(A la Sei Shōnagon.)
1. China is a veritable smokestack by virtue of all the cigarettes smoked by the general population. Smoking seems to be very vogue right now, especially amongst the men. Bah, I detest smoke and it made the trip a bit less enjoyable at times. Especially vexing is the fact that any place is fair game for smokers. There is no refuge from it! Even our hotel rooms in some places would have traces of the fumes from the previous customer. If it does not reform, China will have the largest population of lung cancer patients.
2. The Chinese enjoy people watching and they make no efforts to hide it. If you look like a foreigner, they will stare at you. The brave ones may start guessing your ethnicity aloud to see if you will respond to tell them if they are correct or not.
3. The Chinese do not wait for anything, they just go for it. So none of this polite waiting in line business, if you want something, you better fight for it. Lay aside all notions of respect for the elderly, because those grannies can be aggressive! They don't protest or accuse you of rudeness if you gently, but firmly, shove them aside. If you're not aggressive, you'll never get anywhere or anything.
4. Spitting, or more specifically, hocking a loogie, is a popular habit, right up there with smoking. I don't mind this habit as much as the other one so long as they aim away from me. The government is supposedly trying to eradicate this behavior before the 2008 Olympics. We'll see if they succeed.
5. Popsicles (called "bing'er") are only 1 kuai/yuan, less than $1 USD! Some flavors are more expensive at 1.5 or 2 kuai, but still, less than a dollar! A great treat while traveling during the hotter months in China. Especially in Xian where it's incredibly dry and hot. I'm not sure if popsicle would be the correct term since the flavor I usually got, green bean, isn't really an ice+water treat. But I'm not quite sure exactly what it is made of. Maybe it's the green bean that makes it seem more solid and less water-like.
6. The are travel agents wherever you go when you travel, so if you don't have a hotel or method of transportation, no worries, you can always get a travel agent. They can be found in airports, on trains, and near hotels. It's really convenient if you're playing things by ear. Just make sure you bargain to get a good price.
7. For any sight you want to see in China, you will have to pay an admission fee. Sometimes, as in the case of the Forbidden City, there are parts within the sight that you have to pay an additional fee to see. We didn't feel like forking over additional yuan for a sight that was under construction, but if it were another time perhaps we would have been more inclined.
8. Like many Asian countries (with Japan maybe being an exception), you cannot flush any paper products down the toilet, this includes toilet paper. Since Taiwan is like this, I'm used to it, but some of my travel mates were unaware of this and as a result, clogged their toilet, which was a weak flusher to begin with. Also, toilet paper is not available in all public restrooms, so you should come armed with your own. When toilet paper is provided, the rolls are so small so you must be conservative in your use of them, unless you brought an ample supply. (Thanks to Matt and Abe who supplied the group with our TP needs.)
9. You should not drink the tap water in China. Hotels usually provide either a water cooler or a water cooker. Check the water cooker to make sure it looks clean and in good order. Bottled water is readily available and can be as cheap as 1 or 1.5 kuai.
10. When shopping or reserving a hotel or a bus, always bargain, you will most likely get a lower price than what you were quoted. If possible, have a native Chinese person with you as they will be able to get a lower quote by virtue of their accent and then they can put their bargaining skills to use (thanks Hao!).
11. If you are a pedestrian in China you must learn to not fear death as cars will not yield to you and you are on your own when crossing the street. You will learn that cars will dodge you, but you should not abuse this fact. Just watch the natives and copy what they do.
12. Traffic laws don't exist in China. Okay, they do, but they're not really enforced. Two cars can be in the same lane at the same time, or sometimes a car will drive on the shoulder to pass the slower cars, everything seems to be fair game. Oh, and did I mention that seat belts are not worn?
13. Beijing is a clean and modern city, different from what I expected. Chengdu is also a modern city and has ample internet cafes, unlike Beijing. Xian is really hot and dry, and probably my least favorite place of all the cities we visited in terms of the weather. The terracotta soldiers were interesting though.
14. Be very careful of the food you eat in China as it can make you extremely sick. The irony for us was that it was the food in an upscale, well-known restaurant that made is incredibly ill, not the food from the shadier places at which we ate. Acidophilus pills can only do so much. If possible, carry antibiotics with you, like Cipro. And should you find yourself with gastric distress, go visit the local Chinese pharmacy as they carry effective medicine and since it is herb-based, it has no side-effects.
15. Oh, going back to traffic-related items, drivers in China use the horn quite liberally. If one is changing lanes, the horn is used. If one is passing a slower car, the horn is used. If the car in front does not move immediately when the light is green, the horn is used. For almost any reason, the horn is used, thus resulting in a cacophony of car horns 24/7 in nearly every place we visited. It's incredible how much the horn is used. Makes me appreciate the more conservative use of it in the D.C. metro area. However, there usually isn't any ire coupled with the horn usage, unlike in the States.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Friday, June 8, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Heaven on Earth?
Juizhaigou
Originally uploaded by mattm3a
Of all the places we visited in China, Jiu Zhai Gou has to be my favorite. It also ranks amongst the most beautiful places I've ever visited. The lakes are rich hues of blue and green that I've never thought possible in nature. When one is able to get away from the hordes of people, it is wonderfully tranquil and the hikes were lovely. Unfortunately, all the lakes are big tourist destinations, so you have to fight for a good photo spot or to even get a good view of the water. However, looking back upon the trip, it's the scenery that I recall, not the crowds. At one of the lakes, we were told that it was a set for the movie "Hero". (If anyone recalls the scene where Jet Li's character fights Tony Leung's character on a lake, that was filmed in JZG as well as some other scenes, possibly.) Anyway, the scenery is truly sublime.
JZG is also home to nine Tibetan tribes, though if I recall correctly, only three tribes currently reside there now. In the center of the park, there is a Tibetan village which is set up to attract tourists to spend their money. There, we ventured into what we thought was a restaurant but discovered that it was the living room of our hostess. We were treated to a traditional Tibetan tea that isn't like any tea I've ever had. It consisted of some sort of power and yak fat mixed with hot water. Our hostess was a young girl (all the people in the JZG area had very clear complexions with ruddy cheeks and looked very young) who spoke Mandarin fluently (apparently learned from watching TV) and had a cheerful disposition. She even welcomed us to stay with her family (JZG visitors are generally not supposed to stay in the reserve), unfortunately our luggage was left at the hotel so we couldn't accept her offer. But when we came on the second day, we returned to visit her and the sample some of the traditional Tibetan snacks like yak and lamb and a type of flat bread (all very delicious).
Visitors have the option of purchasing a one- or two-day pass to Jiu Zhai Gou. We purchased to two-day pass and it was definitely the right decision to make because it would be impossible to see all the spots and do some hiking in one day. For anyone who plans to visit, definitely get the two-day pass. It's more expensive, but so worth the money.
Unfortunately, I am not able to upload my pics so I've stolen the one you see from my fellow travelmate. (Matt, if you want me to take it down, just say the word.)
Saturday, June 2, 2007
It's because we all look alike
I never thought I looked anything other than Chinese until I went abroad to China and Taiwan. Perhaps it is because non-Asians may find it difficult to distinguish the different ethnicities that there was never a question that I looked Chinese until now. However, even with my Asian friends, I never was told that I didn't look Chinese. I thought I'd be amongst my kind in China and Taiwan but it doesn't seem to be the case. I suppose in China, it is because my accent is Taiwanese so when I speak, they can tell I'm a foreigner. Also, as much as I tried to blend in with the locals, my clothes did flag me as a non-native. That and probably the huge backpack I lugged around. >_<
The first day in China, as we walked around Beijing to find our way to our hotel, the more daring of the Chinese people in the streets would call out in Mandarin, "Are you from Japan? From Korea?" It's either Japanese or Korean, though I was considered to be Korean most of the time. My Beijing friend says it's because of my pale skin, which I didn't think would be too unusual since many Chinese celebrities are super pale but I guess I'm wrong. I think the Chinese are less likely to guess Japanese because China and Japan don't have a very good relationship and it's quite common for Korean students to come to China to study Mandarin.
Meanwhile, in Taiwan, since Taiwan and Japan have a fairly good relationship and Japan occupied Taiwan for a bit, the natives are more inclined to guess I'm Japanese than Korean. Not that I care that much about what ethnicity people think I am, but it is rather amusing. I guess I'll always be a foreigner no matter what country I am in.
The first day in China, as we walked around Beijing to find our way to our hotel, the more daring of the Chinese people in the streets would call out in Mandarin, "Are you from Japan? From Korea?" It's either Japanese or Korean, though I was considered to be Korean most of the time. My Beijing friend says it's because of my pale skin, which I didn't think would be too unusual since many Chinese celebrities are super pale but I guess I'm wrong. I think the Chinese are less likely to guess Japanese because China and Japan don't have a very good relationship and it's quite common for Korean students to come to China to study Mandarin.
Meanwhile, in Taiwan, since Taiwan and Japan have a fairly good relationship and Japan occupied Taiwan for a bit, the natives are more inclined to guess I'm Japanese than Korean. Not that I care that much about what ethnicity people think I am, but it is rather amusing. I guess I'll always be a foreigner no matter what country I am in.
Recap of China trip, part deux
I'm writing from the comfort of my cousin's living room in Taipei, Taiwan. It's nice to finally be in a somewhat permanent state of residence, rather than always changing hotels as we did in China. I thought I might be tired of being a foreigner after the China trip, but I think I've adjusted quickly to life in Taiwan and so I don't feel homesick yet.
So, the remainder of the China trip:
5/24
Three members of the group are fairly ill with food poisoning. Myself and another are sick but not as serious and one is completely fine. The healthier ones venture out to find drinks and light food at Carrefour. Since I was the only one of the group that ventured out who had Mandarin knowledge, I was in charge of finding the way to Carrefour (a Wal-Mart-like store). Spent about 15 minutes staring at the advertisement on the road to figure out the directions (cursed simplified script! I'm familiar with traditional characters only!). Tried asking for directions but the girl I asked wasn't very helpful and told me I should take a taxi. >_<>_<
-From Xian train station we catch a taxi to our 3-star hotel in Xian. A really nice change of pace after some of the hotels in which we stayed. The ranking system in China isn't on par with the one in the U.S.. I'm not sure what category Holiday Inn falls into, but I would say a Chinese 3-star hotel is comparable to a Holiday Inn.
-Eat dinner at nearby restaurant
-Return to hotel to rest after an exhausting day. One member of the group goes to get a foot massage. He discovers the massage place is a cover for "other services". He runs away after getting foot massage.
5/28
-Eat breakfast at hotel
-Walk around Xian, go tour Bei Lin/Stone tablet forest (a misnomer since all the tablets have been moved indoors)
-Eat lunch at a Taiwan-style restaurant. Lesson: don't eat Taiwan-style food in China, it's nothing like Taiwan food and not that good either.
-Hao has digital camera stolen out of his pocket while purchasing popsicle from a stand. China's pickpockets are very skilled; even though he felt the hand in his pocket and responded as quickly as possible, the camera was already gone. Probably passed onto another partner or two. Ironically, Hao is the only native Chinese person of the group.
-Kill time in hotel lobby while friend files police report. There isn't much one can do when something is stolen and the likelihood of getting back the camera is slim.
-Take overnight sleeper train from Xian to Beijing. The sleeper car was actually quite nice (either that or anything is better than the bus we had just taken). The hard sleeper (or did we take the soft sleeper?) consists of a small compartment with three bunks per wall, one on the left wall and one on the right. Not a lot of space, but since you're supposed to be sleeping, it wasn't a big deal.
5/29
-Arrive in Beijing in the morning. Find a cheap hotel in the Qian Men area. It has Western-style toilets and a/c, but we later discover the a/c didn't work that well and the shower had no hot water. By this point we only had a few days left in China so we decide to just deal with what we had. At least there was a roof over our heads.
-Met up with Marcus who is currently studying Chinese in Beijing. He took us to Houhai, where we ate delicious Yunnan food in a restaurant in a hutong as well as hung out on the rooftop of one of the bars nearby. Houhai seems to be a bar district, with lots of places to go out at night. We saw a number of foreigners and young people about in the evening. I really enjoyed Houhai and walking through the hutongs. It was a different side of China that I hadn't seen yet since most of the things we did were more outdoorsy nature activities. Thanks to Marcus for showing us around and treating us to dinner!
5/30
-Shopping day! We go to Sanlitun to a popular mall where many foreigners shop so the vendors all speak some English. It was very amusing to watch non-Chinese speakers bargain with the salespeople. I discovered the thrill of bargaining. I also discover that salespeople can tell right away if you're a foreigner and will try to get the most money out of you as possible. My proudest accomplishment is getting a lady to sell me a 150 yuan skirt for 50 yuan.
-We're treated to dinner by one of Hao's friends at a restaurant on the campus of Beijing University (Bei Da). We say good-bye to Hao's friends, who we've met during our time in China.
5/31
-I'm the first one to leave since I had a morning flight out of Beijing to Hong Kong and then Taiwan. Hail a taxi by myself for the first time. Flight from Beijing to Taipei was a bit of an adventure in itself. But that's another post.
Time for bed! Will hopefully go into more detail later. I just wanted to get the general events of the China trip down before I forget them.
So, the remainder of the China trip:
5/24
Three members of the group are fairly ill with food poisoning. Myself and another are sick but not as serious and one is completely fine. The healthier ones venture out to find drinks and light food at Carrefour. Since I was the only one of the group that ventured out who had Mandarin knowledge, I was in charge of finding the way to Carrefour (a Wal-Mart-like store). Spent about 15 minutes staring at the advertisement on the road to figure out the directions (cursed simplified script! I'm familiar with traditional characters only!). Tried asking for directions but the girl I asked wasn't very helpful and told me I should take a taxi. >_<>_<
-From Xian train station we catch a taxi to our 3-star hotel in Xian. A really nice change of pace after some of the hotels in which we stayed. The ranking system in China isn't on par with the one in the U.S.. I'm not sure what category Holiday Inn falls into, but I would say a Chinese 3-star hotel is comparable to a Holiday Inn.
-Eat dinner at nearby restaurant
-Return to hotel to rest after an exhausting day. One member of the group goes to get a foot massage. He discovers the massage place is a cover for "other services". He runs away after getting foot massage.
5/28
-Eat breakfast at hotel
-Walk around Xian, go tour Bei Lin/Stone tablet forest (a misnomer since all the tablets have been moved indoors)
-Eat lunch at a Taiwan-style restaurant. Lesson: don't eat Taiwan-style food in China, it's nothing like Taiwan food and not that good either.
-Hao has digital camera stolen out of his pocket while purchasing popsicle from a stand. China's pickpockets are very skilled; even though he felt the hand in his pocket and responded as quickly as possible, the camera was already gone. Probably passed onto another partner or two. Ironically, Hao is the only native Chinese person of the group.
-Kill time in hotel lobby while friend files police report. There isn't much one can do when something is stolen and the likelihood of getting back the camera is slim.
-Take overnight sleeper train from Xian to Beijing. The sleeper car was actually quite nice (either that or anything is better than the bus we had just taken). The hard sleeper (or did we take the soft sleeper?) consists of a small compartment with three bunks per wall, one on the left wall and one on the right. Not a lot of space, but since you're supposed to be sleeping, it wasn't a big deal.
5/29
-Arrive in Beijing in the morning. Find a cheap hotel in the Qian Men area. It has Western-style toilets and a/c, but we later discover the a/c didn't work that well and the shower had no hot water. By this point we only had a few days left in China so we decide to just deal with what we had. At least there was a roof over our heads.
-Met up with Marcus who is currently studying Chinese in Beijing. He took us to Houhai, where we ate delicious Yunnan food in a restaurant in a hutong as well as hung out on the rooftop of one of the bars nearby. Houhai seems to be a bar district, with lots of places to go out at night. We saw a number of foreigners and young people about in the evening. I really enjoyed Houhai and walking through the hutongs. It was a different side of China that I hadn't seen yet since most of the things we did were more outdoorsy nature activities. Thanks to Marcus for showing us around and treating us to dinner!
5/30
-Shopping day! We go to Sanlitun to a popular mall where many foreigners shop so the vendors all speak some English. It was very amusing to watch non-Chinese speakers bargain with the salespeople. I discovered the thrill of bargaining. I also discover that salespeople can tell right away if you're a foreigner and will try to get the most money out of you as possible. My proudest accomplishment is getting a lady to sell me a 150 yuan skirt for 50 yuan.
-We're treated to dinner by one of Hao's friends at a restaurant on the campus of Beijing University (Bei Da). We say good-bye to Hao's friends, who we've met during our time in China.
5/31
-I'm the first one to leave since I had a morning flight out of Beijing to Hong Kong and then Taiwan. Hail a taxi by myself for the first time. Flight from Beijing to Taipei was a bit of an adventure in itself. But that's another post.
Time for bed! Will hopefully go into more detail later. I just wanted to get the general events of the China trip down before I forget them.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Greetings from China
Hello dear readers, I'm currently sitting in an Internet cafe in Chengdu, China. It's very humid so I'm in a constant state of stickiness here. We've been having a great time thus far. A brief overview of what we've done until now.
5/19
-Visited Ming Tombs, walked along the Sacred Way, amused by piped in 80s and 90s pop ballads, like Elton John's "Sacrifice" -- someone needs to tell them to take away the music
-Climbed Great Wall of China (but not all the way to the end due to time constraints)
-Toured a cloisonne factory
-Ate Americanized Chinese food (yuck!)
-Ate Beijing duck (yum!)
-Stay at Ru Jia in Qian Men
5/20
-Toured Forbidden City, which is currently under construction so there are large screens in front of some of the major buildings. >_<
-Ate at Japanese ramen place
-Hopped on a plane to Chengdu, stayed overnight in a ghetto hotel with only squat toilets
5/21
-Hopped on early early flight out of Chengdu to JiuZhaiGou
-Arrive in JZG, haggle for a driver and hotel
-Tour a yak jerky store, ate lots of yak jerky
-Hiked in JZG (mostly left fork of park)
-Made friends with a Tibetan girl in a Tibetan village in the center of the park
-Ate illegal fish
-Cheap fantastic foot massage!
-Stayed at Aviation Hotel -- toilets don't flush very well and eventually are stuck for all three rooms
5/22
-Yummy free breakfast at hotel
-Hiked more of JZG (mostly right fork of park)
-Ate Tibetan snacks
-Saw Tibetan show (probably not that authentic, more like a Tibetan Chinafest for those who went to UVa)
5/23
-Early morning flight out of JZG to Chengdu
-Arrive and haggle for hotel, discover that being a foreigner means you get charged more
-Ate yummy Sichuan food that later is making us sick in terms of digestive system
Time's up! Logging off. More later!
5/19
-Visited Ming Tombs, walked along the Sacred Way, amused by piped in 80s and 90s pop ballads, like Elton John's "Sacrifice" -- someone needs to tell them to take away the music
-Climbed Great Wall of China (but not all the way to the end due to time constraints)
-Toured a cloisonne factory
-Ate Americanized Chinese food (yuck!)
-Ate Beijing duck (yum!)
-Stay at Ru Jia in Qian Men
5/20
-Toured Forbidden City, which is currently under construction so there are large screens in front of some of the major buildings. >_<
-Ate at Japanese ramen place
-Hopped on a plane to Chengdu, stayed overnight in a ghetto hotel with only squat toilets
5/21
-Hopped on early early flight out of Chengdu to JiuZhaiGou
-Arrive in JZG, haggle for a driver and hotel
-Tour a yak jerky store, ate lots of yak jerky
-Hiked in JZG (mostly left fork of park)
-Made friends with a Tibetan girl in a Tibetan village in the center of the park
-Ate illegal fish
-Cheap fantastic foot massage!
-Stayed at Aviation Hotel -- toilets don't flush very well and eventually are stuck for all three rooms
5/22
-Yummy free breakfast at hotel
-Hiked more of JZG (mostly right fork of park)
-Ate Tibetan snacks
-Saw Tibetan show (probably not that authentic, more like a Tibetan Chinafest for those who went to UVa)
5/23
-Early morning flight out of JZG to Chengdu
-Arrive and haggle for hotel, discover that being a foreigner means you get charged more
-Ate yummy Sichuan food that later is making us sick in terms of digestive system
Time's up! Logging off. More later!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Baby bloggie
Following the trend set by my friends who have gone abroad or are currently abroad, I've created a blog that I will hopefully be able to update frequently with details from my trip to China and Taiwan. Heaven help me if I don't have internet access while abroad. >_<
Flight departs this Thursday, which leaves me one day to pack and prepare for the trip. I bought a 40L Kelty backpack and will probably spend all day tomorrow debating whether or not I'll be able to live out of it for the whole summer. The sales guy at REI gave me a skeptical look when I told him I planned to live out of the backpack for two weeks while in China, I wonder what sort of look he would have given me had I told him that it would be for the summer. I see a summer full of weekly laundry sessions.
First stop, China. Will arrive at Beijing and spend a few days there before setting off for Chengdu. While in Chengdu we'll also fly out to Jiu Zhai Gou. Then, back to Chengdu for a few days to tour the city. Then it's off to Xian to see the Terracotta Soldiers and the city itself. Last bit will be back in Beijing. I separate from the group afterwards and make my way to Taiwan where I'll be this summer, studying at Tai Da (National Taiwan University). I'm on my own for a month until my mom comes. I'm slightly terrified, but if all goes well it will be a great learning experience.
Oh, a quick explanation of the blog title. Hu2li3 hu2tu2 (糊裡糊塗 for those who can read Chinese) is a great Mandarin phrase but hard to translate. I guess the closest approximation would be willy-nilly or haphazardly. It's how my mom says I approach life. Not really with a plan in mind though sometimes I have a general goal and somehow things seem to always work out.
Flight departs this Thursday, which leaves me one day to pack and prepare for the trip. I bought a 40L Kelty backpack and will probably spend all day tomorrow debating whether or not I'll be able to live out of it for the whole summer. The sales guy at REI gave me a skeptical look when I told him I planned to live out of the backpack for two weeks while in China, I wonder what sort of look he would have given me had I told him that it would be for the summer. I see a summer full of weekly laundry sessions.
First stop, China. Will arrive at Beijing and spend a few days there before setting off for Chengdu. While in Chengdu we'll also fly out to Jiu Zhai Gou. Then, back to Chengdu for a few days to tour the city. Then it's off to Xian to see the Terracotta Soldiers and the city itself. Last bit will be back in Beijing. I separate from the group afterwards and make my way to Taiwan where I'll be this summer, studying at Tai Da (National Taiwan University). I'm on my own for a month until my mom comes. I'm slightly terrified, but if all goes well it will be a great learning experience.
Oh, a quick explanation of the blog title. Hu2li3 hu2tu2 (糊裡糊塗 for those who can read Chinese) is a great Mandarin phrase but hard to translate. I guess the closest approximation would be willy-nilly or haphazardly. It's how my mom says I approach life. Not really with a plan in mind though sometimes I have a general goal and somehow things seem to always work out.
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