I know, I know, you are sick of Shanghai. Let me tell you, I am too. Seriously. Shanghai is my least favorite destination that I have been to in China and I have been there thrice for a total of six nights, or the same number of nights I spent in Beijing, which I liked a lot.
I spent the first day this time taking it easy again in the same spirit as my first two days in Hangzhou. I went to the Shanghai Museum, which is highly regarded and pretty decent, I suppose. I bought a train ticket to Hong Kong, which took nearly two hours to accomplish. I prepared for the 20 hour train ride to Hong Kong. That is pretty much it.
22 November 2009
Hangzhou, China
First, I should admit I considered not going here at all because I had read/heard that it was very similar to Suzhou and I figured why visit to very similar destinations. In the end, though, I decided to go and I made the right decision.
The first two days I spent here I only left the hostel and handful of times and all of those expeditions were two minutes away to get some food then return to the hostel. I was feeling a little sick but just wanted to take it easy for a bit to make sure it did not get any more serious and cause me to stay in bed for more than a couple of days. So, these first two days I basically did a lot of reading, planning, and sleeping. Good thing though because my plan worked and I was feeling much better by the end of the two days, though still not 100%.
I needed to continue with my plans, however, so I toured Hangzhou on a rented bike. The main attraction in Hangzhou is West Lake. There are more than 35 lakes in China called West Lake. All of them are named after this one and with good reason. It is beautiful and the surrounding area and is stunning as well. Hangzhou also has its fair share of pagodas and temples but the other real activity to do here is "hiking" a mountain/hill. On my way back from West Lake I decided I was up to scaling a peak along the way. Now, I probably should not have done this given how well, or not well, I was, how dehaydrated I was, and how little time I had (I still needed to return to the hostel, return the bike, gather my things, and get to the train station), but the temptation was too great and up I went.
Very cool place. After about 2 mintues of walking up I could not hear another human being and, other than nature, the only other audible noises were the occasional car horn. As I got higher the horns stopped. In fact, I did not see another person until I got to what I thought was the top and then again to I got the actual top. I also discovered a ride that was designed to take people up but had clearly been abondned. I also found what looked liked houses being constructed but not furnished or occupied. Of course, I broke into a few and walked around inside but there was nothing interesting.
Although I only exlored the city for about six hours, Hangzhou is up there among my favorite destinations in China. I would very much like to return and think it would be a very different experience not only had I not been sick but if the weather was nice and the sun was shining.
The first two days I spent here I only left the hostel and handful of times and all of those expeditions were two minutes away to get some food then return to the hostel. I was feeling a little sick but just wanted to take it easy for a bit to make sure it did not get any more serious and cause me to stay in bed for more than a couple of days. So, these first two days I basically did a lot of reading, planning, and sleeping. Good thing though because my plan worked and I was feeling much better by the end of the two days, though still not 100%.
I needed to continue with my plans, however, so I toured Hangzhou on a rented bike. The main attraction in Hangzhou is West Lake. There are more than 35 lakes in China called West Lake. All of them are named after this one and with good reason. It is beautiful and the surrounding area and is stunning as well. Hangzhou also has its fair share of pagodas and temples but the other real activity to do here is "hiking" a mountain/hill. On my way back from West Lake I decided I was up to scaling a peak along the way. Now, I probably should not have done this given how well, or not well, I was, how dehaydrated I was, and how little time I had (I still needed to return to the hostel, return the bike, gather my things, and get to the train station), but the temptation was too great and up I went.
Very cool place. After about 2 mintues of walking up I could not hear another human being and, other than nature, the only other audible noises were the occasional car horn. As I got higher the horns stopped. In fact, I did not see another person until I got to what I thought was the top and then again to I got the actual top. I also discovered a ride that was designed to take people up but had clearly been abondned. I also found what looked liked houses being constructed but not furnished or occupied. Of course, I broke into a few and walked around inside but there was nothing interesting.
Although I only exlored the city for about six hours, Hangzhou is up there among my favorite destinations in China. I would very much like to return and think it would be a very different experience not only had I not been sick but if the weather was nice and the sun was shining.
Shanghai, China, Part II
I did not know prior to going to Suzhou if I could get directly to my next intended destination so I made plans to return to Shanghai. Also, the hostel said they could hold on to my bag for a couple of days, which lessens my load a lot and makes getting around markedly easier. So, even though I had less than positive opinion of Shanghai I returned.
I liked Shanghai much more this time than the previous time. I think this difference can be mostly attributed to a few things:
1. Weather (constant rain to just scattered rain).
2. Hostel room (I was in 103 before with a chronic urinate-all-over-the-washroom, not just seat or toilet, but entire washroom, Chinese guy and then was in 116 with a much cleaner washroom).
3. Actually doing stuff (relates to number 1 above) and meeting people who do not urinate all over everything.
Shortly after I arrived I went to the Bund area, which is supposed to be some of the best views in the city. Unfortunately, Shanghai has construction all of the city (for the Expo 2010 previously mentioned) and the views of the Bund are mostly obscured. The following day I went to the French Concession area and walked around. This area is now dominated by little boutiques selling things I am not interested in, but there are still several nice streets and buildings and parks. A good area that I would like to visit again in warmer weather. The French Concession area is easily my favorite in Shanghai. Honestly, as it is currently, it is one of the few things in Shanghai actually worth seeing.
Overall, this time in Shanghai elevated my opinion of the city, though it is still not my favorite place.
I liked Shanghai much more this time than the previous time. I think this difference can be mostly attributed to a few things:
1. Weather (constant rain to just scattered rain).
2. Hostel room (I was in 103 before with a chronic urinate-all-over-the-washroom, not just seat or toilet, but entire washroom, Chinese guy and then was in 116 with a much cleaner washroom).
3. Actually doing stuff (relates to number 1 above) and meeting people who do not urinate all over everything.
Shortly after I arrived I went to the Bund area, which is supposed to be some of the best views in the city. Unfortunately, Shanghai has construction all of the city (for the Expo 2010 previously mentioned) and the views of the Bund are mostly obscured. The following day I went to the French Concession area and walked around. This area is now dominated by little boutiques selling things I am not interested in, but there are still several nice streets and buildings and parks. A good area that I would like to visit again in warmer weather. The French Concession area is easily my favorite in Shanghai. Honestly, as it is currently, it is one of the few things in Shanghai actually worth seeing.
Overall, this time in Shanghai elevated my opinion of the city, though it is still not my favorite place.
Suzhou, China
Suzhou is considered by the Chinese to be one of the most beautiful cities in the country and also one of the most beautiful in the world. Well, I did not have the best weather to be a fair judge, but I would venture to guess that these are probably true statements.
The city is famed for its gardens and traditional waterside architechture, and, to a less extent, its pagodas. It is is sometimes called the Venice of the East. And, despite the constant cold and nearly constant rain, it remained gorgeous.
I have noticed that China has a way of charging admission for just about everything. As in, some public parks, that are largely not visited by tourists but by locals doing tai chi in the mornings, often charge admission. On that note, it was obviously no surprise that the pogodas and gardens had an admission fee, but sometimes they are unreasonably high. One of the better gardens, The Hunble Administrator's Garden, has a entrance fee of 50RMB in the low season and 70RMB in high season. To Americans, this does not sound like too much money (about $7.75 and $10.75), but it is a lot of money here and when you consider that it only takes a few hours to explore and you usually do a few attractions a day, the costs add up quickly. So, you discriminate and become more selective about which attractions you visit. Which means you see less.
I decided to go to the tallest pagoda in the area (North Temple Pagoda) and what is usually regarded as the best garden (The Garden of the Master of the Nets). The entrance fee to the pagoda was 25RMB (about $4). The pagoda itself was just OK. It provided nice views of the surroundings but the weather and smog significantly diminishes the sights. However, while doing a lap on the top level of the pagoda me and the two guys I was spending the day with noticed a small pond just off the foot of the pagoda. We made our way there and this is what made the 25RMB money well spent. The pond was very pretty and it was nice just to walk around absorbing the atmosphere.
After lunch me and the two Americans I met in the hostel split ways. I took my rented bike down a couple of the nicer streets Baita West Road, which is more developed with clothes shops and such but still has a very Chinese feel, and Pingjiang Road, which is an ancient street that has not been touched and follows one of the many streams in the city. This was a great bike ride. The rain had all but stopped and the sights are picturesque.
The bike ride was taking to my second entrance-fee-required site of the day, The Garden of the Master of the Nets, which I had read was 30RMB, but was only 20RMB. I picked this garden in particular because my guide book says it is probably the best in Suzhou despite it being among the smallest. Also, I like the name. The Garden of the Master of the Nets. Awesome. The garden is highly regarded mostly for its use of space and its proportionality. Now, I do not know what those terms means when it comes to gardens and I am sure I would appreciate the garden more fully and with greater depth if I did, but it was still a nice place despite my lack of garden knowledge and terminology. The main attraction in the garden is a pond, which, of course, is very nice. About half of the garden consists of the former residences. I found this part less enjoyable but, again, that probably has to do with my limited knowledge. Either way, it was good time.
From the garden I headed back to my hostel. Almost as soon as I left it started to rain again. I half expected to just give up and get in a cab with my rented bike but once I got going I really enjoyed riding in the rain. It was 5:20PM and there were hundreds of Chinese riding their own bikes home from work. I felt like a local. I was weaving in traffic, ignoring traffic signals, and getting soaking wet just like everybody else. It was great. Probably my most authentic experience in China.
Then I got lost and it was no longer great. I had been doing really good for about an hour then I lost it. I do not even know what happened. I was perfect and then I wasn't. Also, just about then is when the chain fell off the gear for the first time (it happened a second time about 10 minutes later) which was not fun to fix in the rain, with no light (I did not even know what the problem was for the first 5 minutes), no tools, and partially numb hands and fingers. I got it fixed and eventually found my way. Despite getting lost and the troubles with the bike, this ride was probably my favorite part of Suzhou.
The following day I slept in a bit and hung out in the hostel until I needed to leave to catch my train back to Shanghai. Suzhou is pretty small and I had seen enough of the city the previous day, plus the weather was unfavorable and I did not feel motivated to do much more than sit down and chill out. The hostel did not put on the heat, however, so could see my breath the entire time.
The city is famed for its gardens and traditional waterside architechture, and, to a less extent, its pagodas. It is is sometimes called the Venice of the East. And, despite the constant cold and nearly constant rain, it remained gorgeous.
I have noticed that China has a way of charging admission for just about everything. As in, some public parks, that are largely not visited by tourists but by locals doing tai chi in the mornings, often charge admission. On that note, it was obviously no surprise that the pogodas and gardens had an admission fee, but sometimes they are unreasonably high. One of the better gardens, The Hunble Administrator's Garden, has a entrance fee of 50RMB in the low season and 70RMB in high season. To Americans, this does not sound like too much money (about $7.75 and $10.75), but it is a lot of money here and when you consider that it only takes a few hours to explore and you usually do a few attractions a day, the costs add up quickly. So, you discriminate and become more selective about which attractions you visit. Which means you see less.
I decided to go to the tallest pagoda in the area (North Temple Pagoda) and what is usually regarded as the best garden (The Garden of the Master of the Nets). The entrance fee to the pagoda was 25RMB (about $4). The pagoda itself was just OK. It provided nice views of the surroundings but the weather and smog significantly diminishes the sights. However, while doing a lap on the top level of the pagoda me and the two guys I was spending the day with noticed a small pond just off the foot of the pagoda. We made our way there and this is what made the 25RMB money well spent. The pond was very pretty and it was nice just to walk around absorbing the atmosphere.
After lunch me and the two Americans I met in the hostel split ways. I took my rented bike down a couple of the nicer streets Baita West Road, which is more developed with clothes shops and such but still has a very Chinese feel, and Pingjiang Road, which is an ancient street that has not been touched and follows one of the many streams in the city. This was a great bike ride. The rain had all but stopped and the sights are picturesque.
The bike ride was taking to my second entrance-fee-required site of the day, The Garden of the Master of the Nets, which I had read was 30RMB, but was only 20RMB. I picked this garden in particular because my guide book says it is probably the best in Suzhou despite it being among the smallest. Also, I like the name. The Garden of the Master of the Nets. Awesome. The garden is highly regarded mostly for its use of space and its proportionality. Now, I do not know what those terms means when it comes to gardens and I am sure I would appreciate the garden more fully and with greater depth if I did, but it was still a nice place despite my lack of garden knowledge and terminology. The main attraction in the garden is a pond, which, of course, is very nice. About half of the garden consists of the former residences. I found this part less enjoyable but, again, that probably has to do with my limited knowledge. Either way, it was good time.
From the garden I headed back to my hostel. Almost as soon as I left it started to rain again. I half expected to just give up and get in a cab with my rented bike but once I got going I really enjoyed riding in the rain. It was 5:20PM and there were hundreds of Chinese riding their own bikes home from work. I felt like a local. I was weaving in traffic, ignoring traffic signals, and getting soaking wet just like everybody else. It was great. Probably my most authentic experience in China.
Then I got lost and it was no longer great. I had been doing really good for about an hour then I lost it. I do not even know what happened. I was perfect and then I wasn't. Also, just about then is when the chain fell off the gear for the first time (it happened a second time about 10 minutes later) which was not fun to fix in the rain, with no light (I did not even know what the problem was for the first 5 minutes), no tools, and partially numb hands and fingers. I got it fixed and eventually found my way. Despite getting lost and the troubles with the bike, this ride was probably my favorite part of Suzhou.
The following day I slept in a bit and hung out in the hostel until I needed to leave to catch my train back to Shanghai. Suzhou is pretty small and I had seen enough of the city the previous day, plus the weather was unfavorable and I did not feel motivated to do much more than sit down and chill out. The hostel did not put on the heat, however, so could see my breath the entire time.
Shanghai, China, Part I
From Xi'an, I took another overnight train to Shanghai. Now, I try to seperate what I hear from other travelers from my own experience and try not to let their impressions influence my own but I think people I have talked to have been spot on about Shanghai.
In short, I hate it here.
Alright, that is an exageration. But I do not care for it much at all. I also try to seperate the weather from how I feel about the city. (Partially because I know Chicago weather can be less that ideal on occasion.) But, it did not stop raining while I was there and put in a bad mood the entire time. I could not do enjoy or even do half of what I wanted to because of the constant, unyielding rain and could not enjoy what I did do.
I saw very few of the few attraction the city has to offer and those that I did were not only obstructed by the weather, but also my the terrible smog and the construction in preperation of the Shanghai 2010 Expo. Also, nobody really knows what the Shanghai 2010 Expo is. Really, I have asked dozens of people, including people that live here and others that work for its development, and nobody can tell me what it is for sure. What I have gathered (meaning, my best guess) is that is going to be Shanghai's effort to show the world that it can be an alpha-city like New York and London and Tokyo. Well, I am biased because I like New York and London and Tokyo, but, sorry, Shanghai, I do not see it happening.
In short, I hate it here.
Alright, that is an exageration. But I do not care for it much at all. I also try to seperate the weather from how I feel about the city. (Partially because I know Chicago weather can be less that ideal on occasion.) But, it did not stop raining while I was there and put in a bad mood the entire time. I could not do enjoy or even do half of what I wanted to because of the constant, unyielding rain and could not enjoy what I did do.
I saw very few of the few attraction the city has to offer and those that I did were not only obstructed by the weather, but also my the terrible smog and the construction in preperation of the Shanghai 2010 Expo. Also, nobody really knows what the Shanghai 2010 Expo is. Really, I have asked dozens of people, including people that live here and others that work for its development, and nobody can tell me what it is for sure. What I have gathered (meaning, my best guess) is that is going to be Shanghai's effort to show the world that it can be an alpha-city like New York and London and Tokyo. Well, I am biased because I like New York and London and Tokyo, but, sorry, Shanghai, I do not see it happening.
Xi'an, China
From Pingyao I wanted to go to Shanghai, but, because Pingyao is so small, there is nothing direct. OK, fine, I will go to Xi'an and visit the Terracotta Warriors. It is not like it is the most (or second most, depending on your source) visited site in China. Mostly because I had no real interest in seeing the Terracotta Warriors, I had low expectations, but, in truth, seeing them was really cool. How well preserved they are, and there sheer number, is amazing.
Overall, Xi'an was better than I expected, but, again, I did not expect much. There are too many tourists, and, though I am a tourist, that really takes away from the experience. Xi'an should be as inexpensive as Pingyao but because it sees so many more tourists the prices for everything are jacked and makes visiting the sites not worth it. For example, one, if not the, main attraction in Xi'an is the Bell Tower. Admission to the Bell Tower is 40RMB (just over $6), which is not much until you consider that, a) that is more than I pay for a night's accommodation, and b) there is nothing to see/do in the Bell Tower other than take pictures of the surrounding area. I did not go in and do not regret it at all.
The highlights of Xi'an other than the Warriors was walking along the city wall, which provided for some excellent views. And, two, on the way back from walking on the wall me and the girl I was walking with stopped at some hole-in-the-wall restaurant where I had the best meal I had had in China. While deciding to eat there or not we realized that the guy next to the woman who was preparing the dishes to be given to customers was making the noodles from scratch that were going in the food. That was the deciding factor.
Overall, Xi'an was better than I expected, but, again, I did not expect much. There are too many tourists, and, though I am a tourist, that really takes away from the experience. Xi'an should be as inexpensive as Pingyao but because it sees so many more tourists the prices for everything are jacked and makes visiting the sites not worth it. For example, one, if not the, main attraction in Xi'an is the Bell Tower. Admission to the Bell Tower is 40RMB (just over $6), which is not much until you consider that, a) that is more than I pay for a night's accommodation, and b) there is nothing to see/do in the Bell Tower other than take pictures of the surrounding area. I did not go in and do not regret it at all.
The highlights of Xi'an other than the Warriors was walking along the city wall, which provided for some excellent views. And, two, on the way back from walking on the wall me and the girl I was walking with stopped at some hole-in-the-wall restaurant where I had the best meal I had had in China. While deciding to eat there or not we realized that the guy next to the woman who was preparing the dishes to be given to customers was making the noodles from scratch that were going in the food. That was the deciding factor.
Pingyao, China
Pingyao is a lesser-known traveler destination, which is precisely the reason I chose to visit it. The city itself was once the most important financial hub in China - in its prime nearly 50% all Chinese firms had there transactions and business process go through Pingyao. At the time, the town was booming and had branches basically everywhere in China. Suffice to say, Pingyao and its reach in China was enormous. Well, as you no doubt have guessed, this did not last. Once things turned south for Pingyao it had no money for even the most basic infrastructural improvements. In fact, only in the last ten years (when tourism started picking up there) has the city had enough cash to make betterments. As a result of the financial downfall, Pingyao is among the best, if not the best, preserved example of imperial China that exist today.
Pingyao is filled with temples and "former residence of X," with X being some formally famous Chinese financial guru. Visit some of the places is interesting, but gets repetitive after a bit. The real charm of the town is just wandering around. I can describe Pingyao as this: you walk/ride (on a rented bike) on the main roads, which are filled with shops and overpriced restaurants and souvenir shops. You turn off the main road and you have a few restaurants. You turn off that and there is almost nothing. You turn off that and you have nothing. You turn off that and you have homes with, what I have to guess, is mothers teaching their kids math. It is really amazing. In Pingyao, the best thing you can do is get lost, which I have no trouble doing.
Pingyao is a great place in China that I have recommended and will continue to recommend to every traveler interested in listening. I went there on the advice of my guidebook. Sometimes guidebooks lead wrong, sometimes they are spot on. I guess I really did get lucky this time because my China experience would no doubt not be as it is without Pingyao.
Pingyao is filled with temples and "former residence of X," with X being some formally famous Chinese financial guru. Visit some of the places is interesting, but gets repetitive after a bit. The real charm of the town is just wandering around. I can describe Pingyao as this: you walk/ride (on a rented bike) on the main roads, which are filled with shops and overpriced restaurants and souvenir shops. You turn off the main road and you have a few restaurants. You turn off that and there is almost nothing. You turn off that and you have nothing. You turn off that and you have homes with, what I have to guess, is mothers teaching their kids math. It is really amazing. In Pingyao, the best thing you can do is get lost, which I have no trouble doing.
Pingyao is a great place in China that I have recommended and will continue to recommend to every traveler interested in listening. I went there on the advice of my guidebook. Sometimes guidebooks lead wrong, sometimes they are spot on. I guess I really did get lucky this time because my China experience would no doubt not be as it is without Pingyao.
21 November 2009
Beijing, China
From Seoul I took a flight to Beijing, China. I plan on spending about a month in China, so I post will be more city-based than country-based. (Though the Chinese government blocks Facebook and my blog among other sites so I do not know when this will actually get posted. I am writing this on 2 Nov.)
Upon arrival I took a bus and then the subway to my hostel. I had a less than ideal feeling about the hostel as soon as I arrived for no particular reason, but soon found it was at least partially justified. I had reserved a four bedroom dorm to find five beds. The hostel advertizes wifi in the rooms, but in fact there is none. After being there for a couple hours I informed the hostel that I would not be staying for the three days that I had reserved. They put up a bit of a fuss, but in the end it was not too much trouble.
That night I went out with a couple of people from the hostel. Both said that the hostel was either the best or one of the best hostels they have ever stayed at so I questioned my decision to leave but I had already made a reseveration at a new hostel. The evening was uneventful but enjoyable.
The following day I checked out and walked to my new hostel. I made the right decision. The new hostel was much better, cleaner, nicer, and with an enormous, comfortable bed. I did not do much this day, just a bit of walking around and getting situated.
The following day I went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (Palace Museum), and some park just north of the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square was intersting but did not take nearly as long to see as I expected; just about an hour. I walked through it and reached the end (where the Forbidden City starts) without even realizing I was done. In contrast, I think I liked Forbidden City more than most. It was really cool and interesting and completely enthralling. I really enjoyed it. I had been walking all day in sandals but decided it was still too early to call it a day and go back to the hostel so I paid 2RMB (about $0.30) to enter a park nearby. The park was beautiful and full of great pictures. I was very pleased I decided to go in and had an ice cream (another $0.30) for breakfast/lunch.
The next day I went to the Great Wall. There are several portions of the wall the remain to day. Each has kind of developed a different reputation. One is where you go if you basically just want to say you walked the Great Wall (trips to this one always include shopping). Another is less touristy, but not at all challenging. The one I did is not overhelmingly touristy, though there were a couple of other groups of tourists. It is also regarded as one of the more challenging and is 10km in length, but it truth was not difficult at all and we completed it in about three hours instead of the "typical" four.
I liked my trip to the Great Wall more than I expected to, and I had high expectations. What really added to it for me was the weather: it was awful. It hailed. It rained. And it was great. Call me crazy, but I think I would not have liked it nearly as much (but still a great deal) if it had been all warm and sunny. It was a great time.
What also added to my Great Wall experience was that I did not do an oranized tour. I had signed up for one with my hostel even though the cost seemed a bit high 355RMB ($55) but I did not want to do it alone in case the worst happened. As luck would have it, I met a couple of French guys who invited me with them. I promptly canceled my organized tour (and got a full refund) and told them I was in. Not going on an organized tour makes every detail more complicated but also more true, real, and fun. We took the subway to the long-distance bus station, a bus to a stopping point where we were supposed to transfer to a mini-bus. With no mini-buses to be found we hired a driver to drive us there and back to the same stoppig point.
The Wall itself is something unique. The experience is difficult to explain because all it is is walking on the top of a wall. But the scenary is beautiful and the meaning of the wall adds to the experience. It it truly outstanding, but needs to be experienced first hand. It is like the Giza pyramids outside Cairo: you can look at all the pictures you want but they are nothing like seeing them with your own eyes. So, in short, go to the Great Wall (and the pyramids).
After my trip to the Great Wall, I am comfortabke admitting, my shoes smelled a bit. I decided to wash them. I left them on top of the garbage in my room so that the water drained into the garbage instead of on to the floor. The hostel staff took their position to mean that they are garbage (I admit, partially, if not mostly, my fault) and threw them away with the rest of the trash. I returned to my room, noticed they were not where I placed them and figured out what had happened. Luckily for me (sarcasm) that night I was attending a Halloween Party, customs and all, and it snowed. I still had a good time, but my feet were ice when I returned. Because of the weather, it took me and a friend more than 30 minutes to get a taxi to get back to the hostel and that time walking in the snow/slush was less than ideal.
In the end, though, no long term damage. The following day I went to the Pearl Market and bought myself a pair of fake Timberlands. It was still snowing, but my and the friend I was with decided the Temple of Heaven would be a unique experience given that it was still snowing. The Temple of Heaven is, according to traveling books and other tourists, among the top attractions in Beijing, and it was cool. The weather, again, added to it for me. We made a snowman in the Temple of Heaven! Come on, that is cool. Aside from smowmen, the Temple itself is pretty and a wonderful place to wonder around.
After the Temple of Heaven we returned to the hostel, new shoes and all. And, guess what, the hostel had found my shoes. OK, now, on the surface this is a absolutely positive thing, right? Wrong. My world is different than your's. It sounds kind of obvious, I suppose, but you really do not understand it until you live it. Yes, the finding of my shoes is a good thing, kind of. Except that I just spent $25 (a lot of money here - about 5 nights' accomodation) on a new pair of shoes. And, now I have the decision of, a) keep both pairs of shoes and carry both of them around until it no longer makes sense to do so, or b) dump either the old, once lost shoes or the new pair of face Timberlands that I just bought. I could not bring myself to dump one of the pairs, of course, so now I am carrying both pairs, which really sucks and is more inconvienent than you can imagine.
Also, the recently found shoes are soaking wet because they had been sitting outside in the snow since they were mistaken for garbage. In a stroke of genius I decide to dry them with a hair dryier. Of course I do not pay close enough attention and set the left shoe on fire. After I resole that situation, the sole of the left shoe is all, let's say "misshapen," though that is really generous, and I have to cut off the back 2/3 to make it wearable. And, I do not notice until several days and wounds later that the heel as well took some damage and is quite sharp in several areas. And, yes, I am still carrying this pair in hopes of salvaging them.
That evening I boarded my first overnight train in China. I have never been on an overnight train before and I had heard that long-distance train travel in China is an experience. Well, it is. I decided to pay a small amount extra for a bottom bunk. (There are three levels. The bottom bunk has enough height to sit up straight on, the top bunk you can can barely lean up from laying down.) As it turns out, the bottom bunk is kind of social area in which everybody, culturally, is welcome to sit, eat, and relax on. This, of course, was news to me, and, though I do not think I am normally a particularly territorial person, I felt very upset that MY space was being invaded. Sadly, there was nothing I could do so I sucked it up and delt with countless Chinese men eating KFC and farting (openly and obviously) on my bed.
I slept well.
Upon arrival I took a bus and then the subway to my hostel. I had a less than ideal feeling about the hostel as soon as I arrived for no particular reason, but soon found it was at least partially justified. I had reserved a four bedroom dorm to find five beds. The hostel advertizes wifi in the rooms, but in fact there is none. After being there for a couple hours I informed the hostel that I would not be staying for the three days that I had reserved. They put up a bit of a fuss, but in the end it was not too much trouble.
That night I went out with a couple of people from the hostel. Both said that the hostel was either the best or one of the best hostels they have ever stayed at so I questioned my decision to leave but I had already made a reseveration at a new hostel. The evening was uneventful but enjoyable.
The following day I checked out and walked to my new hostel. I made the right decision. The new hostel was much better, cleaner, nicer, and with an enormous, comfortable bed. I did not do much this day, just a bit of walking around and getting situated.
The following day I went to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City (Palace Museum), and some park just north of the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square was intersting but did not take nearly as long to see as I expected; just about an hour. I walked through it and reached the end (where the Forbidden City starts) without even realizing I was done. In contrast, I think I liked Forbidden City more than most. It was really cool and interesting and completely enthralling. I really enjoyed it. I had been walking all day in sandals but decided it was still too early to call it a day and go back to the hostel so I paid 2RMB (about $0.30) to enter a park nearby. The park was beautiful and full of great pictures. I was very pleased I decided to go in and had an ice cream (another $0.30) for breakfast/lunch.
The next day I went to the Great Wall. There are several portions of the wall the remain to day. Each has kind of developed a different reputation. One is where you go if you basically just want to say you walked the Great Wall (trips to this one always include shopping). Another is less touristy, but not at all challenging. The one I did is not overhelmingly touristy, though there were a couple of other groups of tourists. It is also regarded as one of the more challenging and is 10km in length, but it truth was not difficult at all and we completed it in about three hours instead of the "typical" four.
I liked my trip to the Great Wall more than I expected to, and I had high expectations. What really added to it for me was the weather: it was awful. It hailed. It rained. And it was great. Call me crazy, but I think I would not have liked it nearly as much (but still a great deal) if it had been all warm and sunny. It was a great time.
What also added to my Great Wall experience was that I did not do an oranized tour. I had signed up for one with my hostel even though the cost seemed a bit high 355RMB ($55) but I did not want to do it alone in case the worst happened. As luck would have it, I met a couple of French guys who invited me with them. I promptly canceled my organized tour (and got a full refund) and told them I was in. Not going on an organized tour makes every detail more complicated but also more true, real, and fun. We took the subway to the long-distance bus station, a bus to a stopping point where we were supposed to transfer to a mini-bus. With no mini-buses to be found we hired a driver to drive us there and back to the same stoppig point.
The Wall itself is something unique. The experience is difficult to explain because all it is is walking on the top of a wall. But the scenary is beautiful and the meaning of the wall adds to the experience. It it truly outstanding, but needs to be experienced first hand. It is like the Giza pyramids outside Cairo: you can look at all the pictures you want but they are nothing like seeing them with your own eyes. So, in short, go to the Great Wall (and the pyramids).
After my trip to the Great Wall, I am comfortabke admitting, my shoes smelled a bit. I decided to wash them. I left them on top of the garbage in my room so that the water drained into the garbage instead of on to the floor. The hostel staff took their position to mean that they are garbage (I admit, partially, if not mostly, my fault) and threw them away with the rest of the trash. I returned to my room, noticed they were not where I placed them and figured out what had happened. Luckily for me (sarcasm) that night I was attending a Halloween Party, customs and all, and it snowed. I still had a good time, but my feet were ice when I returned. Because of the weather, it took me and a friend more than 30 minutes to get a taxi to get back to the hostel and that time walking in the snow/slush was less than ideal.
In the end, though, no long term damage. The following day I went to the Pearl Market and bought myself a pair of fake Timberlands. It was still snowing, but my and the friend I was with decided the Temple of Heaven would be a unique experience given that it was still snowing. The Temple of Heaven is, according to traveling books and other tourists, among the top attractions in Beijing, and it was cool. The weather, again, added to it for me. We made a snowman in the Temple of Heaven! Come on, that is cool. Aside from smowmen, the Temple itself is pretty and a wonderful place to wonder around.
After the Temple of Heaven we returned to the hostel, new shoes and all. And, guess what, the hostel had found my shoes. OK, now, on the surface this is a absolutely positive thing, right? Wrong. My world is different than your's. It sounds kind of obvious, I suppose, but you really do not understand it until you live it. Yes, the finding of my shoes is a good thing, kind of. Except that I just spent $25 (a lot of money here - about 5 nights' accomodation) on a new pair of shoes. And, now I have the decision of, a) keep both pairs of shoes and carry both of them around until it no longer makes sense to do so, or b) dump either the old, once lost shoes or the new pair of face Timberlands that I just bought. I could not bring myself to dump one of the pairs, of course, so now I am carrying both pairs, which really sucks and is more inconvienent than you can imagine.
Also, the recently found shoes are soaking wet because they had been sitting outside in the snow since they were mistaken for garbage. In a stroke of genius I decide to dry them with a hair dryier. Of course I do not pay close enough attention and set the left shoe on fire. After I resole that situation, the sole of the left shoe is all, let's say "misshapen," though that is really generous, and I have to cut off the back 2/3 to make it wearable. And, I do not notice until several days and wounds later that the heel as well took some damage and is quite sharp in several areas. And, yes, I am still carrying this pair in hopes of salvaging them.
That evening I boarded my first overnight train in China. I have never been on an overnight train before and I had heard that long-distance train travel in China is an experience. Well, it is. I decided to pay a small amount extra for a bottom bunk. (There are three levels. The bottom bunk has enough height to sit up straight on, the top bunk you can can barely lean up from laying down.) As it turns out, the bottom bunk is kind of social area in which everybody, culturally, is welcome to sit, eat, and relax on. This, of course, was news to me, and, though I do not think I am normally a particularly territorial person, I felt very upset that MY space was being invaded. Sadly, there was nothing I could do so I sucked it up and delt with countless Chinese men eating KFC and farting (openly and obviously) on my bed.
I slept well.
Seoul, South Korea
The ferry from Osaka, Japan to Busan/Pusan, South Korea was far nicer than I expected it to be. I was prepared for the worst, no food for the nearly 20 hour voyage, no security/safety, less than desirable sleeping conditions. I was surprised all around. There were two meals provided (dinner and breakfast), both buffet style, though they were only open for about an hour, and were pretty good. My room for four only had two, and was not bad at all and included a locking door. On top of all that, my student card gave me a 20% discount, so the somewhat high fare become reasonable.
During the trip, I started talking to a Canadian guy. He studied history in college so he was able to give me some more information on what I had seen in Japan and what I was going to see in Seoul. He was good company and quite talkative, which made time go by faster. Of the course of the trip, we had a couple of good conversations on some interesting topics.
Once we (myself, Canadian guy, his roommate) took the Korean high-speed train, the KTX, to Seoul. The three hour trip was nice, but there is not too much to see in South Korea besides Busan and Seoul, so I did do much looking out the window. Once in Seoul, I took the subway to my hostel, HEY Backpackers.
Apparently HEY is a bit of a famous place. It is in the heart of Seoul's primary nightlife area. I put my stuff down in my room and headed to a tourist office to get some maps and information. On my way there I saw a guy wearing a Phillies hat and asked him who won the game that I saw briefly while on the ferry (my room had a TV and baseball was the only thing on that both me and my Japanese roommate could understand and enjoy). He said the Phillies had won and if I knew a place to stay for the night. I brought him and his two friends to HEY.
These three guys are stationed in Korea with the US Army. After they put their stuff done, they joined me to look for the tourist office. We could not find it and decided to have a beverage instead. One beverage lead to another and before I knew it I was fully engrossed in the Seoul nightlife.
The following day I did almost nothing as I had had a bit too much fun the night before. However, the following day I went with a German guy and two other Americans to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the boarder of North and South Korea. It was pretty cool and interesting. This trip is just about the only important cultural thing to do in Seoul. So, over the next few days I did some walking around and some sightseeing.
I had only planned on spending three nights in Seoul but ended up spending five, partially because the first night neutralized the following day and partially because I could fly to my next destination (Beijing, China) cheaper if I delayed it for a day, which, of course, I did.
Seoul is a really cool place. The city is nice and there are a good number of places to see around. The local food is pretty tasty and cheap. Cultural/educational items are a bit slacking, but I hear the museums are getting better and better (I hear one is pretty good but I did not feel like going to it). However, I think the main reason people visit Seoul is for the nightlife. To illustrate how crucial the nightlife is to the city, consider this: very few stores open before noon, unless they serve food in which case the usually open around 11AM. The tourist office that was seeking the first day I was there had the hours of noon to 10PM. Just about everybody goes to sleep after 2AM, often closer to 6AM, so the city is kind of empty before noon. I will also point out that the nightlife significantly detracts from how inexpensive the city is.
In the end, a very cool place that is a good place to spend a some time and have a good time.
During the trip, I started talking to a Canadian guy. He studied history in college so he was able to give me some more information on what I had seen in Japan and what I was going to see in Seoul. He was good company and quite talkative, which made time go by faster. Of the course of the trip, we had a couple of good conversations on some interesting topics.
Once we (myself, Canadian guy, his roommate) took the Korean high-speed train, the KTX, to Seoul. The three hour trip was nice, but there is not too much to see in South Korea besides Busan and Seoul, so I did do much looking out the window. Once in Seoul, I took the subway to my hostel, HEY Backpackers.
Apparently HEY is a bit of a famous place. It is in the heart of Seoul's primary nightlife area. I put my stuff down in my room and headed to a tourist office to get some maps and information. On my way there I saw a guy wearing a Phillies hat and asked him who won the game that I saw briefly while on the ferry (my room had a TV and baseball was the only thing on that both me and my Japanese roommate could understand and enjoy). He said the Phillies had won and if I knew a place to stay for the night. I brought him and his two friends to HEY.
These three guys are stationed in Korea with the US Army. After they put their stuff done, they joined me to look for the tourist office. We could not find it and decided to have a beverage instead. One beverage lead to another and before I knew it I was fully engrossed in the Seoul nightlife.
The following day I did almost nothing as I had had a bit too much fun the night before. However, the following day I went with a German guy and two other Americans to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the boarder of North and South Korea. It was pretty cool and interesting. This trip is just about the only important cultural thing to do in Seoul. So, over the next few days I did some walking around and some sightseeing.
I had only planned on spending three nights in Seoul but ended up spending five, partially because the first night neutralized the following day and partially because I could fly to my next destination (Beijing, China) cheaper if I delayed it for a day, which, of course, I did.
Seoul is a really cool place. The city is nice and there are a good number of places to see around. The local food is pretty tasty and cheap. Cultural/educational items are a bit slacking, but I hear the museums are getting better and better (I hear one is pretty good but I did not feel like going to it). However, I think the main reason people visit Seoul is for the nightlife. To illustrate how crucial the nightlife is to the city, consider this: very few stores open before noon, unless they serve food in which case the usually open around 11AM. The tourist office that was seeking the first day I was there had the hours of noon to 10PM. Just about everybody goes to sleep after 2AM, often closer to 6AM, so the city is kind of empty before noon. I will also point out that the nightlife significantly detracts from how inexpensive the city is.
In the end, a very cool place that is a good place to spend a some time and have a good time.
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