| Date |
Activity |
| Sat 9-Sep | Dep Australia: Fly with Singapore Airlines to Beijing.
SQ 246 BNE 23:45 ->SIN 5:45 |
| Sun 10-Sep | SQ 802 SIN 8:50 -> Beijing 14:50
Arr Beijing: Welcome by National Escort and transfer to hotel for 2 nights. Welcoming dinner in the evening is a delicious banquet including the 'Peking Duck' delicacy.
Tiantan Hotel 1 Ti Yu Guan Road, Congwen District, Beijing t: +86 (10) 6719 0666 f: +86 (10) 6719 0555
- Very good start to trip. Have a great guide, called "Edward". Going to Great Wall tomorrow, and lots of interesting places. Had dinner tonight with "Peking Duck". No sleep at all last night, but Andy can sleep ok on planes!
Love
Maureen
- Andy reports that there were NO Snakes on the Plane! No Samuel L Jacksons, either.
|
| Mon 11-Sep | Beijing: Walk on the Great Wall and visit the Temple of Heaven. Evening Chinese Acrobatic Show.
- Had a fantastic day. Climbed some of the Great Wall. Beautiful scenery. Good steep climb and well worth it. Visited a Jade factory, had too good a big breakfast, and lunch, and another banquet for dinner.
Went to the Summer Palace in the afternoon. Caught a ferry back across Lake Kunming and throughly loved it all.
We have two guides for just the 13 of us, and they are fantastic. Nothing is too much trouble.
Later, we went to an amazing Chinese Acrobat show, saw some entertainment with dinner, and now back to the lovely Tiantan Hotel. Thought the first lot of dancers could learn a thing or two from Logan Bellydancers. Sloppy arms. You should have seen the size of the zills - as big as dinner plates. And you dancers all know how I love zills.
Beijing is very clean. No litter. Very few smokers indeed. Lots and lots of cranes and building. Very nice landscaping and it is all shaping up nicely for the Games. It looks much better than Cairo, Bangkok, Manila, Bali and all those places.
Very early tomorrow, we are taking just a small backpack for a train trip to Chengde in the north, staying overnight, and another 4 hour train trip in the morning. So far a very busy tour, but very interesting and the group are all getting along famously.
Love to all, Maureen and Andy
- Andy reports that there were NO Rabbits on the other side of the Great Wall!
|
| Tue 12-Sep | Beijing/Chengde: Famous for its beautiful gardens and lakes, Chengde, was in ancient times, a renowned holiday resort for the imperial court during the Qing Dynasty. Visit Imperial Mountain Villas and temples built for Tibetan and Mongolian warlords. Stay overnight in Chengde.
Chengde Plaza 5 Chezhan Rd (S), Chengde t: +86 (314) 208 6029 f: +86 (314) 208 8808 |
| Wed 13-Sep | Chengde/Beijing: Return to Beijing in afternoon.
- Dear All,
Just returned to Beijing. Caught a train up to Chengde, which is 4 hrs to the north east of Beijing. A town of only 300,000. Had an interesting time on the train. A group of 41 Americans were in our carriage, and we sang all the old songs from Oklahoma, South Pacific etc., for half the trip. They are a group of storytellers, who were gathering stories from the people in China. Having spent some time also working in the villages, they were touring around. Very friendly bunch, and very talented, putting us to shame. On the way back today, they performed a number of stories and were great value. The Chinese put all the foreigners in the one carriage so they can constantly try and sell them food and souvenirs.
In Chengde we saw the Summer Palace of the Emperor, which was twice as big as the one in Beijing. On a lovely lake, on a beautiful day, it was very pleasant. Weather perfect. Twenty nine in Beijing and a little cooler in the mountains in Chengde.
Food continues to be one banquet after another, and very plentiful. The hotel in Chengde was new to the travel group. As our guide said "they have the hardware, but not the software to manage tourists." In other words, the rooms were beautiful, with bathrobes, slippers, combs and everything else supplied. But, we asked for orange juice for breakfast, and it was served HOT! Someone paid for a bottle of beer, and so the waitress continued to serve it to another table etc.!
Everything is so cheap. A large bottle of beer is $1.80. But a cup of coffee is more than $2! China seems very very commercial, although not as bad in some places in Asia and the Middle East. We are offered "Rolex" watches and the like 6 times a day for $2.
In Chengde, Westerners were not common, and we were a source of amusement.
The second day in Chengde, we went to several Buddhist temples, having seen them from a little distance on a tour of the mountains the day before. Wow! A perfect day, and the whole scene was up there with the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, and St Peters in Rome. Fortunately, it was only 300 steps up to the largest temple, so not nearly as strenuous as the Great Wall. To cope with all the food, we seem to be constantly walking for many hours a day.
Everyone is having a riotous time, with lots of laughter. The pace is very hectic, and it is difficult to find time to do much else other than what is on the programme.
Our guide is already prepping us up for a revue on the last day of our boat cruise. He wants us to perform a play where we all gradually collapse climbing the Great Wall and then sing a song to a French tune. It sounds simply awful, and very Chinese. Would be grateful for the words to some good Aussie songs, so we can make it Australian, if we really have to do this dreadful performance.
Tonight, Andy is out on the town with friends from his Linux User group. Suppose he will survive. It seems much safer than the Middle East and the rest of Asia.
Tomorrow, more touring around Beijing to the Forbidden City, Tiannamen Square, a trip to the suburbs etc., and that night, board an overnight train to Xian. Possibly able to access the internet in 2 nights.
Love to all,
Maureen and Andy.
- Andy reports that about 100 people turned out to hear him speak to the Beijing GNU/Linux User Group.
|
| Thu 14-Sep | Beijing/Xian: Visit Tiananmen Square, the stunning Summer Palace and the treasure filled Forbidden City before boarding overnight sleeper train to Xian (13 hours). |
| Fri 15-Sep | Xian: Arrive in the historic city of Xian. Visit the little Wild Goose Pagoda in the afternoon and a sumptuous Shui Jiao Banquet in the evening.
Orient Hotel 26 Xiaozhai Rd, West, Xian t: +86 (29) 8526 2211 f: +86 (29) 8526 1590
- Dear All,
Going well, but the smog is shocking. Coughing all the time. Went on the overnight train to Xian last night. Very comfortable. The four of us in a cabin snored coughed and wheezed our way through the night.
Saw Tiannamen Square, Mao's tomb and all the Forbidden City yesterday. The Forbidden City is HUGE, and undergoing a big repaint for the games. Looks fantastic.
China seems to be spending many many times what Sydney and Athens did on the Games. I was in Athens 6 weeks before the Greek ones. I am continually amazed at how commercial the place is, and how many people speak English. Children now start to learn Englsh here from when they are 18 months old!
Yesterday, we went out to the suburbs of Beijing and had a rickshaw ride and looked in at a train driver's house (ie middle class). Much much more enjoyable than you would think.
Love to all,
Maureen and Andy
|
| Sat 16-Sep | Xian: Visit the ancient city wall, one of the best preserved in all of China, followed by one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century - the life size Terracotta Warriors. Later also visit the picturesque Huaqing Hot Springs. Evening live performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.
- The smog really is bad. I spoke to Maureen on the phone this morning. She coughed and spluttered through the whole conversation. She said that the hotel was topped by a revolving restaurant. She doesn't know why they bother with the rotation. One can only see 2m into the smog in all directions. -- Mike
- Dear Friends,
Continuing to have a great time. Went to a Buddist Pagoda yesterday, which had a peaceful garden. Pity I couldn't stop coughing for the smog. Have dosed up big time on Seretide and Antihistamines. Then went to a show of cultural music and dance. Very, very good. Arranged like Jupiters or Moulin Rouge - seated at tables with 15 kinds of dumplings served later. brilliant costumes, excellent choreography, and wonderful dancers and musicians. Hate to say it Deb, but they definitely have the edge on us girls in Logan City.
Today, went to the city wall, built over 600 years ago. I have seen many of these in Europe, Ireland, Morocco etc., but this one was definitely the best. 12 metres high, 14 metres wide, with North, South, East and West Gates and buildings. You can ride bikes around the 14 km wall, or even hire a golf buggy. It is also under restoration (like most of China for the Olympics) with primitive brooms and chisels to scrape off some mud. Then off to a factory which makes Terracotta Warrior souvenirs and Chinese furniture (which was beautiful).
Then on to the famous Terracotta Warrior excavation site. These excavations are under giant pavilions. So many have not yet been found, but 6000 of them have. They are part of the protection of the first Emperor of China's Mausoleum. A whole mountain was built around his tomb. He took all of these horses and bronze soldiers, standing about 178 cm high with him to the afterlife. (Except that they are still here now!). It is the largest Mausoleum in the world. So much has not yet been discovered. 720,000 people were used in the construction and all killed with him to protect the secret of the tomb (Eat your heart out, Saddam!) The actual buildings housing the museum etc., are very elaborate and the whole site is very "Seaworld, Dreamworld, Movieworld" sophisticated.
Andy and I caught on camera an incident. A foreigner was dressed very effectively in a costume as a terracotta warrior. He hung around for a while pretending to be a statue. Then he made a leap over the fence into the excavation site. The army appeared out of nowhere. He was last seen being jogged by the army face down and horizontal 600mm above the ground to a nice gaol. Andy and I were amazed that they did not confiscate our cameras etc. Our guide had never seen such a scene!
Later, we forced our guide to take us to a silk factory. We actually grabbed him, a limb each between four of us and he had no choice. Edward is very very keen to please, and somewhat stressed when we change the itinerary. He will get used to it. Bought a silk rug (Watch for it on the Visa bill, Mike), and a few presents.
Tomorrow, we were supposed to visit a museum, but voted against it. After all, we have seen most things in the British Museum after the Poms pillaged and plundered the world. We decided instead to spend more free time wandering around the Moslem quarter in Xian. Then we catch a 16 hour train to Wuhan. Apparently, it is much older than the previous train, from Beijing to Xian. We were still dizzy from the first train trip 12 hours later.
Have just gone out to buy our party food for the train.
Email all in a few days,
Love Andy and Maureen
|
| Sun 17-Sep | Xian/Wuhan: Visit the renowned Shaanxi Museum, where thousands of priceless relics are housed and take a walk through the lively Muslim Quarter, exploring the many narrow laneways and interesting Islamic food markets, before boarding overnight sleeper train to Wuhan (16 hours).
- It's now Sunday morning. Will be on the train overnight tonight and then going on the boat on the Yangtze River for 4 nights. It's possible there will be no E mail access for all this time.
Maureen
|
| Mon 18-Sep | Wuhan/Yichang: Arrive in Wuhan in the morning. Visit the Yellow Crane Tower and East Lake before transferring to Yichang (5-6 hours by coach) to board Yangtze River Cruise vessel for the next 4 nights.
MS Victoria No. 2 |
| Tue 19-Sep | Yangtze River Cruise: Enjoy a tour to the Dam Project Site, before cruising along the mighty Yangtze River, passing through the spectacular Three Gorges and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Side-trips to the tranquil Shenglong Stream.
- From Maureen via SMS:
No internet on boat
China great cruise boat just like egypt very nice people
|
| Wed 20-Sep | On cruise |
| Thu 21-Sep | On cruise |
| Fri 22-Sep | Chongqing: Arrive in Chongqing in the morning, and transfer to hotel for 2 nights. Visit the People's Parliament Hall, and feast on a traditional Sichuan Steamboat Banquet in the evening.
East Garden Hotel, 55 XueTianWan St, Yu Zhong Dist, Chongqing t: 023 6385 2288 f: 023 6385 3332
- Dear All,
Have been without internet access for days. Have just arrived in Chongqing - the largest city in China. We were told yesterday that it has 31 million people. Today we were told it has 32 million. Talk about a population explosion!
The boat was very relaxing. Morning trips offshore and afternoon sitting on the deck of the Presidential Suite (rented by Gay and Rob), or lying on the bed in our room, sipping a cold chardy or beer.
The first day of the cruise we went to the (in)famous Three Gorges Dam Site. Over 2 km long. 185 metres high. Apparently in 1999 they discovered 100 cracks running the full height of the dam, but patched it up. Then filled it. Even the deputy Premier was concerned that the dam had the consistency of "wet Tofu". Seems to be holding up so far. However, it is now filled to 135 metres and a lot of the beautiful gorge scenery has disappeared. There are concerns about it slowing the river and trapping the effluent from 400 factories and goodness knows how many people. However, it does help with flood mitigation and navigation. It is, of course, the largest in the world. Chinese Engineering Might.
Second day was a real highlight. We went on a smaller boat to see the 'lesser Three Gorges". The water was much cleaner and it was as close as China probably gets to "wilderness". It was a great trip and the scenery was beautiful, weather perfect.
Third day, we went to a Buddist "Ghost town". This is really a temple where Heaven and Hell play a big part. We were granted 20 extra years of life each. Not a bad deal. Sounds much more effective than chemotherapy for some! We are starting to get a big "Buddist templed out", and I am seriously thinking of NOT visiting Tibet.
Had our concert last night. Our group had a couple of practice sessions beforehand, which were much more hilarious, fun and better performed than the real thing. We did a medley of "Waltzing Matilda, Tie me Kangaroo Down (with actions) and others, finishing with the Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi done by Andrew. The Germans wouldn't even give it a go. The Malaysians were right into it, and the other Aussie group tried to make a fair fist of it with the National Anthem. We had Edward, our tour guide hopping all over the stage pretending to be a Kangaroo. I made a big tail for him out of a pair of my tights stuffed with my PJs.
Quite hot in Chongqing. 34 Celcius. Seeing a "Parliament square" wandering around and going to see the Panda Bears tomorrow. My cough is improving, after taking masses of Seretide and antihistamines. Almost started Prednisone, it was so bad. John was really sick with high fever. Also Rob had bad sinusitus. They chilled out on the boat with Yvonne and Gay for most of the time. Most of the rest are coughing and have runny noses. Again, the pollution has to be seen to be believed. It is probably worse because it hasn't rained for a while. Certainly, not in the two weeks we have been here.
Love to all, Maureen
|
| Sat 23-Sep | Tour Chongqing Zoo where China's famous Pandas are housed.
-
Dear Friends,
Talk about Guardian Angels working overtime! Can you belive the Broncos are in the Grand Final?
Today, we went to the Chongqing Zoo, which is not too bad for a city Zoo. It was a large private garden of a home before Communism, so it is at least put to good use these days. The Panda Bears were, of course, just georgeous. Much smaller than I expected - 100 to 150Kg. Lots of other animals as well from this part of the world including many monkeys. We were distressed to hear that the baby panda reported in the Courier Mail to have been born a few weeks ago was crushed to death when the mother was sleeping. The mother looked quite depressed, and was not eating and moping around. I wonder about Prozac for Panda Bears. Seriously.
Yesterday, we wandered around the streets near our hotel. In the evening, we went to the "Parliament Square", which is a short walk from the hotel. It is paved with polished granite, making a smooth huge surface, and surrounded by fountains, large TV screens, and looks up to the Parliament Building, currently under renovation. In the evening, at least a thousand Chinese gather there every night to dance. Though the square there are traditional dancers, ballroom dancers, line dancers, and all sorts of very graceful aerobic dance routines with music to suit. What a spectacle. Parents with children gather and wheel them in prams and play on tricycles with them. All a great atmosphere. Lots of fun and healthy exercise. We think we will start it up at the Hyperdome. As Chongqing has 32 million people, and Logan City has 200,000, we think that we should attract a crowd of at least 6 people! Not quite the throng in Chongqing, but at least not as noisy.
Last night we had our first meal that most could not eat. Our contrary Andrew loved it. You know the style - gas burner in the middle and they chucked all sorts of things into this soupy water. Then it was doused in Sesame oil and chilli. Mostly the food has been fantastic.
But Oh Boy! are the beds hard!. Today we went to a silk quilt factory. Unfortuntely they were only for sale, not for rent. We all wanted one for the bed here and our third overnight trip on the train. The first train from Beijing to Xian was fairly modern and not bad. The second, from Xian to Wuhan was worse. It truly was like sleeping on a bed of bricks. We all woke up about every 90 seconds in pain. Can't wait for the 21 hour trip tomorrow to Kunming! We met some Canadians who implored us not to try the dining car on the Kunming train. Just dreadful, apparently. After finishing here, we are going to the Supermarket for crackers, snacks and wine to have instead!
China is very noisy. Those 1.3 billion really make a racket! However, almost without exception they seem to find us a curiosity and treat us like royalty. It is great fun shopping. Amazing how good I am getting at miming everything. Marcel Marceau eat your heart out! I have no patience for the phrase book at all.
Tonight, Fran and I are going to the Opera in a Taxi. Sounds very different. Will let you all know. Andy has been out and about after we left the Zoo. Met some chap in the street who gets "Google" through the China Firewall. We all went shopping in the Old City while he did his own thing.
Love to all,
Maureen and Andy
|
| Sun 24-Sep | Chongqing/Kunming: Board scenic sleeper train to Kunming (23 hours), the renowned 'City of Eternal Spring'. Enjoy striking views of mountain ranges and hills. The construction work of this railway was one of the most difficult projects ever completed in China.
-
Leaving in a half hour for the train to Kunming 21 hours. Have a huge stock of food for the train. Went to the Supermarket again. Everyone and their dog was there. It is just like Coles but in the Butcher section, you pick out your live chicken and the butcher cuts off it's head in front of you. Also the fish are still swimming - as well as the turtles.
Went to the Opera last night. It is in a magnificent building called a Guild Building under restoration. Fran and I had two city guides take us there. You sit in a courtyard under the night sky and look at a large verandah serving as a stage while you drink tea. There was little singing. More theatre - with subtitles. Very clever and very funny with great dancing. Had a bit of trouble getting a taxi home, so walked along the wharves. No forklifts here. They all use bamboo poles with two baskets to carry everything.
Andy did his own thing yesterday. Caught up with some young Chinese people who took him home to dinner and cooked him a banquet. Honestly, the people are just so friendly. Apparently, tourists stay only one night, if at all, in Chongqing. We have now had over two days, so have enjoyed the local scene.
Love to all,
Maureen and Andy
|
| Mon 25-Sep | Kunming: Arrive in Kunming at midday, the capital of the Yunnan Province and the begin exploration into this truly breathtaking region. Relax in the afternoon, and sample the 'Across the Bridge Noodles Banquet' in the evening, a specialty of the area.
Golden Dragon Hotel, 575 Beijing Rd, Kunming t: +86 (871) 313 3015 f: +86 (871) 313 1082
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Survived the train trip. Train a bit older again, but slightly cleaner. Very nice scenery along the way. Worth the lack of sleep on the train. Cooler here in Kunming. Max 20. Feels more. Actually have blue skies here. Altitude 2000metres and over the next week we will rise to 3500metres. Could be my imagination, but feel a bit more short of breath climbing the millions of stairs that we seem to scale every day. (Just as well, given the vast amounts of food we are given). In China they have 56 different race groups, and 25 of them are here in Yunnan province. The Hun people make up 97 per cent of the population and the other races the rest.
Kunming is very western, which was a surprise. Very clean. Even has CNN on the TV! Much smaller than other cities we have visited - only 5 million people! The Golden Dragon hotel here is very five star. Beds hard as usual, but a really lovely hotel. Wandered around this afternoon looking at the shops, went to the bank etc., Tonight went to a very good restaurant serving the local specialty noodle dish, plus lots more dishes. We really wonder what happens to the masses of good food we are unable to eat. Perhaps it goes to the "starving kids in China" my mother always told me about when, as children, we wouldn't eat our dinner! Andy went up on stage and joined in the act etc., He's always willing to have a go at anything. Seems to be enjoying himself, but missing Karla very much.
Tomorrow, off to Dali. Apparently, we have no access to currency exchange etc., over the next week, so not sure about Email.
Love to all,
Maureen and Andy
|
| Tue 26-Sep | Dali: Depart in the morning by coach to the exotic town of Dali, and transfer to hotel for 2 nights.
Landspace Hotel, 80 Yuer Road, The Old City, Dali t: +86 (872) 266 6188 f: +86 (872) 266 6189
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Dear Friends,
Am in Dali, which is Noosa, in a primitive kind of way. Very quaint. Much richer than other places, thanks to the tourists. The houses and units are very suave.
It is very, very pretty here. On a beautiful lake. We will have a cruise on it tomorrow, and have a tea ceremony, and other stuff.
Must weigh about 100 Kg by now. They keep feeding us so much. Very nice, but dead sick of Chinese. The hotel in Kunming was real 5 star. Actually quite Western, as I said before. We are going to convince the tour guide that we have an American Sirloin when we get back there. It is the only place we have seen with western food. Would do for a pizza.
Feeling a bit queezy and have tingling hands and feet with my altitude tablets, Diamox. Have stopped them. Also the malaria tablets. Tour guide handing out ancient Chinese remedies. What the heck! In for a penny, in for a pound!
Have found this Internet caf - if you buy a drink it is free. Forced to have a cocktail. Life is hard.
Andrew is a delight to travel with. I am surprised how well we are getting on. Can't resist doing his washing, and he seems to change his clothes every 3 hours. But if this is the worst! He gets on so well with all of the group, and makes friends everywhere.
Love to all, Maureen And Andy.
|
| Wed 27-Sep | Visit the picturesque Three Pagoda Temple and explore the fascinating wonders of Dali's ancient quarter. Enjoy a cruise on stunning Erhai Lake, and experience a traditional tea tasting. In the evening stroll down Foreigner's Street, absorbing the local atmosphere of the authentic markets.
-
Dear Friends,
Spent an hour at the police station today. As you do. Noticed yesterday evening that the locket from my gold chain was missing and the chain was undone. Probably an accident. Many SMSs back and forth to Mike to find out which hoops we have to jump through for the Travel Insurance company. Had to report it to the police and have verifying documentation within 24 hours. Told Edward the guide this morning and, no kidding, within 60 seconds FIVE policemen, including one with 3 pips arrived at the hotel. Big discussion followed. Conclusion: Turn up at the police station after finishing our touring at 5pm today. Very primitive facilities at the station. No computers. Everything handwritten and millions of words spoken. Had to be accompanied by the city guide and the national guide (Edward). All this for a $261 locket! Quite an experience. The worst was all the policemen smoked.
Went to the lovely and very large lake in Dali along almost four wheel drive tracks and got on a local boat. Then eventually to an island, where a particular group of the Bai people live. (this area of China has a large number of minority nationalities). Visited a Pagan Temple where they even worship stones and trees. A candle stick was thrust in my hand to offer to the gods, and ended up burning my finger putting in the holder with the others. (As you would expect, says Fr Gary!).
The loos are getting more primitive by the day, even compared to remote parts of Bali, but we are toughening up. I haven't had the trots yet, like a few of the others. Nor has Andy. Just nauseated from too much food thrust at us. We are looking forward to being hungry before a meal.
Went to a Bai Village for lunch and watched them dying with flower dyes the batik. Didn't know azaleas and camellias are native to these parts.
Then went to a theatrical performance showing us the rituals and tea ceremony involved in engagements and weddings. Tasted the bitter "no" tea, the "yea" tea and the "maybe" tea which the girl uses as a reply to the groom. Similar to Turkey. Unfortunately, no English sub titles. Most tourists in China are Chinese.
Our hotel is very traditional in style and most things work. The town is beautiful and the mountains, covered in snow in the winter, with green fields and then the lake are truly georgeous.
Lastly, today, we went to see the famous "Three Pagodas" with a lovely backdrop and beautiful gardens. One was built in the 9th century and is 16 stories high. Then to a modern hotel for dinner, and to bed. Tomorrow we are off to Shangrila. It's a huge drive. By far, our longest yet, to 3500 metres elevation.
Love to all,
Maureen.
- SMS from Andy:
"i found the 1.3 billion people, they were hiding behind the couch."
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| Thu 28-Sep | Zhongdian: Exploration will take us to the town of Zhongdian, known as 'little Tibet', visiting Tibetan villages along the way. Transfer to hotel for 3 nights.
Sightseeing Hotel, Heping Rd, Zhongdian t: +86 (887) 823 0698 f: +86 (887) 822 9847
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Dear Friends,
A big day today.Travelled from Dali to Shangrila- about 9 hours of solid bus travel. Absolutely spectacular scenery. Beautiful weather. Great to put a light cardigan on and feel crisp clean mountain air, and blue skies. Before we left had a light shower of rain - our first on the whole trip. Saw Yaks and lots of people in traditional dress walking the streets and working the land, which is very green and lush.This area is dominantly Tibetan and Naxi people. The Tibetan people live in 2 storey houses with the yaks on the ground floor and them above. Lots of wild azaleas in bloom. Officially this is an "autonomous region" of China.
So far, none of us seems to be suffering from altitude sickness - just sore bums from the hard bus seats. My sciatica kills at times like this, but it was worth it all. Andy has a heavy cold, and John (Jones) is sick with a virus and bronchitis again. He's waited 7 years for a holiday from his trucking business and now he's been quite sick twice during this holiday. We are at 3500 metres, so we are higher than the highest peak in Aussie land.
Tomorrow, we were supposed to have another 6 hour bus trip to and from our hotel here to visit some Terrace. We jacked up, and are now going to visit a famous monastery, a local family, and cruise around the old area of town in Zhongdian. We will do the big 3 hours each way trip the day after. Apparently, there will be lots of stairs to climb - hundreds, and we need a day to adjust properly to the altitude.
Our hotel here is very nice and each room has an oxygen condenser. They are a real bugger to get out on loan from Logan hospital for our palliative care patients. Always a waiting list for them at Logan. Now here we have one in every hotel room. Andy bought a cylinder of oxygen for a laugh. They are sold a lot on the streets here to adjust to the thin atmosphere. We had sweets in cellophane wrappers which blew right up due to the lower atmospheric pressure. Interesting to see. Julius Sumner Miller would have liked that demonstration of physics at work.
Will bore you silly with another E mail soon,
Maureen and Andy
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| Fri 29-Sep | A magical visit to the great Shangri-La Valley, which many believe to be the inspiration for the famous book, 'Lost Horizon'.
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Dear All,
Guess who? Can't say I don't Email. Had a great day today. Our local guide is Kelsung, who was in a Buddist monastery from the age of 7 to 16, when he escaped to India from Tibet over high mountains, through snow and icy streams etc, Spent 9 years in India, studying at a Tibetan University and returned here for family reasons. Has had to work as a tour guide for the last year to support family. He learnt fantastic English in India. Kelsung gave us a great tour of the Buddist monastery here in Shangrila (Zhongdian). Many Chinese are not welcome for political reasons. The politics is interesting and for later discussion.
We visited a house of a local family to see how they live. Yaks and Drews(female Yaks) and other animals downstairs and the family upstairs in a big family room with a kitchen, living area, sleeping area and prayer area all in a big open space. Have tried the butter tea (yuk), the drew cheese (ok) and all sorts of barley products. The weather is glorious. Blue skies, and my coughing is much better here. It's just like our winter, but is minus 27 in their winter.
Went to the old city and met lots of lovely Tibetan people, who are so friendly. The children are adorable. Here, they are allowed 2 children per family, as they are a minority group. Bought a number of trinkets. Then had a rest for a couple of hours for a change.
Lovely Edward, our type A personality guide, organized a cake to be made at a local bakery for John Jones" birthday. What a cake! Just beautiful with wonderful flowers and incription and huge! It had a massive flame torch in the middle and it folded outafter burning to reveal all these candles alight and played "Happy Birthday" for ages, (just like the garbage trucks here do). In the end we couldn't stand the tune any more and Andrew drowned the big candle in the soup. It took a while to die.
Tonight we went to another live performance. The music, dancing and costumes were wonderful. We were all up on stage dancing in the end. (Yes, Deb, we gave a disgusting performance. Like vomit, as you would say.) Great fun.
Had an awful headache last night adjusting to the altitude. Much better tonight. Ready for the big trek tomorrow. We figure that if all the lolly packets blew up on ascending to here, we should all shrink on landing in Brisbane. Here's hoping.
Will Email if in one piece after tomorrow's effort,
Love to all,
Maureen.
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| Sat 30-Sep | Visit the wondrous Suoduo Lake, encircled by a pristine forest, followed with an afternoon tour to the Gadan Songshanlin Lamasery, built by the 5th Dalai Lama over 300 years ago.
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Dear Friends,
Really like Tibet. The people and scenery are just beautiful, as is the weather. Just a little cool, blue skies etc. Had a fantastic day going to Baishuai Terraces, which are limestone terraces surrounded by beautiful mountains, with clear water cascading down. Very like Pamukkale in Turkey, except a bit smaller, and also the water is cold, not hot and thermal. Lovely scenery on the way, with a 3.5 hr bus trip.
Very daggy restaurant for lunch, but no choice. Afterwards we saw them washing the dishes in dirty water in the back yard. As Andy said, a nice lunch of E Coli.
Four of the others stayed behind with chest infections etc, and suffering a bit from the altitude. Several more of the others have found the symptoms have finally hit, and then we reached 4000metres. They spent a sleepless night somewhat short of breath. I am fine. So is Andrew. Our guide was dreadful. Poor Edward was up all night, breathing oxygen cylinders. All along the way in the bus he was very ill, and we stopped the bus for him to be sick. Apparently, he has been here twice before, and he is better than the last two times. Definitely trying to persuade him that next time he needs some Stemetil (for vomiting), and probably Dexamethasone(a steroid). Maybe some of his Chinese herbs too, as they appeal to him. All guides have to take their turns coming here.
There is no love lost between the Chinese and the locals. Had a good discussion with a local about this today. In many areas of Tibet, there are no schools and no medical facilities. They appreciate any help from foreign governments that is allowed.
Tomorrow we go to Tiger Leaping Gorge, the deepest in the world. Today the battery on my video finally died. This evening,our Tibetan guide (Kelsung) walked me all around this small city trying to find another, and he did! So good to have it for tomorrow. After the Gorge, we are back to Lijang for 2 nights, so it will be a big day again.
Love to all,
Maureen and Andy
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| Sun 1-Oct | Lijiang: Depart Zhongdian to visit one of the most dramatic gorges in the world: Tiger Leaping Gorge, also one of the world's deepest. See the scenic beauty of Yunnan. Arrive in the 'living museum' city of Lijiang in the afternoon and stay for 2 nights.
Sightseeing Hotel, Shangri-La Road, Lijiang t: +86 (888) 516 0188
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Dear Friends,
Have arrived back in Lijang. Real China. Some of the group were still a bit short of breath as we left Shangrila. I now have a cold, which is just a nuisance.
Very very sick of Chinese food. Visited another cafe today where the washing up was pretty disgusting. Try to just think that we haven't seen washing up facilities in most of the places we have been, so maybe they were worse! They have finally got the message that we like cold soft drinks and beer. Today the beer and coke were frozen. Better than hot.
We are now so "over" the whole toilet thing that we happily can crouch in the most awful circumstances. Talk about "female bonding". Getting back to privacy in the loo will be bliss.
Left Shangrila and headed to Tiger Leaping gorge which is a 3900 metre drop. Supposedly the deepest in the world. Beautiful day again. Spectacular scenery. We managed (just) the 1200 steps involved to the bottom of the gorge (and up again). We have been so lucky with the weather. Only one brief shower the whole time in China and Tibet.
Sadly, said goodbye to our Tibetan guide. Maybe a little jealousy on the part of the Chinese guide as we really liked the Tibetan guide. Both are great.
The hotel here in Lijang is really 5 star. There is another group from Wendy Wu tours doing an almost parallel tour, but they are staying in inferior hotels, so we feel quite privileged. (And they paid $1500 more than us for their tour!)
Tomorrow, back to high altitudes. As it is, Lijang is 2200 metres - very high for Australians. We are going to a place where we will be at 3050 metres, and the mountain is 5500 metres. Really like this area of China and Tibet. Sure beats the smog of most Chinese cities, but it is great to see the contrast.
Cheers,
Maureen and Andy
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| Mon 2-Oct | Visit the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which soars at 5500 metres high. Enjoy the spectacular scenery from one of its peaks, followed by a tour of the Baisha Frescoes, offering valuable insight into traditional Naxi Culture. Evening live performance of an Ancient Music Show.
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| Tue 3-Oct | Lijiang/Kunming: Fly back to Kunming, Transfer to hotel for the next 2 nights.
Golden Dragon Hotel, 575 Beijing Rd, Kunming t: +86 (871) 313 3015 f: +86 (871) 313 1082
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Dear Friends,
Am leaving Lijang today. Don't know why we are flying. It only took us 3 1/2 hrs to drive here from Kunming. Free morning, which is good, because my cold has become worse, and I think my ears will be terrible on the flight. John Jones has been quite sick with the cold with significant bronchitis. He and Yvonne have had to stay back at the hotel in recent days because of it.
Went to Jade Snow Mountain yesterday. Had the worst lunch imaginable. Only ate a tablespoon of rice and 3 tiny bits of potato. Feel quite rumbly in the tum today. The mountain was covered in cloud and we refused to go on the chairlift, because there was no point - we would not have seen anything. This is the only time the weather has interfered with our plans. Changing things we have paid for really upsets the guide's OCD, but we calmed him down. Went to a Baisha village and met the famous Dr Ho - he has featured in lots of newspapers and publications around the world for his "miracle" tea. He was quite chuffed that I was a doctor and gave me an article he had written and some of his tea. I think he enjoys the ego trip more than just about anyone I have met. His white coat was disgustingly dirty. Very friendly chap though. I don't think a "miracle" cure peddled by someone in a dirty white coat will go down too well at Shailer Park. At the Baisha village were 500 year old murals. Have to say, they were nothing compared to the ones at Assisi in Italy which were 800 years old.
We went to the old town of Lijang in the afternoon, which was clean and very Noosa-ish. Most of Lijang was levelled by an earthquake in 1996 and they spent billions rebuilding it. Did more shopping. Hope the bag is less than 20 kg.
Went to another show last night. This time a Naxi show - this area has Naxi people. Of course the toilets were all open. We're used to it now. Show was good. Many of the performers were well into their 80s.
Will E mail from Kunming. Two nights to go.
Love,
Maureen and Andy.
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| Wed 4-Oct | Kunming/Stone Forest: Full day tour to the awe-inspiring Stone Forest, where massive limestone columns form a vast forest of surreal shapes and images.
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Dear Friends,
Our last night in China tonight. What a relief for you all - many less E mails to delete. Flew from Lijang to Kunming yesterday with China Eastern Airlines. Quite a nice 737-700. Never had this happen before - they started taxi-ing the plane while people were still moving down the aisles. We had not even begun to stow away our carry on luggage. Certainly made us hurry up and get seated. The plane left 3 minutes early! Loaded with cold tablets, ear plugs etc., I survived the trip despite my heavy cold, so arrived in Kunming very happy about that. Had so many trips before with agonizing ear pain, even without a cold.
We had previously been at the Golden Dragon Hotel in Kunming, and are here again, and it is really 5 star and very comfortable. However, all throughout China, all hotels have turned off the airconditioning overnight. Fine if you can open a window. Very hot and stuffy and not conducive to sleep otherwise.
Today, went to a Pearl culture place, and bought some nice presents. Then a crystal place, and bought a necklace. The bag now should weigh 20.5kg, so no more spending. Later we visited limestone columns, bigger than and somewhat different to the "Pinnacles" in W.A. Walked though beautiful perfumed fields packed with wildflowers. Lovely.
This time tomorrow, we will be almost in Singapore. Poor Andy has (in theory), a four hour flight from Kunming to Singapore, over 4 hrs in Singapore, 7.5 to 8 hours to Brisbane, 4 hours in Brisbane airport, 13 or 14 hrs to Los Angeles, 6 hours in LA airport , 6 hrs flying to Boston. Then he is in the first session to produce a paper at a conference. It's good to be young!
Looking forward to coming home,
See you all soon,
Maureen (and later on) Andy
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| Thu 5-Oct | Depart Kunming: Enjoy the morning at leisure, before before boarding Singapore Airlines flight home.
MI 913 Kunming 13:05 -> Singapore 17:05 (Silk Air)
SQ 235 SIN 21:10 -> Bne 06:40 (Singapore Airlines) |
| Fri 6-Oct | Australia: Arrive home early morning. |
