It was important to get Pat well rested and in ship shape condition before we headed out of Ulaanbaatar on our 21 day Overland Tour - Discover True Mongolia. Thanks to the great Doctor and the medication he is recovering well. Our driver and guide arrived at the Guesthouse to transfer us to the Puma Imperial Hotel where we will spend the next two nights. Our guide's name is Javkhlantugs, but thankfully he suggested we call him Joe. He advised that he and a driver will pick us up the following morning, when we will meet the other tour members. In the evening Pat and I decided to have an Indian dinner for a change from the Chinese and Mongolian.
Along with our guide Joe, we will have two vehicles and two drivers for the duration of the tour - one driver is named Sodoo and the other Huygaa. It will take a couple of days to get our tongues around the pronounciation of the names - there are no short names for the drivers!
The following morning we met Debbie and Mike, US citizens living in Chang Mai in Thailand and Amelia from Pretoria in South Africa. All five on the tour are retirees, so all have similar outlooks, ideas and travel aspirations. A sixth member Fareed, will join the tour on about day 10.
Debbie and Mike have a 5 year plan to live in Thailand and are contributing their time and money into helping less fortunate young people who have been rescued from human trafficking and involvement in the dispicable sex trade business. We have heard some very sad but interesting stories - once again a sobering reminder of just how fortunate we all are.
Our vehicles for the tour are 4WD Mitsubishi Delicas. Pat, having recently purchased the same type of vehicle, will be keenly watching how the drivers put them through their paces and how they perform. I think he has a few plans in store for the Mitsubishi when he is back home - I think it is going to be another of his projects!
On our first formalised day in Ulaanbaatar we visited the Gandan Buddist Monastery and the Museum of Mongolian National History. A visit to the Museum was a great way to begin our tour - our Museum guide was brilliant and she had a great way of explaining the history to us all - she made the story of Mongolia come alive.
It started to rain in the afternoon, but we decided to head out anyway to buy some practical little gifts for the nomadic families we would visit along the way. Joe suggested items such as writing paper, pens and sweets would go over well. The traffic was blocked on all streets and corners so we decided a taxi would not be an option, so set out on foot. The rain continued to come down and the streets were flooded with all the gutters overflowing. By the time we arrived back at our Hotel a few hours later, our boots were saturated and our clothes quite wet, so we made the decision to have dinner at our Hotel - all agreed it would be the best option. A good night's sleep would be most welcome in readiness for the first day's travel.
Ulaanbaatar to Amarbayasgalant Monastery (385 klms)
As we drove out of the Capital City of Mongolia - Ulaanbaatar, the cityscape was replaced with rolling green hills and mountains. Livestock roaming the hills included cows, yaks, goats and sheep with many birds flying overhead. Amelia and Mike are both keen birders so we're keenly learning about the birds of Mongolia. We stopped for lunch in the second largest city of Mongolia and continued north toward the beautiful Amarbayasgalant Monastery. As it was getting later in the day, Joe suggested we check into our Ger Camp and visit the Monastery after breakfast.
Within the grounds of the Ger camp, there is one large Ger which is the restaurant and another building with amenities including hot showers and western style toilets. The dinner begins with a salad or soup and is followed by a main course and dessert - tea and coffee are always available. When we arrived in the Ger Restaurant the waitress welcomed us - she was dressed very smartly in black and white and did a great job, equal to a city restaurant.
Our Ger is very cosy and comfortable - a large round, movable dwelling, built on a timber latticed frame and covered in thick sheep's felt. The roof has a circular centre through which the chimney for the internal fireplace protrudes - all this is supported by a series of sticks secured to the top of the lattice and pushed into the round centre. The beds are comfortable and cosy warm - extra blankets can also be provided if necessary.
Amarbayasgalant to Uran Togoo Mountain, Bulgan (246 klms)
Alongside our Ger camp, horses and riders are preparing for the Naadam Festival held each year in Ulaanbaatar during July. We have a treat in store, as they are now preparing for a 10 klm practice race across this valley and there must be at least 25 participants. Our vantage point gave us a good view as they started and eventually crossed over the hill and returned to their training base. Mongolian riders stand in the stirrups quite a bit as they ride, as opposed to sitting on the horse's back.
Naadam is Mongolia's traditional festival and is celebrated annually each July. Since the 1921 revolution the festival has been organised in honour of the victory of the Mongolian people's revolution, but the Mongolians have been celebrating this festival for thousands of years.
The three main games are wrestling, archery and horse racing and are considered to be the essential skills that men should possess. In ancient times every man was a warrior and they needed to learn these skills to defeat the enemy.
Wrestling was originally a game to test strength and wit - another resource says it aimed to teach young children to tame and domesticate wild animals. The horse is not only the main means of transport but is also man's best friend - symbolising power, strength and loyalty. The ability to ride a horse in fast speed was a must a man must possess.
In ancient times the ability to shoot with a bow and arrow was highly valued as it was the main hunting weapon and also used to defeat the enemy. These three manly games grew into sport and specially trained men of high skills compete in the events thus making it more competitive and interesting. Each year Naadam hosts over 35,000 wrestlers, 40,000 horses and 1,500 archers throughout the country of Mongolia.
We visited the Monastery after breakfast and spent several hours exploring the grounds. When Russia took over Mongolia many hundreds of the Buddist Temples and Monasteries were destroyed. This particular one was spared with the locals hiding away all the statues and furnishings for safe keeping. In 1990 when Mongolia gained its independence and became it's own democratic country, Buddism once again began to flourish. Time and money was spent on the Amarbayasgalant Monastery to restore it and once again the Monks returned here to practise Buddism and restore their beliefs and teachings. Buddism in Mongolia is being renewed and is now alive and well.
There were about 20 young monks in the Temple when we arrived. We were welcomed into the Temple and were able to photograph them and observe them in their studies and in prayer time. These young monks would have ranged from about 7 to 13 years of age. Amelia is an extremely keen Amateur Photographer so she is enjoying the many subjects she is able to photograph. Although retired, she is hoping to sell her photographs via Facebook to supplement her living and at the same time provide her with a wonderful hobby.
Travelling across country once again we came upon a pack of very large vultures feeding on 2 dead cows, lying alongside the road. As our vehicles approached many of them flew off onto the neighbouring hills to wait for our departure, when they could once again return to their feast. On these green grassy hillsides, the large vultures stand upright and look like sinister creatures draped in full length black cloaks, staring down at their prey.
As we travel further north the evenings are becoming quite cold, so after checking into our Ger for the night Pat decided to light the fireplace. In no time the Ger was toasty warm - in actual fact it became too warm so we had to keep the door slightly open for a while until the heat settled down to a cosy warmth. It is now 9:30 pm and the sun hasn't yet fully set.
Bulgan to Moren (315 klms)
We have left the main roads behind and are crossing the country over narrow dirt and sometimes bumpy roads which go every which way. There are no road signs or markers but somehow the drivers know which track to take. We could be driving along a track on the bottom of a green grassy hill and above us could be as many as ten tracks all clearly visible - as one track becomes wet or rough it's time to just start another!
We pulled off the road and stopped alongside a Mongolian farmer who was drawing water from a well, to give his livestock a drink. A large wheel with spokes was mounted parallel to the ground and the water was drawn by turning the wheel - the water gushed from the well into the trough alongside - to the satisfaction of the awaiting livestock.
Today we visited a nomadic family, were welcomed into their home and offered tea and food. The tea is sweetened and made on milk while the food included small buns tasting somewhat like doughnuts and dried pieces of food which are made from yoghurt. I only drank enough tea to be polite and slipped the yoghurt slice into my pocket when the opportunity arose. The Mum and Dad live in this ger with their children in the summer and in the winter they dismantle the ger and return with their family and livestock to their location higher in the hills. At this location the animal shelters designed for the harsh winter stand in wait for the livestock to return from their summer grazing. The family once again re-erects their ger in readiness for the winter.
Ahead of us we were to cross the river, but due to recent, heavy rains we were told the bridge across the river has been washed away. Plan B now had to come into play which meant an extra 66 klms of cross country travel to reach another crossing. When we reached the river - we were a bit perplexed when we saw the vehicular barge used to cross the fast moving river. There was a wire rope strung across the river but we could not see how the barge, which was supported by two large steel boat hulls, would be propelled. Not a worry - this is how it's done in Mongolia. Sodoo and Huygaa drove the vehicles onto the 2 vehicle log barge - made sure all the passengers were safely on board and off we went across the river. The barge just kept cruising across the swift currents and in no time we had reached the other side, where the vehicles were quite swiftly unloaded. A couple of flooded creeks had to be negotiated before we were once again on dry land. Quite an adventure for the day.
We had spent about 12 hours travelling so it was a welcome sight to see our Ger camp ahead. This camp we voted as the best so far - the Gers were a little larger and with drapes covering the walls and carpets on the floor it took on a very cosy atmosphere. The meal in the evening was excellent as were the lovely hot showers. A lady seemed to be stationed permanently in the amenity block and she would wipe down and clean the amenities after each person.
Moren to Lake Huvsgul (143 klms)
After a few days of travel and we had all become more relaxed in each other's company, true personalities emerge. I would give the driver Hoygaa the prize for the best and most considerate driver - he has a gentle personality and is very attentive and caring. Sodoo is a real character - a very experienced driver and he is always laughing and making a joke - we believe he would have been the Class Clown! He gets the prize for Mr Personality. Both drivers are the same age as PJ and Kelli and they are fun to be with and great to relate to in our limited English / Mongolian languages.
As we approached the Toilogt camp at Lake Huvsgul, we could see the Yurts which would be our home for the next two days. Reindeer People live in this area, so it is appropriate that the accommodation include several Yurts which look something like large teepees. Our Yurt is right on the edge of beautiful Lake Huvsgul and our views across the lake to the mountains are out of this world. The crystal clear lake is 130 klms long, 36 klms across at the widest point and 240 metres deep at the deepest point. The Yurt is quite large inside and comes complete with the lovely fireplace. We are in the northern part of Mongolia here and not far from the Russian border, thus the temperatures are quite a bit lower. I'm just glad we came in summer! Today I even bought a pair of cashmere gloves for the evenings.
We took a trip up to a summer camp of the Tsaatan nomads - commonly known as the Reindeer People. We were able to visit and take pictures at a cost of $5 US per camera. There are about 36 different tribes of Reindeer People, with each tribe being comprised of about 3 different families. Amelia enjoyed photographing the people and their reindeer and even felt inclined to take up the offer of a sleepover from the lady of the house, who is, incidentally, a shaman.June 20 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - 21 day tour - Discover True Mongolia
What is a Shaman? A shaman is a person who interacts with both the normal world and the world of spirits, usually acting as a sort of intermediary between the two. Shamans are common in many tribal cultures, although shamanism may also exist in other types of culture. The shaman is often responsible for both the physical and spiritual health of people, and may also be called upon to invoke spirits for aid, or to predict the future and interpret omens.
The meals here in Toilogt are very good but the soups are really delicious. As we have moved further into Mongolia we have noticed there are less green salads and vegetables with meals, but more carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice and noodles.
It is very relaxing here at the lake and there are many activities available. Horse riding, kayaking, boating, fishing, bird watching, walking and bicycling are some of the options. After dinner last night and before we went to bed, Pat and Mike set up a bonfire right on the edge of the lake. It was great sitting around the fire and having a chat with the many Mongolians who asked if it would be okay to join us. The hard part was leaving the warmth of the fire and heading off into our Yurt to settle in for the night. The Yurt was freezing so we decided that a fire will be in order for the following morning and night.
Lake Huvsgul to Jargalant (340 klms)
As we set out in the early morning, the rain started to come down, which to our advantage keeps the dust down on the dirt tracks which head off every which way across this vast country. The tracks can be slippery and some creek crossings quite muddy, but the Mitsubishi Delicas handle the terrain quite well. As we travelled through the beautiful Khangai Mountains we saw many wildflowers in bloom - colours such as white, yellow, pink, blue, purple and orange - and often clustered together - Mike identified wild roses and wild iris.
Have we ever seen a crooked bridge before? The answer is definitely no, after the one we saw today - what a doosey - the wooden structure was something else! The bridge has been damaged from the fast moving river and it has been patched and re-patched - it is on it's last legs and incorporates an S bend and 2 dips on what otherwise should have been a straight structure. We left the drivers in the vehicles to cross and all the passengers walked across. A sight to behold - railings missing and the floor boards quite rickity. Thankfully for the townspeople a new bridge is under construction.
A nomadic family was on the move up over the mountain - all their possessions were loaded onto yak drawn wagons, including their ger. The family walked alongside the wagons and the children thought it was a great adventure.
We crossed over the Tsagaan Burgas Pass and drove further on to the Jargalant Hot Springs. At our Ger camp the hot water is drawn from the springs and fed into a rock pool, which can be enjoyed by all. As we walked from our Ger to the restaurant for dinner, we noticed 2 men holding a sheep down on the ground behind the building - within seconds the sheep was put down and they commenced carving. Pat said "I guess we're having lamb for dinner tonight!"
Jargalant to Khorgo Terkh National Park (116 klms)
The scenery from Jargalant through to the Khorgo Terkh National Park is stunning - an abundance of bird life and masses of wildflowers. The livestock graze happily over the hills and valleys. We crossed over a few passes and suddenly in front of us was Lake Terkhlin Tsagaan - the Great White Lake, complete with crystal clear water, sandy foreshores and surrounded by masses of wildflowers. The lake is 16 km long, 4 to 6 km wide and 20 metres deep at the deepest point. The volcano crater and surrounding rock formations as well as the lake were formed as a result of volcanic activities. About 7,700 years ago the Khorgo volcano erupted and produced extensive lava fields. The lava streams dammed the local river and the water level in the mountain valley rose until this beautiful big lake was created.
A few kilometers further on we left the lake and headed into the Badmaarag ger camp, which is nestled alongside a beautiful stream. The staff, all in matching uniforms and red caps, came out to the carpark to greet us and carry our bags. The gers are located on the side of the hill and the paths have little walkway lights. The amenities are wonderful and there is even a lady ironing the sheets! We went to the restaurant for lunch - this ger camp definitely has the "wow" factor. The chairs are covered and decorated with a bow and there are even cloth napkins to match the tablecloth. This camp is the best one we've seen so far - we are all very impressed.
In the afternoon I took the opportunity to write up my travel diary, while Pat went with the guide and drivers to visit Khorgo crater, the extinct volcano and surrounding areas. In the evening after dinner, Pat and I played Rummikub with Debbie and Mike. They have also now caught the Rummikub craze and will buy the game on their return to Thailand.
Khorgo Terkh National Park to Tsenhker Hot Spas (234 klms)
Today we travelled along the edge of the Chuluut River Canyon, crossed the canyon and then headed towards the steppe plains of Karakorum. At a little township we took the opportunity to visit a post office and send off a package to our grandchildren. Later we stopped for a picnic lunch and then travelled on further through stunning countryside to the Munkh Tenger camp at Tsenhker Hot Springs.
Another camp with the WOW factor - the main building was 2 storeys high and built entirely of logs and incorporated the bar, restaurant, amenities, hotel style accommodation and fabulous hot spring pools. The restaurant furniture was also made from timber logs. Following a magnificent dinner we headed to the hot springs for a while before calling it a night. The springs were great. It is now 9:30 pm and still quite light.
Tsenhker Hot Spas to Karakorum (130 klms)
Mongolia is truly a beautiful country - the clear blue skies, the rolling green hills dotted with livestock and the herdsmen going about their daily routines - I seem to never tire of the beauty of this countryside. We arrived in Karakorum for lunch and then headed out to visit the Erdene Zuu Monastery.
Karakorum was chosen as Genghis Khan's new capital in 1220 and served in this role for only 40 years before Hubilai Khan moved the centre of state to Beijing. The city flourished once again during the 16th century Buddist renaissance with the construction of Erdene Zuu monastery, which was the first Buddist monastery founded in Central Mongolia in 1586.
Inside the grounds which are surrounded by 108 stupas, there are many temples, one of which is Tibetan style. Apparently there is discussion today with the government of Mongolia, to build a new capital of Mongolia here on this ancient site and alleviate some of the congestion in Ulaanbaatar.
Fareed from London joined our tour today - he travelled westward from Ulaanbaatar to meet us here in Karakorum. Fareed called himself an international mixed bag - Mum is English, Dad is Pakistani and he was born in Scotland! He is certainly looking forward to the trip.
Pat went shopping this morning and bought one litre of fermented mare's milk, which is quite the national drink here in Mongolia. Fermented camel's milk is also available for those who are keen for a challenge. Pat can have the mare's milk - I'll stick with water!
At our camp site, we have wifi, which gives me the opportunity to catch up on emails and send off a couple of letters. I had 49 items in my inbox, so it was good to bring everything up to date. It was wonderful to receive the latest photographs of our new granddaughter. Today Kelli and Lawrence flew out of Australia, bound for Taiwan to meet their new adopted daughter, Bronagh Lee Jia-Wen Symonds. We can only imagine the excitement and thoughts they are now dealing with.
Karakorum to Ongi Monastery Ruins (260 klms)
I have been referring to this day as "B" day - we are so happy about the latest addition to our family and eagerly await the time we meet Bronagh. Kelli told me that Flynn, Liam and Ayla are preparing some of their toys to give to Bronagh - they are also looking forward to meeting their new little cousin. Apparently Liam keeps asking when the baby will arrive - he is one tough little guy with a soft heart made of gold!
The scenery and countryside is now changing rapidly. Today we left behind the lush green countryside which has now been replaced by the dry semi-desert of the Gobi steppes, where today we saw our first camels roaming about. One of our creek crossings was quite muddy and wet, so after a few failed attempts to cross, we all alighted from the vehicle to give Sodoo a chance to get through the crossing - thankfully all went well. We stopped for a picnic lunch and then travelled on further to the Secret Camp of Ongi at the Ongi monastery ruins.
The Ongi monastery once housed 500 monks and had a monastery on each side of the Ongi River. Tragically in 1937 the Mongolian KGB, on behalf of Russia destroyed 30 temples here and murdered over 200 monks, thus wiping out this monastery. Today many visitors come to stay in the Ger Camp and visit the ruins of Ongi.
The camp is great with very modern facilities and this evening our tour group was treated to dinner in the VIP room. Our travel company, Selena Travel, brings a lot of business to this camp so they like to look after them. All the gers are booked out tonight, so Joe, Sodoo and Huygaa have been given beds in the information centre. We met up with an Australian group of 18 travelling on a Wendy Wu tour and I met a couple from Mackay, Joan and Bill Howland. Their property borders onto Mackay Port Authority land - I knew their names and we also have friends in common - it's certainly a small world. We returned to our ger after dinner and a text message came through from Kelli and Lawrence - the message we have been waiting for.
Had a great day. She is absolutely gorgeous and we are totally smitten. We will probably ignore the phone for a while so don't mind us as we settle in. Talk to you all soon.
The perfect end to the day. Bronagh Lee Jia-Wen Symonds is now safely in her parents' arms.
Ongi Monastery Ruins to Bayanzag (169 klms)
We left Ongi this morning to travel 169 klms to the Flaming Cliffs. After lunch we watched a 1922 documentary of an expedition led by Roy Chapman Andrews through the Gobi to this area, where dinosaur skeletal remains and eggs were found, retrieved and transported back to the United States. The specimens were all discovered at the base of the vivid red cliffs. Chapman was said to be quite a rogue and it is said he was the character on whom the film character "Indiana Jones" was based.
Today we were given a wonderful opportunity to meet a nomadic family - a husband and wife with 7 children, ranging in ages from 9 year old twins to a 20 year old daughter studying Humanities at the University in Ulaanbaatar. We were welcomed into the family ger and served food and drinks - we also left gifts such as writing pads, pencils, colouring books and lollies for the children. The father is a camel breeder and he had about six camels saddled up ready to take us to visit a nearby saxual forest. The youngest children were lying all over the camels and they looked like a very contented family - humans and animals alike. Debbie, Amelia and I chose to walk as we had been sitting in the car for quite a lot of time and felt we wanted to stretch our legs - Pat and Mike chose the camels and off they set. The saxual forest with short stumpy scrub bushes is hundreds of years old with the roots of the bushes sometimes going down as far as 100 feet to reach water.
In the afternoon we watched a very moving Mongolian movie called The Weeping Camel about a nomadic family and their camels. The story focused on a camel who had a 2 day labour before delivering her white coloured baby camel. The camel kept rejecting her baby and refused to allow her to drink her milk, until finally they brought in a violinist. Eventually the camel and her baby were brought together with the help of beautiful singing, stroking and violin music. It was quite an ending to see the baby suckle from her mother and then the two of them standing rubbing their heads and necks together in the sunset!
Bayanzag to Khongor Sand Dunes (153 klms)
Today's journey took us through vast desert badlands as we travelled toward the east. Mountains lined the horizon as we passed by nomadic family gers and their herds which roam the countryside. Bunches of camels sit looking toward the horizon - and as legend has it - the camel keeps watching the horizon for the deer to return with the antlers he borrowed centuries ago. I think it might be a long wait!
This stark landscape is the Gobi Desert. The Khongor Sand Dunes, which form part of an extensive dune formation called Khongor Els, stetches for 180 klms and are 5 to 6 klms wide at the widest point, with the highest dunes reaching 2,600 feet. There is a beautiful fresh water stream at the base of the dunes, with lots of lush green grass. Towering above the sand dunes are dark rocky mountains, which gaze out over the desert plains. We drove close to the base of the highest dunes and climbed upwards for about one third of the distance, until we were driven back by cutting 50 to 60 klm winds and sand.
Khongor Sand Dunes to Yoliin Am Gorge (239 klms)
Our trip to Yoliin Am Gorge took us past the Three Beauties, the last of the Altai Mountain Ranges. We followed the creek bed through the base of the gorge and found a great grassy spot where we stopped for a delicious picnic lunch. I must stop accepting the delicious chocolates that are offered at the end of every lunch and dinner - but easier said than done, I suspect! As we travelled through the gorge we saw mountain goats, horses, gazelles and lots of birdlife. When we could drive no further, we hired horses for a 2.5 klm ride, followed by a 300 metre walk into a narrow chasm with ice still intact from the winter snows.
Following some Rummikub games after dinner, we headed to our ger for a great night's sleep - the following morning would be an early start.
Yoliin Am Gorge to Tsagaan Suvarga (232 klms)
This morning we drove to the nearby major centre for Amelia to take a flight back to Ulaanbaatar. She has hurt her back, which does not seem to be improving, so she has decided to head back to the city for some expert help. Following Pat's recommendation and good results from the medical staff at the SOS Hospital, Amelia will head there. All going well, she will rejoin the tour in a few days time.
It was good to get some mobile phone coverage this morning and receive some text messages from family members. We have had very little contact over the past two weeks. Kelli and Lawrence are enjoying their new daughter and are looking forward to introducing us to her on 11th July in Taiwan.
The countryside, as we head north, is still quite dry and stark but it is now dotted with low green shrubbery. Our camp site is in an area called Tsagaan Suvarga which has a series of naturally formed white earth cliffs, shaped like stupas. The scenery from the top of the cliffs to the open flat land below was a spectacular sight of natural formations believed to have once been part of an inland sea. The pinks, reds, whites and browns of the cliffs and surrounding areas were really amazing. From our vantage point on the top of the cliffs we had an uninterruped 360 degree view of the land and we could see the white gers of our camp in the distance. It was very cold on our arrival, so after hearing it was only 2 degrees in Ulaanbaatar, we took out our warmer clothes and scarves. Need them we did - it was very cold.
Tsagaan Suvarga to Ikh Gazarlin Chuluu (245 klms)
On our drive to Ikh Gazarlin Chuluu today, we became lost after losing sight of the main track. Our driver Sodoo, didn't seem to be too worried - he just kept following a motorbike track over hill and down dale. We stopped a couple of times to speak with some nomads and eventually we could see the main track ahead in the distance. Good on you Sodoo!
As we were driving along we saw two gazelles darting across the countryside - they were like jets on legs! We were amazed at the speed at which they travelled. A single gazelle also crossed out path at the same pace .. just amazing.
We drove toward the Ikh Gazarlin Chuluu mountain which is surrounded by a maze of granite rock formations - it could be likened to an area on the moon. Imaginations can run wild as you look at the rock formations and make out a picture before you made completely of rocks - for example, we saw a praying person and behind him several smaller praying children.
Our ger camp in the evening served a traditional Mongolian dinner called Khorkhog, which is roasted mutton cooked in the pot with hot stones and then served with rice and vegetables. A storm had passed over earlier in the afternoon so our camp was quite dusty and cold.
Ikh Gazarlin Chuluu to Gun-Galuut (352 klms)
Today we had a long day of driving, but as we progressively neared our destination the countryside turned back to the lush green rolling hills and mountains of Mongolia. Today we even travelled on a bitumen road for about 40 klms! As we drove along, we could see a lady riding a camel out in a field. As we approached, she left her camel behind and ran across the fields to our vehicles. She was a stunning looking lady, dressed in traditional clothing - she was looking for a lift for her father to the village. Unfortunately we were unable to help as it is against the company policy to pick people up along the way.
In the afternoon we arrived at what would be our last ger camp for the next two nights. Gun-Galuut is a nature reserve and is home to many endangered species including the Argali wild mountain sheep and the white napped crane. We were lucky enough to see two cranes and also saw some sheep high up on the top of the mountain. The ger camp is called the Steppe Nomads camp and is located alongside a beautiful river.
Our ger was very comfortable and fully carpeted - quite a luxury. The meals in the restaurant were wonderful and we spent two days unwinding after our wonderful trip. We left camp at six o'clock the following morning and set out for 3 hours looking for the birds and animals in this reserve. In the afternoon we took to the river in a 'rubber duck' and headed downstream for the next 2 hours. Our trip downstream took us through herds of horses, cattle and yaks - all standing in the water up to their bellys until we arrived. As we approached the herds they took off out of the water and headed for higher ground.
It was so good to have internet access once again, so we were able to spend some time on Skype getting in touch with our families.
Our two drivers, Huygaa and Sodoo, invited their families to join us at Gun-Galuut while we were all there. It was a special treat to be able to meet them all. Sodoo and his wife are expecting a baby on 12th August, so we'll send a soft koala to the baby when we arrive home.
Gun-Galuut to Ulaanbaatar (136 klms)
This morning we set off from Gun-Galuut early to head back into the city of Ulaanbaatar - our last day before our flights to Seoul and Taipei to meet up with Kelli, Lawrence and our latest granddaughter, Bronagh. It gave us some time to do some shopping - particularly for a cashmere cardigan for my Mum and some knick knacks for our grandchildren. Also included in the day's itinerary was a trip to the Bogd Khaan's Palace Museum.
Debbie and Mike kindly let us use their place to take showers before we left. At 6 pm we all headed out to a Mongolian Folklore concert, which included Mongolia's famous throat singing (quite amazing), several wonderful singers, an amazing contortionist and dancers - a truly memorable way to end our Mongolian adventure. Our next trip was to a giant ger restaurant for a dinner before heading to the airport.
We said goodbye to Debbie & Mike, Amelia, Fareed and Huygaa at the restaurant - Joe and Sodoo loaded our gear into the Delica and we headed for Ulaanbaatar's airport. As we drove along, Joe said both he and Sodoo were going to sing a Mongolian song for us - it was beautiful - we will so fondly remember our time spent with these fantastic people in this amazing country. As we checked in at the airport I turned around and the guys were still waving to us through the windows! They did not leave until we were out of sight.
We have visited and stayed in ger camps for this whole trip. A few camps are quite basic while the majority have been brilliant. The beds have been more on the "firm" side with the linen always fresh and clean. All the facilities have been clean as a whistle, with western style toilets and hot showers - most camps have a cleaner who comes in straight after use and cleans and wipes down before the next user. All meals without exception have been truly delicious and the portions are quite amazing. Lunches and dinners include salad, soup, main course and dessert - so much for the weight loss programme!
Ulaanbaatar to Seoul, South Korea and Taipei, Taiwan
We boarded our Korean Air flight and headed to Seoul. On the flight we had about one hour's sleep and then another hour's sleep in Seoul airport. Our flights were all on time and we were too excited to have a sleep on the next leg from Seoul to Taipei.
Henry, as pre-arranged, was at Taipei airport to meet us and take us to our hotel. We were at the reception desk checking in when I had a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and there were Kelli and Lawrence holding a beautiful baby girl in their arms.
Kelli said I should take her, but I preferred to keep my distance for a while, as I didn't want to frighten this little treasure. Kelli insisted and as soon as I held Bronagh in my arms she started feeling my face - real goose bumps material! Pat also held her and she was very comfortable with us. It sure didn't take long to fall in love with this beautiful little girl - a most welcome addition to our family.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Beijing to Erlian in China and Zamyn-Uud to Ulaanbataar in Mongolia
Our train trip on the CHR, which is the new fast train network, took just over four hours from Weifang to Beijing. The trip was very comfortable and several friendly locals chatted with us along the journey. One entertaining young man spoke excellent English - he works with CCTV (television) in advertising, so enjoys being able to speak both Chinese and English.
A Canadian man came up to chat with us when we were in the train. He told us how he has worked in China as a teacher of English since 2003 - each year he has a 10 month contract then he and his wife head home to Canada for 2 months. He told us he is an English Language co-ordinator for a large area in China and told us how he only employs Canadians and Americans and that he won't employ Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and British - he said he doesn't want anyone with an accent teaching English!!!! I felt like giving him a serve about his loud personality and his loud twangy accent - but I said nothing and remained calm!!
Charlie told us not to worry about our transport in Beijing and that someone would be there at the train station to pick us up. Once again we entered a very busy train station and once again there was James at the front of the line to meet us. He had been in the north on business so was able to pick us up together with one of Charlie's twin sons, also named James. Charlie's twin boys are both almost 20 and attending University, James here in Beijing and Bob in Wuhan City. It was great to meet up with Charlie and his wife Kelly once again. We had visited in both 2006 and 2007. The only difference this time, is that Otmar and Antoinette are in Australia - it seems a little quiet without them. Wu now works for Charlie and for our stay in Beijing, he took us out and about to most places.
We spent one day with James and then the following day he flew to another city before flying home to Angela in Chongqing. In the evening we went down to the Restaurant street to the Mongolian Restaurant and had a very enjoyable hot pot dinner. As it can be difficult to obtain train tickets, Pat and James headed off to purchase our train tickets for the following Tuesday for the 13 hour train trip from Beijing to Erlian, close to the Mongolia border. Our Chinese visas will expire on the Wednesday, so we have to ensure we cross the border on or before the 15th June.
To help ease vehicle congestion on the streets and freeways in Beijing, the government has introduced a plan whereby you must not drive your vehicle on certain days of the week when the registration plate ends in particular numbers - for example - on Mondays if your registration number ends in either 2 or 7 you must leave your vehicle parked up - otherwise suffer the fine of 100 to 200 RMB (divide by 6.8 for Australian equivalent) for as many times as you are caught on the day. Tuesdays numbers are 3 and 6.
One day Wu, Pat and I headed out to the Olympic Stadium which is nicknamed The Birdsnest. On our last visit in '07 it was still under construction, in preparedness for the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The stadium is huge once inside - it was great to see it first hand - we spent a couple of hours walking around the different levels. Wu took us to the rebuilt hautong area of Beijing - it is a shame that the original hautong area has been razed to the ground and the modern "old design" structures stand in their place.
Charlie suggested that we have Chinese names for when we visit China as it is very difficult for Chinese people to pronounce our English names. My Chinese name is Wei Bo Sha (pronounced WE BOW SHA) and Pat's Chinese name is Wei Bai Cui (pronounced WE BUY TSUI) - Wei is the surname for Wells which is always placed at the front of the christian names. I think that's pretty cool!
We have been in Beijing twice before, so we didn't need to do much sight seeing, instead we enjoyed some casual shopping - particularly at the Silk Markets. On our Silk Market day, Charlie's wife Kelly joined us for lunch and then we continued shopping in the afternoon. We stocked up on some gifts for the family and had a great time, with both Kelly and Wu joining in the fun of the bargaining. A girl remembered Pat from 5 years ago when he bought a set of golf clubs from her - she said he was such a hard bargainer she can never forget him. I did mention that man loves to bargain!
Charlie comes from a village in the southern area of China, so he took us to meet some of his friends he grew up with in that same village. Over the years they all moved to Beijing and are in the throes of expanding their already booming media and film business. With the Chinese film industry at an all time high there is a lot of work available and many businesses have already established themselves as clients with them. We wished them the best of luck in their new and expanded venture.
After a tour of the business premises, we visited their apartment for fruit and tea, after which about 16 of us headed out to a restaurant for, once again, a magnificent meal. This round table (3 metre diameter) and lazy susan (2 metre diameter) would have to be the largest we have seen with a seating for 16. A little 5 year old girl sat next to me and we chatted a few words in English - yes she is now learning English at school.
Not too far from Charlie's home is a Home Furnishings and Building Materials Centre - we think Bunnings is big - this place covers blocks and the shops go on and on and on .... If you think of something to buy, yes it can be bought here. We spent many hours wandering around and checking out the gear .. it is mind boggling.
Not too far from the house, is what we refer to as the Restaurant Street - there must be about 50 restaurants fronting the street in a space of about 250 metres. As you can imagine, it's a different place for dinner each night - no need to double up here!
On our last day in Beijing we had quite a few things to do, namely post a box of shopping and gifts home and stock up on some of our depleted medications before heading into Mongolia. I very sheepishly made an appointment to have my hair cut and coloured - remembering full well that my last episode at a hairdresser in China left me with bright yellow hair - somewhat looking like Big Bird's sister!!! I need not have worried - the salon was excellent, the staff were friendly and the outcome was perfect - not to mention the price of 130 RMB, which is approximately $18.50 Australian.
We said goodbye to Kelly this morning, as she is travelling to Shenyang for a 3 day business trip and won't be able to join us for dinner this evening. She is hoping to fit another trip to Australia into her busy schedule and include some time to visit Dingo Beach for well earned relaxation.
It was our shout for dinner on our last night in Beijing, so it was suggested we go to a Western restaurant, which we did. All had a great time and seemed to enjoy the Western style food. Back home we finalised our packing in readiness for our train trip to Erlian on the Mongolian border the following morning.
After saying our goodbyes to Charlie, Wu and James took us to the main Beijing station. After boarding our train we checked into our cabin for the 13 hour journey to the border of China. The train trip was quite good until we started crossing the Gobi - dust came pouring into the carriage and it became quite a dusty journey in the last number of hours before arriving at Erlian. We decided to head up to the Restaurant Car to wash down the dust with a cold beer. We met up with a couple of Aussies also having a beer, so after lunch the blokes chatted on for quite some time. At Erlian we checked into a hotel close to the station - it was great to have showers and wash our clothes, to get rid of the dust.
In the morning we took a taxi to a busy square full of Russian Jeeps - this was to be our mode of transport to cross the Chinese border into Mongolia. It was quite an entertaining day with all the goings on and the unbelievable movement of people and goods. We made a monetary deal with the driver and he indicated for us to sit in the front bucket seat and the area between the two bucket seats, on which he placed a little carpet. We noticed there was very little leg space behind the front seats so were pretty happy with our positions.
Well the people kept coming and the goods kept coming! About an hour later when we were finally leaving there were the 3 of us in the two front bucket seats; 2 men and 2 ladies behind us in quite a small space; the back was loaded up with our back packs and many goods the people were taking across the border into Mongolia - when lo and behold he put 3 more ladies in the back with all the gear! There was one lady I could not even see - she was buried somewhere amongst the gear. To top it off, when we reached the border a box with a portacot was placed on the bonnet in front of the windscreen! Vehicles were loaded to the hilt - boxes and parcels were tied onto the back bumper - items were tied underneath the vehicle and just basically anywhere there was a space it was pretty quickly filled. What a day! Also lined up on both sides of the border are hundreds of loaded trucks waiting for clearance to cross.
After clearing immigration we headed into the Mongolian border town of Zamyn-Uud. We checked out the train station to buy onward train tickets - no such luck - after a lot of hours we found out that there is no ticket available for the next 5 days on the 17:35 train - we certainly did not want to spend 5 days in Zamyn-Uud, which is recorded as the hottest town in Mongolia. Pat and I decided to check into a hotel and come back later. A young Mongolian guy who attends University in Washington DC befriended us and said he would help us in any way he can. There were 4 other westerners there as well, so we were able to converse about our plight - we were all in the same boat.
We returned to the station a little while later and came across our Mongolian friend telling us he had the solution - we can buy tickets for the following evening for the express train to Ulaanbataar. I was standing back in the line and he told me he would buy our tickets for me. He went up to the front of the line - pushed past some people and the next minute he was asking for our 2 passports and 68,000 Togrog ($60 Australian) - he then exited the queue with our 2 soft sleeper tickets for the next night - yet another 13 hour train trip. How good - we would have still been in Zamyn-Uud if it had not been for him! We offered to tip him for helping us - he refused - he said he enjoyed being able to help. The other 4 westerners were also booked onto the same train. The only thing I was not looking forward to was the dusty overnight journey.
We walked up to the local Internet Cafe and logged onto our email - now we are in Mongolia we can access our GMail quite easily - also Google, Facebook and Blogs are now able to be accessed - thank goodness - it makes it a lot easier for us. Many Mongolian children surrounded us in the internet cafe - all saying hello in English and telling us their English names. They were great kids and we had a lot of fun with them on both of our visits to the internet cafe. Our tour company in Ulaanbataar sent an email to say that they will pick us up from our transport when we arrive in the city - that's something now that we won't have to worry about - excellent!
That afternoon we watched with great interest at the people lined up along the platform with all their stacked up boxes, bags and luggage heading for the central market place in Ulaanbaatar where they hope to make some good sales and also some extra money. We're actually very pleased that we were not able to get tickets on the 17:35 train!! After a pretty full day, we hit the hay onto a very hard bed and a seed pillow! Welcome to Mongolia!
We spent a leisurely day in and around Zamyn-Uud while we waited for our 21:35 train to Ulaanbataar. Check out time at the hotel is 5pm, which makes it very convenient when travelling on a night train.
Our train arrived and with trepidation I entered our carriage! What would be in store for us? Wow - no need to worry - the train was brilliant! The carriages are timber panelled, squeaky clean and the whole train is air conditioned! There'll be no dust in this train tonight! The provodnitsa (carriage attendant - she who must be obeyed) welcomed us onboard with a cup of tea and gave us our linen pack for our soft sleeper beds. A young Japanese man Yasuhiro joined us in our cabin and organised himself in the top bunk, leaving the 2 lower bunks for us. We put out the lights and locked the cabin door - we all had a great night's sleep in the dust-free, air-conditioned carriage. Even the toilets are kept very clean on this train.
Our driver picked us up at the station and took us to the tour company's office where we finalised plans for our 21 day overland tour of Mongolia, which will commence on 20th June.
Pat has been reading about the Guesthouses in UB, so after some walking around we checked into one he had read about - The Golden Gobi, which is easy to find alongside the State Department Building. This little place, where we will stay for the next 3 days, is a beehive of activity, with people coming and going all day long. There are all kinds of nationalities staying here and many different age groups - however I think I can say with certainty that we are the most senior residents! We went shopping at the deli and bought lovely bread, ham and cheese for lunch. In the evening we sat on the front patio with several travellers and listened to many interesting stories.
We haven't done many of the usual tourist jaunts around the city, as these places are being covered in the first and last day of our organised tour. There are many shops for buying local goods, which we enjoy checking out. In the evening we relaxed with a couple of drinks and sat on the front patio once again listening to the many interesting travellers' stories.
We have had a very eventful day today. Pat had a very restless sleep and kept waking up with excruciating pain in the left side of his mid to upper back. Checking out his symptoms in our medical books for travellers, did not clarify just what might be wrong. Pat being Pat, on the evening prior, he lifted and carried a large sack of onions into the kitchen of the Guesthouse - I told him to leave the work to the locals!! He just can't help himself - he always likes to help out.
We took a taxi over to the UB International Hospital and were welcomed by Benita, a Kiwi who is the Administration Manager and also a nurse and paramedic - immediately we felt we were in good hands. It was very heartening to hear that all the Doctors speak fluent English. She set about organising urine tests to commence before the Doctor arrived. We had the option of a Mongolian or Ex-Pat Doctor - Benita said take the Ex-Pat as he is just the best and is also an Orthopedic Surgeon. The Bulgarian Doctor arrived, gave Pat a very thorough examination, organised kidney scans and blood tests - later on he followed up with a drip to begin treatment.
The results were good - all Pat's tests are clear thankfully. It is very fortunate there is no kidney problem and Pat has been diagnosed with a badly strained back. He has been ordered to bed rest for the next few days before we head out of Ulanbaatar on our trip. The Doctor said he'll be fine to travel but also gave Pat strict instructions that he is not to horse ride or camel ride while on the trip. He was telling us that just this week he treated a man with a broken leg, after he was thrown from a horse; the second tragedy was when a lady's water bottle fell from her back while she was riding a camel - it frightened the camel and he threw her off. The lady is now in Singapore for treatment - he said very sadly that if she survives she will have brain damage. Good enough for us - there'll be no horse or camel riding on the trip. Pat is sleeping at the moment, so I have had the opportunity to finish off my blog. Till next time.
A Canadian man came up to chat with us when we were in the train. He told us how he has worked in China as a teacher of English since 2003 - each year he has a 10 month contract then he and his wife head home to Canada for 2 months. He told us he is an English Language co-ordinator for a large area in China and told us how he only employs Canadians and Americans and that he won't employ Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and British - he said he doesn't want anyone with an accent teaching English!!!! I felt like giving him a serve about his loud personality and his loud twangy accent - but I said nothing and remained calm!!
Charlie told us not to worry about our transport in Beijing and that someone would be there at the train station to pick us up. Once again we entered a very busy train station and once again there was James at the front of the line to meet us. He had been in the north on business so was able to pick us up together with one of Charlie's twin sons, also named James. Charlie's twin boys are both almost 20 and attending University, James here in Beijing and Bob in Wuhan City. It was great to meet up with Charlie and his wife Kelly once again. We had visited in both 2006 and 2007. The only difference this time, is that Otmar and Antoinette are in Australia - it seems a little quiet without them. Wu now works for Charlie and for our stay in Beijing, he took us out and about to most places.
We spent one day with James and then the following day he flew to another city before flying home to Angela in Chongqing. In the evening we went down to the Restaurant street to the Mongolian Restaurant and had a very enjoyable hot pot dinner. As it can be difficult to obtain train tickets, Pat and James headed off to purchase our train tickets for the following Tuesday for the 13 hour train trip from Beijing to Erlian, close to the Mongolia border. Our Chinese visas will expire on the Wednesday, so we have to ensure we cross the border on or before the 15th June.
To help ease vehicle congestion on the streets and freeways in Beijing, the government has introduced a plan whereby you must not drive your vehicle on certain days of the week when the registration plate ends in particular numbers - for example - on Mondays if your registration number ends in either 2 or 7 you must leave your vehicle parked up - otherwise suffer the fine of 100 to 200 RMB (divide by 6.8 for Australian equivalent) for as many times as you are caught on the day. Tuesdays numbers are 3 and 6.
One day Wu, Pat and I headed out to the Olympic Stadium which is nicknamed The Birdsnest. On our last visit in '07 it was still under construction, in preparedness for the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The stadium is huge once inside - it was great to see it first hand - we spent a couple of hours walking around the different levels. Wu took us to the rebuilt hautong area of Beijing - it is a shame that the original hautong area has been razed to the ground and the modern "old design" structures stand in their place.
Charlie suggested that we have Chinese names for when we visit China as it is very difficult for Chinese people to pronounce our English names. My Chinese name is Wei Bo Sha (pronounced WE BOW SHA) and Pat's Chinese name is Wei Bai Cui (pronounced WE BUY TSUI) - Wei is the surname for Wells which is always placed at the front of the christian names. I think that's pretty cool!
We have been in Beijing twice before, so we didn't need to do much sight seeing, instead we enjoyed some casual shopping - particularly at the Silk Markets. On our Silk Market day, Charlie's wife Kelly joined us for lunch and then we continued shopping in the afternoon. We stocked up on some gifts for the family and had a great time, with both Kelly and Wu joining in the fun of the bargaining. A girl remembered Pat from 5 years ago when he bought a set of golf clubs from her - she said he was such a hard bargainer she can never forget him. I did mention that man loves to bargain!
Charlie comes from a village in the southern area of China, so he took us to meet some of his friends he grew up with in that same village. Over the years they all moved to Beijing and are in the throes of expanding their already booming media and film business. With the Chinese film industry at an all time high there is a lot of work available and many businesses have already established themselves as clients with them. We wished them the best of luck in their new and expanded venture.
After a tour of the business premises, we visited their apartment for fruit and tea, after which about 16 of us headed out to a restaurant for, once again, a magnificent meal. This round table (3 metre diameter) and lazy susan (2 metre diameter) would have to be the largest we have seen with a seating for 16. A little 5 year old girl sat next to me and we chatted a few words in English - yes she is now learning English at school.
Not too far from Charlie's home is a Home Furnishings and Building Materials Centre - we think Bunnings is big - this place covers blocks and the shops go on and on and on .... If you think of something to buy, yes it can be bought here. We spent many hours wandering around and checking out the gear .. it is mind boggling.
Not too far from the house, is what we refer to as the Restaurant Street - there must be about 50 restaurants fronting the street in a space of about 250 metres. As you can imagine, it's a different place for dinner each night - no need to double up here!
On our last day in Beijing we had quite a few things to do, namely post a box of shopping and gifts home and stock up on some of our depleted medications before heading into Mongolia. I very sheepishly made an appointment to have my hair cut and coloured - remembering full well that my last episode at a hairdresser in China left me with bright yellow hair - somewhat looking like Big Bird's sister!!! I need not have worried - the salon was excellent, the staff were friendly and the outcome was perfect - not to mention the price of 130 RMB, which is approximately $18.50 Australian.
We said goodbye to Kelly this morning, as she is travelling to Shenyang for a 3 day business trip and won't be able to join us for dinner this evening. She is hoping to fit another trip to Australia into her busy schedule and include some time to visit Dingo Beach for well earned relaxation.
It was our shout for dinner on our last night in Beijing, so it was suggested we go to a Western restaurant, which we did. All had a great time and seemed to enjoy the Western style food. Back home we finalised our packing in readiness for our train trip to Erlian on the Mongolian border the following morning.
After saying our goodbyes to Charlie, Wu and James took us to the main Beijing station. After boarding our train we checked into our cabin for the 13 hour journey to the border of China. The train trip was quite good until we started crossing the Gobi - dust came pouring into the carriage and it became quite a dusty journey in the last number of hours before arriving at Erlian. We decided to head up to the Restaurant Car to wash down the dust with a cold beer. We met up with a couple of Aussies also having a beer, so after lunch the blokes chatted on for quite some time. At Erlian we checked into a hotel close to the station - it was great to have showers and wash our clothes, to get rid of the dust.
In the morning we took a taxi to a busy square full of Russian Jeeps - this was to be our mode of transport to cross the Chinese border into Mongolia. It was quite an entertaining day with all the goings on and the unbelievable movement of people and goods. We made a monetary deal with the driver and he indicated for us to sit in the front bucket seat and the area between the two bucket seats, on which he placed a little carpet. We noticed there was very little leg space behind the front seats so were pretty happy with our positions.
Well the people kept coming and the goods kept coming! About an hour later when we were finally leaving there were the 3 of us in the two front bucket seats; 2 men and 2 ladies behind us in quite a small space; the back was loaded up with our back packs and many goods the people were taking across the border into Mongolia - when lo and behold he put 3 more ladies in the back with all the gear! There was one lady I could not even see - she was buried somewhere amongst the gear. To top it off, when we reached the border a box with a portacot was placed on the bonnet in front of the windscreen! Vehicles were loaded to the hilt - boxes and parcels were tied onto the back bumper - items were tied underneath the vehicle and just basically anywhere there was a space it was pretty quickly filled. What a day! Also lined up on both sides of the border are hundreds of loaded trucks waiting for clearance to cross.
After clearing immigration we headed into the Mongolian border town of Zamyn-Uud. We checked out the train station to buy onward train tickets - no such luck - after a lot of hours we found out that there is no ticket available for the next 5 days on the 17:35 train - we certainly did not want to spend 5 days in Zamyn-Uud, which is recorded as the hottest town in Mongolia. Pat and I decided to check into a hotel and come back later. A young Mongolian guy who attends University in Washington DC befriended us and said he would help us in any way he can. There were 4 other westerners there as well, so we were able to converse about our plight - we were all in the same boat.
We returned to the station a little while later and came across our Mongolian friend telling us he had the solution - we can buy tickets for the following evening for the express train to Ulaanbataar. I was standing back in the line and he told me he would buy our tickets for me. He went up to the front of the line - pushed past some people and the next minute he was asking for our 2 passports and 68,000 Togrog ($60 Australian) - he then exited the queue with our 2 soft sleeper tickets for the next night - yet another 13 hour train trip. How good - we would have still been in Zamyn-Uud if it had not been for him! We offered to tip him for helping us - he refused - he said he enjoyed being able to help. The other 4 westerners were also booked onto the same train. The only thing I was not looking forward to was the dusty overnight journey.
We walked up to the local Internet Cafe and logged onto our email - now we are in Mongolia we can access our GMail quite easily - also Google, Facebook and Blogs are now able to be accessed - thank goodness - it makes it a lot easier for us. Many Mongolian children surrounded us in the internet cafe - all saying hello in English and telling us their English names. They were great kids and we had a lot of fun with them on both of our visits to the internet cafe. Our tour company in Ulaanbataar sent an email to say that they will pick us up from our transport when we arrive in the city - that's something now that we won't have to worry about - excellent!
That afternoon we watched with great interest at the people lined up along the platform with all their stacked up boxes, bags and luggage heading for the central market place in Ulaanbaatar where they hope to make some good sales and also some extra money. We're actually very pleased that we were not able to get tickets on the 17:35 train!! After a pretty full day, we hit the hay onto a very hard bed and a seed pillow! Welcome to Mongolia!
We spent a leisurely day in and around Zamyn-Uud while we waited for our 21:35 train to Ulaanbataar. Check out time at the hotel is 5pm, which makes it very convenient when travelling on a night train.
Our train arrived and with trepidation I entered our carriage! What would be in store for us? Wow - no need to worry - the train was brilliant! The carriages are timber panelled, squeaky clean and the whole train is air conditioned! There'll be no dust in this train tonight! The provodnitsa (carriage attendant - she who must be obeyed) welcomed us onboard with a cup of tea and gave us our linen pack for our soft sleeper beds. A young Japanese man Yasuhiro joined us in our cabin and organised himself in the top bunk, leaving the 2 lower bunks for us. We put out the lights and locked the cabin door - we all had a great night's sleep in the dust-free, air-conditioned carriage. Even the toilets are kept very clean on this train.
Our driver picked us up at the station and took us to the tour company's office where we finalised plans for our 21 day overland tour of Mongolia, which will commence on 20th June.
Pat has been reading about the Guesthouses in UB, so after some walking around we checked into one he had read about - The Golden Gobi, which is easy to find alongside the State Department Building. This little place, where we will stay for the next 3 days, is a beehive of activity, with people coming and going all day long. There are all kinds of nationalities staying here and many different age groups - however I think I can say with certainty that we are the most senior residents! We went shopping at the deli and bought lovely bread, ham and cheese for lunch. In the evening we sat on the front patio with several travellers and listened to many interesting stories.
We haven't done many of the usual tourist jaunts around the city, as these places are being covered in the first and last day of our organised tour. There are many shops for buying local goods, which we enjoy checking out. In the evening we relaxed with a couple of drinks and sat on the front patio once again listening to the many interesting travellers' stories.
We have had a very eventful day today. Pat had a very restless sleep and kept waking up with excruciating pain in the left side of his mid to upper back. Checking out his symptoms in our medical books for travellers, did not clarify just what might be wrong. Pat being Pat, on the evening prior, he lifted and carried a large sack of onions into the kitchen of the Guesthouse - I told him to leave the work to the locals!! He just can't help himself - he always likes to help out.
We took a taxi over to the UB International Hospital and were welcomed by Benita, a Kiwi who is the Administration Manager and also a nurse and paramedic - immediately we felt we were in good hands. It was very heartening to hear that all the Doctors speak fluent English. She set about organising urine tests to commence before the Doctor arrived. We had the option of a Mongolian or Ex-Pat Doctor - Benita said take the Ex-Pat as he is just the best and is also an Orthopedic Surgeon. The Bulgarian Doctor arrived, gave Pat a very thorough examination, organised kidney scans and blood tests - later on he followed up with a drip to begin treatment.
The results were good - all Pat's tests are clear thankfully. It is very fortunate there is no kidney problem and Pat has been diagnosed with a badly strained back. He has been ordered to bed rest for the next few days before we head out of Ulanbaatar on our trip. The Doctor said he'll be fine to travel but also gave Pat strict instructions that he is not to horse ride or camel ride while on the trip. He was telling us that just this week he treated a man with a broken leg, after he was thrown from a horse; the second tragedy was when a lady's water bottle fell from her back while she was riding a camel - it frightened the camel and he threw her off. The lady is now in Singapore for treatment - he said very sadly that if she survives she will have brain damage. Good enough for us - there'll be no horse or camel riding on the trip. Pat is sleeping at the moment, so I have had the opportunity to finish off my blog. Till next time.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Dali in Yunnan Province to Chongqing and Weifang in Shandong Province
The taxi arrived at our Hotel early in the morning to take us to the bus, as promised, to head out of Dali to Lijiang. The ancient cities are so much more interesting than the new cities - they usually lie alongside each other. I heard two young Asian girls chatting behind us on the bus and I wondered why they were speaking in English. We met later on and found out that Yvonne and Ruth had come from Singapore and were doing a trip into the mountainous area of Yunnan Province. The reason for the English is that English is the primary language spoken in Singapore.
The girls were being picked up by a lady from a guesthouse in the ancient city of Shuhe, a few kilometres away from Lijiang. The lady said she had accommodation available for us also so we headed off to her guesthouse. Our landlady belongs to the Naxi minority group living in this area of China.
The following morning we hired a mini van and visited the ancient city of Lijiang. The cobblestone streets wind their way around the little town - small channels less than a metre wide are tucked into the side of these roadways and are fast flowing with fresh water from the mountains. Little shops and businesses front the streets and vendors are selling their wares. Following a big day out and a lovely dinner we headed back to our cosy room and had the best night's sleep in quite a while. The crisp mountain air is very nice here in Shuhe with an altitude of around 3,200 metres above sea level, halfway up the Tibetan plateau.
Pat was told that China has a plan to build 30,000 klms of fast rail line over the next few years. It is amazing how fast China is progressing, we have noticed quite a few changes since our last visits in 2006 and 2007. One huge environmental issue China is tackling is to rid the country of plastic bags - the people are just like us and trying to remember to always take their own bags for shopping.
In the ancient cities there are a couple of minority groups who are among the last remaining matriarcial societies in the world - the women work to earn a living - the women own the land and buildings and the husbands stay at home and look after the children and keep house. The women in this group are also able to have several husbands ... the mind boggles. These women make their own cloth and operate looms in their shops to make beautiful shawls for sale.
A trip out to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain National Park held a great surprise in store. The man, Zhang Limou, who produced and choreographed the opening of the Olympic Games in China, has staged the Lijiang Impressionist Show which is held daily at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. This is not just a show - it is a spectacular with a cast of hundreds participating. There would have been about 2,500 people in attendance, with Pat and myself the only whities. In the spectacular there were participants from all the minority groups singing and dancing and telling their stories - the show came complete with horses - it was a wonderful spectacle.
After the show we took a bus to a chairlift and headed up in the chairs to the yak meadows at a height of 3,600 metres. We visited a Monastery and walked on a boardwalk through the yak meadow which was full of yaks happily grazing. One thing for sure is that we get plenty of walking on our travels - we must ensure we keep up the activity when we get back home.
We boarded the Shangri-La bound bus with Yvonnne and Ruth, but decided to stop off at Tiger Leaping Gorge which is one of the steepest gorges in the world - a length of 16 klms and a distance of 3,900 metres from the river to the top of the mountains. Pat clearly remembers learning about this gorge when he was a child, so it has been on his list of places to visit - his Bucket List. We spent the night at a village called Walnut Grove and enjoyed the hospitality of Tina's Guesthouse. The restaurant was on a deck overlooking the gorge - here at dinner we met a tour group who had completed a trek along the gorge that day. The group of 8 was comprised of New Zealanders, French, Swiss, Brazilians and headed by a Chinese lady.
We headed back to the village of Qiaotou the following morning and waited for our Shangri-La bound bus just outside a little restaurant. The staff were busy washing and preparing vegetables on the footpath, when the boss very kindly brought out two small stools for us to sit on while we waited for our bus. When the bus neared they all let us know that this was our bus - no chance of missing it.
We gave our bus driver the well deserved title of "The Best Bus Driver in China". He was a very courteous and safe driver who did not take crazy chances like all the others we have come across. I'm not sure how the road rules work here in China, but there seems to be no respect for other traffic, road markings, bike riders, bicycle riders and even pedestrians. If there is a space it seems that the driver will head for it - regardless if it's uphill going around a bend, crossing a double line or whatever! Drivers pull out in front of each other without looking - it seems that it must be the responsibility of the driver behind to ensure there is no collision. Your life is in your own hands even crossing the streets on pedestrian crossings - the traffic just keeps flowing through - it seems to be up to us to dodge the vehicles on the roadways which might be up to 5 lanes wide.
The driver let us off at Shangri-La's Old Town where we received an email from Yvonne and Ruth to say they had reserved a room for us at Nima Guesthouse where they are staying. Shangri-La which marks the start of the Tibetan world, changed its name from Zhongdian in the past few years. We really enjoyed walking the streets of this old city and sat down in the town square to enjoy a BBQ lunch which was cooked on wooden skewers over little BBQ's with open coals. We went back to the same lady each day for lunch while we were in Shangri-La .. she would see us heading in her direction and would beckon us over to her little table and chairs. At 7:00pm each evening the tables, chairs, BBQ's, stalls and umbrellas are all cleared away - in readiness for the local dancing and singing which continues on for many hours into the night.
We climbed the steps to visit the central Temple which has the world's largest prayer wheel at the top. The prayer wheel is painted gold and it can be turned with the assistance of at least 8 to 10 people. The following morning we hired a driver who took us out to the wetlands of Napa Lake nature reserve which is surrounded by a large grass meadow. Here we saw yaks, horses and sheep grazing on the grasslands and pigs roaming about - the spring flowers were also in bloom along the way. Our driver, who is the local Mayor of his village, took us into his home to see how they live. The Tibetan style house was very large with several rooms, including a very large sized prayer room and a kitchen with the most ornate woodwork we've ever seen in any home.
The driver took us to the wet markets where we saw yak, beef, fish, chicken and many other kinds of animals carved up for and displayed for sale. If the butcher has butchered a yak, for instance, the whole beast is on display on his counter with the head and hooves sitting at the front for inspection. It is so surprising that there are very few flies about and all the food is kept fresh and clean. Of course, the cooler temperatures would be a big help, unlike home where we have to keep everything refrigerated.
We have wi-fi in our room so it is great to be able to hook up to the internet and check our emails, even though the service is very slow indeed. When the sun begins to set the temperature drops considerably, so it is time to put on our jackets and scarves - we even had electric blankets to heat up the bed.
We met up with the Singaporian girls at Compass Cafe where we had a most welcomed cup of coffee - probably the best one to date. It started to rain and the power all went out, so this evening we went back to the Compass Cafe with Yvonne and Ruth for dinner and played the board game of Rummikub by candelight. The following morning we said goodbye to the girls and hope to meet up in Singapore on our return flight to Australia. We spent the day in the new city and did our washing in readiness for our flight the following morning. Our stay in Shangri-La was very enjoyable with clean fresh air and blue sky by day.
We had considered taking a bus to Chengdu but after discovering it would be a difficult 4 to 5 day trip over mountainous terrain we opted for the 1 hour flight across the mountains of the lower Tibet plateau. Our flight with Sichuan Airways was excellent and it was great to see the mountains from the air.
At Chengdu we checked into our hotel and headed out to do some shopping. We received an invitation to a Baby Shower for Kelli's new baby Bronagh Lee Jai-Wen Symonds, so decided we would like to send a gift for the shower seeing we would be unable to attend. We bought some gifts, found a post office and sent the package on its way to Mackay.
Chengdu is a lovely big city, but for us the pollution is an issue. We have come to Chengdu specifically to visit the Panda Research Centre - we have seen several documentaries on this centre and are happy to be able to see it for ourselves. We arrived at the centre at 7:15am the following morning and not surprisingly, we were the first in line to buy tickets. We left our bags at the Visitors' Centre and headed out on foot. The trip around the Panda Research Centre did not disappoint us - we would have seen at least 20 Pandas, from the playful young to the giant Pandas - many of whom put on a good show for us. Within the centre is another species called the Red Panda, which resembles an animal somewhere from a fox to a possum. Our visit to the Panda Research Centre was both excellent and enjoyable.
Now the fun begins .. we headed to Chengdu Train Station to book tickets on the fast train to Chongqing, where we will meet up with James and Angela (English names). We met James in Beijing in 2006 and then in 2008 he visited us at Dingo Beach, when Otmar and Antoinette brought him for a visit while he was on business in Australia. The train station was packed - there were about 50 queues of people and all with at least 100 people in them ... where do we begin?? We moved twice and then on the third attempt to join a queue Pat suggested I work my way along the line to see if anyone could speak English to help direct me to the correct window to buy the tickets to Chongqing. As I worked my way down the line people smiled at me but no one spoke English, until finally I came upon a lovely man and his wife who told me to stand in front of them and they will help me buy the tickets - a stroke of genius as he was about 6 people from the front of the queue. Within 15 minutes I was at the ticket counter and confirmed on the next train in about 2 hours time .. brilliant! I thanked the couple profusely and we then headed out for lunch before our fast train departure time.
We wondered how we would spot James at Chongqing train station - but the worry was not necessary - he was standing right in the front row at arrivals waving to us as we came through the barriers. It was great to see him and after getting into a taxi we headed to the Carol Hotel where James had booked us into a beautiful big room on the 21st floor. The room was very spacious and gave us fabulous views of all the river traffic up and down the Yangzi River.
Angela arrived a short time later and we all headed out to dinner. The Chinese love food and they love to eat .. our time in Chongqing has been fantastic and just like a great food festival. Nearby to our hotel is a newly built complex in the old Chinese style, complete with laneways and merchants called The Cave. We visited a couple of restaurants there and did some shopping.
We visited the Three Gorges Dam Museum and spent many hours enjoying the exhibits. At some of the laneways merchants make their own sweets - one such sweet is like a peanut brittle - the Chinese were very impressed at Pat's prowess on the large wooden mallet - flattening out the sweet's mixture. Of course, there are samples to be had along the way, so there's no reason to be hungry.
Sichuan Province is famous for the very spicy hot food they prepare, so Pat was ready for the challenge. We went to a restaurant where they served a hot pot with 2 rows for cooking the food in - the inner row was not spicy and the outside row was extremely spicy. James usually does not eat the hot spicy food, but together he and Pat made a formidable pair - I was more cautious and preferred to eat the milder dish.
On our final day in Chongqing we packed our bags in readiness for our flight to Weifang in Shandon Province. James and Angela met us and we went to the Inter-Continental Hotel for an amazing lunch - I enjoyed the coffee so much I backed up for a second cup. We said goodbye to Angela and wished her well for her forthcoming marriage to James, possibly next January. Angela is a beautiful young lady - we told James he is a very lucky man to have found such a wonderful future wife. Together with James we headed out to the airport - we boarded our 50 seater aircraft for our flight to Weifang and James prepared for his flight to Beijing.
Arriving in Weifang, we were enthusiastically met by Zhang & Yu and some other members of their family. We met Zhang and her family in China in 2006 and then in 2007 we met up in Beijing and she came to Australia to spend two months with us. It was an experience of a lifetime for her and a very enjoyable experience for us. It is amazing how people can communicate without a common language and a common background - but believe me - it can be done. In Zhang's time with us she travelled between Sydney in NSW and Dingo Beach in Queensland - we even fitted in a trip up to Home Hill and Ayr for a few days.
After arriving at the airport we headed off in two cars to meet Zhang's brother and his family - following the meeting we set off for a banquet dinner at a restaurant nearby. Zhang was very excited to show us her new car - since her trip to Australia she decided to get her licence and buy herself a car - it must be amazing for her to have achieved such independence in her 60's.
It was great to arrive back at Zhang & Yu's - into a comfy bed in a lovely big room, where we slept soundly for the next nine hours. Their grandaughter Tong Tong arrived at her grandparents' home for lunch. We last saw her when she was 9 years of age - she is now 14 years of age and a couple of inches taller than I am. Tong Tong has been learning English for quite a number of years now, so we have been able to have some wonderful conversations with her. It is also good experience for her to speak in English. Her grandparents are very impressed at her ability to converse so well with us. Unfortunately Tong Tong's parents are both working away from Weifang so we will not have the opportunity to meet up with them this time.
There are beautiful botanical gardens and a river close by to Zhang & Yu's home, so every evening after dinner we head out for a walk of about 3 to 5 kilometres. The pathways follow the river and are bordered on all sides by beautiful shrubs and trees. We have been very impressed by the number of gardens and parklands in Weifang, so I asked Zhang for some information. She told me that the government have many large nurseries and in the last few years they have taken on a programme to beautify the city of Weifang. Well they have done an amazing job, as the rivers, walkways and gardens - all complete with beautiful lighting are truly fantastic.
I have given Zhang's washing machine a good run - it's great to give our clothes a thorough washing. Every night when we travel we wash our clothes out by hand and hang them in the bathroom overnight to dry.
With Tong Tong's help we managed to set Skype up on Zhang's computer, so we've been catching up on a few calls - it's particularly great to be able to see our grandchildren, Flynn, Liam and Ayla.
We received wonderful news from Kelli and Lawrence - that being, they are going to Taiwan to pick up their new daughter, Bronagh Lee Jai-Wen Symonds on July 1st and will be there for 2 weeks. They asked if it would be possible for us to meet them in Taiwan to spend a few days with Bronagh - so as we say - nothing is impossible. We are now in the process of making inquiries for our travel to Taiwan.
Zhang took us to her Art Class where we met her teacher and fellow students. It was very interesting to see their style of painting. Following the class we were invited to have our photographs taken with the teacher and his students. We were made feel very welcome and enjoyed the experience.
We have met several members of Zhang's family including another son, daughter in law and their son. Families are still governed by the one child policy, however there are some exceptions to the rule. The latest we have heard is that if husband and wife are both an only child then they have permission to have two children. China has realised that the one child policy will create some issues down the track as there won't be enough population to do all the work and subsequently care for the aging population.
I have been having some interesting conversations with Zhang's grandaughter, Tong Tong (14 years of age) in relation to her education and how her days are managed. I'll write an outline of my understanding of her general day at home and at school where she is studying eight subjects, including English. She has gained recognition for her achievements in English - a Bronze Medal for her city Weifang with a population of 9 million, a Silver Medal for her Province of Shandong with a population of 95 million, and a Bronze Medal for the whole of her country of China which has a total population of 1.6 billion - now that is really some achievement. Congratulations Tong Tong!
An outline of Tong Tong's Day: 6:00 am Tong Tong arises; 7:00 am she leaves on her bicycle for school; 7:30 am she must be seated at her desk in school for lessons to begin; 11:30 am she rides her bicycle to her grandmother's for lunch: 1:45 pm she returns to school on her bicycle to commence her lessons at 2:00 pm; 6:00 pm she leaves school and rides her bicycle to her home; 7:00pm after dinner she begins her homework and studies into the night; 12 midnight she goes to bed to have 6 hours sleep before rising.
The Chinese have a very committed and determined attitude toward study and education, it's no wonder that so many of them are high achievers. Tong Tong told me that only 66% of school students will achieve high enough marks to enter higher education and University, so it is very necessary for her to be very dedicated to her lessons and studies. Tong Tong also attends night school on Friday nights and attends special classes on Saturday - quite a work load for a 14 year old wouldn't you agree?
Zhang's husband Yu, often indicates to us that he grows his own vegetables, so we set off after a delicious Hot Pot lunch with some family members to visit what they call the plantation. It is alongside a major dam and is a series of market gardens which are individually fenced off with low bamboo fencing. Yu has his own allotment in which he grows many vegetables, eg radishes, lettuce, shallots, beans and other leafy green vegetables which we cannot identify. On the lower reaches of the dam there is a beautiful golf course and many gardens.
We headed home in the afternoon thinking that was the end of a great day, but no, we all prepared then to go out to a restaurant for an evening meal. We met up with some more very close family friends and went to a magnificent restaurant where we were shown to a private room. The food was really delicious - and the dishes just kept coming!
We were given boxes of beautiful gifts to take home with us, particularly kites for which Weifang is world famous as the International Kite Capital of the World. As these boxes are bigger than our back packs we'll pack them all up and ship a carton home to Australia. I'll list some of the names of the family and friends - you'll see and understand why I have to write the names down - here's a sample - Zhang Li Li; Jing Jing; Liu Jian She; Sun Ming Xiang; Wang Yi Xuan; Wang Quan Yong; Zhang Sheng Tang; Jiang Lan Fang; Zhang Xiao Min; Yu Wei; Yao Ning Ning; Yu Xiao Long; Zhang Lian Fang; Yu Hua Hui and the lovely Tong Tong. They are all so generous and very kind - they won't let us pay for anything but we have told them we will take them all out to a special restaurant before we head to Beijing later in the week.
Pat enjoys visiting the local fruit and vegetable markets which are close by to Zhang & Yu's home - he always comes back with lovely fresh food which he enjoys bargaining for. That man loves a bargain!
We had a good giggle today while we were on the local bus back from the city, where we managed to buy some footwear for our grandchildren. Two young girls standing near Pat were fascinated at the hair growing on his arms and giggled when they touched his arms - Asian men are fairly hairless. Just after that two ladies behind me were touching and feeling my curly hair - I guess because theirs is so straight and flat - we all had a good laugh.
Tonight Zhang and Yu presented us with two large paintings (which fortunately fit inside a cardboard postage roll) - Zhang has spent two months completing these paintings which are gifts from them to us, their Australian friends. It is amazing to see the detail and the work in these paintings, which we will treasure.
Our fast train tickets from Weifang to Beijing are booked for Thursday, where we will be met by Charlie. We met Charlie (through Otmar) in 2006 and 2007 on previous trips to Beijing. We are looking forward to meeting up with Charlie and his wife Kelly once again. They have twin boys who are both at University - one is in Wuhan and one is in Beijing.
This afternoon we made confirmation of the changes to our flights and we are now booked to fly into Taipei on 11th July to meet up with Kelli, Lawrence and Bronagh - it's going to be so exciting to have the opportunity to meet our new little grandaughter.
Fangtze is an area of Weifang, which is comprised of many German buildings from over 100 years ago. Some of these buildings are being bulldozed in the name of progress but a collection of them are being preserved and comprise a little village, complete with what was once a hospital. German beers are available for sale and an Art Gallery in the old hospital is a big attraction.
We have spent 9 fantastic days in Weifang, so on our last night, we took Zhang, Yu, family and friends out for dinner. Pat booked a private room in a restaurant close by to their home, so we were able to walk to the venue. Tong Tong sat between Pat and myself, so she was able to translate the conversations in both Chinese and English. Tong Tong told me that at school, the most important lessons for the students are English and Maths and that she enjoys the English very much. We have invited Tong Tong to visit us in Australia for a holiday when she is a little older - we told her family that we would look after her. Tong Tong thinks it is a very good idea.
The following morning we were awake early and prepared for our fast train trip to Beijing. Zhang was very sad that we were leaving, but we told her that perhaps we can visit Weifang's International Kite Festival another year - she is happy that we would like to do that.
The girls were being picked up by a lady from a guesthouse in the ancient city of Shuhe, a few kilometres away from Lijiang. The lady said she had accommodation available for us also so we headed off to her guesthouse. Our landlady belongs to the Naxi minority group living in this area of China.
The following morning we hired a mini van and visited the ancient city of Lijiang. The cobblestone streets wind their way around the little town - small channels less than a metre wide are tucked into the side of these roadways and are fast flowing with fresh water from the mountains. Little shops and businesses front the streets and vendors are selling their wares. Following a big day out and a lovely dinner we headed back to our cosy room and had the best night's sleep in quite a while. The crisp mountain air is very nice here in Shuhe with an altitude of around 3,200 metres above sea level, halfway up the Tibetan plateau.
Pat was told that China has a plan to build 30,000 klms of fast rail line over the next few years. It is amazing how fast China is progressing, we have noticed quite a few changes since our last visits in 2006 and 2007. One huge environmental issue China is tackling is to rid the country of plastic bags - the people are just like us and trying to remember to always take their own bags for shopping.
In the ancient cities there are a couple of minority groups who are among the last remaining matriarcial societies in the world - the women work to earn a living - the women own the land and buildings and the husbands stay at home and look after the children and keep house. The women in this group are also able to have several husbands ... the mind boggles. These women make their own cloth and operate looms in their shops to make beautiful shawls for sale.
A trip out to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain National Park held a great surprise in store. The man, Zhang Limou, who produced and choreographed the opening of the Olympic Games in China, has staged the Lijiang Impressionist Show which is held daily at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. This is not just a show - it is a spectacular with a cast of hundreds participating. There would have been about 2,500 people in attendance, with Pat and myself the only whities. In the spectacular there were participants from all the minority groups singing and dancing and telling their stories - the show came complete with horses - it was a wonderful spectacle.
After the show we took a bus to a chairlift and headed up in the chairs to the yak meadows at a height of 3,600 metres. We visited a Monastery and walked on a boardwalk through the yak meadow which was full of yaks happily grazing. One thing for sure is that we get plenty of walking on our travels - we must ensure we keep up the activity when we get back home.
We boarded the Shangri-La bound bus with Yvonnne and Ruth, but decided to stop off at Tiger Leaping Gorge which is one of the steepest gorges in the world - a length of 16 klms and a distance of 3,900 metres from the river to the top of the mountains. Pat clearly remembers learning about this gorge when he was a child, so it has been on his list of places to visit - his Bucket List. We spent the night at a village called Walnut Grove and enjoyed the hospitality of Tina's Guesthouse. The restaurant was on a deck overlooking the gorge - here at dinner we met a tour group who had completed a trek along the gorge that day. The group of 8 was comprised of New Zealanders, French, Swiss, Brazilians and headed by a Chinese lady.
We headed back to the village of Qiaotou the following morning and waited for our Shangri-La bound bus just outside a little restaurant. The staff were busy washing and preparing vegetables on the footpath, when the boss very kindly brought out two small stools for us to sit on while we waited for our bus. When the bus neared they all let us know that this was our bus - no chance of missing it.
We gave our bus driver the well deserved title of "The Best Bus Driver in China". He was a very courteous and safe driver who did not take crazy chances like all the others we have come across. I'm not sure how the road rules work here in China, but there seems to be no respect for other traffic, road markings, bike riders, bicycle riders and even pedestrians. If there is a space it seems that the driver will head for it - regardless if it's uphill going around a bend, crossing a double line or whatever! Drivers pull out in front of each other without looking - it seems that it must be the responsibility of the driver behind to ensure there is no collision. Your life is in your own hands even crossing the streets on pedestrian crossings - the traffic just keeps flowing through - it seems to be up to us to dodge the vehicles on the roadways which might be up to 5 lanes wide.
The driver let us off at Shangri-La's Old Town where we received an email from Yvonne and Ruth to say they had reserved a room for us at Nima Guesthouse where they are staying. Shangri-La which marks the start of the Tibetan world, changed its name from Zhongdian in the past few years. We really enjoyed walking the streets of this old city and sat down in the town square to enjoy a BBQ lunch which was cooked on wooden skewers over little BBQ's with open coals. We went back to the same lady each day for lunch while we were in Shangri-La .. she would see us heading in her direction and would beckon us over to her little table and chairs. At 7:00pm each evening the tables, chairs, BBQ's, stalls and umbrellas are all cleared away - in readiness for the local dancing and singing which continues on for many hours into the night.
We climbed the steps to visit the central Temple which has the world's largest prayer wheel at the top. The prayer wheel is painted gold and it can be turned with the assistance of at least 8 to 10 people. The following morning we hired a driver who took us out to the wetlands of Napa Lake nature reserve which is surrounded by a large grass meadow. Here we saw yaks, horses and sheep grazing on the grasslands and pigs roaming about - the spring flowers were also in bloom along the way. Our driver, who is the local Mayor of his village, took us into his home to see how they live. The Tibetan style house was very large with several rooms, including a very large sized prayer room and a kitchen with the most ornate woodwork we've ever seen in any home.
The driver took us to the wet markets where we saw yak, beef, fish, chicken and many other kinds of animals carved up for and displayed for sale. If the butcher has butchered a yak, for instance, the whole beast is on display on his counter with the head and hooves sitting at the front for inspection. It is so surprising that there are very few flies about and all the food is kept fresh and clean. Of course, the cooler temperatures would be a big help, unlike home where we have to keep everything refrigerated.
We have wi-fi in our room so it is great to be able to hook up to the internet and check our emails, even though the service is very slow indeed. When the sun begins to set the temperature drops considerably, so it is time to put on our jackets and scarves - we even had electric blankets to heat up the bed.
We met up with the Singaporian girls at Compass Cafe where we had a most welcomed cup of coffee - probably the best one to date. It started to rain and the power all went out, so this evening we went back to the Compass Cafe with Yvonne and Ruth for dinner and played the board game of Rummikub by candelight. The following morning we said goodbye to the girls and hope to meet up in Singapore on our return flight to Australia. We spent the day in the new city and did our washing in readiness for our flight the following morning. Our stay in Shangri-La was very enjoyable with clean fresh air and blue sky by day.
We had considered taking a bus to Chengdu but after discovering it would be a difficult 4 to 5 day trip over mountainous terrain we opted for the 1 hour flight across the mountains of the lower Tibet plateau. Our flight with Sichuan Airways was excellent and it was great to see the mountains from the air.
At Chengdu we checked into our hotel and headed out to do some shopping. We received an invitation to a Baby Shower for Kelli's new baby Bronagh Lee Jai-Wen Symonds, so decided we would like to send a gift for the shower seeing we would be unable to attend. We bought some gifts, found a post office and sent the package on its way to Mackay.
Chengdu is a lovely big city, but for us the pollution is an issue. We have come to Chengdu specifically to visit the Panda Research Centre - we have seen several documentaries on this centre and are happy to be able to see it for ourselves. We arrived at the centre at 7:15am the following morning and not surprisingly, we were the first in line to buy tickets. We left our bags at the Visitors' Centre and headed out on foot. The trip around the Panda Research Centre did not disappoint us - we would have seen at least 20 Pandas, from the playful young to the giant Pandas - many of whom put on a good show for us. Within the centre is another species called the Red Panda, which resembles an animal somewhere from a fox to a possum. Our visit to the Panda Research Centre was both excellent and enjoyable.
Now the fun begins .. we headed to Chengdu Train Station to book tickets on the fast train to Chongqing, where we will meet up with James and Angela (English names). We met James in Beijing in 2006 and then in 2008 he visited us at Dingo Beach, when Otmar and Antoinette brought him for a visit while he was on business in Australia. The train station was packed - there were about 50 queues of people and all with at least 100 people in them ... where do we begin?? We moved twice and then on the third attempt to join a queue Pat suggested I work my way along the line to see if anyone could speak English to help direct me to the correct window to buy the tickets to Chongqing. As I worked my way down the line people smiled at me but no one spoke English, until finally I came upon a lovely man and his wife who told me to stand in front of them and they will help me buy the tickets - a stroke of genius as he was about 6 people from the front of the queue. Within 15 minutes I was at the ticket counter and confirmed on the next train in about 2 hours time .. brilliant! I thanked the couple profusely and we then headed out for lunch before our fast train departure time.
We wondered how we would spot James at Chongqing train station - but the worry was not necessary - he was standing right in the front row at arrivals waving to us as we came through the barriers. It was great to see him and after getting into a taxi we headed to the Carol Hotel where James had booked us into a beautiful big room on the 21st floor. The room was very spacious and gave us fabulous views of all the river traffic up and down the Yangzi River.
Angela arrived a short time later and we all headed out to dinner. The Chinese love food and they love to eat .. our time in Chongqing has been fantastic and just like a great food festival. Nearby to our hotel is a newly built complex in the old Chinese style, complete with laneways and merchants called The Cave. We visited a couple of restaurants there and did some shopping.
We visited the Three Gorges Dam Museum and spent many hours enjoying the exhibits. At some of the laneways merchants make their own sweets - one such sweet is like a peanut brittle - the Chinese were very impressed at Pat's prowess on the large wooden mallet - flattening out the sweet's mixture. Of course, there are samples to be had along the way, so there's no reason to be hungry.
Sichuan Province is famous for the very spicy hot food they prepare, so Pat was ready for the challenge. We went to a restaurant where they served a hot pot with 2 rows for cooking the food in - the inner row was not spicy and the outside row was extremely spicy. James usually does not eat the hot spicy food, but together he and Pat made a formidable pair - I was more cautious and preferred to eat the milder dish.
On our final day in Chongqing we packed our bags in readiness for our flight to Weifang in Shandon Province. James and Angela met us and we went to the Inter-Continental Hotel for an amazing lunch - I enjoyed the coffee so much I backed up for a second cup. We said goodbye to Angela and wished her well for her forthcoming marriage to James, possibly next January. Angela is a beautiful young lady - we told James he is a very lucky man to have found such a wonderful future wife. Together with James we headed out to the airport - we boarded our 50 seater aircraft for our flight to Weifang and James prepared for his flight to Beijing.
Arriving in Weifang, we were enthusiastically met by Zhang & Yu and some other members of their family. We met Zhang and her family in China in 2006 and then in 2007 we met up in Beijing and she came to Australia to spend two months with us. It was an experience of a lifetime for her and a very enjoyable experience for us. It is amazing how people can communicate without a common language and a common background - but believe me - it can be done. In Zhang's time with us she travelled between Sydney in NSW and Dingo Beach in Queensland - we even fitted in a trip up to Home Hill and Ayr for a few days.
After arriving at the airport we headed off in two cars to meet Zhang's brother and his family - following the meeting we set off for a banquet dinner at a restaurant nearby. Zhang was very excited to show us her new car - since her trip to Australia she decided to get her licence and buy herself a car - it must be amazing for her to have achieved such independence in her 60's.
It was great to arrive back at Zhang & Yu's - into a comfy bed in a lovely big room, where we slept soundly for the next nine hours. Their grandaughter Tong Tong arrived at her grandparents' home for lunch. We last saw her when she was 9 years of age - she is now 14 years of age and a couple of inches taller than I am. Tong Tong has been learning English for quite a number of years now, so we have been able to have some wonderful conversations with her. It is also good experience for her to speak in English. Her grandparents are very impressed at her ability to converse so well with us. Unfortunately Tong Tong's parents are both working away from Weifang so we will not have the opportunity to meet up with them this time.
There are beautiful botanical gardens and a river close by to Zhang & Yu's home, so every evening after dinner we head out for a walk of about 3 to 5 kilometres. The pathways follow the river and are bordered on all sides by beautiful shrubs and trees. We have been very impressed by the number of gardens and parklands in Weifang, so I asked Zhang for some information. She told me that the government have many large nurseries and in the last few years they have taken on a programme to beautify the city of Weifang. Well they have done an amazing job, as the rivers, walkways and gardens - all complete with beautiful lighting are truly fantastic.
I have given Zhang's washing machine a good run - it's great to give our clothes a thorough washing. Every night when we travel we wash our clothes out by hand and hang them in the bathroom overnight to dry.
With Tong Tong's help we managed to set Skype up on Zhang's computer, so we've been catching up on a few calls - it's particularly great to be able to see our grandchildren, Flynn, Liam and Ayla.
We received wonderful news from Kelli and Lawrence - that being, they are going to Taiwan to pick up their new daughter, Bronagh Lee Jai-Wen Symonds on July 1st and will be there for 2 weeks. They asked if it would be possible for us to meet them in Taiwan to spend a few days with Bronagh - so as we say - nothing is impossible. We are now in the process of making inquiries for our travel to Taiwan.
Zhang took us to her Art Class where we met her teacher and fellow students. It was very interesting to see their style of painting. Following the class we were invited to have our photographs taken with the teacher and his students. We were made feel very welcome and enjoyed the experience.
We have met several members of Zhang's family including another son, daughter in law and their son. Families are still governed by the one child policy, however there are some exceptions to the rule. The latest we have heard is that if husband and wife are both an only child then they have permission to have two children. China has realised that the one child policy will create some issues down the track as there won't be enough population to do all the work and subsequently care for the aging population.
I have been having some interesting conversations with Zhang's grandaughter, Tong Tong (14 years of age) in relation to her education and how her days are managed. I'll write an outline of my understanding of her general day at home and at school where she is studying eight subjects, including English. She has gained recognition for her achievements in English - a Bronze Medal for her city Weifang with a population of 9 million, a Silver Medal for her Province of Shandong with a population of 95 million, and a Bronze Medal for the whole of her country of China which has a total population of 1.6 billion - now that is really some achievement. Congratulations Tong Tong!
An outline of Tong Tong's Day: 6:00 am Tong Tong arises; 7:00 am she leaves on her bicycle for school; 7:30 am she must be seated at her desk in school for lessons to begin; 11:30 am she rides her bicycle to her grandmother's for lunch: 1:45 pm she returns to school on her bicycle to commence her lessons at 2:00 pm; 6:00 pm she leaves school and rides her bicycle to her home; 7:00pm after dinner she begins her homework and studies into the night; 12 midnight she goes to bed to have 6 hours sleep before rising.
The Chinese have a very committed and determined attitude toward study and education, it's no wonder that so many of them are high achievers. Tong Tong told me that only 66% of school students will achieve high enough marks to enter higher education and University, so it is very necessary for her to be very dedicated to her lessons and studies. Tong Tong also attends night school on Friday nights and attends special classes on Saturday - quite a work load for a 14 year old wouldn't you agree?
Zhang's husband Yu, often indicates to us that he grows his own vegetables, so we set off after a delicious Hot Pot lunch with some family members to visit what they call the plantation. It is alongside a major dam and is a series of market gardens which are individually fenced off with low bamboo fencing. Yu has his own allotment in which he grows many vegetables, eg radishes, lettuce, shallots, beans and other leafy green vegetables which we cannot identify. On the lower reaches of the dam there is a beautiful golf course and many gardens.
We headed home in the afternoon thinking that was the end of a great day, but no, we all prepared then to go out to a restaurant for an evening meal. We met up with some more very close family friends and went to a magnificent restaurant where we were shown to a private room. The food was really delicious - and the dishes just kept coming!
We were given boxes of beautiful gifts to take home with us, particularly kites for which Weifang is world famous as the International Kite Capital of the World. As these boxes are bigger than our back packs we'll pack them all up and ship a carton home to Australia. I'll list some of the names of the family and friends - you'll see and understand why I have to write the names down - here's a sample - Zhang Li Li; Jing Jing; Liu Jian She; Sun Ming Xiang; Wang Yi Xuan; Wang Quan Yong; Zhang Sheng Tang; Jiang Lan Fang; Zhang Xiao Min; Yu Wei; Yao Ning Ning; Yu Xiao Long; Zhang Lian Fang; Yu Hua Hui and the lovely Tong Tong. They are all so generous and very kind - they won't let us pay for anything but we have told them we will take them all out to a special restaurant before we head to Beijing later in the week.
Pat enjoys visiting the local fruit and vegetable markets which are close by to Zhang & Yu's home - he always comes back with lovely fresh food which he enjoys bargaining for. That man loves a bargain!
We had a good giggle today while we were on the local bus back from the city, where we managed to buy some footwear for our grandchildren. Two young girls standing near Pat were fascinated at the hair growing on his arms and giggled when they touched his arms - Asian men are fairly hairless. Just after that two ladies behind me were touching and feeling my curly hair - I guess because theirs is so straight and flat - we all had a good laugh.
Tonight Zhang and Yu presented us with two large paintings (which fortunately fit inside a cardboard postage roll) - Zhang has spent two months completing these paintings which are gifts from them to us, their Australian friends. It is amazing to see the detail and the work in these paintings, which we will treasure.
Our fast train tickets from Weifang to Beijing are booked for Thursday, where we will be met by Charlie. We met Charlie (through Otmar) in 2006 and 2007 on previous trips to Beijing. We are looking forward to meeting up with Charlie and his wife Kelly once again. They have twin boys who are both at University - one is in Wuhan and one is in Beijing.
This afternoon we made confirmation of the changes to our flights and we are now booked to fly into Taipei on 11th July to meet up with Kelli, Lawrence and Bronagh - it's going to be so exciting to have the opportunity to meet our new little grandaughter.
Fangtze is an area of Weifang, which is comprised of many German buildings from over 100 years ago. Some of these buildings are being bulldozed in the name of progress but a collection of them are being preserved and comprise a little village, complete with what was once a hospital. German beers are available for sale and an Art Gallery in the old hospital is a big attraction.
We have spent 9 fantastic days in Weifang, so on our last night, we took Zhang, Yu, family and friends out for dinner. Pat booked a private room in a restaurant close by to their home, so we were able to walk to the venue. Tong Tong sat between Pat and myself, so she was able to translate the conversations in both Chinese and English. Tong Tong told me that at school, the most important lessons for the students are English and Maths and that she enjoys the English very much. We have invited Tong Tong to visit us in Australia for a holiday when she is a little older - we told her family that we would look after her. Tong Tong thinks it is a very good idea.
The following morning we were awake early and prepared for our fast train trip to Beijing. Zhang was very sad that we were leaving, but we told her that perhaps we can visit Weifang's International Kite Festival another year - she is happy that we would like to do that.
Northern Vietnam to Yunnan Province, China
We boarded the train from the Gold Coast to Brisbane International Airport and checked in with Singapore Airlines for our flights to Singapore and further onto Hanoi in North Vietnam. We're on our way.
Our advance booking at The Little Hanoi Hotel which included an airport pickup eliminated being hassled at the airport by the hoardes with "Please come to my Hotel" - it was especially welcome after 19 hours of travelling.
Heading into Hanoi on the freeway I was very quickly reminded we were actually in Vietnam - we passed a farmer on his scooter which had a .5 square metre wire cage loaded up with about 7 live piglets - all jammed in and hanging out through the wire in every which way. It was only a few minutes further on when we passed a scooter with a sole driver who was transporting two queen size mattresses which met at the top above his head! What a hoot!
The Little Hanoi Hotel is in the French Quarter of Hanoi, close by to most places. Our accommodation at $28 US per night for a double deluxe room includes breakfast each morning and complimentary airport/train transfers. Our room is large with a massive king size bed and this little hotel is as clean as a whistle. The staff are very friendly, attentive and helpful.
The best way to see a place such as Hanoi's Old Quarter is to set out on foot - so off we went. Close by Hoan Kiem Lake is the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre which puts on a fantastic show. This form of puppetry originated in North Vietnam, is over 1,000 years old and is enjoyed by all. The puppets are mounted on long sticks with the operators working from behind curtains in feet deep water. This form of entertainment had its origins in the paddy fields. The show is comprised not only of puppetry but also of music, drumming and beautiful singing. Our dinner in the evening at our hotel was wonderful Vietnamese cuisine. I'll give the strong coffee a miss but I am enjoying the Vietnamese tea. Apparently the terminology "Dog Lover" takes on a whole new meaning in North Vietnam - so we'll steer clear of dark meat and choose chicken!
The following day we set off on a long walk to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his vestige and home on stilts which are all located within the Presidential Palace area. Ho Chi Minh, the man, affectionately known as Uncle Ho is revered by his people and was known for his simple style of living, gentleness and the dedication he had to his nation and people.
We bused to Halong City and were then taken out to our Junk "Poseidon" for 2 days of cruising in Halong Bay. Vietnam is well known for it's beautiful area of Halong Bay which is comprised of more than 3,000 islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. The limestone pinnacles of the islands jut out of the sea and the scenery is spectacular. The food onboard our Junk was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the activities of kayaking and caving. Our three day trip has been organised by our hotel and so far so good, it has been great. In the morning we visited Cat Ba National Park where Pat joined a group for a walk and climbed 300 stairs (steep and dangerous) to reach the lookout which was used during the war. We had an overnight stay on Cat Ba Island, visited Monkey Island and spent a couple of hours lazing on the white sandy beach while the monkeys showed off in the trees behind us. Back on board the Poseidon we had a delicious seafood lunch before heading back to Hanoi. We were very warmly welcomed back to the Little Hanoi Hotel by Lily and the evening staff and were handed the keys to our lovely room 201.
Ninh Binh is approximately 90 klms south of Hanoi - here we visited the ancient city of Hoa Lu which was the original ancient capital back in the 10th century. There are very few ancient ruins in Vietnam, said to be a result of bombings during the "American" war. Pat chose to take a 12 klm bicycle ride from Hoa Lu to Tam Coc - I chose the air conditioned van due to the 40 degree heat. The surrounding countryside is just what Vietnam is depicted as - lush brilliant green rice paddies, water buffalo and their handlers in conical hats working in the fields. These conical hats (which are brilliant for cool and shade) are worn by just about everyone - even me.
Tam Coc is known as The Halong Bay of the Rice Paddies as this area has the same limestone rock formations as Halong Bay. We climbed onto a little row boat to see the Ngo Dong River wind its way through the paddie fields. Mostly girls row these boats and they alternate between the use of their hands and feet for rowing - quite fascinating to watch. They also push the paddles when rowing as compared to us - we pull the paddles when rowing. We rowed 3 klm upstream and crossed under 3 grottos (keep your head low). On the return journey Pat took over the main paddles and had a row for about one kilometre - our guide enjoyed the little bit of relaxation on the 6 klm round trip. We helped row from our seats with shorter paddles - sore shoulders next day served as a reminder.
On our return journey to Hanoi we had 3 retirees from Melbourne sitting in the front row of seats behind the driver - they kept us entertained with their commentary on the magnificent and experienced driving skills of our driver. I find it better to sit behind and not look at how they overtake a vehicle with 3 vehicles coming at us from the opposite direction ... yes we definitely are in Vietnam!
Back at the Little Hanoi Hotel we were given fresh towels for showers before they organised our taxi to the train station for our overnight journey on the "Orient Express" to Sapa. Our 4 berth cabin was very comfortable, however, very early in the evening a young man joined his lady friend in the top bunk - making our cabin a 5 berth instead. How the hell they squeezed 2 people into that bunk I'm not sure, but there were no complaints from them!
We checked into the Mimosa Hotel in Sapa for $10 (discounted from $15) per night - later, again discounted to $8 per night for a 5 night stay - great value with views across the mountains and a large room and bathroom. Prices in Vietnam are very cheap if you are prepared to shop around - some hotels are highly priced but can lack the down to earth atmosphere of the smaller ones.
As it rained shortly after we arrived, we decided to spend the day walking in the town of Sapa and through the bustling markets. In the evening we met up with Debbie & Ian from Nelson in New Zealand for dinner - we first met up at Halong Bay on Monkey Island. They are avid bike riders so were giving us some encouragement to travel on a motorbike - they claim it to be one of the greatest ways to get about and see the mountains and the hill tribes. Pat hasn't ridden a motorbike in 35 years so we quickly dismissed that idea.
The women from the hill tribes dress in their traditional clothing - carry their large baskets (or babies) on their backs and offer their homemade wares for sale. They tend to follow visitors for ages asking for your name, how many children and grandchildren you have, what are their ages and whether they are boys or girls - they also want to know how old we are. Life expectancy is lower in Vietnam, so by the time people reach 60 they are looking at the end of their lives - they think it's amazing that we are in the same age group and travelling about so ably.
The following day we decided to throw caution to the wind and hire a motorbike. Pat chose a 125cc bike and we set off for the day, covering over 100 klms. Warren and Patty from Lismore also hired a bike from our Hotel, so we all set off together. We left the bikes at the top and hiked down to the Cat Cat Waterfall alongside Cat Cat village and later visited another village called Ta Van. At one point we picked up 2 young ethnic village girls of the Hmong Tribe who wanted a lift up the mountain (3 on a bike???).
When we reached the village at the top we were invited into their home to meet the family and see their home. This was a great treat - especially to meet "Mama" who is considered to be very old at 80 years of age - she made my Mum at 82 look like a youngster! It was a privilige to be welcomed into their home with its scant furnishings including a couple of small stools, a table and a sewing machine. The earthen floor in the very large kitchen came complete with a chook and 6 chickens running around! The bedrooms were upstairs in a loft area and the timber home was very cool inside out of the heat of the sun. In one corner of the kitchen was a large drum full of black dye which they use for dying the cloth they weave for their traditional clothing. We met the ladies' brother who was caring for his 3 small daughters - we presume his wife was in town selling her wares.
We took the village pathway back to the main road which was very rocky and rough in parts. The villagers and the children are very friendly - as as we rode by lots of them would wave and call "hello". After lunch in Sapa we set out to find some caves - we overshot the turnoff by about 10 klms so headed back to Sapa and experienced travelling through rain whilst on a bike! Hmmm! Stinging rain, insects and foggy glasses. Hmmm! We met up with Debbie and Ian for dinner and thanked them for encouraging us to hire a bike. It was a magnificent day - one we'll never forget.
Rain seems to have set in so it looks like we will be on foot for a couple of days. We were lucky enough to see a colourful funeral procession heading through Sapa - hundreds of people in front of and behind the deceased person - relatives of the person were all wearing white headbands.
In the evening we joined up with Ross & Sally from Townsville and Linda & Bill from Paluma - there certainly is no shortage of Aussies in Vietnam. We ordered a large Hot Pot for our table and thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the cold refreshments. Ross & Sally have also retired and like us they spend 3 months of the year travelling overseas and a couple of months touring in their caravan back home. Saturday night is the Love Market here in Sapa, so we're off tonight to check out the attractions. We booked our bus tickets to Bac Ha and hope to visit the Sunday markets when we're there.
We were approached by an elderley lady to buy her wares in Sapa - we were later told that she is very famous all over Vietnam because she is 90 years of age and has married a man of 30 years of age - apparently it was the first marriage for both.
Bac Ha's markets are very well organised - plenty of shade and places to eat and drink. I didn't like the animal markets where they were selling off animals for food - amongst the animals were about 6 beautiful little Husky puppies - they were only being inspected as food not as pets - it kind of turned my stomach a bit - I had to walk away.
Well it's still raining so we've decided to head to Lao Cai on the Vietnam/China border and cross the border today. All was going fine when Pat's Lonely Planet of China was confiscated - we tried to encourage the border guard to let us take it as we have had it on 3 previous trips into China - he said NO - PLEASE CO-OPERATION!!! Reluctantly Pat handed it over. About 100 metres away from the border we boarded a bus for the 9 hour trip to Kunming, when a young man came on board and asked if we'd like a copy of the Lonely Planet - it was the same version but a newer book for $20 so we took it. We'd be lost without our Guide Book - an essential for independent type travel.
We spent a couple of days in Kunming which is a very big city - I am very impressed with the beautiful tree lined avenues and the cleanliness of the streets - perhaps there has been a big turnaround since the Olympics. We checked into the Camellia Hotel where Pat and Kelli stayed about 12 years ago. Our morning walk in the City ended up being about 12 to 15 klms. Along the way we visited an old Palace and enjoyed listening to a group of elderley musicians playing their traditional string and flute instruments - their Conductor was also an elderley gentleman.
We decided to take the train to Dali, which ended up being an 8 hour trip in a hard seat train. In our compartment there were 5 people sitting on the two lower bunks. The trip was pretty uncomfortable and following on from our big day of walking I was feeling pretty wrecked. A lady directed us to a lovely hotel just outside the main gate of the Ancient Walled City of Dali - we hit the hay at 9 pm and didn't get up until about 8 am - I guess it was a kind of jetlag.
We have noticed lots of construction here in Yunnan Province, namely freeways, new fast train rail lines, bridges, high rise residential buildings and generally lots of construction - we can't see that the GFC has affected this part of China - perhaps China also had a stimulus package programme. Travelling through rice paddies the fields are full of workers - ploughing and planting and all are working up to their knees in water. The countryside is covered in rice paddies with rice and vegetables of all varieties being grown.
Dali at an altitude of 1,900 metres is a beautiful old City with a range of mountains as a backdrop and it has been built alongside Lake Erhai Hu. This ancient city in Yunnan Province is located at the foothills of Tibet. The buildings are traditional old style Chinese with pictures etched into the walls - depicting the scenery and lifestyles. The town has a series of channels winding their way through the cobblestone streets - these once supplied the city's drinking water.
Our advance booking at The Little Hanoi Hotel which included an airport pickup eliminated being hassled at the airport by the hoardes with "Please come to my Hotel" - it was especially welcome after 19 hours of travelling.
Heading into Hanoi on the freeway I was very quickly reminded we were actually in Vietnam - we passed a farmer on his scooter which had a .5 square metre wire cage loaded up with about 7 live piglets - all jammed in and hanging out through the wire in every which way. It was only a few minutes further on when we passed a scooter with a sole driver who was transporting two queen size mattresses which met at the top above his head! What a hoot!
The Little Hanoi Hotel is in the French Quarter of Hanoi, close by to most places. Our accommodation at $28 US per night for a double deluxe room includes breakfast each morning and complimentary airport/train transfers. Our room is large with a massive king size bed and this little hotel is as clean as a whistle. The staff are very friendly, attentive and helpful.
The best way to see a place such as Hanoi's Old Quarter is to set out on foot - so off we went. Close by Hoan Kiem Lake is the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre which puts on a fantastic show. This form of puppetry originated in North Vietnam, is over 1,000 years old and is enjoyed by all. The puppets are mounted on long sticks with the operators working from behind curtains in feet deep water. This form of entertainment had its origins in the paddy fields. The show is comprised not only of puppetry but also of music, drumming and beautiful singing. Our dinner in the evening at our hotel was wonderful Vietnamese cuisine. I'll give the strong coffee a miss but I am enjoying the Vietnamese tea. Apparently the terminology "Dog Lover" takes on a whole new meaning in North Vietnam - so we'll steer clear of dark meat and choose chicken!
The following day we set off on a long walk to visit Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, his vestige and home on stilts which are all located within the Presidential Palace area. Ho Chi Minh, the man, affectionately known as Uncle Ho is revered by his people and was known for his simple style of living, gentleness and the dedication he had to his nation and people.
We bused to Halong City and were then taken out to our Junk "Poseidon" for 2 days of cruising in Halong Bay. Vietnam is well known for it's beautiful area of Halong Bay which is comprised of more than 3,000 islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. The limestone pinnacles of the islands jut out of the sea and the scenery is spectacular. The food onboard our Junk was fantastic and we thoroughly enjoyed the activities of kayaking and caving. Our three day trip has been organised by our hotel and so far so good, it has been great. In the morning we visited Cat Ba National Park where Pat joined a group for a walk and climbed 300 stairs (steep and dangerous) to reach the lookout which was used during the war. We had an overnight stay on Cat Ba Island, visited Monkey Island and spent a couple of hours lazing on the white sandy beach while the monkeys showed off in the trees behind us. Back on board the Poseidon we had a delicious seafood lunch before heading back to Hanoi. We were very warmly welcomed back to the Little Hanoi Hotel by Lily and the evening staff and were handed the keys to our lovely room 201.
Ninh Binh is approximately 90 klms south of Hanoi - here we visited the ancient city of Hoa Lu which was the original ancient capital back in the 10th century. There are very few ancient ruins in Vietnam, said to be a result of bombings during the "American" war. Pat chose to take a 12 klm bicycle ride from Hoa Lu to Tam Coc - I chose the air conditioned van due to the 40 degree heat. The surrounding countryside is just what Vietnam is depicted as - lush brilliant green rice paddies, water buffalo and their handlers in conical hats working in the fields. These conical hats (which are brilliant for cool and shade) are worn by just about everyone - even me.
Tam Coc is known as The Halong Bay of the Rice Paddies as this area has the same limestone rock formations as Halong Bay. We climbed onto a little row boat to see the Ngo Dong River wind its way through the paddie fields. Mostly girls row these boats and they alternate between the use of their hands and feet for rowing - quite fascinating to watch. They also push the paddles when rowing as compared to us - we pull the paddles when rowing. We rowed 3 klm upstream and crossed under 3 grottos (keep your head low). On the return journey Pat took over the main paddles and had a row for about one kilometre - our guide enjoyed the little bit of relaxation on the 6 klm round trip. We helped row from our seats with shorter paddles - sore shoulders next day served as a reminder.
On our return journey to Hanoi we had 3 retirees from Melbourne sitting in the front row of seats behind the driver - they kept us entertained with their commentary on the magnificent and experienced driving skills of our driver. I find it better to sit behind and not look at how they overtake a vehicle with 3 vehicles coming at us from the opposite direction ... yes we definitely are in Vietnam!
Back at the Little Hanoi Hotel we were given fresh towels for showers before they organised our taxi to the train station for our overnight journey on the "Orient Express" to Sapa. Our 4 berth cabin was very comfortable, however, very early in the evening a young man joined his lady friend in the top bunk - making our cabin a 5 berth instead. How the hell they squeezed 2 people into that bunk I'm not sure, but there were no complaints from them!
We checked into the Mimosa Hotel in Sapa for $10 (discounted from $15) per night - later, again discounted to $8 per night for a 5 night stay - great value with views across the mountains and a large room and bathroom. Prices in Vietnam are very cheap if you are prepared to shop around - some hotels are highly priced but can lack the down to earth atmosphere of the smaller ones.
As it rained shortly after we arrived, we decided to spend the day walking in the town of Sapa and through the bustling markets. In the evening we met up with Debbie & Ian from Nelson in New Zealand for dinner - we first met up at Halong Bay on Monkey Island. They are avid bike riders so were giving us some encouragement to travel on a motorbike - they claim it to be one of the greatest ways to get about and see the mountains and the hill tribes. Pat hasn't ridden a motorbike in 35 years so we quickly dismissed that idea.
The women from the hill tribes dress in their traditional clothing - carry their large baskets (or babies) on their backs and offer their homemade wares for sale. They tend to follow visitors for ages asking for your name, how many children and grandchildren you have, what are their ages and whether they are boys or girls - they also want to know how old we are. Life expectancy is lower in Vietnam, so by the time people reach 60 they are looking at the end of their lives - they think it's amazing that we are in the same age group and travelling about so ably.
The following day we decided to throw caution to the wind and hire a motorbike. Pat chose a 125cc bike and we set off for the day, covering over 100 klms. Warren and Patty from Lismore also hired a bike from our Hotel, so we all set off together. We left the bikes at the top and hiked down to the Cat Cat Waterfall alongside Cat Cat village and later visited another village called Ta Van. At one point we picked up 2 young ethnic village girls of the Hmong Tribe who wanted a lift up the mountain (3 on a bike???).
When we reached the village at the top we were invited into their home to meet the family and see their home. This was a great treat - especially to meet "Mama" who is considered to be very old at 80 years of age - she made my Mum at 82 look like a youngster! It was a privilige to be welcomed into their home with its scant furnishings including a couple of small stools, a table and a sewing machine. The earthen floor in the very large kitchen came complete with a chook and 6 chickens running around! The bedrooms were upstairs in a loft area and the timber home was very cool inside out of the heat of the sun. In one corner of the kitchen was a large drum full of black dye which they use for dying the cloth they weave for their traditional clothing. We met the ladies' brother who was caring for his 3 small daughters - we presume his wife was in town selling her wares.
We took the village pathway back to the main road which was very rocky and rough in parts. The villagers and the children are very friendly - as as we rode by lots of them would wave and call "hello". After lunch in Sapa we set out to find some caves - we overshot the turnoff by about 10 klms so headed back to Sapa and experienced travelling through rain whilst on a bike! Hmmm! Stinging rain, insects and foggy glasses. Hmmm! We met up with Debbie and Ian for dinner and thanked them for encouraging us to hire a bike. It was a magnificent day - one we'll never forget.
Rain seems to have set in so it looks like we will be on foot for a couple of days. We were lucky enough to see a colourful funeral procession heading through Sapa - hundreds of people in front of and behind the deceased person - relatives of the person were all wearing white headbands.
In the evening we joined up with Ross & Sally from Townsville and Linda & Bill from Paluma - there certainly is no shortage of Aussies in Vietnam. We ordered a large Hot Pot for our table and thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the cold refreshments. Ross & Sally have also retired and like us they spend 3 months of the year travelling overseas and a couple of months touring in their caravan back home. Saturday night is the Love Market here in Sapa, so we're off tonight to check out the attractions. We booked our bus tickets to Bac Ha and hope to visit the Sunday markets when we're there.
We were approached by an elderley lady to buy her wares in Sapa - we were later told that she is very famous all over Vietnam because she is 90 years of age and has married a man of 30 years of age - apparently it was the first marriage for both.
Bac Ha's markets are very well organised - plenty of shade and places to eat and drink. I didn't like the animal markets where they were selling off animals for food - amongst the animals were about 6 beautiful little Husky puppies - they were only being inspected as food not as pets - it kind of turned my stomach a bit - I had to walk away.
Well it's still raining so we've decided to head to Lao Cai on the Vietnam/China border and cross the border today. All was going fine when Pat's Lonely Planet of China was confiscated - we tried to encourage the border guard to let us take it as we have had it on 3 previous trips into China - he said NO - PLEASE CO-OPERATION!!! Reluctantly Pat handed it over. About 100 metres away from the border we boarded a bus for the 9 hour trip to Kunming, when a young man came on board and asked if we'd like a copy of the Lonely Planet - it was the same version but a newer book for $20 so we took it. We'd be lost without our Guide Book - an essential for independent type travel.
We spent a couple of days in Kunming which is a very big city - I am very impressed with the beautiful tree lined avenues and the cleanliness of the streets - perhaps there has been a big turnaround since the Olympics. We checked into the Camellia Hotel where Pat and Kelli stayed about 12 years ago. Our morning walk in the City ended up being about 12 to 15 klms. Along the way we visited an old Palace and enjoyed listening to a group of elderley musicians playing their traditional string and flute instruments - their Conductor was also an elderley gentleman.
We decided to take the train to Dali, which ended up being an 8 hour trip in a hard seat train. In our compartment there were 5 people sitting on the two lower bunks. The trip was pretty uncomfortable and following on from our big day of walking I was feeling pretty wrecked. A lady directed us to a lovely hotel just outside the main gate of the Ancient Walled City of Dali - we hit the hay at 9 pm and didn't get up until about 8 am - I guess it was a kind of jetlag.
We have noticed lots of construction here in Yunnan Province, namely freeways, new fast train rail lines, bridges, high rise residential buildings and generally lots of construction - we can't see that the GFC has affected this part of China - perhaps China also had a stimulus package programme. Travelling through rice paddies the fields are full of workers - ploughing and planting and all are working up to their knees in water. The countryside is covered in rice paddies with rice and vegetables of all varieties being grown.
Dali at an altitude of 1,900 metres is a beautiful old City with a range of mountains as a backdrop and it has been built alongside Lake Erhai Hu. This ancient city in Yunnan Province is located at the foothills of Tibet. The buildings are traditional old style Chinese with pictures etched into the walls - depicting the scenery and lifestyles. The town has a series of channels winding their way through the cobblestone streets - these once supplied the city's drinking water.
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