Yunnan times

Who'd of thought that a month ago I never even wanted to come to China, and now here I am just in one tiny part of it, Yunnan, commiserating that I can only see a small part of the province. What about Shangri-la and all the small Tibetan villages, what about Dali music festival, starting the day after I have to leave for Beijing, what about all the various Yak products I'm yet to try. There is simply never enough time to do everything. So in all of China's vastness I will only experience a part of Yunnan, and Beijing. I am thinking that a return trip some day is a must.

The China of my imagination a few weeks ago doesn't exist. True, the language is hard. I learn a phrase off by heart then try and use it...blank looks. Its the tones, I can mimic them but I can't remember them just so. One word can mean five things using the five different tones. Its tricky, and coming from a foreign mouth with a foreign accent the Chinese just don't understand me.
I have taken to another form of communication - someone is talking, instead of concentrating on the words you let them all blur together and just listen for the tones, the sounds that make up the general sense of what they are saying, the body language, the language of smiling and hand gestures. Even if you have no idea what each other have said, you have still had a nice conversation. Yesterday I climbed a mountain with a man and his horse for my guide. Neither of us spoke the others language but at the top I brought us both beers and we chatted, each taking turns to say something or laugh at something. Funny!

Travelling in China you meet a very different crowd of people than in SE Asia. Travellers here a more discerning, more interested in the local character and history than in finding a beach to drink cocktails on. I have now met many people who have travelled or will travel across Russia by train. I meet people every day on their way to Tibet, or coming from Burma. Places that are hard to travel in, places most people wouldn't see the point of going to for so much effort. But people who go there want to see for themselves, take a look. You can never know what awaits you in a place, or what you will personally experience, until you go for yourself. You cannot experience the worst and best moments of life vicariously. You cannot experience a place through any persons words, although they can take you closer. I met many a moaner in Vietnam who hated the people and found it horrible "good riddance Vietnam" they said. But this was not my experience at all. Sometimes the person and their attitude creates the experience they have.
It is inspiring to meet travellers from all over the world, all with different tales to tell and takes on life. And people who have been to those far fetched places most of us would never dream of going like the Middle East. Last night at dinner a Norwegian fellow announced that Syria and Iran were absolutely his most favorite places on the planet. The people so delighted that someone was coming to see the country, the beautiful architecture and rich history. It makes me realise that what I'm doing is not scary at all, its pretty tame compared to most people here!!

Tiger Leaping Gorgeous

I did it! I trekked the magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge. A really stunning experience, a two day hike up the mountainous paths through Naxi territory ending at the legendary spot where the tiger leaped roaring waters to escape the hunter. This was somewhere I had seen in magazines, a place people rave about, somewhere I assumed I wouldn't make it to. But make it I did! As we were getting on the bus there were the usual trekking sorts with their Hi-tech equipment - fleece, poles, the best boots, the works - and me in my knackered trainers and floaty trousers. I got a look up and down from one girl like "you're going to walk in that?" At the end of the day my trainers held out, as did my legs and energy levels and we reached the guesthouse 2 hours before the Outdoor Shop Expo Girl!! Ha!

Tiger Leaping Gorge is in the Northern part of the Yunnan province, near the Tibetan border. Naxi people (pronounced Nashi, like the pear) who originated from Tibet live here. It really feels like a part of the old China that I wanted to see, it has a special feel to it. The river itself was pounding with energy, mesmerising. We sat down there staring into the roaring white water an hour before the long steep climb back up.

I feel really lucky/happy to be here. Finding a travel companion was almost too easy - "oh you're going this way too? Great! " Its nice to share the journey with someone else, who is chilled out and enjoying the journey. We part ways in a day or two, such is the way of travel! The gorgeous gorge would have been somewhat daunting alone. Its a big climb up and has proved a lethal trail for many a trekker.

I have many many many pictures from this walk, however I seem to have deleted the DCIM folder when I plug it into the computer - the pics are still on the camera...how to get them off? Any advice welcome!!

I remain in Lijiang, in the beautiful old part of town full of winding streets and bridges across streams and Naxi stalls. The town is very touristy but then theres a reason for that! Its lovely. Its a fine town to get lost in, wandering the cobbled streets for hours, drinking Yaks yogurt, eating dried Yak, and drinking Yunnan coffee. We stay at a place called Mama Naxi's. Impossible to find but if you get lost you just phone Mama and she says "Mama come pick you up now". She cooks delicious feasts every night for the small price of 15 yuan (1 pound 50p!).
I decided that clearly I could only see a very very small area of China in my 20 days and so I stay in this province until May 1st when I hop up to Beijing!

All is well xx

PS- Having an AMAZING time in China! The people are really very nice, they can't speak English but they do their utmost to help you out. It feels very safe, and rarely do I think someone is trying to rip me off. The only thing I can't get used to is.....drum roll....the hacking and spitting. Urrrgg makes me retch! Even nice pretty girls do it. Gross gross gross.

Tea In China

Today I had the most lovely Chinese day! I think I saw a great part of Chinese culture - the park and tea drinking. I decided that my misadventure yesterday was not so much fun and today I wanted to choose a mission/destination and just go and enjoy it and not get lost.
A good sleep helped too as I didn't get much of that on the bus into China, so yesterday was a bit strained. Today = relaxation.

So I successfully found my way through the windy streets of Kunming, past street food stalls and markets, to Green Lake Park. In Vietnam the parks were my favorite part of the big cities, places where all people came and exercised and socialised. It is the same here in China, however the main theme is different, instead of exercise it is MUSIC. One in two people you see are participating in some kind of musical action, be it dancing (Chinese style line dancing) playing an instrument, singing or just swaying to the music. You see all sorts of instruments strapped to backs on the way to a gathering. It is just the way here, explained Joseph, people come to the park to relax and enjoy. Joseph saw me coming a mile off and came and introduced himself. A Chinese retired English teacher, he just wanted to practise his English. And so we strolled around the park chatting away. He then made a phone call - "Ok HaNa, now we go experience real Chinese afternoon". He took me a way up the road to his friends tea-shop, a place on the road selling tea to buy, but not by the cup unless you know him. It was amazing, a whole hour tasting different teas. There is a real ceremony that goes with it, the tea man explained, translated through Joseph, what it was all about.

I tried local green tea, Taiwanese tea, and my favorite, red tea which was 25 YEARS old! I brought some of this to take home and share with those tea drinkers amongst you. He also gave me a gift of Jasmine tea. Amazing experience. He just kept filling and refilling my little cup, I have never drunk as much tea in my life, and that's saying something!!! I think the people here are really nice, it was clear that Joseph was just keen to practice his English and big-up China to me! If this would have happened in Vietnam my first thoughts would be, uh oh how much am I going to have to pay him at the end. This was never even a thought today, I was happy to pay for the tea and it was a nice time all round.

trekking with hilltribes

My last supper, Pho in the market

My first supper, no idea what i ordered but it was HUGE!!


Well everyone, I am now in CHINA!!!!!
I finally bit the bullet and decided the time was now. I started to realise that once I'm there I will be wanting to make the most of it and see what I can see. So then the inner debate - Dali or Lijiang? Pandas or Terracotta Warriors? I was happy to find a growing enthusiasm for a place that I hadn't really thought much about before.

Before I entered the land of the unknown, I had one last stop in Vietnam. Sapa, land of endless rice paddies and hill-tribes. The MOST beautiful scenic town I've ever been to. You go there, meet the ornate, friendly hill-tribes, trek chatting with them through the villages (avoiding local dogs), buy some of their amazing craft work, and breathe the mountain clouds. Yes, the clouds dance all up the village and drift into town in cold moist waves. You cannot help but breath it in. A magical experience.

Then a 15 hour bus ride took me from the border (which was not the hideous experience I imagined, they didn't even take my Lonely Planet away!) to the city of Kunming. The bus ride was somewhat interesting with some almost none-existent roads, police boarding the bus for one hour and interrogating some people, and a 3 hour traffic jam at 2am!! No one speaks English, and no one understands my poor attempts at Chinese, and few taxi drivers know where my hostel is (if in doubt just get a taxi I thought, easy I thought!).

Tomorrow I am up off into the hills, I choose the town of Lijiang.

Hanoi

I'll be honest. I didn't like Hanoi when I first arrived. It was OK. Another city, albeit a nicer city than most, but the hustling, the pace, the heat all assaulted my senses on arrival. I mean, it was nothing like HCMC, but I like my quiet slow-paced places that you just slip into unnoticed and unharmed.

Hanoi, we arrive at 4am, safe in the knowledge that we have (for once) booked ahead with the promise of a little man with a card displaying ours names standing in wait to take us to our lovely hotel room. No little man.
A barrage of taxi drivers all shouting for our attention. We wait. Still no little man. An official offers me a pipe (opium perhaps). I decline! In the end we hastily barter for a taxi and are bustled into an unmarked car. Oh great,
I think, certain death. Too tired to care much. A brief tense journey and we are there at booked hotel, to a smelly dirty hotel room with a leaking bathroom and unwashed dank-smelling blankets.

So that was the start. Add to that the confusion of a new Asian city where you are treated as a walking cash machine, people always calling for your attention, trying not to look lost when you feel very very lost, a loss of travel companion, a dog bite. Bad start.

But now! Slowly but surely I've come to really love this city. Its endlessly chaotic, always something eyeopening around every corner;

Dog meat for sale in the market, complete with little skinned tail
Weaving of traffic, driving both directions, both sides of the road
Conical hat wearing women carrying incredible loads on their pole and baskets

Last night I experienced the Beer Hoi corner. A few street kitchens selling local brewed beer for cheap cheap price, similar to the fresh beer we found in Hoi Ann but a distinct first taste of vinegar in beer number one (two and three the vinegar taste had mysteriously disappeared). The police turn up from time to time and everyone packs away their plastic chairs and stands around pretending to pretend they aren't drinking on the street before sitting back down the millisecond the police turn the corner. The nearest toilet is an experience. Clutching 1,000 dong you walk down a dark alley where you will find a wizened old Grinch man who takes your money and directs you to the dirty squat toilet (not that you mind of course, when you gotta go...)

I have a few favorite local street kitchens that I've been going to, and I'm taking great delight in trying new foods each day. Today was some kind of Vietnamese pasty creation off a street vendor. I'm still very curious about the white gloop and chopped up churros being sold at the end of the alley - shall i get one? whats in the gloop?

And the lake, the lake is the peaceful heart of the city. If you get lost, find the lake. If you are having a bad day walk around the lake twice. If you are having a good day walk around the lake twice. You will find exercising young people, old woman in a slap-slap form of exercise, old men flinging their arms around (again exercise), canoodling couples, tourists, everyone just enjoying the lake and the shade. Its lovely. A centre-piece.

So my theory about not being able to tell what a place is like until you are there a while stands firm. What a relief I got bitten by a dog and had to stay a week longer!

Not lost! Victorious

Today was the first day in Hanoi that leaving my front door and walking for 2 minutes has NOT rendered me lost and head down at every corner scanning the map for my location. Often when I find the location I then proceed to go the opposite direction than intended, sometimes this is good ( I find the unexpected - a street dedicated to bike seat coverings, a Pho stall, a street of creepy puppets) and sometimes bad (suddenly in the bike-fixing street, complete with grease-covered leering men or energetic salesmen who step in front of you, not understanding the word No).

BUT TODAY - I have been on two missions. Mission one = rabies jab take two. Mission two = lunch and coffee search. And no lost Hana's. No map consultation. I do believe I have finally got my bearings in the old quarter (or a part of it).

In the past every time I have moved to a new city, Cardiff, Plymouth, Oxford, I explore until a vague map is drawn in my head. This takes a while as without a map my sense of direction is pretty bad. I go to each area and explore until I have a clear sense of whats what, then gradually the different areas begin to slot together, slowly but surely filling in the blanks and colouring in the gaps in my head-map. The end result is a feeling of having some sort of understanding of the city, a grounding effect. So today this is whats happened in Hanoi. The two areas that I have explored have come together....I recognise streets and places I've eaten. Its a nice feeling, it has taken 6 days though, and I've still another 2 while I await my train to Sapa.

Its definitely not a bad city to spend some time in, and the hostel is full of backpackers coming and going everyday so theres always people to talk to. Its nice just to stay still for a while. I met a girl who's just been travelling solo in China last night and she really enjoyed it - the hostels there are good and are one of the only places that will have an English speaker. So that's reassuring. I'm starting to look forward to the next adventure!

Hanoi the 2nd

So back I have gone to Hanoi, the lovely Northern city of Vietnam. This is good as there are many things here I haven't seen, many dishes I haven't tasted. Today I came across a whole crowded cafe devoted to Bun Cha. I am ushered upstairs and squeezed on the end of a table full of Vietnamese people all eating the same thing. I am brought -

A large plate of salad leaves
A bowl of chopped garlic and chili
A mound of rice noodles
A bowl of what i think is sliced apples in a light juice of some kind
A bowl of mini pork burgers in a broth of sorts
A plate of delicious spring rolls

The lady mimes out what I should do with all this food: noodles in first, pour on broth, add chili and apple, eat. Yum yum it really was a treat!!
Even though i think they charged me tourist price not local price (we're talking 4$ not $2!!) I really enjoyed the surprise of finding such tasty local food. I am a keen fan of Pho - the rice noodle soup which you find everywhere in Vietnam. Its delicious, nourishing and cheap! I have never been a fan of lumpy soups (hate minestrone) but this ones a winner.

Since my incident with hostile dog on MONKEY ISLAND, I've come across more people who's situation is similar or worse. One girl got attacked by a crazed monkey in the same place, she had to beat it off with an umbrella. So I consider myself lucky.
Ha long Bay tour was a bit of a disappointment in general for me, as they shunted me around pillar to post so as soon as i met people i had to join yet another group and do it all again. Then the mad dog incident to top it off....but it was beautiful. All misty and Lord of the Rings esk. Its a sight to behold, those limestone outcrops towering above you as you sail serenely past on your Junk boat. I don't seem to be able to upload anything sadly! Oh well, more pictures soon.

I stay in Hanoi a few days longer, awaiting Rabies vaccination number two...

As China draws near and my lovely travel companion returns to normal life I am left wondering what I have signed up for. Surely a normal person would have just travelled round south east Asia as a long stopover/brief interlude before getting on the quick, easy flight back home? When did I decide it was a good idea to cover this massive distance overland all by myself?? Madness. Having enjoyed the comfort and ease that comes with travelling with a friend for three weeks I now understand that travelling alone is a lesson in endurance. With someone else you only have to deal with all the travel hassles (people constantly harassing you to buy something, finding accommodation, booking onward travel) half the time, not all the time. All the time = hard work. I'm not sure why I would choose hard work over easy at the moment.

I know that I really really really want to do the Transmongolian Railway, and if it wasn't for that I would now be booking a flight home instead I think. But as it stands I cannot abandon the many hours of organisation I have already put in, the vast amount of money I have already spent on visas and trains, and the anticipation of the journey. I feel bad that I am not looking forward to the next stage of the adventure - surely this should be a great fantastic time of my life? But I feel like China is the obstacle I have to overcome more than anything else. A huge, vast expanse of total foreignness to face entirely alone. At the end of the day its only three weeks...but then I think THREE WEEKS, that's ages if its as harsh as I think it will be.

What I am hoping for is to encounter some lovely travel companions to share the time with. It feels much safer and calmer with someone-else. Strange to me that I should now be thinking like this when before I have been so adamant and sure that I want to and can do EVERYTHING myself. I'm still sure I can, but I am no longer sure I want to. Why put yourself through that when it could all be so much easier? I am, at any rate, entirely committed, and I abandon thoughts of abandoning everything because I never want to think of myself as a wimp and too scared to continue. But the thought of China alone scares me alot. Any help/advice/support from anyone would be totally appreciated. And of course if anyone wants to come out here and join me for this leg that would be amazing.

My plan is to take each day as it comes. I'm going to stay another week in Vietnam, until the end of my visa here, before heading into alien-lands. Step by step should be OK. I think the border control and the big cities is the most daunting - my Thailand border experience was horrible with the woman ("that journey overland is IMPOSSIBLE, you will never make it, you might get Deported" DEPORTED for what Miss Mean? Trying to go the interesting way round?)
Step by step is the only way I can handle all the many steps ahead!

I divided my journey into thirds -

First Third - My holiday time in Thailand and Vietnam (one month completed and greatly enjoyed!)

Second Third - The hideous unknown of China where great uncomfort awaits (yes I know this is a very negative way to look at it, but sorry I'm worried about it and its hard to be excited when you are very worried!) One month

Third Third - The transmongolian and back through Europe - really looking forward to this, as I get to do a magical train journey, see friends along the way, and it's the last leg = almost home!! One month

So now budgeting has got a whole lot tighter, and I am a whole lot less sure of whats next....
(actually the next week holds some lovely treats like Ha Long Bay and the northern town of Sapa, before I reluctantly leave Vietnam. I will be telling you about that I think, yes!)

xxxx Really immensely looking forward to seeing freinds and family. In fact wish you were all here now (or I was there perhaps).

Quirks and perks

There are many elements that make up the travelling experience. Some days I just love it. Some days I just want to be home in a circle of friends and family, not having to deal with it. Constant packing, unpacking, leaving, arriving, its as tiring as it is fascinating. The towns here vastly different everywhere I've been so far - each have a different feel, the women wearing different traditional dress, each with speciality foods, and standards of serving them. Suddenly the coffee has changed from the dark caramel syrup of De Lat to an even darker brew which tastes of rum. The women here in Hue have a rather Chinese style dress that reaches the knees but has long splits up both sides to the waist. In Hoi An they serve Vietnamese tea with everything for free.

I am not sold on Hue as a city, however a series of quirky amusements have made it a place I'll remember.

Firstly:
Here, as anywhere in Vietnam, Cyclo and Moto drivers hassle you and follow you everywhere - "One hour good good pricccccee, How are you Mr Sir? Where you from?" "Easssssy rider siiiir, where you from?". You quickly get sick of it and learn the only way to get rid of them is not to respond, it feels horribly rude however if you say/do Anything, even smile, they latch on and in the end you just end up being ruder - "I SAID NO THANK YOU".
Yesterday we caved in. A sweet looking (and also poor and ill looking) Cyclo driver offered us Good cheep price, and we accepted. Planning to see the whole citadel by foot (looked small on the map) by the end of our Cyclo tour I was pleased we took him up on the offer. This sweet little man cycled the two of us (heavy load by any standard!) around all the sights, gabbering away in semi-recognisable English in between fits of coughing. It ended up being much longer than an hour, and as we hopped off we gave him double the price. His little face just fell as he looked on (by now he's looking a bit peaky, I feel bad!) and he says " But you were THREE HOOOOOURS". We quickly gave him his due to big smiles. Its a fine way to see the city but I did feel a bit 'lady of the manor' as we pass all these terribly poor neighbourhoods.

Second funny of Hue -
Last night our search for food took us to the end of the alley - family restaurant it said - we turned the corner to shouts of delight. A boy runs out of the restaurant and towards us grinning ear to ear, half way he realises he is brandishing a knife and hastens to hand it to his sister. He takes us both by the arm gabbling away (again in semi-English which you can only answer by the nod and smile method) and draws us into a deserted restaurant. Uh oh I think, if its deserted its a no no. We look at the menu and shuffle away promising to come back 'later'..... His poor disappointed face haunted me walking away, and we decide to risk possible food-poisoned death, putting our lives in the hands of this eager-beaver family.

They're all there, mother (cook), father (drinker and watcher of the gate) brother (keen-as waiter) sisters, grandparents, aunt, uncle, the lot! There are all beaming and staring and coming over to shuffle this and ask that. The boy is babbling about orange ducks and lemon chickens and we leave our order in his hands. Our request for wine meets blank looks but then something dawns on the mothers face, words are said, the boys runs out returning 5 minutes later with a bottle of red De Lat wine! (The next day we return for coffee and he proudly shows us that Wine is now on the menu!! And overnight they have erected a glass cabinet full of alcohol)
The Duck cooked with orange and the Lemon fried chicken (the boy collects the lemon leaves from a bush near to my right ear) were delicious. It was one of those meal moments! We unearth the facts - they are from the countryside, and just opened the restaurant two weeks ago. They are proud happy people, so pleased we were pleased. Just lovely. Simon gives them a Fleurs Place book and as we leave the whole family is gathered round browsing.

Its the people you meet and these funny little experiences that make a place. I've been really enjoying sharing the travel experience these last two weeks - its soooo much easier with two people for sure. Next we are off to Hanoi on the night train....

Jungle Beach Bunch

Wow, I'd forgotten the good old beach holiday, complete with surfing, sun-bathing, reading (heaps), eating (excessively good food) and sleeping in beach huts. One of life's great pleasures, doing nothing but relaxing.

Jungle beach was way way out, you had to know it was there. We didn't plan on it but after a chance meeting of a girl whose only words to us was to rave about the place, well then we decided it was worth a look. Beautiful beachtime. Hmmmmm.

I'd also forgotten how much i enjoy a spot of surfing and bodyboarding, although its so much nicer when the sea is as warm as a bath! We had to hide from the scorching sun most of the time - getting up early was the key. I managed to avoid the burn as much as I could but am distinctly browner than i was.

We knew on arrival that beachtime = money, but after staying two nights and bonding with our group we decided two nights more was in order. The other people there were so lovely, and by the end it felt like we had all come on holiday together, sad to leave them behind! Our bill gave me a heart attack that I am only just recovering from - this hotel I bartered mercilessly for the cheap cheapness of $4 US a night!

But it was worth it! Home-cooked AMAZING Vietnamese communal meals each night, where you got to sample lots of different dishes and eat as many bowls of rie (rice) you can fit. I loved it, although the owner was something of a Canadian lord of the manor, I'm too high and mighty to talk to you on your level peasants. However the Vietnamese ladies of the kitchen off-set that completely with their wonderful smiles and giggling sense of humour. Each night we played games and sat chatting around the campfire. Good times.

We are now in the wonderfully old heritage town of Hoi Ann, lovely architecture everywhere, and old old town houses (we picked one of these to stay in!). It's the town of tailors, you can get anything you want made up, and I come away from here with a much needed winter coat. Not any old winter coat though mind - my very own little-red-riding-hood 100%wool coat. I love it! Spent a long time bartering my way down to $50 US, phew. It's a great coat, made to measure, I just hope the postal system here gets it home safe before me.