Mike and Ilana Travel Asia

Singapore

2009-09-11T13:50:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone,

It's time finish posting about the trip, so let me tell you about Singapore.

We landed on our flight from Ho Chi Minh, and entered the first world. The taxi driver's meter gave him updates about traffic conditions, the streets were lined with flowers, and the city was clean. Really clean, not pseudo, Vietnam-style clean.

Ilana's friend Peter was gracious enough to allow us to stay with him. He lives in a fantastic condo near the water. We also met up with John and Melissa, who were staying next door (what are the odds?).

The food in Singapore was fantastic, though we were shocked a bit shocked at the prices. I suppose this can mostly be attributed to the contrast between Singapore and Vietnam. The city itself is kind of an oddity; one family controls the politics and the rules are extremely harsh so everyone lives together in harmony. Let's face it, they do not have much choice. That said, it is easy to keep everyone in line when they can be promised economic prosperity, and thus many people move there from around Asia in order to make money. There were some very cool bars in the city as well, though they tax alchohol (sin tax) at an extremely high rate.

We saw a very nice temple, but apart from that there was not much in terms of culture which we wished to visit. To be honest, after Cambodia, we were not looking to see every temple and monument. We did visit little India, which was very much like certain neighbourhoods in Montreal, which would make sense, I suppose, as they're modeled after the same place. You know.. India.

Surprisingly, prostitution is legal in Singapore, at least in certain places, mostly because people in Asia have a different attitude than North Americans when it comes to the oldest profession. We walked through some of these areas, and it is amazing to what happens when an activity is (less) marginalized. It certainly helps that the crime rate in the country is so low, and thus people feel safe.

For me, it felt a little bit too safe, too clean, and too 1984. There are cameras everywhere, and the rules are much too harsh for my liking (spitting,

jaywalking etc. carry fines of almost $2000 CAD). Ilana enjoyed it more than I did, as I think she was more sick of living in less than ideal conditions than I was. Singapore is a nice place to visit, but I would not advise going there for longer than a couple of days while on this sort of trip. In fact, if you are planning to do a similar trip, I think that Singapore can be left off of the list, especially if you're not traveling to Malaysia or Indonesia.

Thanks for reading!

Crossing the Street in Ho Chi Minh / Saigon

2009-08-13T16:59:00.004-04:00

Crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh City made me feel like Moses parting the sea, but this is a sea of vehicular chaos. There are 3 million motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh, and they all seemed headed straight for me every time I set foot on the curb.
The Proper way to cross the street in HCMC:
1) Look both ways before crossing
2) Step on the street
3) Look both ways again
4) If there are no traffic lights and there is a continuous flow of traffic, walk at a consistent pace
5) Don’t stop if you don’t have to, but if you do, they will drive around you
6) Walk faster if they appear to be slowing down even slightly
7) Congratulations, you have made it in one piece
I had some practice crossing the street in Hanoi, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as Saigon. At first it was a little frightening because there are motorbikes coming from every direction. But, after walking around the city, I started to feel more comfortable. The only scary thing is that while I was in the middle of all of that chaos, the motorbikes came so close to me I thought my foot would get run over or burnt by someone’s exhaust pipe. In Vietnam, I feel better about crossing the street when vehicles are coming at me than I would in Montreal, because in Vietnam they actually slow down.

note: posted by Ilana

Ho Chi Minh / Saigon

2009-08-13T16:31:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone,

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh/Saigon with low expectations. Most of the people we had encountered had not enjoyed the city. While waiting in line for a taxi, we ran into Gavin and Max, who had left Hoa’s before us for Nha Trang. We had been told to stay at Madame Cuc’s, but it was booked, and so we began a long and fruitless search for accommodation. Madame Cuc’s sent us to another place, but we were not impressed. After searching for at least an hour, we stayed in the place they had recommended. Our first instincts turned out to be correct. They were to incompetence as Japan is to cleanliness.

Accommodation aside, we were pleasantly surprised by the city. We were staying on the backpackers streets, and the night life was decent. It is certainly not a place to travel in order to party (though the beer is cheap), but it was much better than Hanoi. The food was also pretty good.

It is very difficult to use credit cards in Vietnam. We had not taken quite enough money out of the ATM, and did not want to incur more fees by withdrawing once again, so we went looking for a restaurant that accepts Visa. In the end, we were able to locate one, but the use of credit cards is far from ubiquitous.

On our first day we visited Reunification Palace. It is like a song put out ten years ago: not new enough to be considered modern or cool, nor old enough to be considered classic or chic. However, it is a symbol of the northern victory. I couldn’t help thinking that if Saigon (at the time) had had a stable, powerful government and military in the 1970s, Vietnam would be a first world country. We then visited a market, in which we made many purchases, owing to the friendly prices and decent selection.

On our second day, we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels. This system of tunnels is one of the main reasons that the north won the war. There are more than 250km worth of tunnels. I had much difficulty sliding into one which has been widened to accommodate tourists. The VC were not very large. Life in the tunnels must have been horrible. That said, when fighting for one’s country, it seems one can endure many hardships. It was hard to ignore the parallels between the “American War” (as it is described in Vietnam) and the wars currently being waged by the west. Sights of this nature can never be described as unbiased, but the language used here was almost amusing in its slant. For example, the Saigon government is described as the American puppet government and the words cruel invaders are used liberally. It is not hard to remember that Vietnam is a “communist” country.

We then visited the War Remnants Museum. That was quite an experience. The language there was even harsher. We learned about the victims of Agent Orange, and saw pictures of the horrible effects of this deforesting agent. We also saw the guns, bombs and grenades used in the war. The human race never ceases to design innovative and creative ways of doing harm to itself. Let us say that it was not a lighthearted visit, though it was very educational.

Thanks for reading!

Hoi An

2009-08-10T01:09:00.012-04:00

Hi everyone,

After spending such a long time on the beach, we decided to head to Hoi An. It is an old city which was not destroyed during any Vietnamese wars. There is one main purpose for embarking on a trip to this city, and this purpose is made of material. There are over 400 tailors in Hoi An, each wanting to make suits, dresses, or shoes for travelers willing to be separated from their cash. Many people choose to stay at China Beach rather than in Hoi An itself, making one day trip to have clothing made and a second to pick it up, but we decided that it was time to move on from Hoa's.

Armed with recommendations provided by fellow travelers, Hoa, and shop owners we met at the beach, we stepped into the custom-made minefield of shops, eager to have clothing made, but mindful of getting burned along the way. After much comparison shopping, we settled on two tailors, Sarah's Boutique and Dong Duong. I had two suits made, along with some shirts and ties. Ilana had several dresses made, one of which we designed together. Thankfully, all came out very well, and we were very happy with our purchases.

On one of our days in Hoi An, we rented a motorcycle and headed for a beach bar called Phattie's (yes, Ilana got on the back of a bike, and in the end, she did not hate it). The owner is an incredibly nice Canadian, and he and his wife run the place while putting everyone at ease with their casual demeanour. What passes for a motorcycle in Hoi An is a scooter in the eyes of most people, but the owner let me ride his own motorcycle, which is a two stroke Russian-made machine. A bar employee also let me try his, which is a proper four stroke Bonus. As I had been wanting to ride a motorcycle for several years, this was the best thing that could have happened to me in Hoi An. While I was rather shaky at first, I got used to the bikes and thoroughly enjoyed riding them. Our friends from Hoa's joined us later in the evening, and we left the bar as it closed. It was an absolutely awesome day.

Thanks for reading!

Da Nang (China Beach)

2009-08-07T00:15:00.009-04:00

Hi everyone,

We had planned to spend three days on China Beach, near Da Nang. Instead, we spent ten wonderful days on the beach. We stayed at Hoa's Place, which is run by Hoa and his family. They were incredible. He speaks perfect English, even adding a cursory curse word when drinking.

Hoa's Place can best be described as basic. However, it more than makes up for what it lacks in amenities with its charm. Every night at seven, they have a "family dinner," which most people attend. The food is edible. After dinner, everyone sits around playing poker and drinking. They have an honour system for all purchases, which involves recording your consumption in a book. They run the place marvelously, and everyone feels welcome.

The beach is simply gorgeous. Sitting on the beach, letting each grain of sand slip through my fingers, I could not imagine a better place to relax. The beach was almost deserted during the day, due to the heat, though it was packed with locals later in the afternoon. The waves were rolling onto the beach in fine form, with just the right amount of power to make swimming interesting, but not enough to make it dangerous. Even the beach chair mafia ladies were tolerable, though they were constantly attempting to charge more than the going rate for chairs and umbrellas. They walk up and down the beach offering food and drink, but were for the most part easy to ignore. The locals were very friendly, playing various ball games in the ocean, and even including me in their volleyball game.

I am so happy that I was able to see this relatively undisturbed beach, as Hoa's is located on prime real estate, and will likely be displaced by 5 star hotels in the near future. The only potential problem is the jellyfish, which are only mildly annoying.

Some Vietnamese people wake up incredibly early, and do not seem to have any regard for the beauty sleep of others. Six o'clock in the morning is not an appropriate time to be shrieking with friends and family. I suppose the silver lining of the development of the beach will be the removal of such people from the sleeping areas.

This was a great way to relax after a full two months of travel. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Vietnam. Hoa and his family are the kind of people that I hope I meet more often while traveling.

Thanks for reading!

note: posted by Mike

Sa Pa

2009-07-30T14:21:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

Unsurprisingly, we were very happy to leave Hanoi. After doing extensive, and very tedious, research (and by research, I mean running from fake travel agency to fake travel agency) we finally found a night train to Sa Pa. We had heard wonderful things about it from many other travelers, and were offered many a tour from the scam artist tourist agencies. We decided to go it alone, as we believed that we would have had better luck organizing ourselves outside of the nest of deceit that is Hanoi. On the train, we were lucky enough to be in a compartment with two people from the U.S. (John and Melissa) and two people from England. The Americans had booked a private tour in Hanoi (having found some expats to do the booking), and we decided to travel together.

They had arranged a private tour, involving a jeep for the day, and out of the way sights to which most tourists do not venture. We were lucky to be included. That said, the trip did not go as expected. The jeep had "broken down" and we were given access to a mini-bus. Predictably, the mini-bus was running on the schedule of the driver, and we were required to wait for it for hours at a time. Perhaps as a result of this, or perhaps simply because the people running the tour were incompetent, those out of the way sights were never to be seen. Instead, we did a very basic tour of the surrounding areas, and were driven to a small village, where we spent the night "in the home of a minority". This turned out to be run entirely by the Vietnamese government, which have treated the minorities rather like an irritated cow treats a fly. The government chose the minority person with whom we stayed; it was about as authentic as professional wrestling. The next day we were all feeling sick from the food, and saw only a few sights before returning, though I should mention that a jeep eventually arrived, looking as if the odometer had spun around so many times that it must have been dizzy.

Putting the gripes aside for a moment, the landscape is fantastic. It is easy to see why the Lonely Planet raves about the city. It is as picturesque as any I have ever seen, and I am sure that a better run tour would have provided a great view of the lives of minorities in northern Vietnam. That said, their lives appear to have been changed quite a lot since the tourists have arrived. While the men continue to work in the rice fields and on the rice terraces, the women spend their days attempting to overcharge tourists for textiles (I wish I was kidding). They start very young, know how to ask you to buy things in many different languages, and are everywhere. Having visited the Museum of Ethnology the day before, we had learned a bit about the traditional lives of these people, though it was only evident in their dress. It is very strange to see cable television in a traditional Red Zao hut, for example. I am not entirely sure whether tourism is a positive force in their lives. It gives them access to money and knowledge, but they will soon be in danger of losing their ethnic identity and culture.The day American Idol has a north Vietnamese minority contestant, I will know that all is lost. Until then, there is still hope!

Our good luck with trains continued on the way back to Hanoi. We had been booked in a car with a family (3 people, 2 beds, and one screaming child) but we found empty beds in another car, and hoped no one would remove us from these adopted places of rest. While the people who had booked those accommodations did arrive, they were nice enough to find another place to sleep, as it was the middle of the night, and we were already settled in. Our friends were not quite so fortunate, having been given fake tickets, and having been forced to ride in what they describe as a train car from hell. We consider ourselves lucky that we did not have to endure that. I am quite certain that I would have lost my mind had that been the case, as every relevant employee would have been given a piece of it.

Sa Pa really was a great place to see. I believe that if the government had not tampered with it quite so much, and if the tourists had not arrived in such great numbers, it would have been one of the best experiences on the trip. As it was, it ranks somewhere in the middle. While we were not particularly enamoured of Sa Pa, it is certainly not a place to be avoided.It is worth a visit. It would simply be nice if the tours were honestly run, and the experience had not contained the phrase "buy from me" quite so often.

Did I mention that the scenery was amazing? We could not have posted nearly enough pictures on the blog, so please click on Sa Pa Pictures, or enjoy the slideshow below:

Thanks for reading!

note: posted by Mike

Hanoi

2009-07-26T00:11:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone,

Apologies for the week of blog neglect.

We arrived in Hanoi (or rather, Ha Noi) in the evening, having flown from Siem Reap. We met two very nice people from Texas, with whom we decided to share a cab into the city (and with whom we spent the better part of two days). They had a reservation at a hotel, and we figured that from there we could find a place to stay. Rather than wait in line for a

taxi, or take a very long trip on a mini-bus, we got into a black taxi. They gave the taxi driver the name of their hotel, and off we went. When we arrived, the hotel had no sign, and something did not seem right. Having read about this in the Lonely Planet, we did not fall for this trickery, and insisted that the taxi take us to the real hotel. I can respect a good scam. I would never do it, and I would hope never to fall for it, but a well thought out plan deserves at least some begrudging respect. However, this was one of the most poorly executed attempts that I have ever witnessed. So much for a welcome to Hanoi!

We spent two nights in Hanoi, which was one too many. We immediately felt like we were back in China, having become accustomed to the modicum of decency present in Laos and Cambodia. However, once again, we prepared to fight for every dollar and watch our backs at every moment. The Museum of Ethnology was interesting, though we tired of it quickly.

This has been my first experience in a country where you must insist that taxi drivers DO NOT use their meters. They all appear to be rigged, and rigged differently, such that a trip from point A to point B may cost twice as much as a trip from point B to point A. Needless to say, one must know how much the trip should cost and bargain like crazy.

Being in Hanoi is sort of like being placed in a hut in the middle of a four lane highway, though it would likely be quieter on the highway. Countless motorbikes are on the streets at all hours, and will barely swerve to avoid pedestrians. Booking a trip onward from Hanoi is also a joy. They appear to have no intellectual property laws, such that many of the travel agencies have had their names copied. It is impossible to tell which are real and which are not. An important difference between a city like Beijing and one like Hanoi is that in Beijing they will try to rip off a foreigner, but they will ultimately receive the thing for which they have paid. In Hanoi, not only will they attempt to take every penny, but they will likely also promise things which they do not have, or give fake tickets, or no tickets, or generally reneg on deals. In our experience, there is no honour in Hanoi.

That said, we did find a very nice place to stay (run by Australians, not locals). It is called The Drift, the rooms are clean, the staff are friendly and happy to help, and the location is decent.

However, our friends stayed at the Camellia Hotel, and that is to be avoided if at all possible. The staff were extremely unhelpful and gave our friends a hard time.

Unfortunately, Hanoi is a necessary stop in order to see northern Vietnam, but I would suggest spending as little time there as possible, and dealing only with people who have been recommended and are trustworthy. It is difficult to find a comfort zone in a city full of people who are constantly trying to scam you, steal from you and deceive you.

Thanks for reading!

Fish Massage, Anyone?

2009-07-19T05:59:00.006-04:00

There are many items for sale in the Siem Reap night market, but a fish massage was not something I ever expected. What on earth is a fish massage, you ask? Imagine a pool of fish attacking the dead skin on your worn out feet while you scream and laugh because it feels so weird and so ticklish. You sit with a bunch of other people while everyone makes faces and also tries to convince the passersby to join in on the fish parade.

I can't explain what it felt like to have twenty fish attacking my feet all at once, but it almost felt as if someone was poking me in the same spot over and over, or was tickling me endlessly. It cost $3 US for 20 minutes, which was completely worth it. The only problem was that we didn't know how clean the water was and you could almost see the little bits of fecal matter floating around. Nevertheless, when we got out of the pool, our feet were clean and we were happy.

Temple Pictures

2009-07-17T00:00:00.004-04:00

Please either follow this link to Picasa for our temple pictures, or enjoy the slideshow below:

The Temples of Angkor Wat

Enjoy!

Last Day in Siem Reap

2009-07-16T07:11:00.010-04:00

Hi everyone,

On the way back from Ban Teay Srey, we stopped at a military compound, as we were told that there was a shooting range there. Neither of us having shot anything more than a slingshot, we decided that it would be an interesting experience. We were not disappointed. This is one of the only places in the world where automatic weapons can be shot for a fee (I assume enough money could buy one the opportunity elsewhere, but I digress). We decided on the AK47, which is the weapon of choice for most developing nations when they choose to wage war. The gun was attached to a stand, the soldiers showed us how to fire, and we aimed at a target down a long tunnel. It was much louder than we had anticipated. Squeezing the trigger, smelling the gunpowder, feeling the recoil and trying to steady the jumping barrel made a profound impact on me. As the sound of the shots reverberated off of the walls, I realized how lucky I have been to have avoided being on either end of this instrument of death. Armed with the knowledge that children as young as 12 have used this heavy weapon in battle, I was able to feel the power and the fear that must be a part of every soldier's emotional repertoire (even though we were in such a structured and safe environment).

On the next day we went to the War Museum. Having just fired a weapon, we then learned about the history of their use in Cambodia. A guide who was born during the war showed us the tanks, guns and mines used during this time. He was volunteering, and had shrapnel still inside from an unfortunate incident with a land mine. He told us about his many losses, including both his family and his home. It was also interesting to hear his political point of view. He suggests giving money directly to victims rather than large organizations. The different types of land mines were astonishing in their lethality. Some of them are engaged by trip wires, others by pressure, and all have the capacity to kill or maim. There are mines which are made of plastic and fertilizer, which must be sniffed out by dogs rather than metal detectors, and others which jump to waist height before exploding. We saw many victims of land mines in town as well. If that amount of damage is still being done by mines from years gone by, I can only imagine what kind of things are being used in wars being waged now!

After leaving the museum, our tuk-tuk driver took us to his apartment so that we could meet and eat with his family. He, his wife and their daughter live in a rented apartment approximately 8’ by 5’, without running water. His was the smallest tuk-tuk that we had seen. That said, he made up for it with his heart. Even at 5am, he was cheerful and happy to see us, and though he was constantly talking about his financial situation, he provided us with a clear view of local life. We ate at a great restaurant, met his adorable daughter, and saw how people from the countryside live. His name is Sophal, and if you are interested he will pick you up from the airport. He can be emailed at sophalangkortour@yahoo.com.

Thanks for reading!

Siem Reap Temples

2009-07-16T00:08:00.008-04:00

Hi everyone,

We flew from Vientiane to Siem Reap on Lao Airlines, which does not seem to deserve the lousy reputation which it has acquired. The food was edible, the plane remained whole at all times, and the flight attendant even gave a brief safety lecture. Our Lonely Planet induced fear of flying on the airline seems to have been unfounded. Upon arrival, we met up with a tuk-tuk driver (Sophal) recommended by my cousin. He picked us up at the airport and patiently obliged us as we searched for a suitable place to stay. We found a guesthouse, which is not worth mentioning because it was unbearably hot, and not nice enough to recommend. We found another later which met our needs.

The main reason that we came to Cambodia was to visit Angkor Wat. It was a Hindu temple when it was completed in the 12th century, then later became Buddhist. It was located deep in the jungle, and was not destroyed in any of the numerous wars in Cambodia. It has been called one of the seven new wonders of the world, and it is easy to see why. It was magnificent. We watched the sun rise over the temple, bathing it in the soft morning light, before exploring the interior under the blazing sun. It seemed like every turn held some new treasure. Every wall is intricately carved, adding to the overall beauty of the structure. The fact that it stands without the aid of modern binding agents is simply miraculous. We explored for most of the morning, enduring the crowds and the sun, learning about the temple, taking innumerable (ok, not literally, but close) pictures and admiring the architecture. The trip to Cambodia would have been worth it just for the amount of time that we spent in the temple.

On the first day, we saw five temples, including one made famous in Tomb Raider (kind of sad that after almost one thousand years of wear and tear, numerous wars and diseases, somehow the best way to present an image of the temple is to describe a Hollywood creation). They are all incredibly intricate. Though I know precious little about architecture, the different styles of temple were evident to me. Each one was well worth the visit. On the next day we saw more temples, though the weather refused to cooperate, making for an adventure that was less charming than that experienced on the first day. I must also say that after having seen the shining jewel at the heart of the complex, the temples that we saw on this day simply lacked the lustre they might have had if they had been viewed first.

However, on our final day of temple viewing, we saw Ban Teay Srey Temple. It is significantly smaller than the others, but even more detailed. It was the only one into which we were not allowed free access, but the view from the non-restricted areas more than made up for it. Someone we met in Siem Reap remarked that the diminutive doorways appear to have been designed for children. Everywhere we turned there was another fantastic design, each one worthy of the place above the mantle in the living room of the grandest home. It was not the only temple we visited on our 3rd day, but it was the most memorable.

An album will soon be posted with more pictures from the temples.

Thanks for reading!

note: posted by Mike

Vang Vieng

2009-07-11T04:40:00.012-04:00

Hi everyone,

Vang Vieng is a well known place for tourists to stop in Laos. Most people who choose to stay are between the ages of 18 and 25. It is essentially a village along the river, and the main attraction is renting an inner tube and traveling from bar to bar along the river. We had been advised that actually renting a tube is rather burdensome, as the bars are rather close together. In fact, when we arrived it was not even possible to rent a tube, as the current was too strong. Undeterred, we went down to the bars by the river and had an amazing time.

On the first day we arrived at 2pm, and made it to the fourth bar by the time the sun went down. Each bar has its own attraction (apart from the ubiquitous cheap buckets of vodka and free shots of whisky) such as a large rope swing or a zip-line. Needless to say I took advantage of the opportunity to fling myself into the river. People working for the bar then dutifully pulled me, and the rest of their customers, out of the river before the current swept us downstream. While the combination of alcohol and water can cause serious problems, in this case most people knew when it would be unwise to go into the river. However, there was one girl who imbibed too much and was rescued by an alert lifeguard.

On the second day we began at 3pm and made it to the 5^th bar before sundown. At night we were too tired to party like the rest of the temporary inhabitants of the village, so we visited our friends at the bar, but took it easy. Unfortunately, as we are not deities, we could not wait for the 7^th day, and rested on the 3^rd. We took our books down to the river and read.

Most of the restaurants in Vang Vieng play "Friends" on a continuous loop. It is pretty much unavoidable, and I must say, I have seen enough of the show to last me a lifetime.

We took a 4 hour (coach) bus from Vang Vieng to Vientiane, where we spent an uneventful evening, though we did meet two nice girls who work in Singapore. There is really very little to see in the capital, but we needed to be there to catch our flight to Siem Riep.

Thanks for reading!

note: posted by Mike

From Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng

2009-07-11T04:32:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

It took us six hours to get from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng by mini-bus. It seems that no one taught those who built the roads about the shortest distance between two points, making for a nausea inducing ride. The window of the mini-bus was not sealed, and as it was pouring the entire time, the drops of rain offered slight relief from the sweltering heat inside. That said, by the end of the route the people closest to the window were soaked. Unfortunately, it remains the best way to get from one city to the other. However, we do wish that we had opted for the larger bus, which cost the same amount.

Thanks for reading!

Luang Prabang

2009-07-05T15:16:00.012-04:00

Hi everyone,

As you can imagine, we were pretty happy to arrive in Luang Prabang. Laos is much more tourist friendly than China, even though the infrastructure is far inferior. However, amazingly, Laos appears to be cleaner than China.We stayed at Spicy Laos Backpacker’s hostel, which was a very social place to be. The people were great. However, there was an unfortunate incident with a falling ceiling fan, though thankfully we were not involved. We arrived late at night, made friends with two very nice British girls (Carinne and Tara), and then went to sleep.

The next morning the four of us went to the Kuangsi waterfalls. Tara and I got to jump off of the falls, as well as swing on a rope into the water.We also did a small hike, during which I got stung by something which I could not see but which hurt quite a lot. We then saw some bears in a rescue sanctuary before going back to the hostel. Later, we went to the only club in the city with literally everyone at the hostel. Every business closes at midnight, as is required by law, but for some reason the bowling alley is open until 3am, so off we went. After hanging around there for a while, we made our way back to the hostel via tuk-tuk (either a motorcycle with a frame on it to carry passengers, or a small truck).

The next day, having made two other friends, the six of us rented bicycles in order to explore the villages surrounding Luang Prabang. It was a very pleasant excursion, though it is difficult to climb hills on a bike without gears, and more difficult to stop without properly functioning brakes. The people in the villages seemed very cheerful, even though the conditions in which they live are rather spartan.

On Ilana’s birthday, Carinne, Tara, Ilana and I went to an elephant village (where they treat the elephants properly, unlike some of the tours) with a company called Tiger Trail. We learned a bit about elephants beforehand, and then spent an hour riding them. It is a strange experience. The size of the animal instills confidence, but it still feels unstable, rather similar to riding a camel. Afterwards, we got to feed the elephants. I thought it was fun, but Ilana absolutely loved it! We then went to a disappointing waterfall before heading to a cute little café for cake. Finally, we went out for dinner and drinks with a large number of people.

Though we did not see the most famous temple, nor the famous hilltop view, nor fed the monks (because it was raining) we had an amazing time in Luang Prabang, and I would highly recommend it as a backpacker’s destination.

Thanks for reading!

The Evil Bus Ride

2009-07-05T06:31:00.000-04:00

The bus ride was like nothing I have ever experienced. When I first looked at the little hole we had to crawl into, I thought it was a joke. When I finally learned that it wasn’t, I nearly cried. Realizing that I would have to spend 28 hours cuddled next to a man I did not know did not make me very happy. When you spend many hours in a little space, it tends to get very hot, but for some odd reason, the people sleeping near the windows did not open them! We had to keep asking the man I was next to if he could open the window, but after 10 minutes he would close it. I kept counting down the hours and telling myself it would be okay.

When we got to the restaurant, I looked at the food and realized I should not eat much knowing that I would not feel well the next day. I avoided everything spicy and ate only stir fried vegetables, but apparently I wasn’t careful enough. The next morning I felt really sick and did not eat for nearly 24 hours as a result. As you can see, this truly was the bus ride from hell. For those of you with weak stomachs, I would recommend avoiding all food on this trip. And for the girls, bring toilet paper and be prepared to squat next to other girls somewhere in the forest because you won’t see many bathrooms along the way.

From Kunming to Luang Prabang

2009-07-05T05:56:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone!

We did not do very much in Kunming. The hostel was pretty good, but the town was rather disappointing. We then had to figure out how to get to Luang Prabang, in Laos. Flying was out of the question as the cost was prohibitive on a backpacking budget.

No trains run from China to Laos, so we were left with a long distance bus. We could have taken a 13 hour bus to the border, then a tractor across the border, and then Lao buses to Luang Prabang, but it would have meant sleeping at least one night at the border, and probably a

second night in northern Laos. The other option, of which we were rightfully scared, was a 28 hour sleeper bus.

If you are planning the same route, and can possibly afford it, fly. Otherwise, I believe that we made the right decision by taking the 28 hour bus. The Laos buses would have taken forever. That said, by the end of the ride, the bus driver seemed to have horns, it was unbearably hot and with a bit of imagination you could hear the tormented souls of th

e damned crying out in agony as the wheels turned. Seriously, it was a hellish bus ride. We booked the tickets late, which meant we were sandwiched on the bottom bunk at the back of the bus. This bunk was the size of a queen sized bed, and five people were expected to sleep there. As if that were not already enough fun, there were metal bars in between the very small mats, further cutting down on sleeping space. About halfway we were lucky enough to switch to the top bunk, where I spent the better part of ten hours being alternatively spooned and elbowed by a small Laotian man. (Do you hear the hellish laughter yet?). The bathroom stops were infrequent and were best spent outside. I assume that the toilets had been cleaned at some point, but we could find no evidence of said efforts. The stops for food were orchestrated such that there was only one very expensive option. That would have been acceptable if the food was good, but it was basically leftovers from the evening meal at restaurants. Needless to say it made us feel rather ill. As if all of that were not enough, since it is a Chinese bus, everyone is alternatively smoking and spitting. So, if you are planning this trip, bring your own food, book in advance, and prepare yourself.

Note: We no longer have to worry about the Great Firewall of China!

Thanks for reading!

My Birthday

2009-07-04T12:26:00.000-04:00

This was by far the best birthday I have ever had. The elephant ride was a lot of fun, except it would have been a bit more enjoyable had it not been pouring rain the entire time. After the elephants we went out for cake at Joma's (which is such a great cafe!). I felt like a pig because I ordered a piece of cheesecake and then saw the carrot cake which looked amazing, so I ordered a second piece. I figured I had a good excuse. After we stuffed our faces, we decided to get massages. It was actually pretty painful. The woman massaging me was karate chopping my legs and really working my muscles. Finally, the night ended with dinner and drinks. Dinner was a lot of fun because we had met people earlier in the day who decided to join us. This was definitely the coolest birthday ever.

More Yangshuo

2009-06-28T01:01:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone!

After the aforementioned wonderful bike trip, we were thoroughly exhausted, but decided to explore the town at night. We met a few foreigners who were working in China, and had a few drinks with them before retiring for the evening. We may or may not have attempted to play beer pong, but were told that it was too late at the bar.

The next day we rented an electric scooter and made our way south to the water cave. We spent the better part of the tour being shown rocks that looked like various objects (dragon's head, woman looking in mirror, etc.). Honestly, it looked like the inside of a cave. I think anyone who spends a lot of time in a cave begins to see things, and thus, someone decided it would be a good idea to show this to tourists. In Chinese. However, we did encounter a mud pit, which was dirty if fun (and good for the skin too) and some hot springs. We took many pictures, as always, but I think that the other tourists took more pictures of us than we did. Apparently white people in caves are quite a novelty. The driving in China is interesting. They have their own rules, which they even follow occasionally.

The following day we decided to be adventurous and go rock-climbing. Neither of us had ever climbed outdoors, and it showed. It was rainy, it was wet, and it was an amazingly good time. It is very different from indoor climbing, and much more enjoyable. We went with a Chinese company (Xclimb), and were very impressed with the quality of their equipment and guides.

Finally, on our last day in Yangshuo, we decided to take a boat trip on the famous Li River, and do a three to four hour (24km) hike. We ended up spending 4 hours on the boat, due to some purposeful miscommunication on the part of the organizer, who was worried we would miss the bus, and only hiked for 45 minutes. We were not happy with this, but the portion that we did hike was sensational (we also got most of our money back). I know I have said this before, but Yangshuo is stunning. The town is vibrant, at night and during the day, and it really is an outdoor sports paradise.

Generalizing once again, I have an example for those of you who have never been to China, and do not know what the people and the culture are like: China is like a doorway which is a few inches too short for you (a foreigner) to enter comfortably. There is another way in, but since you are a foreigner, you are not told about it. Near the doorway are ten staff members, who are talking in a corner. None are looking at you, though other people constantly offer to sell you things you do not need. In order to be helpful, five of the staff members have hung a sign in the doorway which says "Make sure to watching head". They were genuinely trying to warn you, but have taken ten inches of room in the doorway in order to give you this message. If you crouch down, you can just make out the beautiful landscapes, dirty construction sites, great opportunities and crowded squares on the other side. With some effort, entry is possible, and well worth it. Just watch your head!

Notes:

1. food = not bad, lots of spicy beef for me

1a. finding a chicken foot in the chicken I ordered = not so good

Thanks for reading!

First Days in Yangshuo

2009-06-24T11:07:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone,

In order to begin our tour of southern China, we flew from Shanghai to Guilin, boarding the plane as the final boarding call was being announced. We stayed in Guilin for one night, and not finding much in the way of sights there, decided to make our way to Yangshuo by bus in the morning.

Yangshuo is simply beautiful. The town itself is teeming with tourists, mainly because the trips from the city are fantastic. We are staying at a hostel which is very nice but which did not find it necessary to install western toilets. Chinese toilets are rather annoying, as they are on the floor and require much squatting.

On our first day, we walked around the town, had a vendor draw caricatures of us on T-shirts, and went to a bar with some people we met. It was fun, and it is clear that Yangshuo is a good place to be at night, but the nightlife is nothing compared to the daytime activities.

The next day, we decided to rent bicycles in order to see the Yulong river. It was at once exhausting and one of the best things that we have done on the trip. As I was riding a mountain bike through a narrow path, my inner 12 year old boy came alive. Having spent much time riding my bike as a child through Dollard Des Ormeaux, exploring new constructions and old, unused trails, I felt quite at home navigating these paths. That said, I have never had to swerve to avoid a rooster, nor been induced to stop by the sight of a half submerged water buffalo. The path was occasionally too difficult for riding, which meant some parts of the paths were walked, bikes alongside. The views were spectacular, though we did not see too much of the river on the way there. The idea was to ride along a country path until we crossed a bridge, then ride some more, and finish the day by taking a bamboo boat ride down the river. Having missed the country road (thankfully, because we heard it was treacherous) we took the main road to the bridge, and biked back through fields, people's farms, dirt and stone paths and flora and fauna. It rained briefly, which was surprisingly welcome as it had a cooling effect. Ilana had some trouble on the more narrow pathways, and though she toughed it out, she was happier along the paths more traveled.

It is difficult to explain the feeling of sailing across vast fields, hearing nothing but the sounds of nature, miles away from city life, surrounded by beautiful countryside. I must admit it is somewhat surreal. This was one of my favourite days on the trip so far, and if anyone is planning a trip to China, Yangshuo is a definite must see.

Ilana- The bike ride was absolutely amazing but I must admit that falling into a ditch while trying to get through those 30cm muddy and rocky paths was not my favourite part. The bamboo rafts were really cool and very enjoyable after a few hours on the bike as we were incredibly sore. It was an incredible day and I am looking forward to the remaining days in Yansghuo.

Thanks for reading!

Shanghai

2009-06-23T08:41:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,

Shanghai tastes like progress. By that, I mean that as you walk along the streets, and the construction grime rips at your face and gets caught in your teeth, you can taste the new structures which will soon be erected where now there are only plastic tarpaulins and scaffolding. The city is a strange mix of old and new, though "old Shanghai," in the true Chinese spirit, has been rebuilt such that it vaguely resembles its 1930s shape, but has been "restored" in a much better form. China itself does not have a taste for authenticity, rather, the glorification of tradition seems to be on the menu of most every city, but none more so than Shanghai.

We could not take a picture of the gargantuan buildings which appear to have magically sprung up from below without also capturing a crane working on the next skyscraper. The city pulses with energy, though the energy is singularly focused on business. The shopping was incredible, and as you may know, I hate to shop. However, fake markets are a lot of fun, not only because the articles fit within our budget, but because I actually enjoy bargaining. That said, it gets very tiresome to constantly have to divide prices by 3 before beginning, simply due to the colour of my skin (but more on that later!).

We were invited to stay with a gentleman with whom we had climbed Huangshan. Didier was a simply amazing host. We had the run of his place, and though he is a student working in Shanghai, he lives in a typical (okay, upper-class typical) Chinese apartment. It was eye opening to see how this segment of the population lives. Didier helped us tremendously, from giving us a phone to giving us directions, from directing us to the best restaurants (other than the insect plate, which is a story better left untold) to accompanying us at night. We could not have asked for a better host.

I now know what would happen if an anthropomorphic alien landed in the middle of North America. Didier is black, and for the Chinese, he might as well have been from another planet. While walking with him, the staring was multiplied tenfold. People were wondering whether he had stayed out in the sun for too long, and whether the colour would come off when touched. It was truly amazing to watch ostensibly civilized people react to Didier with such unabashed curiosity (that would be the nice way to put it, they were not politely curious, nor were they particularly nice about it). This may simply be the Chinese way, but discretion was not the chosen option for the vast majority of the people whom we encountered.

We decided to ship a box full of our fake, or at least cheaply produced, clothing to Hong Kong, where we will collect it at the end of our trip. This shipment was by far the most trying experience of the trip so far. Though I do not wish to generalize…I will. It seems that in this country no worker is capable of accomplishing a task without the help of at least three others. Even with such help (okay, labour is cheap, I know) they still tend to be no more useful than a basic computer. If they have not been told how to exactly accomplish a task, it seems that they are at a loss. When the 7^th person finally arrived to look at the box being readied for shipment, he took charge and finally the box was shipped for an exorbitant amount of money. That said, at a few hostels we have received help which required critical thinking. I do not wish to suggest that the entire society is incapable of thought, only that the vast majority of the people whom we have encountered desperately need an education consisting of more than simply formulae, no matter how advanced the formulae may be.

Back to Shanghai, it was an amazing place to visit, but nowhere I would wish to live. The pollution is a big problem, as is the lack of English (which is surprising for a business town). We were also encouraged to attend a tea ceremony (scam) and visit an art exhibition (yep, you guessed it, another scam). We fell for neither. The streets are crowded not just with vehicles emitting toxic fumes, but with people constantly asking whether we would like to purchase bags, watches and the like. The first time it was amusing, the second it was vaguely irritating, and by the end I believe we would have preferred the fumes.

We went to a bar, where apparently we were the only white people who had ever ventured inside, because they gave us a gift, as well as free coffee. Being foreign has its perks as well! From the tone of this post one might think that I did not enjoy the city, but in fact I did. Simply, the lack of competent help is a part of the culture shock to which I must become accustomed. Having enjoyed our experiences, we now venture on to the south of China, where our adventures continue!

Thanks for reading!

Huangshan Pics

2009-06-22T12:56:00.000-04:00

Please follow this link for pictures from Huangshan:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mnatlas/Huangshan?feat=directlink

A post about Shanghai will soon be posted.

Enjoy!

Hangzhou and Jiaxing

2009-06-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

We returned to Hangzhou after Huangshan. We stayed in West Lake, which is a tree-filled part of the city. Hangzhou is in one of the richest provinces in China, and it shows. We recovered for a day before we met up with Scott, who is teaching English in Jiaxing. He came to Hangzhou to see us (but realy to see Ilana, as they were friends in Montreal). We went to a famous retaurant called (badly written) Lo-Wai-Lo. This is differet from La-wai, which is what they call white people here (it translates to old whitey). We spent most of our time in relaxing in Hangzhou, though we did see a famous pagoda, and a somewhat obstructed view of the city. We also made the decision to accompany Scott back to his new town. This was one of the best decisions we have made so far on this trip.

We took the train to Jiaxing, which is a tiny (by Chinese standards, it actually has like 3.3 million people) city. We sampled local food, as well as food from the north eastern China. It was unbelievable, and by far the best we have had since we have been here. It helps to have a guide who lives here, and who also has a girlfriend who speaks fluent Chinese. We also got to play with his dog Schiou-Schiou (sp?) and ride his electric scooter. Scooters are everywhere in China. The electric ones are good for the environment too! We went to a local grocery store, in which there were many things that I had never seen before. They seem to employ people simply for the sake of employing them here, they either have no idea what to do in order to help you, or they stand around looking lost, or they speak amongst themselves. It is really quite strange.

Scott lives in a very nice new apartment complex (minus the mosquitos, which were rather killer). They seem to be building faster than they can rent though, as most of the building was empty, and more buildings were under construction. We also visited the school where he is teaching. It was really cool to see what it is like to live in a city such as Jiaxing, and what life is like for La-wai who decide to teach in China.

Notes: people in this country drive rather intesrestingly. They pretty much ignore every sign that they can, and pedestrians are expected to yield to cars on the crosswalks (well, not expected, so much as if you do not yield, you may be hit). Unlike in Japan, there are many local car companies here, and people drive cars that I have never seen. However, they all look like old models of cars that are currently sold in Canada, the US or Europe. The sanitary standards here are still not impressive.
People stare at us pretty much everywhere. It is as if they have never seen white people before. This is understadable in Jiaxing, less so in Hangzhou. People on the metros are not... subtle. They simply stare, many mouths agape, at the appearance of foreigners on the train or bus or street. It is really rather odd.

Ilana- Hangzhou and Jiaxing were a lot of fun, and seeing Scott was the best part. He left for China a year ago and I thought I would not see him again until he came back to Montreal. I never thought I would actually be going to China anytime soon. Spending a few days with him was really great. Having a dog in his apartment was a plus. She was so adorable and climbed into my lap every time I sat down.

It was nice to experience true Chinese living, although I could have done without all of the staring from people on the street. Sometimes I smile, other times I stare right back at them until they realize that I notice that they are looking at me. But, I think at some point I will get used to the staring. Maybe.

We have made our way to Shanghai!

Thanks for reading!

Huangshan and a bit of Hangzhou

2009-06-14T23:37:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,

We decided to fly from Xi'an to Hangzhou. Other than having to arrive incredibly early due to some faulty information from a travel agent, the flight was comfortable. Airlines in Asia have yet to engage in the massive services cutting that has taken over North American Airlines, though apparently some discount airlines have followed the model.

Flying to Hangzhou and taking the bus was the best way to get to Huangshan, which is also known as yellow mountain, and is supposed to be one of the most beautiful in China. We decided not to opt for the 24 hour train ride from Xi'an. After flying in, we stayed for one night at a hostel in Hangzhou, left our bags there, and headed off to Huangshan. Upon arrival, Mr Hu picked us up (seems like he picks up all white people). He arranged a hostel for us at the top of the mountain. He also owns a restaurant, which served decent food. We climbed the eastern steps of the mountain, which was rather arduous. Ilana was not feeling well, which made it doubly difficult for her. We did not even consider the cable car on the way up. In fact, that would have been a smart idea, because the eastern steps did not compare to the western steps, and we could have done a hike in between. Upon arrival, we saw the last remnants of the sunset before having some instant noodles for dinner and going to bed early, as we wanted to see the sunrise. The hostel was not exactly first class. It was a large dance hall, in which the gentleman had booked our beds. Unfortunately, when we showed up, we were told that only tents were available. I do not fit in Chinese tents. Having convinced them to give us beds, we then retired to some not very clean, not very warm beds for a short sleep before waking up at 4:30 to see the sun rise over the mountains. The weather was rather murky, but we dutifully clambered for space among the many Chinese tourists at a small viewing point. It was very nice, but, as someone noted, not quite what was in the brochure. We then put more kilometers on our exhausted feet to reach the peak of the western steps. Ilana opted for the cable car, while I decided to tough it out and walk down with some French people that we met along the way. The views were great.

We then took the bus back to Hangzhou, which we will be seeing today. Pics soon to follow!

Thanks for reading!

From the Forbidden City to Xi'an

2009-06-12T07:06:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone!

We have done quite a lot since the last post! The day after visiting the Great wall, it was raining and rather uncomfortable in Beijing. Also, we needed to recover! We did go out for a nice dinner, but apart from that we had a relaxing day.

The next day we visited Tiananmen Square. This is known as the people's square, which is kind of amusing. The police presence was overwhelming. Between the soldiers and the cops, I couldn't help thinking how far this was from a people's square.

We crossed the front gate (I think this was one of two gates which were named something reasonable) and entered the Forbidden City. This site is neither forbidden, nor a city. However, it was spectacular. There was some absolutely amazing architecture. The site is simply brimming with history from the Ming and Qing dynasties. We were offered a viewing by some art students (yep, it's a scam) and I not so politely declined with a "get a job". I think Ilana would have been nicer. After spending several hours absorbing the culture and history through the audio guide, we made our way to the park behind the City. The view of the City was amazing, and the park was very pretty. I apologize for all of the adjectives, but I cannot think of another way to convey the sheer grandeur of the place.

The next day, we decided to see the Summer Palace, having already seen where the Imperial Family spent the cooler months. I would very much enjoy owning a summer palace of that sort. It was amazing (more adjectives). I can fully understand why the family would have decided to spend their summers there. Buildings are laid out around a gorgeous lake. There is a temple at the top which offers a nice view, and the whole day was sublime. That evening we went out for some Peking duck, though I was not able to secure the real thing in Tiananmen because had we gone we would have missed our night train to Xi'an.

We had an interesting experience returning from the Palace, as we had some difficulty locating the bus on which we had arrived, and decided to accept the offer of one of the gentlemen riding what is essentially a cart. We assumed that it would be quite expensive, but when he held out 8 fingers (the bus costs 2) we bargained him down to 4 before embarking. When we arrived, and handed him his 4 RMB, he refused, though we could not figure out what he was saying. A passerby who spoke English decided to help, and explained that he had wanted 80, but thought we agreed on 40. At that price, we would have kept up our search for the bus. In the end, the guy told us that he had paid 20 to get there, so reluctantly, we agreed. When I later asked him, he said he actually paid 12, but since we are foreigners, he figured 20 would be appropriate. So, we learned the lesson that even those with nothing to gain will still screw foreigners, if for no other reason than their race. We will simply be more careful next time. Since then we have been extremely careful, basically going on the assumption that everyone in the country is trying to harm rather than help. We have not been ripped off since, though I do not want to jinx it.

Please check out pictures of Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mnatlas/TiananmenForbiddenCitySummerPalace?feat=directlink

The night train took eleven hours. We met a nice Chinese student, with whom we spoke for a couple of hours before going to sleep. Before his college entrance exam, he went to school from 7am to 11pm 6 days per week. He also quit all of his extracurriculars, and was not allowed to see his girlfriend all year, even though they only lived two blocks away from each other. The Chinese are serious about their education! He also referred to Mao as "the great leader" numerous times, while insisting that he had freedom of speech (though not freedom of religion). He was shocked to hear that in Canada, one can send an insulting letter to one's political representative if one decides to do so. He actually said the words great leader as if that is the only way he would ever refer to Mao. Interesting cultural experiences!

Ilana slept well, I did not, as moving trains are not conducive to my sleeping lying down. However, it was overall not an unpleasant experience. The bed was not too hard, and they provided hot water for instant meals.

Xi'an, however, was rather disappointing. The main reason for the visit was to see the terracotta warriors, and that we did. Honestly, we should have saved the money and looked at pictures of the warriors. They were much more impressive. That said, an army of warriors, all exquisitely crafted and each unique is a very interesting thing to see. We took a lot of pictures (as always) and had some good company. The hostel in Xi'an was clean and we were treated well. We went out for some good food from a hole in the wall place near our hostel, and it was some of the best food we have had since we have been in China. I thought that the spicy pork was divine.

Having been somewhat disappointed with Xi'an, we now head back east.

Thanks for reading!

Beijing Zoo / Aquarium Pictures

2009-06-09T13:14:00.001-04:00

Ilana:

We would have taken pictures of more animals, but a lot of them looked depressed in their cages.

Take a look at the pictures we were able to take:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mnatlas/BeijingZooAquarium?feat=directlink

Great Wall Pictures

2009-06-08T13:57:00.001-04:00

To see our Great Wall pictures, please click here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mnatlas/TheGreatWall?feat=directlink

The Great Wall

2009-06-08T03:06:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, we went to the Great Wall. It was an awesome experience. First, we took a bus to Miyun, which is about halfway to Jinshanling. We decided to hike from Jinshanling to Simetai (following the Lonely Planet instructions. This is one of the mostly unrestored sections, not the Disneyland style wall which many people end up seeing. We traveled with one person from our hostel, and met 2 others (who spoke Mandarin) in Miyun. The 5 of us hired a driver of a minivan to drive us the rest of the way. After some bargaining (this is China, one must bargain for everything) we agreed on a price and set off. The driver was to pick us up in approximately 4 hours in Simetai. Once we were in the van, and had arrived at Jinshanling, he decided to tell us that there was a parking fee in Simetai of 40 RMB, and that we had to pay it. When one of the guys said no, he dropped it to 20. I finally said no, we agreed on a price, and he relented. They really have some nerve!

The Great Wall was simply beautiful. It really deserves its title as one of the great wonders of the world. The scenery was gorgeous. Once we arrived, approximately 5 older Chinese women decided they needed to accompany us, to help us along the way. Resisting all of our "boo-yaos" (we don't want) they came along, annoying us and trying to sell us goods. They were useful in taking a couple of group shots, but apart from that they smelled rather vile, and we would have been happier without them. About halfway through, they got tired of us, or rather, they could tell that we were not very good customers, and went along their way.

We got very tired climbing along the wall. Including our frequent breaks for pictures, we spent at least 3 hours before we even arrived at the halfway mark. This is when the women left. We then entered the most difficult part of the hike. There were places along the wall which had fallen down and were difficult to cross. In particular, two spots had rather high drops, where we balanced precariously on the rocks as we lowered ourselves onto the lower parts. Ilana's fear of heights made this somewhat difficult for her, but she fought through it (with some handholding) and was able to keep pace with the rest of us.

When we finally got to Simetai, after getting slightly lost, and spending a tremendous amount of time on the wall, simply soaking up the experience, our driver was none too pleased. He had been waiting quite a long time, and had two other guys with him. They were there to try to undercut his price, but they had worked out some deal. The idea was that he would force us to pay him to take us all of the way back to Beijing, as the buses had stopped running from Miyun. After hearing the exorbitant amount he wanted for this service, we stuck to our original plan and had him drop us off in Miyun. As we were traveling with him to Miyun, the price to get to Beijing kept decreasing. He also mentioned that he was not legally allowed to enter Beijing, because he did not have the appropriate taxi license. (So he would have driven us for a crazy amount of money, but not for less). Once we got to Miyun, we found the place rather deserted. The driver then decided that he had a friend who could drive for cheaper. We all piled into a Jetta (yes, the 5 of us + the driver) and got back to Beijing. It was quite an experience! All in all we traveled about 200km each way. It ended up costing us around 140 RMB for the trip, which is around $23 CAD each.

This was one of the most exciting days on our trip so far! The scenery was impressive, the struggle to get home was interesting and the company was great.

Today, we are both rather sore from the hike, and it is also raining very hard. We will see what there is to do, but we may spend an extra day in Beijing in order to get to see more of the sights.

Thanks for reading!

Note: All posts will say posted by Mike while we are in China. Ilana will write her name before her posts in the future. The entry about the Zoo / Aquarium was written by her.

Note: We will uplaod albums of the Zoo and the Great Wall as soon as can.

Beijing Zoo / Aquarium

2009-06-06T09:23:00.001-04:00

Our first day in Beijing was wet and gray. We decided to go to the zoo and aquarium since we thought going sightseeing in the rain would not be tremendously enjoyable, as we learned in Tokyo. Our tickets were expensive because we decided to do the whole package - zoo, pandas, and aquarium. I wanted to start off with the aquarium since it was what I wanted to see the most, but instead we decided to start with the zoo and do the aquarium last (always save the best for last!). We made it to the reptile house, where we saw a bunch of snakes and lizards. When we walked out we were on our way to the penguin house. The lady asked for our tickets and as I reached into my pocket I realized both disappeared. After a minute, we decided to retrace our steps and look for the tickets as we had not gone too far. On the way back, I found only one, thinking that someone else snatched the other. Instead of giving up, I decided that we should go all the way back to the reptile house to see if I had dropped it there. Lucky me, I found it within minutes. Success! Both tickets were in my hands and stuffed into my fanny pack so they would not get lost again.

Towards the end of the day we were ready to see the pandas, which of course are a seprate exhibit because they're super cool (and cute). As I reached into my fanny pack I realized that I didn't feel any tickets. I unloaded it and reloaded it about 3 times finding it impossible that I had lost them a second time. I started swearing because it was just so ridiculous. The tickets weren't cheap and it was the one thing I wanted to see more than anything else, but we had no tickets. Again. We couldn't retrace our steps this time because we had gone too far and it would have been impossible to find them.

As I was moping through the panda area, which I couldn't even enjoy, Mike had a brilliant idea to ask random people if we could use their aquarium tickets had they already seen it. After a few tries, we finally found a family who had tickets and were happy to give them to us. While this was all happening, I felt like I was scamming people because I had a cover story and everything, except it was true. It went something like: "Hi, I have a very strange question for you... You see, we seemed to have lost our tickets. Twice. We were wondering if you bought any for the aquarium and wouldn't mind giving them to us if you've already seen it." I felt bad asking, but it only got worse from there. When we got inside the aquarium, we didn't realize they would scan the tickets. So, of course, when they scanned ours it beeped saying we were already in there and couldn't come back in. This is where Mike and my acting skils came in. I was arguing with the lady saying we went out for lunch and wanted to come back in. She said it was for one use only. I looked even more pissed off raising my voice saying that we paid lots of money and want to come back in because we stepped out to get some food. Meanwhile, Mike is looking frustrated in the background, helping me look more convincing. Seeing both of us, the lady sort of panicked and went to a higher authority and I guess he told her it wasn't worth it and should just let us in. And that's how we scammed-but didn't-the Beijing Zoo.

Beijing

2009-06-06T08:54:00.001-04:00

Due to difficulties accessing blogger.com from Beijing, I will be posting in this format (email). Unfortunately I cannot include as many pictures as I have previously. Blame the Great Firewall of China.

Happy to be out of Osaka, we spent pretty much all of yesterday traveling. The airport in Korea had free wifi access, which was a nice touch. It is also so much nicer to fly between countries in this part of the world, we were fed, plied with alcohol, and had enough leg room (helps to have the first seats in economy). We landed in Beijing and took a taxi to our hostel, which took about half an hour and cost about 12 dollars. Welcome to China! We ate dinner tonight for under 10$, for two of us including beer. Not to mention the fact that that was in a touristy area.

Today we went to the Beijing zoo/aquarium, about which Ilana will post shortly.

Osaka

2009-06-04T09:03:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone,
I don't know exactly what we were expecting in Osaka, but we didn't get it. If concrete was soothing, and grey was beautiful, then Osaka would be paradise. Unfortunately, I don't really care for grey or concrete. In other words, the city was rather dreary. The one highlight was "Liberty Osaka" which is a human rights museum. We learned about Japanese minorities and their struggles, as well as their current situations. We were both very glad that we went.

The accomodations were alright, if somewhat small (the picture is no trick). Also, no one speaks any English where we are staying because there is a South American architecture convention in town. We are not staying in a particularly nice part of the city, but then again, we have yet to see a particularly nice part of the city.

We also managed to book our flight to Beijing, which involved dealing with a local travel agency (No. 1 Travel). They were relatively helpful, though we did have to find them, which was difficult without proper directions. However, we believe we got a decent rate.

Food note: I ate shrimp twice, one time it was very good, the other it was simpy edible.

We have booked one night at a hostel in Beijing tomorrow night; we will basically be traveling all day tomorrow, and will get to experience our first city in China in two days!

A few more random thoughts on Japan:

-heated toilet seats = really cool
-courtesy and respect = ditto
-not having to count your change = really nice
-culture and history = actually ancient, not just old
-spending lots of money = not so good
-amount of people who speak English well = not many
-amount of English menus found = many
-Japanese women = stylish and pretty
-pointing and gesturing = invaluable
-running out of things to list =

Monkeying Around Kyoto

2009-06-03T09:25:00.009-04:00

Yesterday morning we went to the Iwatayama Monkey Park in Arashiyama to feed the monkeys. What we didn’t expect was the steep hike up the hill to get there. It was quite a walk, especially with a backpack full of water. On our way up, we bumped into a friend from our hostel in Tokyo and we arranged to meet later to see some temples. Once we made it, we were led into the feed room where were the ones in cages and the monkeys were on the outside being fed. We bought peanuts so we could feed them and take lots of pictures. There were some babies which were super adorable. The adults weren’t as cute, or nice for that matter. Mike tried feeding the little baby and the mother swatted his hand so that she could grab the food instead. We didn’t like her so we went to others.

Once we were done with the peanut bag, we went outside to walk around the area. There were monkeys everywhere. We were standing on a mountain with the most beautiful view of Kyoto, completely surrounded. While taking many pictures, I ran out of space on my memory card and had to take out a new one. As I was about to put the bag of SD cards away, my boss’s card reader (for the computer to read memory cards) that he lent me fell out and a monkey stole it and ran away with it. Once it realized that it wasn’t food, it put it down and we got it back (lucky for me!).

As we were leaving, we started seeing a bunch of monkeys crowding together and making lots of noise. When we turned around to look what was going on, we saw the caretakers carrying buckets of food. One of them turned on music *the can can* while the feeding was happening that it looked like a circus. Some of them were fighting and pushing each other out of the way. It was pretty hilarious. When we left, we met up with our friend, grabbed some lunch, and then went to a temple and walked through the gardens. It was a very relaxing afternoon.

For dinner, we met up with our Australian friends from the hostel in Tokyo and looked for a restaurant that is known for its pork cutlets, but failed because we did not have a name, just what was for dinner. After walking around and asking policemen where the restaurant might be, we gave up and settled for another place which happened to be excellent. It was one of those places where you take your shoes off and sit lower to the ground on a bench. Both food and company were wonderful. We couldn’t just end our last night together with dinner. What’s the one thing everyone has to do in Japan (aside from eat sushi)? That’s right. Karaoke. I never thought I would sing in front of people while I was sober but it was a lot of fun. We rocked out to some John Mayer, Bon Jovi, and other artists. When you have a room full of people who can’t sing, these things tend to be hilarious, especially when we’re all singing badly at one time. It was a great way to spend our last night in Kyoto with our friends, but I don’t think I will put anyone through that torture again… unless I had a few drinks in me.

Today, we saw the famous gates south of Kyoto which were really cool. Companies buy these gates to commemorate good things that happen. All the gates were similar and after walking around for half an hour, we left and made our way to Osaka.

Kyoto

2009-06-01T06:20:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!

On our last night in Tokyo, we went to Shibuya crossing. It was a lot like time square, and really something to see. The hustle and bustle of the intersection was catching. The trains in Tokyo stop at midnight, so there are tons of people on them, some rushing to catch the last train home, some just beginning their evening.

The next day, we made our way to Kyoto on the shinkansen (bullet train). It was actually sunny when we arrived! The weather really makes such a difference. Kyoto seems like a warmer and friendlier city than Tokyo. The people seem to be smiling more, and they are less orderly when lining up for the trains (not disorganized of course, this is Japan, just slightly less precise about where they stand).

We are staying at BaKpackers hostel, which is not as nice as the one we stayed at in Tokyo. There are bathrooms every second floor, the showers are tiny and the beds are rather crammed together. However, we will likely be longing for such luxuries further into our trip. We met a couple of very nice guys from LA, who went out with us last night and traveled with us all day today. Last night we went to a blues bar and listened to Japanese people croon English songs to which they clearly did not know the words. The atmosphere was electric though, everyone was having a wonderful time. Listening to a small, punky looking Japanese man sing "route 66" is quite the sight to see!

Today we decided to see Kyoto's famous shrines. We saw quite a number, which were incredibly beautiful. We walked around the city, took the bus, and generally soaked up the sun and the zen. It was quite an awesome day! We have not included the names of the shrines we saw, nor described the animals and plants, but if you would like to see what they look like, please see this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mnatlas/KyotoShrinesTemplesFloraFauna?feat=directlink
Unfortunately the blog will not allow me to post that many pictures!

The weather is great, the people are great, and this is a wonderful city :)

Look for Ilana's first post tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

Tokyo Electric, Zen and Fishy

2009-05-30T05:47:00.014-04:00

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, we decided to visit Akihabara, which is the electric city. We suffered complete sensory overload. The ads, the music, it was all very stimulating, and oh so cool. Surprisingly, the prices were not much better than they are at home. We took quite the detour to get there, but thankfully found a massage chair display, where I relaxed, and Ilana was in pain from the chair. We also went out for lunch around there, which was quite good.

Afterwards, we decided to go to Meiji Jingu (The Meiji Shrine). It was spectacular. We wandered about for a while before getting there, but once we did it was absolutely worth it. Essentially, upon the emperor's death in the 1920s, a huge forest was planted in his honour. The planted trees are now indistinguishable from a natural forest. We also paid our respects by following the directions before entering (okay, after we realized what we were supposed to do, so after we left for the first time). It was serene.

At night we went out for dinner and then decided to look for a bar around the hostel. This part of town is rather dead, but we did end up in a small Japanese bar with a few other hostel dwellers. It was a lot of fun, as going out tends to be.

Today, we woke up early (see 8am) to go to the Tsujiki Fish market. There was no way we were going to make the 5am tuna auction. We walked into the market, basically through a warehouse, to get to the main area. We saw a whole lot of live and dead fish. It smelled something fierce, but was really cool to see. We also watched a man cut up a fish. Business was quite brisk, especially at the various sushi restaurants (extraordinarily expensive). We walked into one, which seemed reasonably priced, and they refused us based on race. They handed us a printed card which said if you don't speak Japanese, we won't serve you. A very nice Japanese lady offered to help, but we could tell we weren't wanted. In fact, an older lady was busily wagging her finger at us as soon as we arrived.

After our sushi search (and a quick store bought sushi snack) we made our way to Odaiba, which is an island directly east of Tokyo. We took the light train. The public transportation in this city is amazing! There were a few shopping malls and Sega world (which we did not enter). (insert something about monkeys and handstands). We crossed the street and went to the palette mall. This houses a Toyota demonstration. We rode in an EV car which drives itself (so cool). We also saw some personal robots. We also rode the ferris wheel to get a nice view of the city.

A few things we noticed in Tokyo:

-everyone has a similar phone, and the phones are huge to accomodate the vertical text
-everything is incredibly organized, people line up single file to wait for escalators
-everyone works incredibly late, it is not unusual to see people in suits at 9 or 10, and again at 8.
-everyone has an umbrella, and no one wears a raincoat
-society seems very gendered, men hang out with men a lot and women with women

Thanks for reading!

First Full Day In Tokyo!

2009-05-28T11:34:00.011-04:00

So this morning we asked the hostel worker what people in Tokyo eat for breakfast. We decided to avoid beef in the morning and settled for sandwiches at a cafe. Of course, people here eat about half as much as we're used to, so we then went to a dep (for those not from Quebec, this is a convenience store) and bought other sandwiches.

We had planned to go to the Imperial Palace today, but as it was raining very hard, we made the decision to postpone it. We did decide to see the Sony building, which was a nice experience if short. We saw all of the latest things from Sony, though it appears that Apple is super cool in Japan right now. (side note: everyone we've seen in Japan has big phones, probably in order to read vertically/have enough room for the characters; this is not at all what I would have expected, I expected tiny super cool phones!)

We got massively lost today, which is kind of the goal in a city of this size. However, people here tend to take the trains and metros back and forth rather than walking. We walked for several hours trying to navigate the city, and were mostly successful, albeit with a lot of time wasted.

We decided to go to the Tokyo National Museum rather than brave the rain for the second half of our day. It is an amazing place, filled with old sculptures, swords and writings among many others. We spent about three hours there, and saw 3 of the 4 buildings, including the Main Hall and the small building off to the side which housed the treasure. We also randomly saw a shrine, thinking it was the way to the museum. It was actually very nice so we were happy that we accidentally stumbled upon it.

Did I mention we walked? Boy did we walk!

On the way to the museum we stopped for lunch at a small restaurant, where we each had soup (tan tan men). I have so far managed with my limited chopstick experience, though it can be frustrating at times. The soup was amazing, and incredibly spicy :) . A very nice waitress helped us find the museum.

It is still pouring rain, and as such we decided not to venture out tonight. Much of the hostel came to the same conclusion, and many people are milling about killing time. Meeting travelers is always interesting, as they are such a diverse population, but amazingly share many similar traits.

The sleeping arrangements are quite interesting at this hostel. They have basically set up wooden capsules. The ceiling is about 10 ft high, and there are 2 capsules stacked one on top of the other, all over the room. If a beehive were to house people, it would be a bunch of these capsules stuck together. However, they are surprisingly comfortable, and allow enough for to sleep comfortably, which is all that is required. We are staying at the Khaosan Ninja Hostel, and so far it has met our expectations.

Arrival in Tokyo

2009-05-27T09:37:00.008-04:00

We have arrived in Asia after quite a long flight! We flew through O'Hare which was not as bad as one might think, but not spectacular either. Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain a Japan Rail pass prior to departure, and they cannot be purchased in Japan because they are geared only towards tourists (ok, tourists who did their research properly). We will pay for that mistake.. The staff at United Air took good care of us. Once we finally made it to Narita Airport in Tokyo, we were greeted by a friendly gentleman in surgical gear checking everyone for H1N1. Once we received a clean bill of health, we were on our way to Tokyo.

We got to our hostel with only minimal confusion, mostly because some nice woman on the street directed us as we were looking puzzled. We met some nice people at the hostel, including a nice Israeli guy, with whom we decided to have a quick dinner. He then offered us his "Lonely Planet Japan", as he is leaving shortly. Travelers can be great people. We now both exhausted and going to bed early.

More to come!

3 Days Before We Leave

2009-05-23T12:40:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!

It is now 3 days before we depart for Asia. We begin in Japan, and have decided to skip Seoul in favour of spending more time in Vietnam. The plan is to begin in Tokyo, see Kyoto and Osaka, and then fly from Osaka to Beijing. We will then spend about a month in China. We have a rough itinerary, but these things always change. We will then spend some time in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Packing is going well, though every travel advice website I can find advises that we should pack less than we will be packing, and in smaller bags than we will be bringing. Having never embarked on a trip of this nature (in Europe one can manage large bags without too much trouble) we will see whether the bags will prove to be too cumbersome. I have a feeling that they will in fact prove somewhat problematic, but I think that in the end we will be glad to have the space.

Flights from Osaka to Beijing are very expensive, and we are planning to speak with the people at the hostels and/or a Japanese travel agent in order to find the best deal. Suggestions are always welcome.

I can't wait to start posting pictures in order to liven up this page!

Thanks for reading.

The 1st Post

2009-05-18T13:35:00.004-04:00

We would like to welcome you to our blog, and hope that you will follow us in our travels throughout Asia. Whether you know us and want to see what we're up to, or you're planning a similar trip and want some advice, or even if you stumbled here accidentally, welome and enjoy!

I (Mike) am a law student at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Ilana is a phys-ed student at McGill University in Montreal. Many (many) pictures will follow.

This is my first ever blog post. Ilana and I are preparing for our trip, relying heavily on Lonely Planet and various other sites. We have booked the major tickets, and are flying into Tokyo on the 26th of May. We also know that we will be in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on August 4th in order to fly to Singapore. Lastly, we have booked a flight from Singapore to Hong Kong on August 8th. Apart from those major flights, all other travel will be arranged while already abroad. We have purchased the latest edition of Lonely Planet China, but otherwise will be relying on the internet and the advice of kindhearted travelers in order to find our way around.

Thanks for reading!

Also, feel free to post comments, we will be reading them.