Round and Round…

Posted on 19th September 201819th September 2018 by Andy

It was an early start to get to the station for the 07:30 train to Fujian that meant getting up at around 05:00 to check out of the hostel and get on the Metro for about an hour or so (and it was already busy) to ensure we were at the station in time for boarding the bullet train. It was a long sitting down journey, trying to sleep, at least for the first part. The train although travelling at close to 250 km/h in between the endless stops, didn’t arrive in Fujian until about 16:30. The cost of these bullet trains is ridiculously cheap, only about £16 for effectively a 1st class comfortable seat. Every time we came out of a tunnel the scenery changed from a flat urban landscape into more mountainous regions, it was quite a sight.

Waiting for us at the station was the next guide and a small, cramped mini van which had barely enough leg room for a dwarf. On the 2 hour journey to the dinner stop, the guide insisted on playing really bad R&B, shitey, whiney karaoke music. I honestly do not know how the diver could concentrate with that blaring out… maybe I am just too old? After dinner we were squeezed back into the van and it was another 40 minutes of that music to put up with as well as lots of twisting and turning roads until we reached our guesthouse. The guesthouse was something very different indeed. It was a Fujian Tulou, basically a large mud round house with 4 or 5 floors in which the Hakka and Minnan ethnic minorities still live in, with each family occupying a floor. Some of those families offer rooms to guests and tourists so it was a pleasure to stay there. They even had WiFi.

The village is fairly quiet and remote with a few hotels and bars, and a river flowing through it. I couldn’t see much at night but we wondered down to a bar and had a few drinks where they made a really nice passion fruit cocktail with local plum liquor and whisky too. Somehow it tasted just like sherbet lemons.

Next morning after a decent lie-in we transferred to a different guest house where we had breakfast of steamed buns and scrambled eggs, orange juice and bizarrely Coca Cola. Then it was a short walk to another round house to sample about 10 varieties of tea. Some were really nice like the green tea, burdock tea and black tea, whilst others such as the Jasmin tea tasted like a pot-purri air freshener. The ground floors of these round houses tend to be small shops and family run businesses whilst the families live on one of the floors above. It was here that I realised why people looked at me oddly when I asked for coffee at breakfast as this region is famed for its tea growing. I also tried some variation on peanut butter sweets and also some sesame seed jelly which again were really nice.

After a quick walk around the UNESCO world heritage site village and taking in some of the views, it was back to the guest house for a little rest before a 20 minute walk to a quiet spot in the river where we could have a swim. There was a pool being filled with a natural waterfall surrounded by gentle rocks and forest. The water wasn’t crystal clear but it was clear enough and shallow enough in places to lay on the rocks and let the cool water flow over but equally deep enough in places that you could jump in of the rocks and not touch the bottom. It was a great way to spend the afternoon cooling off.

Before dinner, we got into the van and drove up the mountain to watch the sun set over the tea plantations. However a storm was imminent, and clouds with thunder and lightening blocked the view so it was really a wasted effort.

Next morning, the sky had cleared and it was a perfect day for a quick bike tour. Fortunately is was mostly downhill and there was a support van with us carrying water, etc. Stopped off at a nearby village and visited its temple and then carried on for another hour or so until we reached the biggest roundhouse in the region. Just time for a quick walk around and then press on to the village for an ice cream and to meet the van which would drive us back to the guesthouse.

The afternoon was free time to sit and relax before catching the night train to Guangzhou East where we would board a public bus to take us to Zhuhai, the border with Macau. It was a bit of a rush to get from the night train to the bus and we barely made it. Crossing the border was straight forward enough and I got the exit stamp in my passport.

In Macau, we dropped our bags off at one of the huge casinos and then explored a couple of them which seemed a hybrid of casino, shopping centres and hotel. Visited Galaxy and the Venetian both huge complexes.

Fortunately here in Macau the public transport is free, all paid for by the casinos so it was easy to get around. If I’m being honest I could have done without all the casino faff as super typhoon Mangkhut was about to hit Hong Kong and Macau. Lots of the building were preparing for the worst and applying tape to the windows. Only had a few hours here and in the old town but that was more than enough. At around tea time, we caught the hydrofoil ferry back to Kowloon and although they issued typhoon warnings and advised to expect a rough crossing, it was actually really fast and smooth. It only took an hour and there was plenty of space.

So back in Kowloon where my China adventure began and checked into the the same hostel as before. During the night you could hear the winds getting up but the worst of it was to hit the next day. I checked out of the hostel early and made it in time to a hotel, just 2 minutes walk away, but already the rain was lashing down and the winds were strong, blowing signs and trees over. Disaster struck as my umbrella I had borrowed from the hostel blew inside out and then was wrenched from my hands by the wind. Fortunately my room was ready before the scheduled check in time and was able to stay safe up on 17th floor, away from any flooding. However when the winds blew, the whole hotel began to sway and I could see the light fixtures and coat hangers swing too. Looking out of the window I could see various objects being blown around and tiles dropping onto car windscreens. Luckily the night before I had bought some provisions from a local shop so was quite happy.

The typhoon passed south of Hong Kong so we missed the worst of it. The following morning there were lots of trees down and mess everywhere but the clean up operation began almost immediately and life returned to normal.

I have done a complete circuit of China now, albeit spending a brief amount of time in each place, but it is a great place to visit and I would recommend it to anyone.

Really pleased I got to see the pandas, the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall but there is so much to see and do. Couple of advisories though, bring a roll on deodorant as any flammable spray ones or insect repellents are confiscated at the metro stations with airport style security and try and avoid August / September as it is so hot and humid. I really want to return, but perhaps in winter.

Bam-booze crawl and Shanghai

Posted on 14th September 201814th September 2018 by Andy

Had a breakfast at KFC in Hangzhou station and then got on the transfer bus to Moganshan. Most of the seats were taken but managed to find a spot up front, unfortunately there was zero leg room so ended up sitting sideways for a couple of hours.

After about 40 mins of city traffic, the scenery started to change and become more green and rural with steep winding roads, bamboo forests, and the occasional house or business. Really surprised just how picturesque this area of China is. The roads became steeper and windier and it wasn’t long before we arrived at the Howoo Life Hostel in Moganshan. It was a sort of ‘eco lodge’ with lots of bamboo – the obvious material given the quantity around here but the beds were so comfortable, or maybe it just felt that way after a night train and two hour bus journey with no leg room. The good news is the lodge had prepared welcome cocktails for us which was really nice and unexpected. Had an early dinner and bizarrely they had a a big projector television so we watched a Harry Potter film.

Next day we collected our mountain bikes at the hostel and our guide lead the way.

Fortunately most of the cycling was downhill but after recent rains, it was wet, humid and as little muddy. We were meant to cycle to the blue lagoon but apparently they are building a luxury resort next to it so there was no access. Instead we cycled to a dam in the middle of the bamboo forest.

It was easy cycling on and off roads or concreted paths but really only took a few hours. Thankfully it didn’t take any longer as by the time we got back to the hostel the heavens opened and there was torrential rain, soon flowing down the roads like a mini river. We were meant to go hiking to the Moganshan Peak the next day but the rains hadn’t stopped so we elected to skip it and just spend time relaxing at the hostel over a good breakfast. Bonus they had western style toilets, not the Asian ‘squat’ ones.

Next we travelled by bus to Deqing where we caught the train to Shanghai. This wasn’t a bullet train but it was exceptionally comfortable, clean and prompt all with allocated seating too. The trains and infrastructure here will knock spots of the ones back home.

Arriving in Shanghai, transferred by metro to our hostel. A nice clean hostel with roof top bar, restaurant and all the facilities you’d expect including laundry and free WiFi. The dorm rooms were ok but the beds were rock hard. It was more comfortable camping next to the Great Wall than to spend a night on the dorm beds.

The good news is on Saturday nights there is a ‘Drunken Panda’ pub crawl around Shanghai arranged and what a coincidence, we arrived on a Saturday… A bus picked us up and took us to the first bar, The Gatsby, where all drinks for 1 hour are free, so we made sure we got our monies worth… 🙂 then the bus took us to a Brazilian bar where had a couple of caipirinhas and instead of bar stools, there were swings at the bar. Spent about another hour or so here and then the bus took us to the third bar in the French district which had lots of drinks flowing, then it was on to a club of some description. Don’t really remember much about that. But we got a taxi back to the hostel and tried to find some food. Ended up in a Szechwan style hot pot place that was open and cheap, but the food was gross. Finally got back in the dorm at around 05.00hrs. Found this quite pleasing as am travelling with quite a few younger people who couldn’t handle the pace. Pleased to see that at 41, I still can 🙂 but had a lazy day on the rock hard bed afterwards.

On the Monday walked to and around Yu Gardens which is a huge tourist attraction in Shanghai which used to be a private garden to quite a well-off family. I guess similar to the National Trust back home. There was a zig-zag bridge full of people taking selfies, plenty of water features, rock, trees and pavilions.

Afterwards walked to the People’s Square and down one of the busiest shopping streets in the world, Nanjing Road. Oxford Street or 5th Avenue have nothing on this. Am really impressed with how nice Shanghai is and how modern the Chinese are. After what seemed hours, arrived at the Bund which is a sort of riverfront overlooking the high rise financial district of Shanghai. We managed to get to the Vue Bar in on the 33rd floor of a rather swanky business style hotel. It was weird walking through reception looking at the faces of the guests who all looked miserable, sitting several seats away from one another (maybe for business confidentiality reasons) transfixed by their phones or laptops. At least in a hostel environment you engage with other people. Up at the bar, we had great uninterrupted views of the night skyline and there was a hot tub too, plus entry included free drinks so the only thing I wanted out of the choices available, was champagne 🙂

Next day still in Shanghai discovered the secretive propaganda history museum in the basement of a block of flats which actually wasn’t all that good, especially the grumpy man who worked there.

Next visited TianZiFang, local artisan’s maze of lanes blending chique and traditional shops. There wasn’t anything I wanted to buy so just nosied around.

In the afternoon, took the metro to the Zhujiajiao Water Town. It only cost 16 Yuans return for a journey that was about an hour and half each way. The water town was like a little Venice I suppose with lots of waterways and canal-side shops and restaurants offering local Chinese delicacies some of which smelled nice, others not so. Got on a little boat and we were taken down stream and let of by a temple.

After a few hours of wandering around, time to head home as we had an early train to catch the next day.

The Great Wall and Beijing

Posted on 7th September 20188th September 2018 by Andy

Arriving early in Beijing, we navigated the station to find a decent bathroom in order to have a quick wash and freshen up after the night train before we met our new guide, Suzy. A few minutes walk outside the station, past all the new army recruits, we boarded a private bus that took us to the hostel where we were able to drop our bags off and re-pack. We weren’t able to check into the hostel as we weren’t staying the night because later that day we were heading off for a night of camping next to an unrestored section of The Great Wall of China.

The bus picked us up and we drove for about an hour or so outside of Beijing and stopped at a local farm for lunch where we stocked up on cold beer, drinks and collected our camping equipment, ready for the small, hour-long hike. It was quite gentle compared to the Moon Palace or the Dharma cave hikes. I was expecting it to be much harder going, but the long grasses and tree branches made it necessary to wear long trousers. It felt strange wearing long trousers again; the last time I wore them was in the Sahara Desert. About half way up a clearing revealed the view over what we had just trekked through.

I couldn’t believe how lush and green it was or how many mountains I could see or how high they were. The path was quite steep in places and I know we were carrying a daypack and lightweight camping equipment, but it certainly makes you think how hard it must have been several thousand years ago when they were building the wall, having to carry all the stones up this path.

It wasn’t long before we reached the top, a little terraced clearing next to the wall, very similar to the terraces on The Inca Trail. The wall itself at this point really didn’t look all that spectacular, quite a let down if am being honest. It was still about eight foot tall and made of big blocks, some cracked and crumbling, others intact. But then you look to the left and look to the right and it stretches as far as the eye can see, over the top of the mountains and beyond, with little turrets and gatehouses along the way.

The first thing we did, was set up the tents and then search for firewood in the woods which have now taken over most of the land by the wall.

We had to do this before it go too dark. Once that was done, there was time to go and explore the wall itself. Scrambled up to the nearest gatehouse which had several arches and no roof. The wind was surprisingly fierce up here and there was little shelter from the wind even in the gatehouses. At one point I was nearly blown off the wall and lost in the trees, but fortunately was able to maintain hold. The sun was getting low in the sky now, so decided to stay on the wall and watch it set and the colours changing across the hills and in the sky. It was something else and an experience not to be missed.

The fire was roaring by now and the beers flowing but by 20:30 the temperature had dropped dramatically and it’s such a long time since I felt cold like that, I had forgotten what it was like. Everyone decided to turn in for an early night and seek shelter in the tents as there was an early start planned again, this time to watch the sun rise at 05:30. It was a pretty restless night in a flapping tent which was more of a festival, ‘Argos special’, rather than a Northface expedition tent, but it did the job. I would hate to have been in that if it were raining. After little sleep, we woke up in time to see the sun peek above the mountains and feel the warmth hit us.

By 06:30, the camp was packed up and we began trekking down back to the farm to drop off the camping equipment and get the bus back to the hostel in Beijing.

As it’s still early, we’re unable to check into the hostel, so before we get there, we stop off and visit the Olympic Park and the ‘birds nest stadium’. Sadly we weren’t able to get inside the stadium but the grounds are pretty impressive.

Back to the hostel for a shower and change then it’s off to see Tiananmen Square, made famous by the student protests in 1989 when the government decided to send in the military tanks to remove the protesters. However most Chinese citizens know this area as the seat of Chinese government, nothing much about the 1989 protests. Unfortunately due to a trade conference today, security was extra tight and we weren’t able to access the square itself. Opposite though, was the Forbidden City which shows the portrait of Chairman Mao.

There are 4 gates to go through before you get to the palace. It’s the largest palatial complex in the world and has seen 24 Chinese Emperors. It is so vast and has so many rooms, that if a child were born and spent one night in each room, by the time it had slept in each room once, it would be 27 years old.

Clearly we didn’t have enough time to explore the whole thing but the buildings were well preserved and the gardens in Jingshan Park are so manicured. It was a great opportunity to climb to the top for a birds eye view over the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square.

In the evening Suzy took us to a local restaurant for Beijing duck, like crispy duck pancakes we’re used to in Chinese restaurants back home. It felt really special as we had a private room to ourselves and it only cost 65 Yuans (about £6).

Next morning had a quick explore in the historic district of Nanluo which was just one stop on the metro (3 Yuans / 30p) has narrow streets, lots of shops selling handicrafts as well as having a few bars and cafes. Again, it was enjoyable to wonder around at leisure, unhindered. Afterwards and 5 stops on the metro, only 5 Yuans, visited the Temple of Heaven, the largest complex of Heaven worship in the world and where ancient sacrifices were made to ensure a bountiful harvest.

Now catching another night train to Hangzhou and then heading to Moganshan mountain, famed for its bamboo forests.