China on Kelvin Nicholson

More Overnights

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:30:00 +0000

I arrived in Chengdu tired but in high spirits: my adventure was progressing quickly, and I was in Sichuan, the land of spicy food, which holds a special place in my heart. I had two missions in Chengdu: 1) find a place to shower and 2) catch a bus south to Kunming. The quest for a shower took me down a dirty side street lined with hotels, where I stopped at several to ask about prices. I had to be careful, however, as I don’t think asking “how much for three hours?” would have been particularly successful. I finally found a room for about $20 a night, which I thought was fairly expensive at the time.

Tibet to China

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 10:30:00 +0000

Our friends from Hong Kong, who had departed earlier, were sightseeing in Xining. After leaving the train, we ate at a small Muslim-owned restaurant, attracted plenty of attention, and called my parents. Because we knew little about Xining and did not have much time, we wandered through a local shopping centre and eventually found a huge bookstore. After several hours there, I bought a volume of English classics at a bargain price, and we left to walk through a market.

The 60-Hour Train Ride

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 10:30:00 +0000

Early in the morning, at 6:00am, we arrived in Guangzhou. Can you guess what we did? We ate rice balls, of course. Perhaps I should explain: although Taiwan prepares rice balls differently, those in Guangzhou usually come in a dark sesame paste or soup and are filled with peanut butter. Yum.

A Day in Yangshuo

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:30:00 +0000

I awoke at 8:00 and went to breakfast. At 10:00 I rented a bike (a tandem!) and started biking to Moon Hill. The traffic was pretty dense, so I needed to be careful, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless.

Halfway up the road I paused for a break, and an older woman approached me to ask if I wanted to buy postcards. Since they were cheaper than in town (about 70 US cents), I bought a pack. The hunt was on, and all the other vendors surrounded me. Yelling “go away, go away” had no effect, if they understood it at all. I cycled across the bridge and took my rest.

Guilin to Yangshuo

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:30:00 +0000

Our boat to Yangshuo left at 09:00, so we needed to wake reasonably early. We ate some local Guilin noodles and met a French couple who were also travelling up the river. By 09:30, we were on our way along the Li River.

The boat ride was beautiful. Although some rubbish floating downstream revealed the river’s pollution, the surrounding hills were remarkable. The same landscape appears on the back of the 20-yuan note, and I now have a photograph of it too. By 12:30, we had arrived in Yangshuo, a town popular with tourists and nestled among the hills. We had only a few things planned, so we decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. We sat beside the river chatting for some time, then collected our books and headed to a cafe. We were in bed by 23:00, ready for a busy day ahead.

A Zoo, Bears, and Monkeys

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 10:30:00 +0000

The bus arrived at about 4:00am, a little too early for me. I slept terribly; the road was in poor condition, and the bus driver drove rather recklessly. In fact, whenever I woke up, I kept saying, “I love you, I love you,” because I didn’t know whether each time I fell asleep would be my last. But I made it, somehow, and had to find my hostel.

I walked out of the train station and headed in the general direction of my hostel. I asked a member of the cleaning staff, who simply replied, “That way.” A couple gave me more detailed directions, and I finally found it. By 5:30, I was knocking on the front door, and a man drinking beer let me in. I checked into my dorm and fell asleep.

Delayed for Five Days

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 10:30:00 +0000

I decided to sleep in and woke at nearly 11:00. I ate breakfast at a nearby bao shop and checked out at 13:00. My first stop was the bus station, where I tried to decide where to go next. Ultimately, I chose Guilin, about a day’s journey northwest of Guangzhou. After buying some rice balls, I took the MRT to another bus station and bought my ticket. The bus didn’t leave until 20:00, so I ate fried rice and sat in a small “reading bar” for a few hours, mostly reading and playing cards. I checked my email one last time in perhaps the most run-down internet cafe I had ever visited, then went to the bus. Guilin, here I come!

Goodbye, Hello FedEx

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 10:30:00 +0000

The day was quite bittersweet. I was dropped off at the border so I could catch my return flight, and with my head hanging low I took the subway back to the hostel. For the next few days I would be trying to conserve money while I waited for my passport.

Oompa Loompas

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 10:30:00 +0000

Back in Guangzhou, things did not seem too bad. My companion woke me again because she wanted to brush her teeth. She kindly let me sleep after that, although I could not. At some point, I stopped pretending to sleep and played some rummy. While in Guangzhou, I had two options: buy a fast-train ticket for 70 kuai and leave in under an hour, or buy a slow-train ticket for 45 kuai and leave in five hours. Changing my airline ticket would cost US$175, actually more than I had paid for the round trip, so I was in turbo-cheap mode. Normally I am just plain old cheap, but now I was really cheap. I took the later train.

Yeah, We Missed the Train

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:30:00 +0000

Oh no. I thought my train from Shanghai left at about 4:30pm, so I had planned to leave Hangzhou between 11:00 and 1:00. The journey takes about two hours. I woke at around 9:00am, packed, and checked the ticket. “Oh, @!#$%!”

“What?”

“I am in serious trouble. The train leaves Shanghai at 11:24!”

For anyone not doing the arithmetic, it was already 9:30 and I was at least two hours from Shanghai, before even accounting for the trip to the station. There was little chance I would catch the train, but because I had to, I was not giving up. I checked out of the hostel and jumped into a taxi to the station.

DQ in Heaven on Earth

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 10:30:00 +0000

Hangzhou is a beautiful city. Although I did not know its population, it felt smaller and calmer than the other places I had visited. People moved slowly, traffic seemed lighter, and the pace was less intense. My hostel was directly beside West Lake, a landscape celebrated by Chinese poets and writers for centuries. I left the warmth of the hostel and began walking along the shore. Parts of the area had clearly been reconstructed, but the lake remained beautiful. People strolled along the paths while I photographed almost everything. In the distance, an old Buddhist temple marked my goal for the day. I followed the lake through the brisk air, passing small clusters of buildings and attractive views along the entire route. At one point, I crossed a long bridge associated with a tragic legend about two lovers, although I was not entirely clear on the details.

Heaven on Earth, Here We Come!

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 10:30:00 +0000

Six hours later, I woke ready to start the day. I checked out of my room and first found an internet cafe.

One of my primary reasons for coming to China was to mail my passport to New Zealand for a visa. I checked my email and confirmed that the visa office had received my application, passport, and payment. I sent a little more detail about my itinerary, and their reply sounded positive.

Like a Sardine

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 10:30:00 +0000

I will need to get used to writing ‘2007’, but I think it will be a great year. At least it has started wonderfully!

After waking up, I packed my things, cleaned the room a little, and left the nearly empty guest house. I decided to take one more look at the modern district during the day and take a few more photos. I found the Jin Mao Tower, took my photos, and jumped back on the subway. After a quick ride to the train station, I purchased my tickets.

Hello 2007

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 10:30:00 +0000

Fairly early in the morning, I woke up and got ready for the day.

The place where I was staying looked and felt very old, especially with the lights out. It seemed like the perfect place for ghosts to gather, so naturally I was a little spooked. I walked with her to the shower and waited for her to finish.

Goodbye 2006

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 10:30:00 +0000

Anyone who has spent a long time on a train knows the relief of finally leaving the carriage. After roughly 22 hours, I was certainly glad to step off. Looking back, a few details stand out.

I had chosen a top bunk, and it was genuinely high. For anyone uncomfortable with climbing, I would recommend paying the small difference for a lower bunk. The advantage was that fresh air entered through vents near the top, so although it was cooler, the air seemed cleaner than elsewhere in the carriage. We had prepared ourselves for a particularly dirty train, but the reality was better than expected. There were cleanliness issues, including occasional spitting outside the designated areas, but the ride itself was smooth.

To Shanghai!

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 10:30:00 +0000

The morning came quickly, but I rolled out of bed, packed, and checked out. I had paid a key deposit, so I collected the refund. For breakfast, I stopped at a place packed with local people. After eating, I ordered their speciality dessert, a kind of pudding. I could understand why it had won awards.

Before going to the train station, I decided to find one of the ten tallest buildings in the world, since I seem to have a fascination with tall buildings. I found it, took my photos, and walked through a traditional market. Sadly, there were many turtles ready to be made into stew or sauce, which I found unsettling.

To Shanghai... Or Not

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:30:00 +0000

I woke up. I walked out and got some breakfast, then finished packing, said goodbye to everybody, and left to catch my train. While downtown I exchanged a little more money, ate lunch at a Macanese-Portuguese restaurant, and bought tickets to Guangzhou.

Two interesting events happened at breakfast. First, when I finished eating, the woman said, “Two kuai for the tissues.” Two yuan for tissues felt steep at the time. Considering my dinner was under 20 yuan, yeesh! Another observation was that I was repeatedly approached while walking back to the train station. About ten people called out, in roughly this order: “Hello, hotel! Nice hotel! You want hotel? Massage? Beautiful girl? Other offers followed.” It was relentless.

Earthquakes in Taiwan

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 10:30:00 +0000

David, the Irishman, woke up first because he needed to go to Hong Kong that day. I woke up second and started packing my things. The staff seemed quite sad to see me leave, but wished me luck with my travels and said I should come back again. I knew I would.

I took the subway to Lo Hu station again, on a mission to call home. I walked and walked, trying to use my calling card on various telephones, but alas, it simply wouldn’t work. I went to an internet cafe, bought an access card, and got online. Still, no outside websites would load. They tried to connect, but the delay was simply too long. I returned the card, without a refund, which was frustrating, and finally learned why: “It was most likely the earthquake in Taiwan that damaged all the lines.” “The WHAT?!” “A huge earthquake hit Taiwan.”

A Work Amigo and Carnivals

Wed, 27 Dec 2006 10:30:00 +0000

In the morning, I woke up, found some food, and met a few more people at the hostel. I spent time talking with two people working there: Athena and Sherry, who was volunteering during a break from university in Hong Kong. Both were kind and enjoyable company. Athena spoke excellent English after studying it at university, while Sherry was volunteering partly to improve hers.

I was waiting for a call from a work colleague in Shenzhen. We had spoken about business by phone but had never met in person. At about 2:00, we made contact and arranged to meet for coffee half an hour later. I chatted with Sherry and Athena until it was time to leave, then took a taxi to the cafe.

Back to China Again

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 10:30:00 +0000

Early in the morning, I got up, ate a little, and went to the train station. I walked through the subway station and eventually arrived at the KCR depot. I bought my ticket to Lo Wu and was off.

The border was a little stressful, especially because I didn’t yet have a visa for China. On previous trips, I had purchased my visa at the border, and I did so again this time. I paid the rather steep fee of HK$380; it would have been almost HK$700 had I used my U.S. passport. To reach the small visa office, go through security until you reach the mainland China gates, then look to your left and go up the escalator.

Hiking and Artillery

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 10:30:00 +0000

Today we awoke much later than normal. After stretching and tidying the room, we walked downstairs to the little coffee shop that served as the headquarters for our guest house. Breakfast and coffee were once again included in the price. We paid for our room and ate a muffin filled with egg and vegetables. When our coffee arrived, the woman announced, “I made his really strong, since that is how an American’s Americano should be,” or something similar. After breakfast, we began our mission for the day: getting an ice cream cone from 7-Eleven. The main complication was that the 7-Eleven was in a village on the opposite side of the mountain.

A Deserted Village

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 10:30:00 +0000

I awoke to the sound of two alarm clocks and voices in the background. The good feelings from the previous day were still with me, and I slowly crawled out of bed.

After quickly packing, I descended from my loft to find breakfast, included with the stay, waiting at the table. In keeping with local tradition, the soup carried the flavour of rice wine, or some other strong liqueur. I ate quickly, since my 7:00am ferry surely wouldn’t wait. The hostess gave me a ride to the harbour, where I bought my ticket and left the South Island.