England is a funny place to love. More often than not people wonder loudly whether we are crazy...why do we live in a land of grey skies and warm beer over one of sun soaked beaches and barbeques? And sometimes I wonder it loudly myself. Loving two countries, worlds apart, can break your heart.
But england has charms of its own...in a cozy pub on an icy day surrounded by loving friends, the warmest of beers can taste like heaven. So many of the people I adore and hold dear live in Australia - there will never be any doubt about that...and so many of them live in England - there will never be any doubt about that either....my heart aches when I'm traveling, i miss my family and i miss my friends...not so carefree then i guess!
so arriving at the airport to the welcoming arms of some of our dearest friends was coming home. and to trudge around the corner that night in the pouring, freezing english rain for a cup of tea with more friends was coming home...and, the next day, cooking lasagna for yet more much loved friends and trooping down to the local for drinks with the whole crazy gang....THAT was coming home...I will never say that England will always be home but, for now...albeit with a whole quandary of questions and uncertainties and problems hanging over our heads...for now, it's home.
It was always going to be difficult to put down a few sticks once more. no one ever said it would be easy to start all over again...again....but this time we're lucky. we have friends here and what we would do without them i really and truely dont know...
For now England is home....but ask us again in 6 months....there's always sun soaked beaches and barbeques and another world full of our adored and most loved....
stay tuned. xx
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Best and the Worst of It....a 6 month journey around the world...
Three continents. Twelve countries. 201 days. From the most western of worlds to the most eastern of worlds we have taken every conceivable form of transport to negotiate countless miles over the past 6 months. Memories upon memories....we have climbed mountains and snorkled with the fish, ate anything from duck tongue to the most succulent of steaks, partied in practically every place we've visited with some of the most amazing people we've ever met....ahhh - the people! we have met some of the best, some of the craziest and some of the most genuine...people from all over the world...thank you all for helping to make this trip so memorable.
Want some stats? Want the best memories? and the worst? Here's what we've come up with - so many memories...
Countries visited:
USA – New York State, Massachusetts, California, Navada, Washington
Canada – Quebec, Ontario, British Colombia, Alberta
New Zealand – North Island, South Island
Australia – Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory
Indonesia
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Hong Kong
Macau
China
No. of days:
201 - from 29 September 2008 to 17th April 2009
No of £ spent:
Unthinkable amounts!
types of transport used:
car
overnight train
seated train
seated bus
overnight sleeper bus
local bus
rickshaw
cyclo
plane
dragon boat
cruise boat
junk boat
chinese trekker wooden boat
canoe
row boat
motorbike
scooter
bicycle
tandem bike
tube/underground
taxi
tram
jetboat
gondola
bamboo rafting
elephant
tuk tuk
and many miles on our own two feet!
Most delicious meal:
It had to be Aussie....juicy aussie surf and turf accompanied by aussie red on the banks of the Brisbane River.
Worst meal:
Matt – yellow-ish lasagna served at Italian restaurant in Chiang Mai, thailand...he was quite ill the next day!
Kirsh - Just the thought of a scorpian kebab - Beijing, China
Weirdest food:
Matt – duck tongue in Yichang, China
Kirsh - licking chicken's feet, Xian, China
Top 12 nights out (this was a hard one and try as i might i couldnt get it down to Top 10!!):
1) On 'the island' in Vang Viene, Laos - with our favorite spaniards, Jo, Blanca, Alberto and Jordi and a few Canadians thrown in for good measure...add some happy shakes and buckets and OH what a night!
2) Halloween. Vancouver, Canada with John (aka Buddy Holly!), Jorden, Marty and Christine...dress ups and live bands in THE funkiest nightclub in the whole of Canada!
3) Welcome home party. Toowoomba, Australia - Megs, Clare, Stace and the rest of the gang! home sweet home really doesnt get better until you fall down the stairs!
4) Full Moon Party, Koh Phangagan, Thailand - Em, Emily, Katie and some awesome Swedes...add a drinking game or two, buckets and a full moon on a thai beach - it doesnt get better
5) Belinda and Scott's wedding, Inverell, Australia - with a great crowd and a karaoke machine!
6) 1+1 bar, Xian, China - with our awesome Gap tour group, Serena, Doug and Andy and a bit of beautiful D-floor action from the boys
7) New Years Eve. Newcastle, Australia - with some of my fave people in the world - Ashman, Bundy, Toad and Jbot - plus all their mates and an awesome live gig
8) Gas Lamp District, San Diego – with Christy....the coolest yank in the USA and some of the worlds biggest margaritas!
9) Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong - with South African randoms, Hong Kong Rugby 7s and 'litre' beers...
10) Vegas, USA - with Erik and Lovisa, Charlene and Jo and a very lucky streak on the Roulette table
11) Banff, Canada - with our fab and funky 'Moose' tour group and more than a couple of 'ski shots'
12) Kao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand - with many a random on the street and the obligatory buckets
Top 4 Best Alcoholic Drinks
1) fishbowl margaritas in the Gas Lamp district of San Diego
2) buckets in Koh Phangan, Thailand and Vang Viene, Laos
3) glass of aussie red on the streets of Luang Prabang, Laos after drinking nothing but beer and spirits for 2 months
4) rice wine infused with dead roosters and snakes..for vitality...mmmm. The Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
Best Sporting Event Attended
Ice Hockey, Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto, Canada
Best Late Night snack
Poutine, delish canadian snack of chips, gravy and cheese curd - sounds gross but OH so nice!
Worst hangover
Kirsh - Beijing, China...it's the rice wine that did it!
Matt – after night out with randoms drinking too much whisky in Bangkok
Longest time spent in transit
Vang Viene, Laos to Hong Kong – 28hrs via bus and plane
Top 2 hotel rooms
1) The Luxor, Vegas, USA
2) The Rio Casino, Macau
Worst hotel room
Boat on Yankse River, Three Gorges, China - think grotty, small and a bathroom in which you could shower whilst sitting on the toilet complete with the smell of sewerage.
Best hostel
San Diego, Downtown HI - funky rooms and within stumbling distance of the action
Worst hostel
New York – Central Park Hostel - old lady wandering round in only her undies the whole time didn't exactly create a wholesome family atmosphere.
Accommodation set in the most picturesque place
Matt – Franz Joseph, NZ - mountains and green green grass...and the occasional mooing cow
Kirsh – Junk boat on Halong Bay, Vietnam - looking out the window to majestic limestone mountains towering out of the sea...
Top 3 Shows:
1) 'Cirque du Solei', Las Vegas
2) 'Shanghai Acrobats', Shanghai, China
3) 'Chicago', Broadway, New York
Best Adventure Activity
Matt – Bungee jumping in Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh – Shotover Jet, Queenstown, NZ
Best Airline
Bangkok Airways from Bangkok to Koh Samui...free pastries and coffee...yum!
Top 4 Most Scenic Drives
1) The Canadian Rockies - everywhere you look is yet another eye-popping mountain or breathtaking lake...waterfalls, glaciers....for picturesque scenery you really can't go past the Canadian Rockies...
2) Boston – NY - autumn leaves...say no more.
3) Arthurs pass, NZ - the most breathtaking of mountains...
4) Te Anau – Milford Sound, NZ
Most Interesting Animal
Matt – Cresent Bear, luang prabang, Vietnam
Kirsh – glowworms, Te Anau,, New zealand
Best Beach
Box Beach, Nelson's Bay, Australia...with Ashman, Mitch and Elise...a beach to ourselves and the bluest, clearest water.
Top 3 hottest bars/clubs
1) 1+1, Xian, China
2) 'Ivy', Sydney, Australia
3) 'Roxy', Vancouver, Canada
Best Tourist Attractions
USA - Universal Studios,LA
Canada - Maid of the Mist boat, Niagra Falls
NZ - Boat cruise on Milford Sound
South East Asia - The Temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia
China - The great wall of China, Beijing
Best Natural Wonder
USA - Whales Watching, Boston
Canada - Lake Louise
NZ - Milford Sound
South East Asia - Halong Bay, Vietnam
China - Limestone Mountains, Yangshuo
Most Breathtaking Moment
Matt - Bungee Jumping, Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh - first sight of Lake Louise, Canada
Scariest Moment
Matt - Bungee Jumping, Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh - About to get a tattoo, Auckland, NZ
Funniest Moment
Matt - 'I'm so Happy!' night out in Vang Viene
Kirsh - Matt, Doug and Andy and a stage in a nightclub in Xian
Most Interesting Cultural Difference
China - spitting on the street, talking loudly through shows....let alone the things they eat! ;-)
Best City (this could only be narrowed down by country and there were many contenders
USA -Matt - San Diego; Kirsh - New York and Vegas (i couldn't choose between them!)
Canada - Vancouver
NZ - Queenstown
SE Asia - Matt - Chiang Mai, Thailand; Kirsh - Luang Prabang, Laos
China - Hong Kong
What a trip of a lifetime...!!
and now, back to normalcy (whatever that is). stay tuned for wat happens next to bart and the bomb! xx
Want some stats? Want the best memories? and the worst? Here's what we've come up with - so many memories...
Countries visited:
USA – New York State, Massachusetts, California, Navada, Washington
Canada – Quebec, Ontario, British Colombia, Alberta
New Zealand – North Island, South Island
Australia – Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory
Indonesia
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Hong Kong
Macau
China
No. of days:
201 - from 29 September 2008 to 17th April 2009
No of £ spent:
Unthinkable amounts!
types of transport used:
car
overnight train
seated train
seated bus
overnight sleeper bus
local bus
rickshaw
cyclo
plane
dragon boat
cruise boat
junk boat
chinese trekker wooden boat
canoe
row boat
motorbike
scooter
bicycle
tandem bike
tube/underground
taxi
tram
jetboat
gondola
bamboo rafting
elephant
tuk tuk
and many miles on our own two feet!
Most delicious meal:
It had to be Aussie....juicy aussie surf and turf accompanied by aussie red on the banks of the Brisbane River.
Worst meal:
Matt – yellow-ish lasagna served at Italian restaurant in Chiang Mai, thailand...he was quite ill the next day!
Kirsh - Just the thought of a scorpian kebab - Beijing, China
Weirdest food:
Matt – duck tongue in Yichang, China
Kirsh - licking chicken's feet, Xian, China
Top 12 nights out (this was a hard one and try as i might i couldnt get it down to Top 10!!):
1) On 'the island' in Vang Viene, Laos - with our favorite spaniards, Jo, Blanca, Alberto and Jordi and a few Canadians thrown in for good measure...add some happy shakes and buckets and OH what a night!
2) Halloween. Vancouver, Canada with John (aka Buddy Holly!), Jorden, Marty and Christine...dress ups and live bands in THE funkiest nightclub in the whole of Canada!
3) Welcome home party. Toowoomba, Australia - Megs, Clare, Stace and the rest of the gang! home sweet home really doesnt get better until you fall down the stairs!
4) Full Moon Party, Koh Phangagan, Thailand - Em, Emily, Katie and some awesome Swedes...add a drinking game or two, buckets and a full moon on a thai beach - it doesnt get better
5) Belinda and Scott's wedding, Inverell, Australia - with a great crowd and a karaoke machine!
6) 1+1 bar, Xian, China - with our awesome Gap tour group, Serena, Doug and Andy and a bit of beautiful D-floor action from the boys
7) New Years Eve. Newcastle, Australia - with some of my fave people in the world - Ashman, Bundy, Toad and Jbot - plus all their mates and an awesome live gig
8) Gas Lamp District, San Diego – with Christy....the coolest yank in the USA and some of the worlds biggest margaritas!
9) Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong - with South African randoms, Hong Kong Rugby 7s and 'litre' beers...
10) Vegas, USA - with Erik and Lovisa, Charlene and Jo and a very lucky streak on the Roulette table
11) Banff, Canada - with our fab and funky 'Moose' tour group and more than a couple of 'ski shots'
12) Kao San Road, Bangkok, Thailand - with many a random on the street and the obligatory buckets
Top 4 Best Alcoholic Drinks
1) fishbowl margaritas in the Gas Lamp district of San Diego
2) buckets in Koh Phangan, Thailand and Vang Viene, Laos
3) glass of aussie red on the streets of Luang Prabang, Laos after drinking nothing but beer and spirits for 2 months
4) rice wine infused with dead roosters and snakes..for vitality...mmmm. The Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
Best Sporting Event Attended
Ice Hockey, Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto, Canada
Best Late Night snack
Poutine, delish canadian snack of chips, gravy and cheese curd - sounds gross but OH so nice!
Worst hangover
Kirsh - Beijing, China...it's the rice wine that did it!
Matt – after night out with randoms drinking too much whisky in Bangkok
Longest time spent in transit
Vang Viene, Laos to Hong Kong – 28hrs via bus and plane
Top 2 hotel rooms
1) The Luxor, Vegas, USA
2) The Rio Casino, Macau
Worst hotel room
Boat on Yankse River, Three Gorges, China - think grotty, small and a bathroom in which you could shower whilst sitting on the toilet complete with the smell of sewerage.
Best hostel
San Diego, Downtown HI - funky rooms and within stumbling distance of the action
Worst hostel
New York – Central Park Hostel - old lady wandering round in only her undies the whole time didn't exactly create a wholesome family atmosphere.
Accommodation set in the most picturesque place
Matt – Franz Joseph, NZ - mountains and green green grass...and the occasional mooing cow
Kirsh – Junk boat on Halong Bay, Vietnam - looking out the window to majestic limestone mountains towering out of the sea...
Top 3 Shows:
1) 'Cirque du Solei', Las Vegas
2) 'Shanghai Acrobats', Shanghai, China
3) 'Chicago', Broadway, New York
Best Adventure Activity
Matt – Bungee jumping in Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh – Shotover Jet, Queenstown, NZ
Best Airline
Bangkok Airways from Bangkok to Koh Samui...free pastries and coffee...yum!
Top 4 Most Scenic Drives
1) The Canadian Rockies - everywhere you look is yet another eye-popping mountain or breathtaking lake...waterfalls, glaciers....for picturesque scenery you really can't go past the Canadian Rockies...
2) Boston – NY - autumn leaves...say no more.
3) Arthurs pass, NZ - the most breathtaking of mountains...
4) Te Anau – Milford Sound, NZ
Most Interesting Animal
Matt – Cresent Bear, luang prabang, Vietnam
Kirsh – glowworms, Te Anau,, New zealand
Best Beach
Box Beach, Nelson's Bay, Australia...with Ashman, Mitch and Elise...a beach to ourselves and the bluest, clearest water.
Top 3 hottest bars/clubs
1) 1+1, Xian, China
2) 'Ivy', Sydney, Australia
3) 'Roxy', Vancouver, Canada
Best Tourist Attractions
USA - Universal Studios,LA
Canada - Maid of the Mist boat, Niagra Falls
NZ - Boat cruise on Milford Sound
South East Asia - The Temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia
China - The great wall of China, Beijing
Best Natural Wonder
USA - Whales Watching, Boston
Canada - Lake Louise
NZ - Milford Sound
South East Asia - Halong Bay, Vietnam
China - Limestone Mountains, Yangshuo
Most Breathtaking Moment
Matt - Bungee Jumping, Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh - first sight of Lake Louise, Canada
Scariest Moment
Matt - Bungee Jumping, Queenstown, NZ
Kirsh - About to get a tattoo, Auckland, NZ
Funniest Moment
Matt - 'I'm so Happy!' night out in Vang Viene
Kirsh - Matt, Doug and Andy and a stage in a nightclub in Xian
Most Interesting Cultural Difference
China - spitting on the street, talking loudly through shows....let alone the things they eat! ;-)
Best City (this could only be narrowed down by country and there were many contenders
USA -Matt - San Diego; Kirsh - New York and Vegas (i couldn't choose between them!)
Canada - Vancouver
NZ - Queenstown
SE Asia - Matt - Chiang Mai, Thailand; Kirsh - Luang Prabang, Laos
China - Hong Kong
What a trip of a lifetime...!!
and now, back to normalcy (whatever that is). stay tuned for wat happens next to bart and the bomb! xx
Of Peking Duck and Other Chinese Whispers
We've been on the road, traveling, backpacking, seeing the sights and drinking in the culture of 12 different countries for 200 days. It is over. unbelievably, sadly, happily - the emotions i'm feeling are endless. Today is our last day as free and careless vagabonds before flying back to london tomorrow morning...at least until our next trip - as we all know travel is our addiction and we will work only till money allows us to follow our hearts to the next blank canvas waiting to be explored.... I'm excited to be returning to england. i've missed my friends there incredibly. i've missed roast pork and mashed potatoes. I've missed routine. i've missed understanding the language. i've missed understanding (most of!) the culture. I've missed knowing where to go to buy shampoo. But how could i have missed a life of nine to five in a life where one day is completely different to the next, where i can fall asleep on an overnight bus and wake up the next morning in a new city, a new state, a new country. And how could i have missed the miserable english weather when i have spend the greater part of 6 months following the sun around the globe and basking in its glory on golden beaches, watching it set over gentle, majestic rivers and sky-high mountains.
all good things must come to an end, i'm told, and what a way to end this trip with a bang - in the thriving, historical city of Beijing - rich with thousands and thousands of years of cultural heritage. this city tells the tales of wealthy dynasties and socialist ideals, of war and, only occasionally, of peace. We've seen a lot this trip - natural wonders, beautiful animals, the tallest of buildings....but what better way to culminate 6 months of awe inspiring wonder than to stand on the Great Wall itself and breath in the fresh morning air carrying the memories of thousands of years of history - a country once divided, finally united and, soon, a world power...the stories that wall could tell us if only it could speak....
We have tramped across Tinanaman square, imagining it filled with tanks and protesters....glided through a Forbidden City, the home and castle of many a vicious ruler and his thousands of loyal concubines. Watched monks performing kung fu, eaten succulent Peking Duck rolled in pancakes, and drunk cocktails by a lake in the Hutongs - tiny grey villages of one-room houses on narrow streets and curvy lanes where thousands of Beijing locals live their lives still abiding by ancient traditions and class structure beliefs. We have played cards whilst drinking rice wine and partied afterwards on flashy dancefloors while around the corner the locals are sharing toilets with 20 other families.
The city is exciting, its our grand finale. we're glad to be sharing it with those awesome guys we've become quite close to over the past 18 days in china over many a game of 'Arsehole' and many a shared experience.
Tomorrow we fly home to a real life...to our friends that love us and a country, not our own, but one that still, somehow, has control of our hearts.
stay tuned. xxx
all good things must come to an end, i'm told, and what a way to end this trip with a bang - in the thriving, historical city of Beijing - rich with thousands and thousands of years of cultural heritage. this city tells the tales of wealthy dynasties and socialist ideals, of war and, only occasionally, of peace. We've seen a lot this trip - natural wonders, beautiful animals, the tallest of buildings....but what better way to culminate 6 months of awe inspiring wonder than to stand on the Great Wall itself and breath in the fresh morning air carrying the memories of thousands of years of history - a country once divided, finally united and, soon, a world power...the stories that wall could tell us if only it could speak....
We have tramped across Tinanaman square, imagining it filled with tanks and protesters....glided through a Forbidden City, the home and castle of many a vicious ruler and his thousands of loyal concubines. Watched monks performing kung fu, eaten succulent Peking Duck rolled in pancakes, and drunk cocktails by a lake in the Hutongs - tiny grey villages of one-room houses on narrow streets and curvy lanes where thousands of Beijing locals live their lives still abiding by ancient traditions and class structure beliefs. We have played cards whilst drinking rice wine and partied afterwards on flashy dancefloors while around the corner the locals are sharing toilets with 20 other families.
The city is exciting, its our grand finale. we're glad to be sharing it with those awesome guys we've become quite close to over the past 18 days in china over many a game of 'Arsehole' and many a shared experience.
Tomorrow we fly home to a real life...to our friends that love us and a country, not our own, but one that still, somehow, has control of our hearts.
stay tuned. xxx
Monday, April 13, 2009
Shanghai Noon
1/5th of the world's cranes are in Shanghai making it one big construction site...2 years ago there were something like 60 skyscrapers...now there are hundreds...each one slightly closer to touching heaven...soon it will overtake Hong Kong as THE finanial centre of China and THE city to be for culture, shopping and the odd cocktail...already the city sparkles.
Now that we are hitting city after city with our tour group of partiers...including a troop of particularly interesting dancers in the form of Matt, Doug and Andy...we have hit our stride when it comes to the Chinese nightlife and we are showing them just how it's done in the west...heading out on our first night in Shanghai after drinking a bottle of barcardi, a bottle of smirnoff and a bottle of soy sauce between the 6 of us, we stumbled into 'soho', a club of white sofas, sparkling chandeliars and random tunes - anything from britney to jamiraqui had us bouncing on the dance floor, chatting to the locals and beating the pro dancers to the stage...outdone only by a group of breakdancers who almost put our boys to shame...but not quite...we tend to draw a crowd...the Chinese party elite adore us...and we adore being adored...
Waking up the next morning we stumbled down the Bund with it's beautiful skyline, river views towards 'Higher Ground'...a sunny restaurant offering steak and chips (yes please) where we met up with Caitlin and Alex and their little boy Jonty, old friends from Aus who just happened to be in Shanghai at the same time. A good old catch up and some chocolate cake later we all flew up the elevator to the top of the 'bottle opener', a fancy-smancy financial building offering views of the city from over 400 meters above the ground - the highest observitory in the world at the moment (till they do their thing in Dubai at least...)...
Meeting back up with our party people again we gave the beer a miss that night in respect for our hangovers and went instead to watch the Shanghai Acrobats...how, pray tell, does one realise that one's talent is to swing a hula hoop well enough to do it for a crowd? or to ride a motorbike with no hands round 'the ball of death'...or to balance 30 wine glasses on one's foot whilst upside down and twisted in half?? amazing stuff...though of course i could do it all....
We've seen gardens and shops and eaten and been drunken in the shanghai noon...and it's time to move on...one last train ride (oh thank goodness) and one last tub of instant noodles...and one last city. Beijing is the ultimate...the last hurrah before we return to a life of nine to five...at least for now....watch out beijing.
Stay tuned. xx
Now that we are hitting city after city with our tour group of partiers...including a troop of particularly interesting dancers in the form of Matt, Doug and Andy...we have hit our stride when it comes to the Chinese nightlife and we are showing them just how it's done in the west...heading out on our first night in Shanghai after drinking a bottle of barcardi, a bottle of smirnoff and a bottle of soy sauce between the 6 of us, we stumbled into 'soho', a club of white sofas, sparkling chandeliars and random tunes - anything from britney to jamiraqui had us bouncing on the dance floor, chatting to the locals and beating the pro dancers to the stage...outdone only by a group of breakdancers who almost put our boys to shame...but not quite...we tend to draw a crowd...the Chinese party elite adore us...and we adore being adored...
Waking up the next morning we stumbled down the Bund with it's beautiful skyline, river views towards 'Higher Ground'...a sunny restaurant offering steak and chips (yes please) where we met up with Caitlin and Alex and their little boy Jonty, old friends from Aus who just happened to be in Shanghai at the same time. A good old catch up and some chocolate cake later we all flew up the elevator to the top of the 'bottle opener', a fancy-smancy financial building offering views of the city from over 400 meters above the ground - the highest observitory in the world at the moment (till they do their thing in Dubai at least...)...
Meeting back up with our party people again we gave the beer a miss that night in respect for our hangovers and went instead to watch the Shanghai Acrobats...how, pray tell, does one realise that one's talent is to swing a hula hoop well enough to do it for a crowd? or to ride a motorbike with no hands round 'the ball of death'...or to balance 30 wine glasses on one's foot whilst upside down and twisted in half?? amazing stuff...though of course i could do it all....
We've seen gardens and shops and eaten and been drunken in the shanghai noon...and it's time to move on...one last train ride (oh thank goodness) and one last tub of instant noodles...and one last city. Beijing is the ultimate...the last hurrah before we return to a life of nine to five...at least for now....watch out beijing.
Stay tuned. xx
Friday, April 10, 2009
of skipping ropes and vodka chasers
the chinese like their games....mahjong, cards, dice....and, it seems, skipping rope....in a concrete world their exercise seems to be a group activity in any given courtyard in the city....hundreds of business men in suits and girls in heels join in the fun, skipping a big rope like 10 year olds, running in and out like pros...or kicking around a hacky-sack before rushing off to their offices with take out starbucks in hand. it's a sight to see...
and after a long day at work boy do these guys like to party! having scoffed 20 different types of dumplings last night we felt compelled to wash them down with a couple of cocktails at 1+1...THE bar of choice for the fashionistas and party elite of the city. We stood out like a sore thumb as we downed our Absolut but as the night wore on we got down and dirty with the best of the locals, our boys taking to the stage to strut their stuff as I cut up the rug with the chinese girls before we all staggered home in the wee hours...
it was good to let our hair down after spending most of the day perusing a beautiful 2000 year old treasure which i had been looking forward to seeing ever since we decided to come to china - The Terracotta Warriors. ordered by a young emperor thousands of years ago to protect him in the afterlife, the thousands of clay men and their horses stand in position, ready to fight. Each face is different and has personality plus...they are commanded by generals in a command centre and each carry weapons (or used to before they disintegrated) appropriate to their position. It is more than fascinating and a highlight for me....
today a spot of retail therapy - despite the fact that it's Good Friday....I guess the chinese don't put too much importance on Easter! and then yet another o/night train - this time to vibrant Shanghai...
stay tuned. xx
and after a long day at work boy do these guys like to party! having scoffed 20 different types of dumplings last night we felt compelled to wash them down with a couple of cocktails at 1+1...THE bar of choice for the fashionistas and party elite of the city. We stood out like a sore thumb as we downed our Absolut but as the night wore on we got down and dirty with the best of the locals, our boys taking to the stage to strut their stuff as I cut up the rug with the chinese girls before we all staggered home in the wee hours...
it was good to let our hair down after spending most of the day perusing a beautiful 2000 year old treasure which i had been looking forward to seeing ever since we decided to come to china - The Terracotta Warriors. ordered by a young emperor thousands of years ago to protect him in the afterlife, the thousands of clay men and their horses stand in position, ready to fight. Each face is different and has personality plus...they are commanded by generals in a command centre and each carry weapons (or used to before they disintegrated) appropriate to their position. It is more than fascinating and a highlight for me....
today a spot of retail therapy - despite the fact that it's Good Friday....I guess the chinese don't put too much importance on Easter! and then yet another o/night train - this time to vibrant Shanghai...
stay tuned. xx
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
sick aussies travel china
of all the times to get sick when traveling the world, our stint in china could well be the worse time to choose. funnily enough choice hasn't really come into the matter and Matt and I have both found ourselves struggling against a vicious fluey/stomach bug thing whilst catching overnight trains complete with squat toilets, phlem-clearing chinese and overactive heating systems...things could be better but we are soldiering on as we must in order to make the most of this amazing country.
We have reached Xian - the former imperial capital and spent the morning forcing down starbucks (thank God for global American brands and a breakfast that doesn't consist of some sort of noodle/rice/dumpling affair...)and cycling energetically on a tandem bike around the old city wall (turns out I don't particularly trust my husband when it comes to not crashing two-wheeled, two-seated death machines on 700 year old city walls...but you live and you learn). After stuffing up one bike by practically breaking off the back wheel, we made it around the 13km circuit and restored our energy with 'hot pot'...not the beef stew we might have been expecting but a delicious soupy mixture in which you cook your own little bits of beef, lamb or vegies, scooping them out when they're done with chopsticks (not an easy task) and washing the lot down with gulps of chinese beer...yum.
apart from the tricky health dilemmas we are still loving china and i particularly am glad to be back in a city...surrounded by pizza hut and maccas - time from a change from chinese food me thinks...!!
stay tuned. xx
We have reached Xian - the former imperial capital and spent the morning forcing down starbucks (thank God for global American brands and a breakfast that doesn't consist of some sort of noodle/rice/dumpling affair...)and cycling energetically on a tandem bike around the old city wall (turns out I don't particularly trust my husband when it comes to not crashing two-wheeled, two-seated death machines on 700 year old city walls...but you live and you learn). After stuffing up one bike by practically breaking off the back wheel, we made it around the 13km circuit and restored our energy with 'hot pot'...not the beef stew we might have been expecting but a delicious soupy mixture in which you cook your own little bits of beef, lamb or vegies, scooping them out when they're done with chopsticks (not an easy task) and washing the lot down with gulps of chinese beer...yum.
apart from the tricky health dilemmas we are still loving china and i particularly am glad to be back in a city...surrounded by pizza hut and maccas - time from a change from chinese food me thinks...!!
stay tuned. xx
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Gorgeous Gorges
We have spent the past three days sailing the Yangtze river in the Three Gorges, marveling at towering cliffs and technologically advanced dams....along with several hundred chinese tourists (we stood out like a sore thumb!) we have taken little boat trips down smaller streams branching off the river, listening to folk songs sung by the local minority boat men and singing our own (row row row your boat...!!!) in return.... Originally fascinated by the Three Gorges dam (well, matt was fascinated....can't say i was too much!) we became very blase about it as we spent much of our time stuck in the various locks on our way up the river, playing cards endlessly and the odd game of marjong...but the scenery, when it wasn't raining and misty, was stunning and the trip an experience - though if i see the inside of a boat again in the next month i think i'll scream! Luckily we're moving on to the cities next, tonight we make our way to Xian and the much anticipated Terracotta Warriors...
China is a culture shock, no doubt about it. The people are very different and there are some things we find quite an assault to our sensibilities (blowing nose goobies onto the pavement...nice...). Many are not used to seeing foreigners and we are stared at a lot....! often groups of girls will go into fits of giggles when they see us....the boys have been asked to have their photos taken with them as if they are celebrities...but often the locals will just wave happily and shout 'hello'! The food is crazy...chicken feet is a favorite and matt tried duck tongue and eels last night...i resisted using the fact i wasn't feeling 100% as my main excuse!! Duck head, intestines....fish head is a delicacy - especially the eyeballs....it's all a bit stomach churning at times but we have been living on a daily diet of delicious lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork and pork and mushrooms....
we are glad we are doing a tour as, not surprisingly, china is not set up for tourists and very few people speak english outside the cities. Our guide, Frank, gets us around with no hassle and is happy to share about his culture and, most importantly, explain the food! the company is good, the scenery is beautiful, the people are friendly....
there is much to discover here in china....stay tuned.
xxx
China is a culture shock, no doubt about it. The people are very different and there are some things we find quite an assault to our sensibilities (blowing nose goobies onto the pavement...nice...). Many are not used to seeing foreigners and we are stared at a lot....! often groups of girls will go into fits of giggles when they see us....the boys have been asked to have their photos taken with them as if they are celebrities...but often the locals will just wave happily and shout 'hello'! The food is crazy...chicken feet is a favorite and matt tried duck tongue and eels last night...i resisted using the fact i wasn't feeling 100% as my main excuse!! Duck head, intestines....fish head is a delicacy - especially the eyeballs....it's all a bit stomach churning at times but we have been living on a daily diet of delicious lemon chicken, sweet and sour pork and pork and mushrooms....
we are glad we are doing a tour as, not surprisingly, china is not set up for tourists and very few people speak english outside the cities. Our guide, Frank, gets us around with no hassle and is happy to share about his culture and, most importantly, explain the food! the company is good, the scenery is beautiful, the people are friendly....
there is much to discover here in china....stay tuned.
xxx
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Chinese checkers
overnight trains are something of an experience in China....catching one from Hong Kong to Guilin in China with our tour group - 4 intrepid travellers from britain and our chinese tour guide, Frank - we settled in for the night on our hard sleepers....'hard' being the operative word....! apart from being awake most of the night our sleep was good and we arrived in Guilin ready to explore china....only to find it was freezing and pouring rain....and it hasn't stopped.
We are in a little town called Yangshuo...a teeny tiny town at the base of towering, mist covered limestone mountains. Set on the shore of the Li river it is a picturesque tourist trap but, with the rain, we have actually spent more time in bed and in cafes drinking 2 for 1 cocktails than exploring. This afternoon, however, we are exploring rain, hail or shine, cruising down the river before going to a water and light show designed by the same dude who organised the olympic opening ceremony....should be a sight to behold!!
Stay tuned xx
We are in a little town called Yangshuo...a teeny tiny town at the base of towering, mist covered limestone mountains. Set on the shore of the Li river it is a picturesque tourist trap but, with the rain, we have actually spent more time in bed and in cafes drinking 2 for 1 cocktails than exploring. This afternoon, however, we are exploring rain, hail or shine, cruising down the river before going to a water and light show designed by the same dude who organised the olympic opening ceremony....should be a sight to behold!!
Stay tuned xx
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