My Chinese Holiday - Part 3: 大连市

Wow, blink and a loooooong time goes by! Sorry for the delay between posts – especially as this last one of my holiday is the shortest and least interesting in a way.

Anyway, we left Dāndōng for Dàlián, and after a long coach journey with no toilet breaks, we arrived! So while in Dàlián not an awful lot happened to be honest! I gave my pals a little tour of the city – or at least the more interesting parts – but Dàlián is pretty modern so no real historical sites to visit or anything like that. We did visit a couple of stuff and food markets here, (what I call) Little Russia and supposedly the largest square in Asia – Xinghai Square (it is definitely more of an oval). Then the rest of the time we were just eating and enjoying each others’ company! Oh I almost forgot, one of the most important cultural experiences I got to show them while they were here: KTV! Turned out it was super easy and cheap to book a room for just the three of us and we had a whale of a time I must say. Definitely something that should be in England!

The End! Sorry that this post is so short and boring, but I had to round off my trip!

Bye for now

xoxo 

My Chinese Holiday - Part 2: Just a hop, skip and a jump away from North Korea

We arrived in Dàlián in the early morning, and then went back to my apartment to chill out for a while. Initially, we’d planned to go to Dāndōng over the weekend, but changed our minds and decided to spend just the one day in my city before leaving for Dāndōng the next morning. We went via coach, which took about 4 hours to get there (but then 6 hours to get back for some reason). For those who have never heard of Dāndōng, the most notable thing about the city is that it lies on the border with North Korea. And what with China and North Korea being ‘friends’/trading partners, there is a functioning bridge (as well as the historic bridge) that goes from China into this mysterious country over the Yalu River.

So we arrived in the afternoon in very dreary weather, and because Dāndōng isn’t particularly touristy, there aren’t any hostelworld hostels available so securing our accommodation for the night was priority number one! According to the Lonely Planet guidebook we were using, there were a couple of budget hotels about so we set off on foot in search for one and (as always) Lonely Planet delivered and we were sorted for the night. Calling the place we stayed a ‘hotel’ would be generous, but beggars can’t be choosers now can they, and it really wasn’t that bad at all. Just a bit musty. As we didn’t have a huge amount of time left together, we decided that two days and one night in Dāndōng would be enough.

After resting a spell, we headed out to the Korean War Memorial Museum to make it just before it closed. If you Google this particular tourist attraction in the city, you’ll see a lot of ‘anti-US’ comments attached to it – and having now visited the museum, I’d say that’s fair! The museum itself commemorates the Chinese soldiers who fought to aid North Korea in the Korean War against the UN in the early 1950s (if you want a proper history lesson, you know where to search!). Told from the Chinese perspective, this museum was a particularly interesting visit because of the way it retold events with incredibly biased language. Now maybe I’ve just never noticed this sort of thing in museums at home before, but I would definitely say that the language here was much more emotional – for lack of a better word. For example, all of the exhibition labels referred to the United Nations as ‘the enemy’, which I feel doesn’t happen at home – museums tend to refer to the nationality/name of the opposing force right? Also, phrases such as ‘the enemy was still swollen with arrogance’ appear frequently throughout the museum exhibitions. Another interesting observation was that the number of Chinese or North Korean casualties was never mentioned; only rough figures of the UN forces that had been ‘wiped out’ appeared. All in all, an interesting visit!

After the museum, the weather was still pretty rubbish, but we decided to take a little wander along the boardwalk on the border. I have to say how surreal it all felt there; despite it being pretty foggy and cloudy we could see across the river into North Korea. LIKE ACTUAL NORTH KOREA. North Korea! So very strange. We didn’t stay too long but then headed to a supposedly North Korean restaurant for dindins. According to our Lonely Planet guidebook (and various internet sources) apparently, North Korean women are sent over into China to work as waitresses and the like because they earn so much more compared to what they would earn in North Korea. Also APPARENTLY to spy on the North Korean businessmen who are sent out of the country. But who knows! Anyway, the restaurant we went to had waitresses wearing traditional Korean attire and good food!

Day 2 we were up early because we really wanted to get a better look across the river into North Korea. Once again, we wandered along the boardwalk and as luck would have it, it was a bit clearer than the day before. We stared for a while trying to make out what we could see on the North Korea side of the river – I wish we’d had binoculars! According to Google Maps, across the border from Dāndōng is a North Korean city and we could make out what appeared to be a Ferris Wheel (an amusement park?) and various buildings. We also saw some moving vehicles and cyclists! But little else I’m afraid. There were the options of walking along the historic bridge, or taking a boat ride along the river to get a better view, but we opted not to do these.

After leaving the boardwalk, and still having a little time to kill, we headed over to Jĭn Jiāng Shān Park. Similar to many Chinese parks I’ve seen, it was very pretty and had traditional architecture about the place. Pretty much after this we had to skedaddle to the bus station and buy our tickets back to Dàlián!

Part 2 in photos:

Our slightly dingy room!

Steps up to the Korean War Memorial Museum

Sculptures outside the museum entrance

Mao Zedong and Kim Il-Sung

Near the entrance, a dedication to the
soldiers

Photos of 'biological warfare' during the Korean War. Creepy crawlies infected
with a disease (can't remember what it said). Did this happen?

Pyongyang - North Korea's capital city

Pretty intense sculpture inside the museum

At the end of the museum was a stairway up to this HUGE panoramic battlefield scene
and here are a couple of shots from 

 First attempt to see across the river - very
cloudy

Interesting sculpture on the boardwalk!

NORTH KOREA!
The sign just says that it's the border

NORTH KOREA!
Left: functional bridge; Right: historic bridge

View from Jĭn Jiāng Shān Park

Having a great time! 

Thus concludes part 2! I’m really glad I got to visit Dāndōng, and going with my friends was much better than going alone would have been!

Until next time readers

xoxo

My Chinese Holiday - Part 1: Reunion in the Capital City!

OK, before anything else I want to say a BIG apology for doing squat diddly on here for absolutely ages. I’ve been suuuuper busy recently (work, learning to play the guitar, painting my nails – the usj) and before that just plain lazy. It’s been summer in Dàlián for the past few months now and all that beautiful weather has made me actually leave my flat and spend time away from a computer meaning this blog has suffered!

But anyway, onto the main event: China with two of my bezzies! So way back in June, two of my friends came all the way over to the Middle Kingdom to visit little old me! (I’m still SO grateful and happy that you did!) I’d say there were three phases of our time together – which was only just over a week unfortunately:

1)  Běijīng

2) Dāndōng

3) Dàlián

I’ll begin with number one! So, I left Dàlián Běijīng-bound on an overnight train – I treated myself to a soft sleeper and boy was it luxurious! After briefly negotiating the Běijīng tube at about 6am in the morning I arrived at the Happy Dragon Hostel (second stay here – DEFINITELY recommend) and was reunited with my friends. It’d only been about four months since we last saw each other but that was four months too long! We only had a few days in Běijīng so began our first day with a mosey around enjoying the fairly nice weather and of course, trying all the food we could get our hands on. One of those dishes being the famous Peking Duck. My verdict: pretty good eatin', but I don't see what all the hype was about. Our first night was an attempt at a night out but as it was the World Cup, it was veryyyy quiet. The major highlight of the night though was popping the girls’ tuk tuk cherry with a particularly mad one. On Day 2 our goal was to visit the Silk Market and bag us some bargains – which we DID! And the haggling was as addictive then as my first trip here last year. 

Then our final day in Běijīng was Great Wall day. Luckily, it was the perfect weather for it with blue skies and lots of sun. So last time I was in Běijīng, my brother and I visited the Jīnshānlĭng section of the wall - this time, we headed for Jiànkòu and planned to walk from here onto the more popular Mùtiányù part. Similarly to last time, because we’d chosen a not-so-touristy area of the wall, we took a bus from Běijīng to a smaller town and then hired a car to take us to the Jiànkòu entrance. Spot of bother trying to get a driver to take us at a reasonable price, but we were able to haggle him down some. After paying the 30 kuai (I think) entrance fee, we began our trek up to the wall. We weren’t really sure where we were heading but followed what we assumed were the correct roads. After a while we started coming across signs forbidding tourists from venturing onto the wall, so we knew we were heading in the right direction! I don’t really know why these signs were there because after a mini (quite treacherous) jungle trek up to the wall, there was a man waiting to charge us for using his ladder to climb onto it (another 20 kuai) - so tourists were definitely welcome! Once we’d made it to the top, the view we were awarded was stunning! Not that I expected anything less. One thing we did notice though, was that if you looked in the Běijīng direction, even though we were a fair distance from the city we could see all the smog and pollution. But luckily this didn’t impact our visit!

The walk along the Jiànkòu part itself was quite the trek! Took us a few hours (I really don’t remember exactly how long sorry!) and this was a proper over-grown area of the wall. The photos just don’t do it justice! The majority of the walk was just a bit crumbly and you had to choose your steps carefully, but one particular area was basically a vertical drop down on very slippery stones. Not a walk to do in rainy weather for sure. And maybe this had something to do with the total lack of people again! While walking the Jiànkòu section, we only saw 2 other groups of tourists. It was clear when we reached the Mùtiányù section of the wall as this part had been quite extensively reconstructed for visitors, and there were plenty of these about! After reaching the end of the Mùtiányù part and being short on time, we decided to get the cable car down to the bottom which wasn’t as expensive as you’d expect: one-way journey for an adult was around the equivalent of a fiver I believe. This was definitely one of my favourite days of the trip; brilliant weather, beautiful views and great company - smashing.

A few photos to have a gander at:

REUNITED!
And on a crazy tuk tuk ride

Taking a break from bargain-hunting at
the Silk Market

And we did just that!

B-E-A-Utiful

The wild

The veryyyyy steep part - had to keep a firm grip onto
the wall to get down safely

View from the steep part

Now entering Mùtiányù

More wall

The last leg of the wall - with the end in sight!

Couldn't be more Chinese if we tried

So after our long Great Wall day, we boarded an overnight train to my home town! I’d told the girls that a Chinese train is definitely something they should try while here and they were all too happy to give it a go! And it really wasn’t that bad at all - about 12 hours in total. Having done many a long train journey here on my own, I can say it is MUCH better with company.

I’ll just leave you with this AMAZING song which became the theme song to our Great Wall journey, and due to the lack of people we were able to belt it out as loud as we wanted:

'Let's get down to business...' 

That’s all for now folks!

xoxo

The Next China Chapter!

HELLO EVERYBODY!!!

Sorry it’s been ever so long but what with all the trouble of finding a flat I liked, I decided to just wait for my first post until I’d fully settled in!

Anyway, here I am! In Dàlián – a coastal city in the northwest of China (about a 6 hour high speed train ride from Běijīng). Here are a few pics of my new digs (living solo):

My building -I'm on the 10th floor
(also contains a student dorm)

The lounge area!

My bedroom - that bed could fit about 5 of me in

Little alcove off my bedroom

The bathroom - classic wetroom 

Kitchenette!

Boy is it different up here to down south! I was pretty spaced out when I arrived (crazy long journey with little sleep) but I was still shocked by the immediate differences I could see. I’ve been here about 3 weeks now and have made a list of the most prominent ones:

~   First and foremost is the road conduct here – still pretty crazy obviously, but there are next to no scooters around! And double-decker busses! Madness!

~   Another major difference is the staring. I’m not sure if it’s because Dàlián receives its fair share of foreign tourists or if I’m just sort of immune to it, but I get stared at a LOT less than I did in Fúzhōu. Very refreshing!

~   Also, I think there’s less spitting here. Thank God as that’s a disgusting habit.

~   There are a heck of a lot more western and non-Chinese restaurants available. At the moment, not a huge deal but in a few months time when I’m really craving real bread and pasta they’ll be a godsend!

~   Climate – one of the reasons I chose the city to begin with! But the weather here is a lot more like good old Blighty’s – meaning chilly winters and bearable summers so I won’t be sweating like a sinner in church

~   Taxis: I’ve noticed that there seem to be a lot less taxis around here, and that a lot of people taxi share to save on cost – but this makes me a little uneasy so I avoid them where I can!

~   Finally, they have English translations on bus signs! As if! If only they’d had these in Fúzhōu my life would have been so much easier when I’d first arrived!

So that’s my Dàlián musing done for now! Thus far, I’m really liking the city! Apparently it was voted the most liveable city in China for foreigners and I can definitely see why.

As for my experience with my new employer… I now work at EF (English First) and so far I really like it here! SUCH a different set up to Belief. As it’s a global company, I’ve found its management and organisation to be sooooo much better which is music to my ears, I must say! Also, where Belief threw me in at the deep end with no training for teaching, EF is the polar opposite with extensive training and observation classes. At first the training put me at ease as I did feel pretty rusty not having taught for a few months, but now it just seems quite unnecessary and tedious because I HAVE taught before so I do know what I’m doing in the classroom. But can’t be helped! Besides, everyone keeps saying I should enjoy my easy schedule because in a few weeks time a couple of teachers will be leaving and I'll have loads to do! Speaking of the other teachers, my new colleagues are all friendly and helpful and it seems to be a really positive working environment in the office.

So! All in all I’m happy! The only thing on my mind now is stopping by Fúzhōu and collecting the bag that I left behind - which hopefully I’ll be able to do in a couple of weeks.

Peace out

xoxo

'Twas the week before departure...

So that time has (FINALLY) come for my final post from the UK. My flight’s booked for Monday night so now it’s time to shake a leg and start getting all my stuff together for the long journey back to China! 

Patriotic nails all ready to hit the road again!

Proper rations!

Just a little permanent reminder...

In honour of my departure I tweaked a well-known poem for you pleasure:

‘Twas the week before departure, when all through my home,

Many-a creature was stirring – mainly my dogs with their bones;

Preparations were being made for my long trip back,

The packing of my rucksack, not forgetting plenty of snacks;

I’ve had many larks and jolly japes back in the UK,

And truth be told, I am sad to have to go away;

Alas, it’s back to teaching and spreading British cheer,

But fear not friends and fam! – it’s only for another year;

I’ll certainly miss all the company and especially the drink and food,

Like cheese, pastry and of course coffee – a love recently renewed;

So, dear readers, wish me luck and bon voyage once again,

Adieu and farewell to all, and to all a zaijian!

xoxo

Cambodia, Chapter 4: Battambang

Like I said last time, it was a short visit to the nearby town of Battambang as we only had the weekend off. BUT, we definitely made use of our time there! Unlike Pursat it was a bit more westernised which was very refreshing!

As we had very early starts for our orphanage work, we decided to have a little lie in the Saturday, so hopped on a coach around noon – it only being a one and a half hour journey. When we got off the coach, the tuk tuk drivers came at us like nobody’s business! A little overwhelmed, we pushed our way out of the crowds and tried to find a hostel or cheap hotel to stay at, and boy did we! Using my companion’s guidebook, we found Chhaya Hotel and we booked a twin room for 2 nights at $5 a night! Bargain! The next step was to hire a tuk tuk driver for the 2 days we were there, as we figured it’d allow us to see the majority of Battambang’s sights with relative ease. We found Phil Lay, a friendly, English-speaking older driver who promised to show us all Battambang had to offer – and we paid $20 between us for the weekend. Anyway, on our first day we wanted to head to the Killing Caves which were about a 45 minute drive out of town. The hike up there was HORRIBLE. The photo below doesn’t do it justice, but it was worth getting to the top of course - although we actually went up the wrong way and got a little lost, but luckily there was a Cambodian couple about who showed us the way to the cave itself.

As with the Killing Fields I visited outside of Phnom Penh, the caves here were pretty grim. Under the Khmer Rouge, a nearby temple was used as a prison and the prisoners held here were bludgeoned to death then dropped down into the cave. When we visited, there was a monk inside (or at least I think he was a monk) who cleaned and kept the place, and after we donated money, gave us red wristbands. After the cave, we headed up to the temple on the top of the mountain which gave great views of Battambang. When we had finished, Phil Lay then met us at the bottom of the mountain and took us to the Bat Cave (not actual name). He told us that everyday at sunrise and sunset, hundreds of thousands (maybe even millions) of bats flew out of the cave mouth in search of food. He then showed us a really cool photo one of his past passengers had taken and we were super keen to witness this Flight of the Bats (and we weren’t the only ones with other foreign tourists gathering at the base of the cave when we arrived). And it was amazing to behold! Quite hypnotic actually. SO many bats. Then after we’d seen all the bats leave, we headed to the Night Market for dinner, then later to the Riverside Balcony Bar for a drink (really cute place!).

On the Sunday, we began the day with a FANTASTIC breakfast at the Gecko Café (which we returned to a few times because it was so good – best iced coffees ever). Today’s aim was to see what the bamboo train was as we really didn’t know what to expect from it! It was about 20 minute tuk tuk drive out of town, and cost $5 apiece. You get on what looks like a bed frame made of bamboo which then hurtles down train tracks in the jungle. Pretty good fun! You go down the one-way track for about half an hour with a 10-15 minute break at a little pit-stop where we were hounded by children selling bracelets, and once you gave in to one, three more kids popped up in their place trying to sell their wares. I bought 3.

Post-bamboo train, we headed back to town and Phil Lay gave us a whistle stop tour of Battambang which was interesting. He was also full of really interesting stories and facts about Battambang, Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge regime (as he was 19 at the time so remembered it well). One thing he did tell us that I found really bad was the fact that in Cambodian schools, the children aren’t taught about the Khmer Rouge regime so his grandchildren and even his children don’t believe the stories he tells them about the conditions at the time. Apparently this is because the current Cambodian PM is a former Khmer Rouge party member. Phil Lay also told us about his experiences when the Khmer Rouge came to power. At the time, his family was very wealthy as his father was (I think) a party member, however, when everyone was turned out of their city homes his family had to pretend to be from a labour, working-class background in order to avoid execution and be taken to the agricultural working camps. He said that he lost his father, brother and mother in the camps.

The weekend in pictures:

View of the temple on the mountain from afar

Glimpse of Battambang

The long, steep road up

From the temple on the top of the mountain

Battambang from on high - the areas that look like puddles from afar are the flooded bits
(luckily this didn't interfere with our trip at all!)

Some Buddhist monks

The descent to the cave

The cave
On the right seemed to be pictures of the zodiac with money bowls beside them

The area of the temple used as a prison 

Flight of the Bats - so weird how they flew in the same line out of the cave

A short clip of the bats in flight!

Natassia and I on the bamboo train before embarking

The tracks!

The right of way problem: as it was only a one-way
track, if you came across anyone coming the other way
one group would have to de-rail and let the others pass

Our driver - a very smiley guy

A short clip on the train - 

looks a lot faster than it felt in real life!

(Also, sorry for the poor camera skills)

Left: bracelet selling kids swamping Natassia; Right: the pit stop town

In the middle is a little leaf/grass bracelet one of the
girls made me, she said it was free, so then I obviously
had to buy a few. They'll get ya every time.

Natassia and Phil Lay in his tuk tuk!

From our little Battambang tour: a Chinese cemetery

A roundabout's centrepiece

Drivin' through the floods

Temple building

Temple

The old French Govenor's House (built in 1907)

Well that’s it on the travel front I’m afraid! I’ve been home 3 months now, which is longer than I’d initially planned, but delays with my visa application in China couldn’t be helped. But it looks like I’ll be heading back to China next month for an exciting new adventure!

Until next time!

xoxo