Rainy, wet, and cold Sapa

After coming to the foggy Sapa in the late afternoon, I was hoping for better weather (cloudy or something), but weather turned rainy, windy, foggy, and cold! So not much sightseeing in this very small town. That is why I am on the net again.
I attempt to hike in the rain and wind, but I wasn't feel too great and turn back after about half an hour. I got a little sick for couple days.

Sapa is becoming a touristy town, but nothing compares to China.
The town has lots Hmong and Dao people from near by villages who come here to sell tourists trinkets. They dressed in their traditional cloth. Due to the weather, I have not had the chance to take any pictures.

The pace of life is pretty slow here.
Unfortunately Vietnamese also adapted honking from the noisy Chinese as well. They are just a little less noisy.

I visited a village market in Bac Ha (3 hours from sapa). The market is where flowering Hmong come every Sunday to trade, buy goods and selling some trinkets to the tourists. Mostly non-staged.

We also visted a village home near by, not too interesting but did learn a little about the Hmong people in general, which is good. After the visit, our boots are coated with a thick layer of mud! so I paid 1 dollar to have someone clean it back in Lai Cao like many other tourists.....

After five boring hours waiting for my train from Lai Cao to Hanoi, we went to get on the train and was told the what we thought was ticket wasn't, so we were in a panic looking for someone who spoke English to explain what's going on, did we get scamed? luckily, there is a person from the ticket agency who exchanged our paper for real tickets.

The sleeper train is much cleaner and nicer than I expected. It even have a clean sit down toliet! I got a good night sleep (middle bunk). Although I think a Vietnamese American from another compartment was up at 3 or somethig talking loudly on the phone to his coworker or something, then talking to his booki about making bets on SF 49ers and Denver Broncos, how rude! Just can't seem to get away from rude people.

We arrived in Hanoi just before 5AM and got on back of couple moto bikes and headed for Old Quarters. Of course we could not find the place we wanted stay in the dark, so we stop by a hostel and wait till daylight. O, we met another rude person on the way........

But the weather was nice and new day and new city Hanoi....

the long road to Vietnam

The 10 hours bus ride from Kunming to Hekou turn into 15.5 hours of stops due to landslides or waiting for bulldozer to clear a path around a tilled/stuck truck. The bus itself is like a regular bus except there are no seats and is fitted with twenty some beds (top and down) and with people's packages packed into every inches of remaining spaces!

It was a unique experience, that one should do once and never repeat it again!

Coming down from 6600 feet to almost sea level, we can feel the humidity as soon as we're at the border.

There were couple other foreingers on the bus, we exited China and walked cross the border into Vietnam together. The exit of China was slow and painful. It took us probly over half hour to get over and then on Vietnam side another 20 plus minutes. We all happy to leave China behind. The border official has problem with spelling of Germany and also had problem with Ireland where he insist it is Finland. I guess they don't hanve much English training.

After we exchanged some Vietnamese Dong, we all become multi-millionaire instantly!
1 US$ = 15902 Dongs. Then we had lunch at a local place and promptly being cheated with 3 dollars nasty looking chicken.

The Irishman and I parted company with the German guy (he is heading to Hanoi) and we boarded a bus for Sapa in hills (4800 feet), our first real stop in Vietnam.

Kunming Part II (with a night in Stone Forest)

After 5.5 hours bus ride from Dali I am back in Kunming once again. Met a Chinese lady from Naking traveling with her relatives, she and her family have their own business. We talked about Chinese society...

After dinner I went to a local gym for first real workout since my trip. Paid 50 Yuan for one time use. Nice looking Penthouse gym, although equipments weren't so great and no cleaning towel.

Met couple more Danish, the 5th and 6th so far, for a country of just over 5 millions people they sure do travel (heading to Laos). Also met Mikkel and Andreas again (heading to Thailand).

I visited few sights in Kunming: Golden temple, and a local park. Nothing exciting, but good walk none the less. The bus fare here is so cheap! 1 yuan per ride, that's 12.5 cents. Good thing I know Chinese :)

I decided to go to the stone forest in late afternoon to avoid the mass crowd and stay over night to catch sunrise. So I plunge down 200 Yuan for a room, but it is worth to avoid the mass crowd I saw in the morning. The lady from the Dali bus told me she saw more human head than rock when she was here(head and rock rythm in Chinese).
It is really wonderful to wonder in the stone forest by oneself and enjoy the solitude.

Now I am getting ready to catch 10-hour sleeper bus to the border and to Vietnam.
Leaving China behind...

China my impression

China lived up to the expectation!!

- A lot of rude people here. The guy I met in Guilin told me the rude people are mostly from the generation that grew up under Mao's culture revolution who never really educated and acted like thugs during that time. So their up bring is still resonate today. But at same time there are just as many friendly people. I strike up friendly conversions with many Chinese. So there is hope!

- Badly polluted places/cities

- smoking and spitting are everywhere. I think the Chinese government is tried to curb the latter, and I heard there is some success in the big cities on the coast.

- dirty, what can I say; most of the developing countries are dirty

- people are definetly getting richer

- still cheap to visit outside the major/big cities

- the drivers loves to honk their hones! The street of China is not only dangerous but it is extremely noisy. Also people of China are noisy as well, they don't care about their loudness, even late in the night.

The unexpected:

- prostitution, you could walk down a crowded/busy street and be approach by ladies asking you if you want massage and sex in low voice.

- every where there are new constructions: roads, building.


despite the shortcomings, there are still places for you to experience the "old" China and some remaining "wild" place. But do it soon, else it will be overrun and destoyed by the millions of up and coming middle class Chinese people.

Dali

With heavy and steady rain falling (the first really bad weather during my trip other than the Typhoons), I departed from Lijiang for Dali.

The bus ride was terrible! I was sitting in the back and the up and down of the road, and speed up and braking action of the bus, make me want to throw up the whole way.

There were couple Dutch on the bus, and one of them of who speaks some Chinese was sort of sad to see the historical and natural sites that are being destroyed by the Chinese march to modernize. Sort the same feeling as me.

I was surprised to met Michael and Andreas (Dans) from Yangshuo. They stayed for 9 days there!. It took them 24 hours or something to get here.

The next day sun came out and I rode a bike around some rice field, not too interesting now that the harvest is over. I also rode through some small "modern" town, but streets smell and look like what you'll find in China generations ago.

The old town itself, is nothing like that of Lijiang. It is more of a modern looking city with some old design. So may be as result it is also much less touristy.

This is also more of backpacker's town than Lijiang. So many backpackers stayed at the youth hostel here.

I think I am a bit tired of China and ready for a change of scenery. Kunming will be my last stop.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

The is an awesome hiking place! Still largely unspoiled by the destructive Chinese tourism. We hike from the river level up about 3000-4000 feet. the trail cuts along the side of the gorge high above the river and provides dramatic drop off!

One day one, we (see the list of characters on the hike in the travelers post) hiked 7 hours and passed about 20 other hikers. The weather was cloudy with showers. The trail takes us thru mountain side villages, we saw cows, goats, horses, donkeys, farmers working on their fields. The trail also cut thru side of the mountain in some places is only a foot wide and deadly drop off on the other side. We also had glance of the snow on the peak on the opposite of the gorge.

After arriving in Tina's place we had shower and dinner. I must not have eaten enough because I was hungry in the middle of the night.

After listless night of sleep we got up at 7 and by 8:10, we are ready for our push to catch the last bus back to Lijiang in town of DaJu at 1:30. The new ferry crossing was washed out, so we had to goto the old crossing. The route was along the paved road and generally down hill, so it was pretty easy walk until its time to go down to the gorge and catch the ferry to cross the river to the town of Daju. A very steep and rocky trail, our injured companion had aweful time negotiate the 40 min long path.

Luckily we got back up the opposite bank just in time to catch the bus with 15 min to spare and cool drinks!

The ride back to Lijiang was long and slow (4 hours), the bus climb over (from 5000) to over 10,000 feet. There was a plan to get off the bus and take a look at Yu Long snow mountain, but the cloud was so thick, everyone decided not to.

Anyway everyone parted company at Old Town.

Old town Lijiang

A well preserved/rebuild Chinese town (partially destroyed in a 1996 earthquake). With its maze of streets and streams, I think some people called it Venice of the East. The center of old town is very touristy I think (mostly Chinese, less westerners than I expected). But you can experience the relative isolation by randomly taking one of those side streets away from the tourist streets.

I stayed at a inn (too many inns in the old town) that is run by a Taiwanese person, he is currently in Taiwan and a long term "tourist" who is looking after the place for him along with 3-4 teenage helpers. I paid 70 yuan for a double room, which is a lot, but it did come with in room sit down toilet and shower. I think I am become more American than I think, spoiled and can't tolerate share public open squat toliet. Anyway the staff are friendly and are kind enough to ask me to join them for dinner.

Lijiang is in Yunnan province of China. Nested just to the east of Tibetan plateou and bordered south with Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. This is a region rich in ethinic tribes each with it own custom and clothing. In Lijiang, people are mainly the Naxi . They has the sunburned features of many people from high elevation like Tibetan and Andean of South America. Although not as much since the elevation is around 7700 feet.

Of the 3-4 teenage workers in the place I stayed, two of them are Naxi. I think Naxi people are better looking than the han chinese, but due the high elevation, they do have wrinkles early :). Apparently school isn't that important, the two Naxi girls only finished middle school.

After coming back from Tiger Leaping Gorge, I saw Adam again (accident this time) and we had dinner and discuss what's happening since Kunming. Who knows we may end up meeting again some where in Southeast Asia.

On the last morning here with darkening sky, I talked to the local Naxi guy in his early 30s about his anger at the Han Chinese that had invaded his home land and threaten to wipe out his culture. If he had his way he would limit the tourism here and give his people more opportunities in running the tourism industry itself.
I do hope the Naxi and other minority people in China will survive mostly intact in China's rush to modernize the country.

O, still no shopping yet, for some reason I just can't get myself to shop, nothing really interest me, I think I have all the travel trinkets I ever needed from my previous travel. But I must shop for gifts for family and friends, a tough task!

Kunming Part 1

A overnight stop on my way to Lijiang. A modern city, not overwhelming or big. I saw my first true blue sky in China here! No haze and the temperture was perfect.

I walked around the center of the town with Adam (met at Yangshuo). Checked out a potential workout place for when I come back in few days (50 yuan for 1 entry workout session, pretty expensive i think, but it will be only one time).

Guilin

OK, I have officially started using the infamous squat toilet here. I think my squating muscle needs some work to build up the stamina. Also had my first bout of stomach problem. It seems to has recovered a bit.

There wasn't much to see here couple descent parks that is about it. Too build up and polluted (what's new). So I am just sitting around waiting for my flight on Tuesday afternoon. I should have get out on Monday.....

I was informed my original transport option to Vietnam is no longer possible, so I need to find a new way. It should not be too difficult.

So far I have not seen a clear blue sky day in China and but I am heading further inland, away from industrial pollution, and higher elevation (probably the coldest part of my journey as well), but the forecast is for rainy and cloudy weather. I'll let you know when I see the first blue sky in China. I would not be surprised if I don't see one in all 17 days in China.

Here are couple pictures I took in Guilin:

Yangshuo China (being blocked by Chinese internet police)

Greeting from China.

NOTE:
The blogger website is being blocked by the Chinese government, so I can't see my own website, I can still post and edit, but not view. So there might be problem with pictures links. Stupid communists. oops they probably going to track me down.....
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After a minor problem at the immigration for entry into China, (the officer did not believe the passport is my, he does not seem to believe I am 34, strange....).

Anyway, thick air of pollution greeted me when I arrived in Guilin and then Yangshuo. The famed karst landscape is hiding behide the bad air! The forecast is for more the same and now cloud has rolled in, it make everything just plain dull and gray. So I bought a set post cards to show you all when I get back. It shows what it suppose to look like before the Chinese's march to industrialize has destroy the place that inspired so many Chinese artists and poets.

O, no sooner has I steped on Chinese soil, I already being ripoff by the people here for the bus ride (over-charge 50%). I guess I am officially entered the developing countries/third world part of my journey! There are more overcharges at the place I stayed not to mention leaky toilet, I mean leaking the content of the flush out on the floor, plus broken door lock. Good news they have fixed both.

I finally met some fellow travelers here in Yangshuo, interestingly they all from the US! But according the locals, the French and Israelis are the major tourists here.

The street where I stayed is full of westerner, a little western onclave in this part of China. The city seems to existed only for the tourists. Most the vender, store owner, inn keeper speaks good enough English, a rarity in China.

I am currently debating wether to cut the stay here by one day to get a cheaper flight to Lijiang China. With cloudy weather and pollution I am incline to do so.

I may upload a picture from here just to show what I mean about the pollution.

The food here is pretty cheap, a meal might only cost a dollar at local resturant, and 3 for tourist resturant.

Hong Kong and a side visit to Macau

good news HK has good weather, but the smog is really bad. So only night time pictures looked nice. The HK harbor is a really beautiful sight at night. With all the lights on the tall building surrounding the harbor.

i thought Japan was bad with ads and shopping mall everywhere, HK is even more over the top. I guess that is what captialistic/materialistic/consuming society encourage. Since I don't like the above, I find my peace at few of its little parks and a trip to more temple picture taking at another island.

One thing surprise me is the diversty of the people here, I expected to see Chinese of all kind and some expats from British rules and some tourists, but the place where I stay (cheap and I mean cheap, the smallest room I ever stayed), there are African, south Asian (Indian, and I assume Parkistani), and domestic servant/nannies from poor southeast countries.

Took a side trip to Macau and got more stamps in my passport, actual it requires I get a exit stamp for HK, so now I have two sets of stamps for HK. Although Macau is Vegas of the East, it still has some of its colonial past preserved unlike that of HK. So it is good to walk around the old area instead constantly being bombarded by shopping oppourtunities in HK.

Then tonight I went up to the Victoria peak to take a dust/night picture of HK harbor. I walked up instead of taking the cable tram like most of the people. Good 40 min work out for 1200 feet climb....

On top I met a local photographer Sunny, and he showed me some photo techniques and took me to a good spot on the Kowloon side to take the pictures of the HK harbor (see below). He even let me use his heavy duty tripod. Unike my tripod, which moved slightly with a steady sea breeze and messed up my earlier pictures. Very good person.

And on Thursday morning I'll catch a early morning ferry to China and to catch a flight to Guilin and start on China portion of my journey.

More bad weather in Taiwan

The second full day at Taiwan, a typhoon hit the island (not to mention a small earthquake as well), and we have to start our tour one day late. And when we did get to our destination on the east coast, the washed out roads prevented us from seeing one of the beautiful geological formation in Taiwan. The trip further south provided a relief from the bad weather, nice sunny weather for a change, but soon as we head back up north (west coast) bad weather returned and cloudy weather prevented us from a potentially beatiful sunrise in Alishan mountain.

One good news, I think I gained back the weight I lost in Japan when I was on the granola and beef jerky diet. And I finished all of it and now I am heading toward cheaper and cheaper places, I should not lose more weight (unless I get sick).

Taiwan is a beatifully country (once you get out the cities) with diverse geological/weather environment from beach to mountains (top at 13000+ feet) from topical to temperate climate zone. In fact when the Portuguese explorer first spotted the island they called it Ilha formosa, beautiful island.