocks to get to it. Let me describe the path. The middle leaping stone is in the river and there are some stones that you can jump on to get to the middle leaping stone. The river was breaking against the middle stone pretty hard. The water churning was very hard against the stone. Against the stone path, there were smaller breaks but nothing too dangerous. I originally didn't want to do it because I had already slipped a lot the past two days and I didn't want to slip on the rocks and get hurt. However, so many people were doing it and without incident so I did it. The stone had a good vantage point. The river was flowing fast and strong against the rocks because of all the rain.
After we got up, we stayed at Woody's. They had ensuite bathrooms. Really good! After another night playing Shithead, our party split-up and I went back to Lijiang. It was really an awesome trek and would highly recommend it. Now to get some silk scarves in Lijiang!
They stowed their bags at Margo's Cafe, aka crazy-middle aged Australian woman living in the middle of nowhere China for eleven years. Crazy is actually not the right word; maybe more like quirky and eccentric. She was wearing low cut shorts for a woman who was maybe not in the best shape (Her gut was showing). I had a chicken wrap which was okay. The others had fried rice, which the Chinese duo said was actually really, really good.
After getting lost for a bit in town trying to find the starting point of the route. We were on our way. There were a couple locals following us up with horses to see if we wanted to rent them in case any of us got tired. No one was that tired to pay for horses, but they were annoying none the less. It was almost mocking, "Look here I am riding a horse, just having a leisurely stroll through the mountains." Vultures, I say, vultures.
It started raining right when we got to a rest stop so we were lucky. So was the woman in charge as she got a lot of business from our group buying water and fruits from her. There was no end to the rain for twenty minutes and all of a sudden sunshine. The weather was very fickle in Yunnan the time I have been here. Right after the rest stop was the twenty-eight bends. It really should be called on hundred bends since it felt like we already went through dozens of bends before the stop.
Our target was Halfway Guesthouse. We past by the Tea Horse Guesthouse first and it took another hour before we got to our destination. The scenery after Tea Horse Guesthouse is absolutely amazing. The trail is right against the cliff and you can see the Jade Dragon mountains on the right (~6000m) and the Haba mountains looking left and up (~5500m). We past a few waterfalls and got to our destination a little after 7pm. In total, we walked about seven hours on the first day.\
The view from the Guesthouse at dusk is spectacular. My dorm room was facing right against the Jade Dragon mountains. It really made me feel how small I am as a man against the majesty of nature. At night we saw some fireflies and the Englishman taught us a fun card game called Shithead. No winners, only one loser.
Woke up at around 9am and had breakfast. The group started out again after 10am and there was again beautiful scenery on the trail. Luckily, at that time my legs were not nearly as tired as I thought they would be. Lots of up and down but we made it to Tina's and had lunch at noon. I had fried rice, first of many I would have in the next day. Then we had to pay 20rmb just to get down to the gorge. This was in addition to the 50RMB entrance fee (I cheated this by saying I was a student; half-price!).
As we got to the middle leaping stone down in the gorge, the others decided to brave the rocks to get to it. Let me describe the path. The middle leaping stone is in the river and there are some stones that you can jump on to get to the middle leaping stone. The river was breaking against the middle stone pretty hard. The water churning was very hard against the stone. Against the stone path, there were smaller breaks but nothing too dangerous. I originally didn't want to do it because I had already slipped a lot the past two days and I didn't want to slip on the rocks and get hurt. However, so many people were doing it and without incident so I did it. The stone had a good vantage point. The river was flowing fast and strong against the rocks because of all the rain.
After we got up, we stayed at Woody's. They had ensuite bathrooms. Really good! After another night playing Shithead, our party split-up and I went back to Lijiang. It was really an awesome trek and would highly recommend it. Now to get some silk scarves in Lijiang!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Flying into a town of tea and silk
Lijiang is fairly characteristic place. Lots of winding streets. One can easily get lost in a back alley or side street.
Took the overnight train from Guiling to Kunming and then flew into Lijiang. Fairly short entry again today. Am tired and need to rearrange my stuff.
Edit: After a warm shower, I am more awake and decided that the entry was way too short.
On the train ride from Guilin to Kunming, I saw a town called literally 'stone forest'. It was actually a really cool place looking from the train window. Lots of stones jutting every each way and that. Arriving at Kunming, I only saw lots of university welcoming committees (I guess it's the start of the new year for college students.) And I saw a McDonald's, ergo lunch. In Kunming they spoke a dialect I had no comprehension of at all. Stayed at the airport for a good 5 hours before boarding the plane.
I got scared on the plane again. Still have that fear of flying. Don't think it will ever go away, but I kept my cool.
The Naxi courtyard style hostel I'm staying at is really cool. Relaxed atmosphere and met some people who are going to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Yay! Company! There are these dogs here and they are so laid back. A mutt, cocker spaniel, and a golden retriever. I'm actually afraid they have fleas. Ack! Mosquitoes and now fleas. Turning into a bug infested trip.
I saw a lot of silk scarves. I think they could very well make great gifts. Light-weight. Very important when traveling, light gifts.
Took the overnight train from Guiling to Kunming and then flew into Lijiang. Fairly short entry again today. Am tired and need to rearrange my stuff.
Edit: After a warm shower, I am more awake and decided that the entry was way too short.
On the train ride from Guilin to Kunming, I saw a town called literally 'stone forest'. It was actually a really cool place looking from the train window. Lots of stones jutting every each way and that. Arriving at Kunming, I only saw lots of university welcoming committees (I guess it's the start of the new year for college students.) And I saw a McDonald's, ergo lunch. In Kunming they spoke a dialect I had no comprehension of at all. Stayed at the airport for a good 5 hours before boarding the plane.
I got scared on the plane again. Still have that fear of flying. Don't think it will ever go away, but I kept my cool.
The Naxi courtyard style hostel I'm staying at is really cool. Relaxed atmosphere and met some people who are going to Tiger Leaping Gorge. Yay! Company! There are these dogs here and they are so laid back. A mutt, cocker spaniel, and a golden retriever. I'm actually afraid they have fleas. Ack! Mosquitoes and now fleas. Turning into a bug infested trip.
I saw a lot of silk scarves. I think they could very well make great gifts. Light-weight. Very important when traveling, light gifts.
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