There has literally been no time to enter into a blog much less go online. Either that or sleep and those who know me know that I will pick sleep anytime. A note on Beijing and Xi’an that I forgot- the air pollution is just awful. In Xi’an you can literally smell the coal. It was here that my sore throat set in and I caught the cold that a number of other folks have. Luckily it never got real bad.
Guilin was actually not as warm as we had all hoped and due to logistics we were without access to our main suitcases so at times it was quite chilly. Guilin is beautiful. It is only about 300,000 people and is surrounded by tall limestone cliffs. The first day we actually left to travel by river to the town of Yangshuo where we spent the night. It was 5 hours on the river to go 40 miles and included lunch. Unfortunately it was rather hazy so we did not get the full effects of the scenery but was still beautiful. The native folks are fishermen and use bamboo boats consisting of 4-6 long poles of bamboo lashed together to form a raft and curved up at the ends. We did notice some used PVC pipe instead. They even come up to the side of the boat and sell to the tourists this way. We traveled down a wide canyon between the cliffs- somewhat like our Grand Canyon but not quite as splendorous.
Yangshuo is a thriving tourist town with tourists from all over the world so there is an amazing market that stays open until midnight. We got to travel in extended golf carts into the countryside to see how the common folks live. It was quite interesting. Mao is still greatly revered and the old folks make their own coffins and keep them in their homes until needed. Pictures sometime! At night Josh went off with folks to explore including getting a massage. Gary and I went to an incredible sound and light show that uses the river and the mountains as the stage. It is produced by a Chinese director whose name is forgotten at the moment but he is working with Spielberg on the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. This seemed like warm up to that event. Absolutely spectacular and they use all local native people in the show with the exception of the main singer who is a professional.
The next day was spent exploring Guilin including a visit to the Reed Flute Cave which was beautiful. The cave formations are extremely interesting and the final one looks like a city scape which reflects into about 2 inches of water but looks like it goes forever.
From Guilin we flew to Hong Kong. The first day we were on an organized tour and went to Victoria Peak - once again followed by haze but still an amazing view. Hong Kong is what I had always read about and more. Never have I seen so many tall buildings and they just keeping building them taller. My Chinese is no good here but there is a lot of English so we are doing ok. After the Peak we drove to Typhoon Shelter and got on small boats that took us around the harbor to see how a group of native fishermen live. They live on boats and some of them NEVER go on dry land their entire lives. There is a large floating restaurant where they hold large ceremonial events such as weddings. We also saw some amazing yachts- quite the contrast. But that is China. Actually Hong Kong is described as 1 country, 2 systems with Hong Kong not having to change a thing for 50 years. The only things the Central Govt does is defense and foreign affairs. The hope is to convince Taiwan that the model can work. You go through customs to get out of China and then into Hong Kong which worked for me since my first visa expired on the day we left China.
We then drove past some amazing homes on the Cliffside and went to Stanley Market where we had pizza for lunch. It was really good to have a change of pace in terms of food. After lunch the bus returned to the hotel but we got off it early and went to see the Collier’s office in Hong Kong. It was on the 57th floor of an office building overlooking the harbor- just an amazing view.
We were on our own for the next day and a half. We spent the rest of Monday exploring Hong Kong Island. I had never known how hilly it was- as bad as San Francisco. This involved taking the metro where we hoped to experience the ladies in red whose primary function is to push/cram folks into the subway cars when it is busy. It was 4:30 but seems to have been too early for rush hour. We visited the Nan Mo Temple and then Hollywood and Cat streets where there are antique shops. Looking for a place to eat we found a nice Thai restaurant and had a great meal then took the longest covered escalator in the world which includes a series of 20 escalators that go down in the morning and up at night. Then we saw the 2 streets where there is every ethnic cuisine you can imagine. We settled for dessert and tea. We then made our way back to Kowloon where our hotel is. Josh caught the cold and while he doesn’t want to slow down agreed that an early night (10:30) would be a good idea. This involved taking a walkway that winds above the city. They got too crowded down below so went above ground- at least that’s our theory. We took the Star Ferry across which is only 5 minutes but an amazing view of the lights of Hong Kong behind us now all proclaiming Merry Christmas and Happy New Year which is the first sign we have seen of holiday hype.
Hong Kong is incredibly expensive- feels like US prices for everything which is a bit of a culture shock after a month in China. A taste of re-entry and it won’t be easy particularly coming back to face the Christmas rush.
Tuesday we explored Kowloon more which meant lots more markets. Gary and Josh got fitted for suits which will arrive in the States next week. Now Gary has to take me out somewhere. For dinner we crossed back over to Hong Kong and ate in a Nepalese restaurant. Sort of Indian but will slightly different spices. Very good!
Wednesday we took a Catamaran to a town near Guangzhou and then explored Guangzhou until going to the airport to fly to Hangzhou where we are now. In Guangzhou we visited a former temple which is now an arts and crafts center. Incredible ivory and bone carvings and embroidery.
From what we have seen of Hangzhou it appears to be a beautiful city. Tomorrow we go for a lake cruise and walk through a famously spectacular park and visit a tea plantation and silk factory then on to Shanghai where we plan to finish shopping and go to an acrobatics show. There is a trip to a famous museum on the itinerary but I am feeling museumed out so we’ll see.
Better post this before it’s too late then off to bed. This will be the last posting from China. I will probably post with final details of the trip after I get home as it is a good record of where we went and what we did.
First things I will do when I get home is have a salad and kiss my toilet (after kissing my animals first)- Those of you who have been to China will understand and the rest of you can ask for an explanation if you want but don’t feel obligated!
See some of you soon and will talk to others soon!
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