Nihao, people!!!
May. 7th, 2008 01:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceebee_eebeeYes, I made it back from China alive and had only one run-in with the police.* I'd say that makes it an EXTREMELY successful trip. ;-) I absolutely recommend China as a tourist destination. It's magnificently beautiful, the cities are SO modern and striking, the historical sites are breathtaking, the food is unbeatable, and the people are incredibly friendly and helpful. Despite the language barrier (and even though the signs are in English, very few people outside the hotels speak much English) it turned out to be very easy to get around and manage with gestures and smiles. Plus, the dollar still gets you very far there, which is a fantastic change of pace.
Here are some pics of my trip. These, admittedly, are not the best, but they are the only ones that didn't have me or my family in them.
After 24 hours of travel, we started our trip in Hong Kong. I'd wanted to go there my entire life and the city did NOT disappoint. Even my brother fell in love with it. He hasn't stopped saying he wants to go live there since the very first day we arrived. And I don't blame him cause I'd move in a heartbeat. It's one of the most beautiful, civilized cities I have ever been to (and I've been to my fair share). The perfect mix of strikingly modern and distinctively ancient. I wish these pictures could do it justice.
(This is a view of one of the side-streets looking off from the mid-level escalators. Yeah, you read that right. The main city of Hong Kong is built on the side of a mountain and there is a series of escalators that go from the harbor through to half-way up. In the mornings they run in the opposite direction to get the commuters down to the business district. So brilliant.)
On the second day we went to Lantau Island, one of the islands that make up Hong Kong, to see the Giant Tian Tan Buddha. It's the largest outdoor, seated, bronze buddha in the world. And it was totally worth the trip. I wish I could give you some sense of just how big this guy is, but the best I can do is send you to the wiki page for specifics.
After leaving Hong Kong, we headed to Shanghai. Crossing the border from Hong Kong to the mainland was a real trip. I didn't expect there to be such a stark change, but there was. All you had to do was walk a few feet from the Hong Kong immigration to Chinese immigration and there was absolutely no doubt you were now in a communist country.
Anyway, Shanghai was superb. It's also the most crowded place I have ever been in my entire life. There are so many people it boggles the mind. And everyone is out in the streets walking, or on bikes, motorcycles, in cars, taxis, buses, vans, and they are all driving like it's fucking thunderdome. There are NO RULES. Lane markers and turn signals are, at best, a suggestion. Turning is everyone for themselves (including the aforementioned bikes, motorcycles, and pedestrians). Being in a car on the streets of China is more exciting than any amusement park ride I have ever been on. I kid you not.
Also, from the reactions of the Shanghai residents, it would seem that there are VERY few non-asian tourists that go there. When my family and I were walking around, people were staring at us like we were either celebrities or circus freaks, I can't decide. One guy walked into a tree. Another fell off his bike. When I was in a supermarket, children pointed at me. And honestly, I am just a normal looking chick. It was INSANE. The people were absolutely lovely and friendly, and the staring wasn't done maliciously or anything (I never felt threatened or unwelcome anywhere) but it was VERRRRRY obvious.
Even MORE beautiful at night:
And you see how bad the air is in this picture?
Beijing was 1,000 times worse.
But first, as one of our little side-trips, we spent the day at a historical area called Cibao. It was gorgeous. Very narrow streets so packed with people and food stalls and stores that it was like being at a general admission show the entire time. Luckily, Chinese city dwellers are so used to being in crowds, it's perfectly fine to just sort of push your way through without having to applogize every five seconds. Once you get used to it, it's actually pretty fun.
We also got to see some temples, including the Jade Buddha Temple which was beautiful. You aren't allowed to take pictures of the actual jade buddha, but trust me, it was worth seeing. Of all the buddhas I saw in China (and I saw plenty) that was the most gorgeous. Made out of a single piece of white jade and decorated with gold and gems.
And here is a random picture of the section of Shanghai called the Old City
Finally, we ended our trip in Beijing. The historical sites here were unparalleled, but the air quality was horrendous. We all had breathing problems while we were there. Also, the people aren't quite as friendly as there were elsewhere. My family and I referred to it as the Paris-syndrome. There was a definite capital-city arrogance to the place that made it slightly less enjoyable for me than Shanghai. But still, really splendid city.
View from our hotel room:
Dusk at an outdoor bar:
We got to see the The Summer Palace
The Temple of Heaven
and Tiananman Square
Of course, no trip to Beijing would be complete without walking on the Great Wall. We visited the Mutianyu section and it really wasn't too crowded. That section is also great because you can take a cable-car up and then sled down.
Finally, to wrap up, here is a random little kid with awesome hair:
*It wasn't as bad as it sounds. Although we were on our own in Hong Kong and Shanghai, we decided to hire a guide for Beijing. She was absolutely wonderful, but the driver she had on the first day apparently did not have the proper license to be driving tourists. When cops saw us get out of the van, they stopped us, took the guide away to question, and then questioned us about it. I had to write out a statement explaining how we'd found our guide's name, how much she charged, what exactly we had hired her to do, etc. The cop was VERY nice, but it was still bizarre and freaky as hell while it was happening. Luckily they let our guide go and only the driver got in trouble and the rest of our stay in China had no police involvement.
Here are some pics of my trip. These, admittedly, are not the best, but they are the only ones that didn't have me or my family in them.
After 24 hours of travel, we started our trip in Hong Kong. I'd wanted to go there my entire life and the city did NOT disappoint. Even my brother fell in love with it. He hasn't stopped saying he wants to go live there since the very first day we arrived. And I don't blame him cause I'd move in a heartbeat. It's one of the most beautiful, civilized cities I have ever been to (and I've been to my fair share). The perfect mix of strikingly modern and distinctively ancient. I wish these pictures could do it justice.
(This is a view of one of the side-streets looking off from the mid-level escalators. Yeah, you read that right. The main city of Hong Kong is built on the side of a mountain and there is a series of escalators that go from the harbor through to half-way up. In the mornings they run in the opposite direction to get the commuters down to the business district. So brilliant.)
On the second day we went to Lantau Island, one of the islands that make up Hong Kong, to see the Giant Tian Tan Buddha. It's the largest outdoor, seated, bronze buddha in the world. And it was totally worth the trip. I wish I could give you some sense of just how big this guy is, but the best I can do is send you to the wiki page for specifics.
After leaving Hong Kong, we headed to Shanghai. Crossing the border from Hong Kong to the mainland was a real trip. I didn't expect there to be such a stark change, but there was. All you had to do was walk a few feet from the Hong Kong immigration to Chinese immigration and there was absolutely no doubt you were now in a communist country.
Anyway, Shanghai was superb. It's also the most crowded place I have ever been in my entire life. There are so many people it boggles the mind. And everyone is out in the streets walking, or on bikes, motorcycles, in cars, taxis, buses, vans, and they are all driving like it's fucking thunderdome. There are NO RULES. Lane markers and turn signals are, at best, a suggestion. Turning is everyone for themselves (including the aforementioned bikes, motorcycles, and pedestrians). Being in a car on the streets of China is more exciting than any amusement park ride I have ever been on. I kid you not.
Also, from the reactions of the Shanghai residents, it would seem that there are VERY few non-asian tourists that go there. When my family and I were walking around, people were staring at us like we were either celebrities or circus freaks, I can't decide. One guy walked into a tree. Another fell off his bike. When I was in a supermarket, children pointed at me. And honestly, I am just a normal looking chick. It was INSANE. The people were absolutely lovely and friendly, and the staring wasn't done maliciously or anything (I never felt threatened or unwelcome anywhere) but it was VERRRRRY obvious.
Even MORE beautiful at night:
And you see how bad the air is in this picture?
Beijing was 1,000 times worse.
But first, as one of our little side-trips, we spent the day at a historical area called Cibao. It was gorgeous. Very narrow streets so packed with people and food stalls and stores that it was like being at a general admission show the entire time. Luckily, Chinese city dwellers are so used to being in crowds, it's perfectly fine to just sort of push your way through without having to applogize every five seconds. Once you get used to it, it's actually pretty fun.
We also got to see some temples, including the Jade Buddha Temple which was beautiful. You aren't allowed to take pictures of the actual jade buddha, but trust me, it was worth seeing. Of all the buddhas I saw in China (and I saw plenty) that was the most gorgeous. Made out of a single piece of white jade and decorated with gold and gems.
And here is a random picture of the section of Shanghai called the Old City
Finally, we ended our trip in Beijing. The historical sites here were unparalleled, but the air quality was horrendous. We all had breathing problems while we were there. Also, the people aren't quite as friendly as there were elsewhere. My family and I referred to it as the Paris-syndrome. There was a definite capital-city arrogance to the place that made it slightly less enjoyable for me than Shanghai. But still, really splendid city.
View from our hotel room:
Dusk at an outdoor bar:
We got to see the The Summer Palace
The Temple of Heaven
and Tiananman Square
Of course, no trip to Beijing would be complete without walking on the Great Wall. We visited the Mutianyu section and it really wasn't too crowded. That section is also great because you can take a cable-car up and then sled down.
Finally, to wrap up, here is a random little kid with awesome hair:
*It wasn't as bad as it sounds. Although we were on our own in Hong Kong and Shanghai, we decided to hire a guide for Beijing. She was absolutely wonderful, but the driver she had on the first day apparently did not have the proper license to be driving tourists. When cops saw us get out of the van, they stopped us, took the guide away to question, and then questioned us about it. I had to write out a statement explaining how we'd found our guide's name, how much she charged, what exactly we had hired her to do, etc. The cop was VERY nice, but it was still bizarre and freaky as hell while it was happening. Luckily they let our guide go and only the driver got in trouble and the rest of our stay in China had no police involvement.