First Introduction to China

Saga of leaving Hong Kong! Both Dave and I woke up about 3.30am, and lay there wide awake (stll jetlag problems). Eventually we put the TV on, and read our books till 5.30am when we were due to be picked up anyway. We get picked up by our shuttle bus at 6.15 am for a 10.30am flight! So early start, and long wait at airport before we fly out. Then when we arrive our flight is delayed until 11.40am. So not a great start, however, once get on board, there is another delay from the watch tower, who delayed our take off due to weather conditions! I think they couldn’t fit our flight in straight away due to jams on the runway! We left at 1.30pm in the end, and flew fast and furious across the sea, and overland to Beijing. I tried to nana nap, (remember our early morning start after poor sleep?), but couldn’t. We flew Air China on an extremely run-down looking plane, inside and out, and this made me rather anxious, so no naps, (but there was a small screen you could try and watch a movie in Chinese if you wanted too – no subtitles). Was terrified our guide wouldn’t be there, but low and behold, there was this lovely Chinese girl with a sign with our names on it. Could have kissed her! Her name was Sasha, and she got us out of the huge airport and led us to a chauffeur driven car, and off we went! It was hot and sticky outside, and full of smog everywhere! Forgot about that aspect, and it was so bad you could hardly see 200 metres in front of you. We arrived at peak traffic time and then discovered the driving was as mad as in Istanbul or Paris! Not many lanes, lots of pulling in front of people, and scooters and bikes are a danger in themselves! 21 million in Beijing, and I think they were all on the road. It was in the car, conversing to Sasha, that we discovered that our tour was a personal guided tour, only her, the chauffeur, and us! Talk about service,- it was the way to go. She took us into the hotel and sorted out our room and bags etc all in Chinese, absolutely brilliant! Here are some photos of first impressions of Beijing.

Our hotel, booked by the tour group, is one of the most known ones in Beijing, and hold s the concert hall where the Peking Opera is held. So obviously a very big hotel, and classy. Not modern, as it has old Chinese artifacts, vases and silk screens etc but modern décor in the rooms. First day in Beijing We were stuffed from the long day yesterday, (remember being up and wide awake at 3.30am?) so slept through to 8.30am. Our guide was picking us up at 9, plus we had to get dressed, go down to breakfast, (part of the deal) and be in lobby for her. Did it, but really gulping down breakfast. We were driven in car (Dave thought it was a Lexus, but ended up being a Chinese built car copied from Lexus) to Tiemen Square. There were people everywhere, which was a great surprise. Sasha told us that most were lining up to visit Mao’s tomb, which is a great big building on side of square. They can’t take in belongings, so leave them all in a bunch on the ground (most were unattended). The queue to visit his tomb was as long as Effiel Tower, but moving faster. The square is huge, the edges were hidden in smog! It has got the massive govt. building on one side, the museum on the other, Mao’s tomb on the other and then there is the entrance to the Forbidden City on the other. Once we got past the Mao queue, the rest of the crowd were moving towards the Forbidden City. Sasha our guide made a comment on the amount of people around, (lots) and realised that today was the start of the school holidays! (great – just what we need in a crowded city anyway!). As you can see the smog just as bad today. Plus the heat and humidity!

Forbidden City This was where the Emperors in China have hung out since 1400, and once again is huge. We had to fight our way through 3 gateways ( Gate of Eternal Peace etc) and over a moat (to help stop invaders getting the Emperor) each area got you closer and closer to where the Emperor actually lived. No wonder the locals of the time never got to see him, only the nobles got anywhere near close. I was reminded of the movie (the Last Emperor) who had an Englishman/Scotsman? teach him English as he wanted to be more Westernised. When we finally got to the rooms where he lived, it was actually quite small, with his wife next door, and five favourite concubines nearby as well. Sacha was a mine of information, so it was fantastic having your own personal guide to take you through. She also knew where she was going (lots of diff. rooms and courtyards and easy to get lost). Was very pleased to leave, as too many people and tour groups lead by guides with flags on poles and talking into microphones with loud speakers. (all in Chinese so not much help to English speaking people). Dave and Sasha kept laughing at locals literally stopping in their tracks and staring at me ( had not seen a blonde person before except in movies). One even came up and started talking to Sasha about me, where we were from etc. I felt like a movie star, actually too busy looking at things to notice! After that we had lunch at this flash harry restaurant (paid for by the tour, Sasha and driver couldn’t sit with us, they were at the ‘workers table’). Chinese food, and Chinese wine, the lemon duck was so yum, only had chopsticks to eat with, so made the most of it.

Was very pleased to leave, as too many people and tour groups lead by guides with flags on poles and talking into microphones with loud speakers. (all in Chinese so not much help to English speaking people). Dave and Sasha kept laughing at locals literally stopping in their tracks and staring at me ( had not seen a blonde person before except in movies). One even came up and started talking to Sasha about me, where we were from etc. I felt like a movie star, actually too busy looking at things to notice! After that we had lunch at this flash harry restaurant (paid for by the tour, Sasha and driver couldn’t sit with us, they were at the ‘workers table’). Chinese food, and Chinese wine, the lemon duck was so yum, only had chopsticks to eat with, so made the most of it. Then on to the Summer Palace – which was this place the Emperor had built for this mother the Emperess Dowager in the 1800’s. It once again had rooms and courtyards, but much lovelier gardens and a huge lake which takes you 3 hours if you want to walk around it! (all in the middle of Beijing). We walked around this covered pathway by the lake then took a boat across the lake to the other side. Once again lots of people staring at my hair, (am I really that foreign – looking? Other Europeans around, but none with blonde hair I noticed).

After a couple of hours there, we were then driven to a Silk factory, and watched them making silk …… duvets! Yes I kid you not! Hand made inners out of silk – looks a bit like the synthetic stuff but doesn’t bunch up, anti-allergies, and soft as anything. Amazing. End of big day, once more into Beijing traffic. Discovered our drivers name is Mr Sun (he is a big man, think Sumo wrestler, but has this fat round face that always smiles! so I guess his name is appropriate!)app. all tourist chauffeurs are employed by Ministry of Transport and the cars belong to Govt. does that mean they want us watched over by one of their own or that they don't want foreigners having accidents in cars!??? could be bit of both. He didn't speak English, tho I noticed Sasha was very careful today about what she said about the political aspect of Chinese life. Kept very neutral and said things I felt may be doctrine, or she is told what she can say.

Not doing a lot in Hong Kong!

Didn’t do much today. Mainly cause I couldn’t sleep most of the night (due to jetlag) then slept through to 10am! By then the tour we were going on to a Monastery and a big buddah had gone, so we ended up going up Nathan Road getting breakfast at MC’s, (plenty of them in HK) and looking at some shops

. By the time we got back hot and sticky we were tired again, so spent most of the afternoon resting! By 5 that night, we went in search of Lemon Chicken for tea, (my craving) and couldn’t find it anywhere. We did find some very dodgy alleyways, and restaurants with buckets of live crabs and fish and frogs outside. I screamed a little (only a little) at the frogs, then got upset and what was going to happen to them (cooked alive???? Pulled apart alive????). So by that stage it was back to MC’s for tea! At least we knew what we were eating, or so I thought. I got a marinated chicken breast burger, but when I opened it up, the meat was decidedly brown (marinade? Horse? Dog?) and tasted horrible so that went to Dave! I got a fish burger instead, they can’t muck around with that.

Then we proceeded to Temple St Night Market, which is a  huge market set up down a long street with vendors selling their wares. These wares are where you buy your fake items, could even get a IPad4 for $300 NZ. Didn’t as not real, but you could also get fake Gucci things, fake designer bags etc. Could have had a blast if had the room in the suitcases!

While we were taking these photos a Chinese girl came running over to Dave and wanted a photo with him. He was wearing his all Black shirt, (not a good colour in this heat even at night) so doesnt know if it was his good looks or his shirt she wanted! Decided HongKong is not really for me, too many people in a small place and huge gaps between rich and poor. Probably not a rip-off in fake goods as you think, but still too hot and humid to cope with for a period of time.

Hong Kong!

After a long, long, flight arriving into HongKong was quite special. We were obviously late arriving, but could still see the islands, and mountains etc from the plane. Didn't realise how hilly all this area is. The airport is now on reclaimed land, looking like it is in the middle of the sea! I thought, my god we can't land on that, it looked small and surrounded by sea, but land we did quite smoothly. you get off and then into trains that take you a way to the arrival terminals (this is before you get your baggage).
You then still have to go through customs ( a mission, - they seriously check everyone carefully, we saw some Africans and a lady in a full burga? get taken away to security). We were fine, then still had to find our luggage, then out! No xray machines of luggage or us or anything! Quite strange considering how carefully they were vetting arrivals with passport controls etc.
Any way then, .... no shuttle awaiting us! Our travel agent had booked one, but remember we were 2 hours late, so a problem now. Eventually we found the right transport desk and got sorted so arrived by a big shuttle bus at our hotel after another one and half hours. By then it was dark, and we got some amazing views of the lights of HongKong on the way. Quite spectacular, and exciting considering how tired we were.
Luckily we were the first ones off, our hotel is just off Nathan road, big shoppping area, so good location. The heat was so hot, even at night, it was like a blasting furnace in your face, and the humidity was max. Hotel is a Novotel one, and excellent. The first thing that hit me was the air-con, so lovely and cold, and the service is great. Very helpful and talk English well. So nice room, lots of space, and bed huge. ....... off to sleep at 9.30pm utterly exhausted.
Then , both of us wide awake at 3am! we read, watched TV until 5am and tried to sleep again. I did, but Dave still awake.
  Big Buffet breakfast, we had hardly eaten for 24 hours (miserly plane food by the way). Funny having noodles, and dimsims for breakfast!
Then we went for a walk around the shops , the first thing that hit me was the heat, then the disgusting smell of dead fish past shops with them in the full sun, and the people! everywhere! push, push, push! Dave kept getting asked if he wanted a suit made by these Indians (tailor shops with quick making of suits everywhere) honestly, every few min. someone would come up and accost him. At first he was very polite, no thank you, then after about 10 of them, it became no, then later on it was a wave of the hand! talk about harass the tourists, esp. the white ones!
We walked around for about 2 hours, got sore feet, sweaty body and discovered very quickly the prices werent much cheaper than at home. this is for authentic stuff, like Ipads etc. Was quite surprised.
AFter an hour on the bed in the cool recovering, we then went on a tour that was quite cool.
 It was a bus tour, picked you up from the hotel (yay) went up to the top of Victoria Peak, (highest hill in HongKong,) took in the view and could get a good orientation of the place. Lots of high rises, office buildings and apartment blocks. More people live in Kowloon, where our hotel was, and it is the touristy, shopping area, the commercial area is HongKong island, more room than Kowloon, but has less people living there.

After that we went to a fishing area, Aberdeen harbour, and went on a motorised sampan to look at the harbour.

cool lanterns in our sampan

this is a huge floating resturant

one of the very few birds we have seen here

 in amongst the poor boats, some amazing rich as boats. lots of money in Hongkong

another super cruiser

After that was small beaches (man made by the looks) looking out over the South China sea, where there were lots of ship waiting to come into port. The Beaches all had shark nets around them, app. there were some shark attacks a few years ago.

Then it was to Stanley Bay, now a market area. So more shopping in a market, even then the prices weren't cheap, cheap, so not really buying anything. Thankgod all this was done in an air-conditioned bus, was very grateful to get back on it each time. Our tour guide was a youngish gir, who looked very serious and geeky, but was really funny! Spent the whole time talking and earning her money, full of statistics (much more women than men in HongKong, so need some men to come over and marry some girls, no 1 child policy in Hongkong, seperate rules for Hongkong than China, very low taxes, one of the highest pop./area density (not much land, too many people), increase in pop. mainly from immigrants from mainland China wanting to come over and make their fortune, and have some freedom of choice etc) quite interesting. England still has its influence with street names etc and they seem ok about this, not seeming to want to change them to the Chinese names. Also most signs are still in English, with Chinese underneath. This makes it easier for us touristy types. So we finish our tour about 6.30pm, get dropped off near the wharf and start our second tour at 7.30pm which was a night cruise on the harbour to see the sights, and lights. they used to have fireworks each night over Victoria harbour, but now it is just a laxer light show. We watched this from the boat, wasn't as great as Disneyland!, and then went up the harbour to see all the lights of the buildings etc. these were much more exciting (or maybe that was the free drinks on board taking their toll!)

full moon and clear night - gorgeous

We walked back again in the heat and humidity. Took about 15 min but felt like 3 hours! Decided the temp. only drops by a few degrees at night, so when we moan about hot nights in summer at home again, I will laugh! I am talking about 28 degrees at night , up to 35 degrees during the day here. Obviously we came at a really good time!