Kings of Convenience
Was bummed out when the Kings of Convenience gig at the Esplanade was sold out three weeks in advance. At D's suggestion, decided to try my luck for returns at the box office today. Ecstatic to find out that a couple of tickets had been released at the last moment and I was able to get two seats.
I had expected a mellow, mellifluous and melodic evening, and the KoC delivered this in spades. They began with Until You Understand from their 2000 Play Live in a Room EP, followed by Love Is No Big Truth and Cayman Islands off Riot on an Empty Street. They also performed Misread and Gold in the Air of Summer from 'Riot,' while Quiet is the New Loud was represented by a slightly speeded-up variation of Toxic Girl, I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From, and Winning a Battle, Losing the War, which segued into The Girl from Back Then. They also performed a new song, which was as anguished as KoC have ever been, with a plaintive repetition of 'I can never belong to you.' The most exquisite moment came with the thrilling intimacy of listening to Homesick in the darkened hall, 'two soft voices blended in perfection' indeed. The absence of Failure and Weight Of My Words hardly even put a dent in my enjoyment.
And they proved to have a few tricks up their sleeves as well. Audience participation was encouraged on a couple of songs - to whistle the viola part on Stay Out Of Trouble, to snap our fingers, to hum along, and most exhilaratingly, to dance. Eirik was soft-spoken and the quieter of the two, and yet it was perfectly apt to hear him proclaim "Rock n Roll Singapore!" during the set-closing I'd Rather Dance With You, a measure of the surprising turn the concert had taken. Erlend was unexpectedly funny and cheeky, inviting folks to take advantage of second row seats for which sponsors had failed to show. The versatile DJ Oye, who had spun a set the night before, also gamely danced a gangly dance. There was even a Norwegian birthday song for the lone guy, Rico, who admitted it was his birthday in response to the band's open query, backed by the small but enthusiastic contingent of Norwegian fans.
It was obvious that they loved performing in Singapore and the feelgood vibe was infectious. They were two guys with guitars, tapping their feet and singing their songs and it was an inspiring sight. They revelled in the fact that two guys from Bergen, Norway was playing before a crowd of 1600 in Singapore and admitted that if anyone had suggested such a scenario a couple of years back, only the optimists would have believed. Erlend chipped in to say that their mothers' response would have been 'Hmm.'
The encore was Little Kids and, D had to point this out, A-Ha's Manhattan Skyline. KoC then endearingly took photos of each other with the audience in the background. And thus ended a very lovely evening for Eirik and Erlend and us.
Monday, February 27, 2006
jiuzhaigou/huanglong
the accident happened at about 9.00am. the ipod had time-stamped REM's 'bad day' (hah!) at 8.56am and it was about two-thirds through all saints' 'never ever,' which clocks in at 6min25s.
“Never ever”
we swerve off the road.
“have I felt so low”
the car is spinning…
“When you gonna”
and spinning…
“take me out of”
and spinning…
“this black hole”
and judders to a stop.
i take off my earphones.
the car had slammed into a barrier of bushes with its wheels wedged between loose rock. there hadn’t been time to panic and we were just lucky no one was hurt. we couldn’t even blame the driver, who was driving very slowly (too slow, i had thought) and had even chain-linked the front tires.
things to ruminate on standing by the side of the road waiting for a replacement vehicle to arrive – 80s pop songs which transcended the era’s cheesiness to emerge as classics.
missed our 10am flight out of jiuzhaigou, which, annoyingly enough, took off on time. as the other two flights were fully booked, had to wait until everyone else had checked in for the next flight. which we got seats for, which was then delayed, and was the last flight out of jiuzhaigou that day.
plans to have a good sichuan meal in chengdu were dashed. but the food at the airport was pretty good, in particular the mapo tofu, a drier, more robust version of the dish that one normally finds. even the basic tomato egg soup tasted good. guess the flavours were enhanced by the fact that we were out of jiuzhai’s chilly airport, and were safe and sound on lower ice-free ground.
the accident happened at about 9.00am. the ipod had time-stamped REM's 'bad day' (hah!) at 8.56am and it was about two-thirds through all saints' 'never ever,' which clocks in at 6min25s.
“Never ever”
we swerve off the road.
“have I felt so low”
the car is spinning…
“When you gonna”
and spinning…
“take me out of”
and spinning…
“this black hole”
and judders to a stop.
i take off my earphones.
the car had slammed into a barrier of bushes with its wheels wedged between loose rock. there hadn’t been time to panic and we were just lucky no one was hurt. we couldn’t even blame the driver, who was driving very slowly (too slow, i had thought) and had even chain-linked the front tires.
things to ruminate on standing by the side of the road waiting for a replacement vehicle to arrive – 80s pop songs which transcended the era’s cheesiness to emerge as classics.
missed our 10am flight out of jiuzhaigou, which, annoyingly enough, took off on time. as the other two flights were fully booked, had to wait until everyone else had checked in for the next flight. which we got seats for, which was then delayed, and was the last flight out of jiuzhaigou that day.
plans to have a good sichuan meal in chengdu were dashed. but the food at the airport was pretty good, in particular the mapo tofu, a drier, more robust version of the dish that one normally finds. even the basic tomato egg soup tasted good. guess the flavours were enhanced by the fact that we were out of jiuzhai’s chilly airport, and were safe and sound on lower ice-free ground.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
jiuzhaigou/huanglong
since jzg was covered in a day, decided to go to huanglong for the day. wu shifu's quote was 550rmb, while ma shifu's was 300rmb. it sounded too good to be true, which it was. guess it was his thick sichuan accent that led to the miscommunication. first thing he asked when he saw us was where our bags were. when he realised that we were planning to return to jiuzhai paradise, kept harping on the fact that we should have stayed in chuanzhusi, which was much closer to the airport. ok, so maybe he was right, but i wasn't about to concede that. so what if i like being ensconced in paradise? after the cab trundled reluctantly for a while, we struck a deal. told ma that we should compromise at 400rmb, which he tacitly accepted by picking up speed.
enroute to huanglong, we stopped at a scenic lookout for a glimpse of xuebaoding, which topped out at 5580m. was more excited to see a thick sea of clouds (yunhai) which ma claimed was the thickest he'd ever seen as well. we had to dip below the yunhai to reach huanglong, but as the sun rose, the clouds dissipated.
c had remarked that there didn't seem to be any vehicles on the road (which was helpfully bisected by chunks of ice down the middle), not even tour buses. reached huanglong at 9.30 am to find it completely deserted, the ticket booth closed, the visitors centre shut. !!??@#$ was about to enter the park gratis when a minivan came by and casually coughed up a couple of park workers. so we got our tickets after all, 60rmb (off-peak, 200rmb otherwise.) we even ended up with a guide of sorts, a park worker who walked ahead of us, waited when we fell behind and answered our queries. learnt that the mountain was actually closed from 15 nov to 15 mar. which explained a lot. but he added that they would not turn anyone away if they had come all the way to huanglong in the winter months. began to wonder at some point if he would ask for money, but he didn’t. felt small and mean when saying thanks and waving goodbye when leaving the park.
which turned out to be a very pleasant experience. we were wandering in a winter wonderland, with all manner of frosted trees and plants, with the lightly-sugared conifers looking good enough to eat from a distance. in contrast to jiuzhaigou, most of the water remained frozen, including a waterfall or two. but narnia was thawing and the highest pool we reached, multi-coloured pool (wucaichi), was filled with limpid water. except for 2 other tourists, we had the park to ourselves. lunch comprised of desiccated granola bars and biscuits at a pavilion; our guide refused to take anything.
since jzg was covered in a day, decided to go to huanglong for the day. wu shifu's quote was 550rmb, while ma shifu's was 300rmb. it sounded too good to be true, which it was. guess it was his thick sichuan accent that led to the miscommunication. first thing he asked when he saw us was where our bags were. when he realised that we were planning to return to jiuzhai paradise, kept harping on the fact that we should have stayed in chuanzhusi, which was much closer to the airport. ok, so maybe he was right, but i wasn't about to concede that. so what if i like being ensconced in paradise? after the cab trundled reluctantly for a while, we struck a deal. told ma that we should compromise at 400rmb, which he tacitly accepted by picking up speed.
enroute to huanglong, we stopped at a scenic lookout for a glimpse of xuebaoding, which topped out at 5580m. was more excited to see a thick sea of clouds (yunhai) which ma claimed was the thickest he'd ever seen as well. we had to dip below the yunhai to reach huanglong, but as the sun rose, the clouds dissipated.
c had remarked that there didn't seem to be any vehicles on the road (which was helpfully bisected by chunks of ice down the middle), not even tour buses. reached huanglong at 9.30 am to find it completely deserted, the ticket booth closed, the visitors centre shut. !!??@#$ was about to enter the park gratis when a minivan came by and casually coughed up a couple of park workers. so we got our tickets after all, 60rmb (off-peak, 200rmb otherwise.) we even ended up with a guide of sorts, a park worker who walked ahead of us, waited when we fell behind and answered our queries. learnt that the mountain was actually closed from 15 nov to 15 mar. which explained a lot. but he added that they would not turn anyone away if they had come all the way to huanglong in the winter months. began to wonder at some point if he would ask for money, but he didn’t. felt small and mean when saying thanks and waving goodbye when leaving the park.
which turned out to be a very pleasant experience. we were wandering in a winter wonderland, with all manner of frosted trees and plants, with the lightly-sugared conifers looking good enough to eat from a distance. in contrast to jiuzhaigou, most of the water remained frozen, including a waterfall or two. but narnia was thawing and the highest pool we reached, multi-coloured pool (wucaichi), was filled with limpid water. except for 2 other tourists, we had the park to ourselves. lunch comprised of desiccated granola bars and biscuits at a pavilion; our guide refused to take anything.
given my first night's experience and ma's scare-mongering, had ended up buying two cans of oxygen for 100rmb, just in case. (they were sold at 20rmb a can at the airport.) ended up not using them on huanglong, though after the trip and the twisty-winding 2hr journey back to jiuzhai paradise, the headache rolled in again. happily, shooting up with oxygen (c's tank appeared to be filled with nitrous oxide instead) and downing a panadol worked.
after a nap, had an early dinner at about 5.30pm. no problems this time as the tour group masses weren't scheduled to be fed yet. 140rmb for hotplate black pepper yak, which was tender, vegetables, soup (bland), and dandan noodles in clear soup. the abysmal food situation in paradise was definitely a drawback. presumably it was less dire during tourist season with more restaurants open, but venturing out of paradise for meals would be both inconvenient and costly given that cabs were the primary means of transport.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
jiuzhaigou/huanglong
up at 6.30 am. didn't sleep well. decided the altitude was responsible. mercifully, the headache did not reappear and my appetite was back. breakfast (included) was a full buffet spread but since i couldn't stomach a full chinese meal at 7 in the morning, appetite or no, ended up with sausages, an egg, bread and tepid coffeewater.
no cabs waiting outside so asked the hotel for help and wu shifu was duly produced. 120rmb to and from the entrance to jzg. seemed to be a fixed price structure in place, albeit one that was fixed high. the fact that it was off-peak season meant no real options either. wu told us later that his wife worked at the hotel and that he was staying there as well. promised us lowest possible rates and even rooms in peak season if we contacted him.
paid 160rmb for the entrance ticket, which could be used for a second day if your mug is scanned onto the ticket at the point of purchase. this was only valid during the off-peak season (16 nov to 31 mar), as was the discounted ticket price (310rmb otherwise).
happily, jzg lived up to its reputation and was beautiful, with its clear crystalline pools of blue and aquamarine and gorgeous waterfalls of impressive breadth. and still, everyone kept saying it would be even more spectacular in spring, and especially in the fall, when the riot of colours are in full bloom. but the thought of crowds in multiples of what we encountered was not an enticing one.
up at 6.30 am. didn't sleep well. decided the altitude was responsible. mercifully, the headache did not reappear and my appetite was back. breakfast (included) was a full buffet spread but since i couldn't stomach a full chinese meal at 7 in the morning, appetite or no, ended up with sausages, an egg, bread and tepid coffeewater.
no cabs waiting outside so asked the hotel for help and wu shifu was duly produced. 120rmb to and from the entrance to jzg. seemed to be a fixed price structure in place, albeit one that was fixed high. the fact that it was off-peak season meant no real options either. wu told us later that his wife worked at the hotel and that he was staying there as well. promised us lowest possible rates and even rooms in peak season if we contacted him.
paid 160rmb for the entrance ticket, which could be used for a second day if your mug is scanned onto the ticket at the point of purchase. this was only valid during the off-peak season (16 nov to 31 mar), as was the discounted ticket price (310rmb otherwise).
happily, jzg lived up to its reputation and was beautiful, with its clear crystalline pools of blue and aquamarine and gorgeous waterfalls of impressive breadth. and still, everyone kept saying it would be even more spectacular in spring, and especially in the fall, when the riot of colours are in full bloom. but the thought of crowds in multiples of what we encountered was not an enticing one.
there was a structured route within the park and one hopped off and on the minivans at the designated vistas, though it was entirely possible to walk as well. still, the days of staying overnight in the park area in the tibetan villages (or zhai) were long gone.
lunch was 25rmb at the main rest stop-cum-indoor shopping bazaar. decided no point forking out extra for the 40rmb VIP buffet. 25rmb meant no meat. well, there were purportedly meat dishes but they vanished quickly and refills were not forthcoming, while the soup tasted of no natural flavour known to man.
was out of the park by about 3, somewhat to the surprise of our driver.
no more hotpot given its long-lasting lingering smell so the only other option was to order dishes at the main chinese restaurant. traipsed up to the second floor only to be asked to order on the first floor as they were tied up with tour groups; patience tried when first floor tried to shunt us back to second. eventually accommodated in yet another cavernous dining area. helped that there was an irate couple behind us who wanted to order dishes as well. 84rmb for salted fish brinjal claypot, which came swimming in oil though it did go well with rice, and veggies in soup, which was too salty.
Friday, February 24, 2006
jiuzhaigou/huanglong
a journey of a thousand li begins... through the jerkways additional gates, ie the terminal for flights within chengdu. there was time for lunch before the connecting flight to jiuzhai, 39rmb for bear palm tofu (exotic name for a simple dish; no bears involved) and yuxiang rousi (fish sauce pork strips).
arrived at jiuzhaigou to find that the bus option to jiuzhai paradise was out as the people manning the counter had “left for the day.” this was 2 in the afternoon. ended up taking a cab for 200rmb. the listed price was 180rmb, the 20rmb top-up was due to icy roads.
enroute to the hotel, ma shifu whipped out a disc and the front right flap rotated downwards to reveal a screen. he was pushing huanglong for some reason but we weren't sure if we had enough time to go but i nodded along, hoping he would keep his attention on the road instead.
it snowed twice during the car journey. once for a brief spell, the other time growing steadily heavier with hail getting into the mix.
the journey to jiuzhai paradise took abt an hour. entered into a freezing atrium where the reception was located, dotted by the occasional brazier. c proclaimed it vegasy. perhaps the tibetan stone buildings, the ponds crisscrossed with wooden walkways and replete with swans and ducks and egrets would have been right at home on the strip. unusually for me, had decided to splurge on accommodations and be pampered at a five-star resort. a rave from e, who had just been, certainly helped. at any rate, 690rmb a night for a standard room seemed reasonable. since it was the lull season, we were bumped up to a mountain-view room, which featured tibetan motifs mixed with lampshades with beaded fringes and a mock fireplace. the overall effect was actually quite pleasant instead of bewildering as unfortunate mix-n-matches were. the mountain view was bracing and the mock fireplace alcove with a thoughtful configuration of a sofa and a lounge chair was perfect for reading/watching tv/snacking/napping.
realised the paintings in the sprawling 1200 room hotel could all have been by the same artist. with 3 in each room and a couple lining the hallways, sometimes even in pairs, that must have worked out to a really sweet deal. the paintings themselves featured a yellow and green background marked with random chinese ink brushstrokes. inoffensive enough for a few thousand pieces to congregate in one location i guess.
was alas affected by the altitude - had a headache, mild nausea and zero appetite come dinner time. good thing the panadol helped. listened to some music before going to sleep and found an unexpected beat - the pounding of blood in my head.
a journey of a thousand li begins... through the jerkways additional gates, ie the terminal for flights within chengdu. there was time for lunch before the connecting flight to jiuzhai, 39rmb for bear palm tofu (exotic name for a simple dish; no bears involved) and yuxiang rousi (fish sauce pork strips).
arrived at jiuzhaigou to find that the bus option to jiuzhai paradise was out as the people manning the counter had “left for the day.” this was 2 in the afternoon. ended up taking a cab for 200rmb. the listed price was 180rmb, the 20rmb top-up was due to icy roads.
enroute to the hotel, ma shifu whipped out a disc and the front right flap rotated downwards to reveal a screen. he was pushing huanglong for some reason but we weren't sure if we had enough time to go but i nodded along, hoping he would keep his attention on the road instead.
it snowed twice during the car journey. once for a brief spell, the other time growing steadily heavier with hail getting into the mix.
the journey to jiuzhai paradise took abt an hour. entered into a freezing atrium where the reception was located, dotted by the occasional brazier. c proclaimed it vegasy. perhaps the tibetan stone buildings, the ponds crisscrossed with wooden walkways and replete with swans and ducks and egrets would have been right at home on the strip. unusually for me, had decided to splurge on accommodations and be pampered at a five-star resort. a rave from e, who had just been, certainly helped. at any rate, 690rmb a night for a standard room seemed reasonable. since it was the lull season, we were bumped up to a mountain-view room, which featured tibetan motifs mixed with lampshades with beaded fringes and a mock fireplace. the overall effect was actually quite pleasant instead of bewildering as unfortunate mix-n-matches were. the mountain view was bracing and the mock fireplace alcove with a thoughtful configuration of a sofa and a lounge chair was perfect for reading/watching tv/snacking/napping.
realised the paintings in the sprawling 1200 room hotel could all have been by the same artist. with 3 in each room and a couple lining the hallways, sometimes even in pairs, that must have worked out to a really sweet deal. the paintings themselves featured a yellow and green background marked with random chinese ink brushstrokes. inoffensive enough for a few thousand pieces to congregate in one location i guess.
was alas affected by the altitude - had a headache, mild nausea and zero appetite come dinner time. good thing the panadol helped. listened to some music before going to sleep and found an unexpected beat - the pounding of blood in my head.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
at first listen, Death Cab for Cutie's 'marching bands of manhattan' wasn't particularly distinctive. there was a definite pop-sheen to it, perhaps courtesy of the major-label debut, but the chorus seemed a little too direct, banal even. the simplicity of the lyrics however, turns out to be perfectly mirrored in the music. each repetition of 'it slowly rises, your love is gonna drown' is accompanied by a greater swell of music until the final 'drown' is choked off. the music stops; you're completely submerged.
also check out DCfC's Ben Gibbard's side project, Postal Service. more specifically, their perfect single 'such great heights.'
current song that i can't get out of my head, beyonce's 'check on it.' don't really care what she's singing and as it turns out, the lyrics are suitably generic. it's all about the rhythm, the beat, the music, and the boobs and ass video.
it's the music i notice first. good lyrics wrapped in lousy music would be better off as poetry. but there's also the start that u sometimes get when u realise that the words aren't quite up to the music (eg, james blunt's 'you're beautiful.' not.) it can be more fun figuring out what u think Kings of Leon are singing about (try 'the bucket') than the actual lyrics themselves. the perfect marriage of music and lyrics is rare, and all the more satisfying for it. travis' driftwood in which the circular structure of the song brings to mind the swirling eddies of the river is one such song for me.
also check out DCfC's Ben Gibbard's side project, Postal Service. more specifically, their perfect single 'such great heights.'
current song that i can't get out of my head, beyonce's 'check on it.' don't really care what she's singing and as it turns out, the lyrics are suitably generic. it's all about the rhythm, the beat, the music, and the boobs and ass video.
it's the music i notice first. good lyrics wrapped in lousy music would be better off as poetry. but there's also the start that u sometimes get when u realise that the words aren't quite up to the music (eg, james blunt's 'you're beautiful.' not.) it can be more fun figuring out what u think Kings of Leon are singing about (try 'the bucket') than the actual lyrics themselves. the perfect marriage of music and lyrics is rare, and all the more satisfying for it. travis' driftwood in which the circular structure of the song brings to mind the swirling eddies of the river is one such song for me.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
hangzhou
hitting major attractions today. first stop, lingyin temple, temple of secluded inspiration, built in AD 326, which would mean the info on the back of the ticket is wrong. and which was already thronging with tourists, devotees and peddlers at 8.30 in the morning. "During the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) celebrations, about 70,000 people per day come to the temple to worship." good to know. temples are not generally my thing, think I overdosed on the ones in and around beijing, but lingyinsi does have its attractions: the "traditional depiction of guanyin and the 500 arhats at vulture peak" with its detailed rendition of heaven, earth and sea, as well as a 20-m high statue of Sikamoni, the 'second largest indoor one.' (more info at www.orientalarchitecture.com/hangzhou/LINGYIN.htm)
took 35 rmb to get into the attraction area and another 30 rmb to get into the temple grounds. the area also features the flying-from-afar-peak, with sculpted figures from the 10th to 14th centuries. both the peak and the temple had escaped largely unscathed from the cultural revolution due to the intervention of premier zhou enlai. the peak was also home to ‘a slit of sky’ which can only be viewed from one particular spot (helpfully marked by a daub of paint) in a cave. more like ‘a speck of sky’ though it certainly wasn’t helped by the overcast sky. soon got disgruntled by the crowds at the temple of inspired seclusion. it was even more crowded when I left, with the road to the temple backed up for a ways.
took Y2 (one of the tourist bus routes) to the ‘broken bridge’ for 3 rmb. timed it for an early lunch at louwailou, a dining institution dating back to 1848 located on an islet (though linked to the bank) in West Lake. ordered the hangzhou specialties: west lake carp in sweet and sour sauce (38 rmb), longjing shrimp (98 rmb), fish soup (13.5 rmb) and a glass of longjing tea (3 rmb). the carp’s vinegary sauce grew rather monotonous, though it was true that the grass carp did not taste of mud. which meant that they were usually full of muddy crap? failed to detect any delicate longjing fragrance in the shrimp, though it could have been masked by the vinegar I was dunking it in. a couple who came in at abt the same time I did grew irate waiting for their soup, which arrived as I was getting my check. left the lunchtime melee to find an irritable line of hungry folk waiting.
paid 45 rmb for a boat ride to two of west lake’s islets: huxinting (mid lake pavilion) and sanyueyintan (3 pools reflecting the moon). the vistas were invariably disappointing and i soon tired of yet another ‘fantastic scene.’ the Chinese signs are decidedly less grating, if no less lofty in their descriptions.
decided not to go up leifeng tower, though of all the monuments and attractions, this was the one with the greatest immediacy since it was where Lady White Snake of legend was imprisoned. still, the 40 rmb entry was a put-off. besides, the best views of the tower were not from the tower itself, a fact that was grasped by many. perhaps realizing that getting people to climb up a newly-constructed structure would be an uphill battle, the leifeng tower featured a superior marketing campaign complete with glossy posters on the ‘mystery’ of the tower.
headed back to the hostel to pick up my bag before leaving for the airport. the thing about staying in a youth hostel is that whenever you ask for advice, you get the cheap option. query about what time to leave for the airport meandered into calculating the time to get to the bus stop and then the journey time for the shuttle itself. had to somewhat sheepishly tell them I was just planning to catch a cab. the attempt to bargain with the cabbie down to 70 rmb failed, so it was meter on, which came to 82 rmb in the end. the out-of-the-way location of the airport in xiaoshan had apparently brought down one mayor as it was the result of bribery.
tried the airport express in beijing for the first time. 16 rmb and it reached dongzhimen in under 30 min. sweet.
hitting major attractions today. first stop, lingyin temple, temple of secluded inspiration, built in AD 326, which would mean the info on the back of the ticket is wrong. and which was already thronging with tourists, devotees and peddlers at 8.30 in the morning. "During the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) celebrations, about 70,000 people per day come to the temple to worship." good to know. temples are not generally my thing, think I overdosed on the ones in and around beijing, but lingyinsi does have its attractions: the "traditional depiction of guanyin and the 500 arhats at vulture peak" with its detailed rendition of heaven, earth and sea, as well as a 20-m high statue of Sikamoni, the 'second largest indoor one.' (more info at www.orientalarchitecture.com/hangzhou/LINGYIN.htm)
took 35 rmb to get into the attraction area and another 30 rmb to get into the temple grounds. the area also features the flying-from-afar-peak, with sculpted figures from the 10th to 14th centuries. both the peak and the temple had escaped largely unscathed from the cultural revolution due to the intervention of premier zhou enlai. the peak was also home to ‘a slit of sky’ which can only be viewed from one particular spot (helpfully marked by a daub of paint) in a cave. more like ‘a speck of sky’ though it certainly wasn’t helped by the overcast sky. soon got disgruntled by the crowds at the temple of inspired seclusion. it was even more crowded when I left, with the road to the temple backed up for a ways.
took Y2 (one of the tourist bus routes) to the ‘broken bridge’ for 3 rmb. timed it for an early lunch at louwailou, a dining institution dating back to 1848 located on an islet (though linked to the bank) in West Lake. ordered the hangzhou specialties: west lake carp in sweet and sour sauce (38 rmb), longjing shrimp (98 rmb), fish soup (13.5 rmb) and a glass of longjing tea (3 rmb). the carp’s vinegary sauce grew rather monotonous, though it was true that the grass carp did not taste of mud. which meant that they were usually full of muddy crap? failed to detect any delicate longjing fragrance in the shrimp, though it could have been masked by the vinegar I was dunking it in. a couple who came in at abt the same time I did grew irate waiting for their soup, which arrived as I was getting my check. left the lunchtime melee to find an irritable line of hungry folk waiting.
paid 45 rmb for a boat ride to two of west lake’s islets: huxinting (mid lake pavilion) and sanyueyintan (3 pools reflecting the moon). the vistas were invariably disappointing and i soon tired of yet another ‘fantastic scene.’ the Chinese signs are decidedly less grating, if no less lofty in their descriptions.
decided not to go up leifeng tower, though of all the monuments and attractions, this was the one with the greatest immediacy since it was where Lady White Snake of legend was imprisoned. still, the 40 rmb entry was a put-off. besides, the best views of the tower were not from the tower itself, a fact that was grasped by many. perhaps realizing that getting people to climb up a newly-constructed structure would be an uphill battle, the leifeng tower featured a superior marketing campaign complete with glossy posters on the ‘mystery’ of the tower.
headed back to the hostel to pick up my bag before leaving for the airport. the thing about staying in a youth hostel is that whenever you ask for advice, you get the cheap option. query about what time to leave for the airport meandered into calculating the time to get to the bus stop and then the journey time for the shuttle itself. had to somewhat sheepishly tell them I was just planning to catch a cab. the attempt to bargain with the cabbie down to 70 rmb failed, so it was meter on, which came to 82 rmb in the end. the out-of-the-way location of the airport in xiaoshan had apparently brought down one mayor as it was the result of bribery.
tried the airport express in beijing for the first time. 16 rmb and it reached dongzhimen in under 30 min. sweet.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
hangzhou
breakfast of red bean paste buns (3 rmb) and freshly brewed coffee (15 rmb). and spectacle of a bratty girl who deserved a kick in the pants for mouthing off to her parents. but her rudest remark earned not the slightest rebuke. if you let your kids ride roughshod over you, maybe you deserve what you get.
decided to go to wuzhen, a water town with ming-qing era buildings extant. missed the tour bus at 8 am (65 rmb roundtrip) so had to make my way to hangzhou east bus station instead. next bus to wuzhen was full, advised to make my way to tongxiang (20 rmb) instead. was quite impressed with the hangzhou bus station. there was actually a system, and one that was actually stuck to. tickets are scanned before one boards the bus and, as learnt from a harried ticket scanner, the bus couldn’t leave till all tickets sold had been scanned and all the seats accounted for. bus was new, clean and comfy; they even provided bottles of mineral water. easy listening French pop came on, though that ended and was replaced by a chatty radio broadcast. journey took an hour and then caught a shuttle bus (4.30 rmb), which took another 20 minutes. once we reached wuzhen, bought the return ticket to hangzhou first, 22 rmb, 4.20 pm bus. continued to shadow this group who had also come to wuzhen via tongxiang and bought the same return ticket to hangzhou. the group was headed by this somewhat obnoxious guy, who did however, seem to know what he was doing. so ended up at cuixianguan for lunch. came to 44 rmb, which was not cheap considering the state of the restaurant. but the food was surprisingly good, tau pok stuffed with vegetables, hongshao chicken pieces which were tender and pleasantly chewy.
60 rmb to get into wuzhen (http://www.wuzhen.com.cn/) and hello tourist hordes!
reminiscent of lijiang old town, but decidedly less blatantly commercial. effort to preserve traditional crafts by hawking them as souvenirs – blue-dyed cloth, alcohol, snacks and candies. tried wumeigao which was a muffin-like confection but with a red bean paste filling. maybe should have eaten lunch within wuzhen. the ticket also gave one access to specific parts of the old town that had been preserved, including pawn shop, distillery, cloth-dyer, shadow-puppet show, dioramas of social customs.
the overcast sky eventually spewed a very fine drizzle.
went to yan’an road for dinner. wanted to check out zhiweiguan, or the magnificently-named 'flavour savouring tower.' had the oddly-named but appetizing cat’s ears, yummy dumplings in soup and the xiaolongbao, which were dried out and disappointing. polished off with red bean soup. grand total of 19.5 rmb. this was all on the first floor of the tower, which was a food court for the masses. perfect for single travelers since one could try various foods in one place. tough finding a seat though. one could enjoy sit down service on the higher levels, presumably at a premium.
hangzhou strikes one as a place where one could eat and shop well. some familiar Beijing establishments such as tiandiyijia (high-end classy restaurant) and babyface (club) were here as well. there was even a high-end shopping enclave (guess it’s not a mall) where giorgio armani, hermes et al rubbed shoulders. certainly important elements in the bid to receive the sobriquet of china’s most liveable city. (hangzhou was ranked sixth.)
though as a cabbie complained, the cost of living was even higher than beijing’s. damned tourists.
breakfast of red bean paste buns (3 rmb) and freshly brewed coffee (15 rmb). and spectacle of a bratty girl who deserved a kick in the pants for mouthing off to her parents. but her rudest remark earned not the slightest rebuke. if you let your kids ride roughshod over you, maybe you deserve what you get.
decided to go to wuzhen, a water town with ming-qing era buildings extant. missed the tour bus at 8 am (65 rmb roundtrip) so had to make my way to hangzhou east bus station instead. next bus to wuzhen was full, advised to make my way to tongxiang (20 rmb) instead. was quite impressed with the hangzhou bus station. there was actually a system, and one that was actually stuck to. tickets are scanned before one boards the bus and, as learnt from a harried ticket scanner, the bus couldn’t leave till all tickets sold had been scanned and all the seats accounted for. bus was new, clean and comfy; they even provided bottles of mineral water. easy listening French pop came on, though that ended and was replaced by a chatty radio broadcast. journey took an hour and then caught a shuttle bus (4.30 rmb), which took another 20 minutes. once we reached wuzhen, bought the return ticket to hangzhou first, 22 rmb, 4.20 pm bus. continued to shadow this group who had also come to wuzhen via tongxiang and bought the same return ticket to hangzhou. the group was headed by this somewhat obnoxious guy, who did however, seem to know what he was doing. so ended up at cuixianguan for lunch. came to 44 rmb, which was not cheap considering the state of the restaurant. but the food was surprisingly good, tau pok stuffed with vegetables, hongshao chicken pieces which were tender and pleasantly chewy.
60 rmb to get into wuzhen (http://www.wuzhen.com.cn/) and hello tourist hordes!
reminiscent of lijiang old town, but decidedly less blatantly commercial. effort to preserve traditional crafts by hawking them as souvenirs – blue-dyed cloth, alcohol, snacks and candies. tried wumeigao which was a muffin-like confection but with a red bean paste filling. maybe should have eaten lunch within wuzhen. the ticket also gave one access to specific parts of the old town that had been preserved, including pawn shop, distillery, cloth-dyer, shadow-puppet show, dioramas of social customs.
the overcast sky eventually spewed a very fine drizzle.
went to yan’an road for dinner. wanted to check out zhiweiguan, or the magnificently-named 'flavour savouring tower.' had the oddly-named but appetizing cat’s ears, yummy dumplings in soup and the xiaolongbao, which were dried out and disappointing. polished off with red bean soup. grand total of 19.5 rmb. this was all on the first floor of the tower, which was a food court for the masses. perfect for single travelers since one could try various foods in one place. tough finding a seat though. one could enjoy sit down service on the higher levels, presumably at a premium.
hangzhou strikes one as a place where one could eat and shop well. some familiar Beijing establishments such as tiandiyijia (high-end classy restaurant) and babyface (club) were here as well. there was even a high-end shopping enclave (guess it’s not a mall) where giorgio armani, hermes et al rubbed shoulders. certainly important elements in the bid to receive the sobriquet of china’s most liveable city. (hangzhou was ranked sixth.)
though as a cabbie complained, the cost of living was even higher than beijing’s. damned tourists.
Monday, January 30, 2006
hangzhou
an 8 am flight is not one of my favourite things. made less so by the dreaded phrase ‘delayed due to fog.’ to add insult to injury, even the flight for fogsville dalian took off. and now for something completely unexpected, kudos to the service industry. air china actually provided breakfast while we waited: steamed buns (with and without red bean paste filling), hard-boiled egg, pickled veg, gruel. (hands-down best service ever in china award however goes to xueliang optometrist who provides services such as replacing the nose-pads of spectacles, for free! even though I didn’t make the glasses there! and offering tea while i waited!)
eventually took off at 10.30 am, which was of course, the time of my original flight on hainan airlines which was later postponed to 3 pm, hence the switch to the air china flight.
bought map of hangzhou for 5 rmb at the airport with the guy insisting at first that the tattered copy I was holding was a new one. let the games begin.
first cab I got into, driver said ‘it’s an expensive cab’ and asked for 160 rmb. having gotten a yardstick figure of 100 rmb fr a friend who was just here, hopped right out. the next cab had the meter going. fare came to 83 rmb, and the cabbie asked for 100 rmb. sure, since it was the second day of the new year.
took a while to find the hostel (http://www.jiangnanyi.com/) as it was tucked into the side of a hillslope. had reserved a single with an attached bathroom for 180 rmb. (prices are up fr 150 rmb normally.) place is located on the west side of the lake, but not on the bank. it’s also the less developed side, so it’s quieter but less convenient for food, shopping etc. the room was fine, though youth hostels in china=thin mattresses. would also have preferred heating in the bathroom, but at least no problems with the hot water. the staff were friendly enough, if a little harried at breakfast time given that it was fully booked. a tick in the plus column if u like animals. there were at least 3 cats and 2 dogs which had the run of the place, including a puppyish puppy, all excitable and energetic and lying down every so often, exhausted by its own enthusiasm. (the other youth hostel is located right on the east bank and within walking distance of grub and malls on yan’an road.)
decided to walk down to the lakeside after dumping the bag in the room. first major sight was ‘viewing fish at flower pond.’ west lake has, 10 or 18 or 20, such setpieces, often evocative of a season (malting (sic) snow at broken bridge, autumn moon over the clam (sic) lake) or specific time of day (three pools mirroring the moon, leifeng pagoda in evening glow). in other words, none are at their best in heavy fog. but this being the Chinese new year break, tourist groups abound, a multitudinous wave of humanity determined to enjoy the peace and quiet of west lake. or not. still, there were pockets of stumbled-upon solitude and unexpected beauty. the ma yifu memorial hall, located in the jiang villa, was largely deserted, the tour groups having made a beeline for the stressed-out and overfed red carp.
traversed the 2.8 km su causeway on foot. bought a steamed wine-dark corncob for 5 rmb. looked better than it tasted.
didn’t want dinner at a tourist trap, so walked down beishan road for a bit as the official (and free) hangzhou guide had a few places helpfully listed on that street. (www.gotohz.com is a good place to check out some basic facts regarding hangzhou. the printed English copy is a lot more detailed than what’s available in English online though.) went into the first one, caiyun xuan, that looked as if locals might dine there. ordering for one is a pain. ended up with dongpo pork, which thankfully came in single serving portions of 8 rmb. the amount of fat in one serving though would have busted any RDA requirement. still, it was melt-in-your-mouth fat which went splendidly with the tender morsels of meat. also, some mishmash dish of chicken, luncheon meat and pig’s stomach (28 rmb) which was soupy and passable, as well as a large bowl of pian’erchuan (8 rmb, noodles in soup with pork slices and veggies). considering the prices, 8 rmb for a glass of chrysanthemum tea was steep.
too tired to navigate the public transport system, so took a cab back. to find the lobby of the hostel packed with diners. huh.
an 8 am flight is not one of my favourite things. made less so by the dreaded phrase ‘delayed due to fog.’ to add insult to injury, even the flight for fogsville dalian took off. and now for something completely unexpected, kudos to the service industry. air china actually provided breakfast while we waited: steamed buns (with and without red bean paste filling), hard-boiled egg, pickled veg, gruel. (hands-down best service ever in china award however goes to xueliang optometrist who provides services such as replacing the nose-pads of spectacles, for free! even though I didn’t make the glasses there! and offering tea while i waited!)
eventually took off at 10.30 am, which was of course, the time of my original flight on hainan airlines which was later postponed to 3 pm, hence the switch to the air china flight.
bought map of hangzhou for 5 rmb at the airport with the guy insisting at first that the tattered copy I was holding was a new one. let the games begin.
first cab I got into, driver said ‘it’s an expensive cab’ and asked for 160 rmb. having gotten a yardstick figure of 100 rmb fr a friend who was just here, hopped right out. the next cab had the meter going. fare came to 83 rmb, and the cabbie asked for 100 rmb. sure, since it was the second day of the new year.
took a while to find the hostel (http://www.jiangnanyi.com/) as it was tucked into the side of a hillslope. had reserved a single with an attached bathroom for 180 rmb. (prices are up fr 150 rmb normally.) place is located on the west side of the lake, but not on the bank. it’s also the less developed side, so it’s quieter but less convenient for food, shopping etc. the room was fine, though youth hostels in china=thin mattresses. would also have preferred heating in the bathroom, but at least no problems with the hot water. the staff were friendly enough, if a little harried at breakfast time given that it was fully booked. a tick in the plus column if u like animals. there were at least 3 cats and 2 dogs which had the run of the place, including a puppyish puppy, all excitable and energetic and lying down every so often, exhausted by its own enthusiasm. (the other youth hostel is located right on the east bank and within walking distance of grub and malls on yan’an road.)
decided to walk down to the lakeside after dumping the bag in the room. first major sight was ‘viewing fish at flower pond.’ west lake has, 10 or 18 or 20, such setpieces, often evocative of a season (malting (sic) snow at broken bridge, autumn moon over the clam (sic) lake) or specific time of day (three pools mirroring the moon, leifeng pagoda in evening glow). in other words, none are at their best in heavy fog. but this being the Chinese new year break, tourist groups abound, a multitudinous wave of humanity determined to enjoy the peace and quiet of west lake. or not. still, there were pockets of stumbled-upon solitude and unexpected beauty. the ma yifu memorial hall, located in the jiang villa, was largely deserted, the tour groups having made a beeline for the stressed-out and overfed red carp.
traversed the 2.8 km su causeway on foot. bought a steamed wine-dark corncob for 5 rmb. looked better than it tasted.
didn’t want dinner at a tourist trap, so walked down beishan road for a bit as the official (and free) hangzhou guide had a few places helpfully listed on that street. (www.gotohz.com is a good place to check out some basic facts regarding hangzhou. the printed English copy is a lot more detailed than what’s available in English online though.) went into the first one, caiyun xuan, that looked as if locals might dine there. ordering for one is a pain. ended up with dongpo pork, which thankfully came in single serving portions of 8 rmb. the amount of fat in one serving though would have busted any RDA requirement. still, it was melt-in-your-mouth fat which went splendidly with the tender morsels of meat. also, some mishmash dish of chicken, luncheon meat and pig’s stomach (28 rmb) which was soupy and passable, as well as a large bowl of pian’erchuan (8 rmb, noodles in soup with pork slices and veggies). considering the prices, 8 rmb for a glass of chrysanthemum tea was steep.
too tired to navigate the public transport system, so took a cab back. to find the lobby of the hostel packed with diners. huh.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
harbin
4-7/1/06
finally made it to harbin in winter. it felt like a trip that i should make, in part because of the proximity to beijing, in part to see the spectacular spectacle of the ice and snow carvings. kept it putting it off though since the thought of being somewhere colder than jilin wasn't too appealing. so yes, harbin was cold; ice routinely formed on the inside of our minibus' windows. even swathed and swaddled in layers of clothing and 'winter proof' outerwear, one could only take so much of the chilly outdoors at one go. the trick to avoiding frostbite was to wear thin gloves that one could operate the camera with as opposed to wearing thick gloves that one had to remove at regular intervals for deadly exposure to the air.
overheard in the lift lobby: what do u call a group of diplomats? a gaggle? a school? a flock?
a murder maybe? a web perhaps, since everyone was outfitted in the matching spyder ski suits provided by the organizers. it looked like an amateur skiers' convention every time we gathered. and judging from the caps, an unusually high proportion of whom were pacers' fans.
on the first night, we went to the 32nd ice lantern exhibition at zhaolin park, site of the 1st (and subsequent?) exhibitions. was actually a little disappointed since i was expecting monumental edifices of ice and snow but this was only of a slightly larger scale than ice carvings i had seen in jilin.
the 18th snow carving exhibition the next morning was much more impressive. (these events were all part of the 22nd ice and snow festival.) followed by a visit to the siberian tigers park. tigers roaming free? that's nice. why weren't we in reinforced vehicles? wouldn't the tigers associate vehicles with food since they were fed from vehicles? oh cool, that's a tiger close by. here, kitty kitty. ok, that's too close.
took the post-lunch break to go to church sofia. church was gorgeous, all red brick and green-domed. the 25 rmb to go inside was kind of a ripoff though. there was a photographic exhibition and models of a few major buildings in harbin, but the interior was in rather bad shape. still, nice that they had cleared the buildings surrounding the church as they were apparently pressing in upon the structure.
the official opening ceremony of the festival was in the afternoon. the proclamation was followed rather incongruously by an entire program of dance presented by a russian troupe. no complaints since it was entertaining. the women displayed vegas-style razzle-dazzle while the men showcased acrobatic athleticism. guess it tied in with the whole russia-in-china year thing and the russian theme of the various exhibitions.
the banquet which followed took place in a hall saturated with baijiu fumes. good thing drinking it was not mandatory since one imbibed quite a bit just from breathing.
the highlight of the festival was the grand ice and snow world. unfortunately, we only had about 45 min there so it was a mad rush, twisting my neck to watch the fireworks while pressing on from spectacle to spectacle, and wondering about the supporting strength of ice whilst wedged in the midst of a crowd climbing up icy stairs.
4-7/1/06
finally made it to harbin in winter. it felt like a trip that i should make, in part because of the proximity to beijing, in part to see the spectacular spectacle of the ice and snow carvings. kept it putting it off though since the thought of being somewhere colder than jilin wasn't too appealing. so yes, harbin was cold; ice routinely formed on the inside of our minibus' windows. even swathed and swaddled in layers of clothing and 'winter proof' outerwear, one could only take so much of the chilly outdoors at one go. the trick to avoiding frostbite was to wear thin gloves that one could operate the camera with as opposed to wearing thick gloves that one had to remove at regular intervals for deadly exposure to the air.
overheard in the lift lobby: what do u call a group of diplomats? a gaggle? a school? a flock?
a murder maybe? a web perhaps, since everyone was outfitted in the matching spyder ski suits provided by the organizers. it looked like an amateur skiers' convention every time we gathered. and judging from the caps, an unusually high proportion of whom were pacers' fans.
on the first night, we went to the 32nd ice lantern exhibition at zhaolin park, site of the 1st (and subsequent?) exhibitions. was actually a little disappointed since i was expecting monumental edifices of ice and snow but this was only of a slightly larger scale than ice carvings i had seen in jilin.
the 18th snow carving exhibition the next morning was much more impressive. (these events were all part of the 22nd ice and snow festival.) followed by a visit to the siberian tigers park. tigers roaming free? that's nice. why weren't we in reinforced vehicles? wouldn't the tigers associate vehicles with food since they were fed from vehicles? oh cool, that's a tiger close by. here, kitty kitty. ok, that's too close.
took the post-lunch break to go to church sofia. church was gorgeous, all red brick and green-domed. the 25 rmb to go inside was kind of a ripoff though. there was a photographic exhibition and models of a few major buildings in harbin, but the interior was in rather bad shape. still, nice that they had cleared the buildings surrounding the church as they were apparently pressing in upon the structure.
the official opening ceremony of the festival was in the afternoon. the proclamation was followed rather incongruously by an entire program of dance presented by a russian troupe. no complaints since it was entertaining. the women displayed vegas-style razzle-dazzle while the men showcased acrobatic athleticism. guess it tied in with the whole russia-in-china year thing and the russian theme of the various exhibitions.
the banquet which followed took place in a hall saturated with baijiu fumes. good thing drinking it was not mandatory since one imbibed quite a bit just from breathing.
the highlight of the festival was the grand ice and snow world. unfortunately, we only had about 45 min there so it was a mad rush, twisting my neck to watch the fireworks while pressing on from spectacle to spectacle, and wondering about the supporting strength of ice whilst wedged in the midst of a crowd climbing up icy stairs.
skipped the buffet lunch at the hotel to walk down central pedestrian street instead. the cobbled street, wrought-iron streetlamps and russian buildings gave the area a very european feel. as long as one squinted and ignored the chinese signboards and the surrounding building blocks.
had lunch at huamei, in business since 1925. should have tried getting a table on the second floor since that was done up in russian fine dining style. the borscht (3 rmb a bowl) was a little spicy (is it supposed to be?) and the steak (24 rmb) was tender and peppery, though it came in strips. perhaps best to think of it as chinese-style russian food. meal for 2 came to 78 rmb, including 3 rmb for 2 licks of butter and 2 rmb for a large dollop of jam.
sought out russian food again for dinner. tried portman's, which seemed to be popular with the locals but turned out to be rather disappointing. was a sucker for anything prefixed by russian on the menu so tried red caviar (salty, 38 rmb), chicken leg salad (reminiscent of a waldorf salad because of the apple slices, 17 rmb), pork pancakes (12 rmb), cream of corn (blah, 10 rmb), and kebab sticks (deep-fried rather than grilled pork, beef, fish and potato, 24 rmb). the only dish of note was the pork which was tender and came piping hot. decided to go to this other restaurant, Russia, for dessert. should have gone for dinner instead. it was a cosy place with under 10 tables and lined with Russian bric-a-brac (what is Russian for bric-a-brac?) around the edges of the room. just as importantly, it had a menu that looked inviting. ran into a media friend who was covering the festival and learnt that the place was famous for its sausages. alas, dessert did not seem to be its strong point, though russian tea (ie. tea with jam) was a pleasant novelty.
optional trip to xiangfang grand world of lanterns in the evening. hmm, guess the organizers weren't too enthused abt it either.
the land of ice and snow lends itself irresistibly to puns about warm reception and warm hospitality. the first word that comes to my mind though, is hardy. one simply had to be. guess it was the same hardiness that saw through the period of cut-off water supply due to a toxic spill in the songhua river. and the second would be enterprising. what do u do when nature blesses u with a surfeit of ice and snow? u hold a festival.
Monday, August 08, 2005
last day. breakfast at caravan café (www.caravancafe.com). had checked out the menu before and happily ordered a latte (18) and a banana nut cake (10). liked the art pieces decorating the place and asked the price: 500 and 1200. seemed expensive compared to panjiayuan prices. also bought 10 cloth bookmarks (80). also coasters, key chains etc made by women for women, an NGO.
decided to hunt for oil paintings at 东巴扎 to no avail. store owner from whom A purchased lots offered to take us to another place which sold paintings. his brother would man the store in his absence. he paid for the cab fare (it’s a 5rmb radius within kashgar city). deserted shopping centre indeed with oil paintings available but not what we were looking for.
had also contacted abdul (who ran the tour agency) who said that there was a painter at seman and that he was a very good friend. so it was back to seman, which had surprisingly huge grounds and where the 3-star hotel block was tucked away. first impression had been that seman was in very bad shape.
the painter was not there but the wife turned up with a portable IV drip in tow. alas, the prices she quoted were ridiculous: 1500 for a small painting and 5000 for a larger one depicting the old city’s walkways.
made our way back to caravan café, where ron (from canada) got hold of the artist for us. this bearded man with wild hair and a fierce glint in his eye came over and we followed him to his small shop but didn’t find anything else we liked there. eventually bought the 2 pieces i had seen in the café that morning.
lunch was vegetarian pizza, tuna and cheese sandwich and iced blossom tea. tasted better than it looked.
rushed to the airport only to find that the time on our tickets was wrong. the flight was at 17:15, not 15:40. so ctrip did give us the right tickets in the first place!
it’s been a good trip with really only one low point, tianchi. otherwise, we’d met interesting and friendly people and the weather pretty much held, raining at night and on our last day in kashgar (had originally planned to go to the desert today.)
touched down at Beijing after midnight. thronged by touts upon clearing the baggage area. let the hassling and hustling begin.
decided to hunt for oil paintings at 东巴扎 to no avail. store owner from whom A purchased lots offered to take us to another place which sold paintings. his brother would man the store in his absence. he paid for the cab fare (it’s a 5rmb radius within kashgar city). deserted shopping centre indeed with oil paintings available but not what we were looking for.
had also contacted abdul (who ran the tour agency) who said that there was a painter at seman and that he was a very good friend. so it was back to seman, which had surprisingly huge grounds and where the 3-star hotel block was tucked away. first impression had been that seman was in very bad shape.
the painter was not there but the wife turned up with a portable IV drip in tow. alas, the prices she quoted were ridiculous: 1500 for a small painting and 5000 for a larger one depicting the old city’s walkways.
made our way back to caravan café, where ron (from canada) got hold of the artist for us. this bearded man with wild hair and a fierce glint in his eye came over and we followed him to his small shop but didn’t find anything else we liked there. eventually bought the 2 pieces i had seen in the café that morning.
lunch was vegetarian pizza, tuna and cheese sandwich and iced blossom tea. tasted better than it looked.
rushed to the airport only to find that the time on our tickets was wrong. the flight was at 17:15, not 15:40. so ctrip did give us the right tickets in the first place!
it’s been a good trip with really only one low point, tianchi. otherwise, we’d met interesting and friendly people and the weather pretty much held, raining at night and on our last day in kashgar (had originally planned to go to the desert today.)
touched down at Beijing after midnight. thronged by touts upon clearing the baggage area. let the hassling and hustling begin.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
coffee in the hotel lobby. wondering why cappuccino (5) was cheaper than coffee (8). turned out to be of the instant variety, as opposed to crystals for the coffee. charged separately for a glass of milk (5)
market day! set off at 10 am (8 local time), which was a luxury for us. went to 东巴扎 (east bazaar) first, where the laconic arken quipped 除了爸爸妈妈，什么都卖! (with the exception of fathers and mothers, everything is sold here!) umir, the trainee guide from the first day, accompanied us as well. he’s 24 and had just graduated with a physics degree and waiting to be assigned a job. in his youthful folly (12), he tattooed himself on his forearms his birthday and the word for ‘happiness.’
bought lots: a carpet (red) for 170, a patterned cap (20) and 无花果 (30 for 1kg). when we returned to a stall to pick patterns for A’s tablecloth/sofa throwovers, saw a blue carpet of same design at the carpet stall. asked to switch carpets but the seller refused. said that in a batch of 30, only 1 was blue. asked for 70 extra and finally relented at 60 after arken came over and pumped his hand. seller’s face was not particularly pleasant or welcoming but had not seen many small carpets for sale.
as we were about to leave the market, saw these lumps of what frankly looked like dried manure. turned out to be a resin(?) for hair treatment. told A to buy some since she had actually washed her hair at wucaiwan. from there, it went to saffron, which smelled heavenly, then to cordyceps (‘nicest, most complete ones i’d seen’ said A) and she even picked up a small piece of jade and some sea coral.
meanwhile, the neighbouring dried fruits seller made his move, offering us pistachios, wuhuaguo, apricots. the fresh pistachios were going for 120/kg and wuhuaguo 30/kg.
at the bird market, there were ducks, chickens, chicks, pigeons, budgerigars in cages, in sacks, in hands, being bought, sold, haggled over. the scene was repeated at the goat/cow market except that the animals were being led around the food stores selling, i wager, the freshest kebabs, tripe soup etc. had slices of melon at 5 jiao a slice but nothing particularly sweet. then headed out to the dawakul section of the desert. had lunch just before reaching there. cheapest one yet at 15 for 5 bowls of noodles (4 legmen, 1 somen).
transport to talimankan desert arranged for 500. kinda pricey and disappointing. the desert (30 per head for entry) was really a beach resort with families swimming and bellies on display. it came complete with boat rides, buggies, beach volleyball etc. picked camel ride for 40 an hour (exceeded time, paid 50 a head).
on the way back, stopped at wopu district, which is supposedly famous for its melons. arken bought 4 and gave us one (2.5 per melon, think of the profit on melon slices!). also ate one on the spot which turned out to be disappointing.
arken subsequently stopped by a plot of farmland, determined to seek out sweeter melons. the farmer popped up and we walked through his melon patch while they looked for a ripe one, rapping speculatively on a few. finally satisfied with one, which was cut off the vine. we ate in the field, spraying the seeds onto the ground. this, at last, was fruity bliss. arken bought a few for his family.
on reaching the hotel, arken deigned to show us his handphone which read 我爱老婆乖乖! (i love my wife, obedient boy) arken was just full of surprises once he got more comfortable with us. he was definitely more traditional, carrying a knife on his belt and saying essalamu eleikum when he answered the phone. ali and the others simply went 唯. but not all was sweetness and light among the uighurs, umir told a halting and half-understood tale of a dreaded few who enslaved other uighurs and made them work for no pay or food(!?).
tipped umir (who got off at id-kah mosque to buy shoes) and arken 50 each. arken said that he would come by the next day to send us to the airport if he could.
went to check out the night market at id kah mosque (7-9 local time). the fountains were on and kids were happily playing in the water.
nothing to buy so headed off to dinner at enjoy tea house: skewers, 大杂烩 (internal organs), 汤饭 (rice in a minty soup with meatballs) and more of that lovely tea. 110 total. unfortunately, the yoghurt ice-cream had run out by the time we finished dinner. complimented the boss on his tea, who proceeded to show us the ingredients for it (earl grey, saffron, cardamom, and lots of rock sugar).
market day! set off at 10 am (8 local time), which was a luxury for us. went to 东巴扎 (east bazaar) first, where the laconic arken quipped 除了爸爸妈妈，什么都卖! (with the exception of fathers and mothers, everything is sold here!) umir, the trainee guide from the first day, accompanied us as well. he’s 24 and had just graduated with a physics degree and waiting to be assigned a job. in his youthful folly (12), he tattooed himself on his forearms his birthday and the word for ‘happiness.’
bought lots: a carpet (red) for 170, a patterned cap (20) and 无花果 (30 for 1kg). when we returned to a stall to pick patterns for A’s tablecloth/sofa throwovers, saw a blue carpet of same design at the carpet stall. asked to switch carpets but the seller refused. said that in a batch of 30, only 1 was blue. asked for 70 extra and finally relented at 60 after arken came over and pumped his hand. seller’s face was not particularly pleasant or welcoming but had not seen many small carpets for sale.
as we were about to leave the market, saw these lumps of what frankly looked like dried manure. turned out to be a resin(?) for hair treatment. told A to buy some since she had actually washed her hair at wucaiwan. from there, it went to saffron, which smelled heavenly, then to cordyceps (‘nicest, most complete ones i’d seen’ said A) and she even picked up a small piece of jade and some sea coral.
meanwhile, the neighbouring dried fruits seller made his move, offering us pistachios, wuhuaguo, apricots. the fresh pistachios were going for 120/kg and wuhuaguo 30/kg.
at the bird market, there were ducks, chickens, chicks, pigeons, budgerigars in cages, in sacks, in hands, being bought, sold, haggled over. the scene was repeated at the goat/cow market except that the animals were being led around the food stores selling, i wager, the freshest kebabs, tripe soup etc. had slices of melon at 5 jiao a slice but nothing particularly sweet. then headed out to the dawakul section of the desert. had lunch just before reaching there. cheapest one yet at 15 for 5 bowls of noodles (4 legmen, 1 somen).
transport to talimankan desert arranged for 500. kinda pricey and disappointing. the desert (30 per head for entry) was really a beach resort with families swimming and bellies on display. it came complete with boat rides, buggies, beach volleyball etc. picked camel ride for 40 an hour (exceeded time, paid 50 a head).
on the way back, stopped at wopu district, which is supposedly famous for its melons. arken bought 4 and gave us one (2.5 per melon, think of the profit on melon slices!). also ate one on the spot which turned out to be disappointing.
arken subsequently stopped by a plot of farmland, determined to seek out sweeter melons. the farmer popped up and we walked through his melon patch while they looked for a ripe one, rapping speculatively on a few. finally satisfied with one, which was cut off the vine. we ate in the field, spraying the seeds onto the ground. this, at last, was fruity bliss. arken bought a few for his family.
on reaching the hotel, arken deigned to show us his handphone which read 我爱老婆乖乖! (i love my wife, obedient boy) arken was just full of surprises once he got more comfortable with us. he was definitely more traditional, carrying a knife on his belt and saying essalamu eleikum when he answered the phone. ali and the others simply went 唯. but not all was sweetness and light among the uighurs, umir told a halting and half-understood tale of a dreaded few who enslaved other uighurs and made them work for no pay or food(!?).
tipped umir (who got off at id-kah mosque to buy shoes) and arken 50 each. arken said that he would come by the next day to send us to the airport if he could.
went to check out the night market at id kah mosque (7-9 local time). the fountains were on and kids were happily playing in the water.
nothing to buy so headed off to dinner at enjoy tea house: skewers, 大杂烩 (internal organs), 汤饭 (rice in a minty soup with meatballs) and more of that lovely tea. 110 total. unfortunately, the yoghurt ice-cream had run out by the time we finished dinner. complimented the boss on his tea, who proceeded to show us the ingredients for it (earl grey, saffron, cardamom, and lots of rock sugar).
Saturday, August 06, 2005
visited a tajik home and had the privilege of spending a couple of hours(!) there. fed a steady stream of food: yoghurt (very sour), naan with warm cheese (delicious), warm milk, chai, then vegetarian手抓饭and more freshly baked naan. the family reared goats and even offered to slaughter a rabbit for us, which we politely declined. we were offered spoons but they ate with their hands.
[A had a bad reaction to the yoghurt. personally had no adverse reactions to any food during the trip. no matter how cheap it was, noodles were always freshly prepared. it was a world away from one in which baby milk and eggs were faked and mushrooms bleached for profit.]
the house was built in 1965, with an opening over the central living/sleeping space. the inside walls were decorated with colourful carpets and served to act as insulation. there was also a large stack of blankets for the 8 people in the house (plus guests). there was the head of the household (sabir mehmet?), whom arken had known for 7-8 years, his wife, his son’s family (wife, daughter donna and 4-month old baby) and an 18-year old daughter. the baby was in a hammock which was swung vigorously by grandma. donna was absolutely adorable, though very shy at first, running to her uncle(?) at every opportunity. like the uighurs, the tajiks married early, around 20-21 for the men and 18-19 for the women. the village we were in had a population of over 30,000 and marriages took place across villages as well.
living off the land meant that they age quickly and the difference between the 21-year old uncle and the weathered 25-year old son was striking. they refused to believe that A was over 40 (‘older than the house!’) and claimed her passport to be fake.
we’d been really lucky in meeting people and it seemed that the tajiks were a warm, friendly and welcoming people with strong ties to the land and their fellow uighur brethren. the women folk dressed in bright colours and vibrant patterns, though red seemed to be a favourite.
before leaving, A gave the family her sarong and a recently purchased pashmina scarf. i gave the old man the Tylenol i had on me. he told us he had been having gastric pain but did not have medicine for it. donna we fed (bribed) with a muesli bar and a packet of raisins from the flight. the family refused to take any payment from us.
on the way back, arken stopped to say goodbye to the kirghiz woman. he told us that he makes this trip five to six times a month.
our final stop before reaching kashgar was the tomb of mahmud al-kashgari (12 each), an 11th century linguist and uighur patriot. inclusive of the ticket price was a brief explanation at the casket of the poet. the dome-shaped motif was the cradle, from which we were born and to which we returned. babies slept on top of it and the dead were buried beneath it. prayers were offered while we were there. a mellifluous calm descended. supposed that it was free for uighurs since it seemed to be a picnic spot with entire families with 5, 6 children in tow on the grounds.
after using the ‘toilet,’ (worst one on the trip, temporary sheeting while a permanent structure was being built), found our way back to the entrance by another track, which emerged right beside the gated entrance.
dinner back at intizar where we got the 小老板 to get us seats. he asked this Chinese man with a little girl to sit at a larger table with other customers. the man later walked off. we felt kinda bad but小老板waved it off. dinner came to 40 for 5 skewers, 家常面and大盘鸡.
another day caked with dust. arken’s car (taxi actually, in bright green) had sand and dust in every cranny, it got noticeably more difficult to wind the windows.
[A had a bad reaction to the yoghurt. personally had no adverse reactions to any food during the trip. no matter how cheap it was, noodles were always freshly prepared. it was a world away from one in which baby milk and eggs were faked and mushrooms bleached for profit.]
the house was built in 1965, with an opening over the central living/sleeping space. the inside walls were decorated with colourful carpets and served to act as insulation. there was also a large stack of blankets for the 8 people in the house (plus guests). there was the head of the household (sabir mehmet?), whom arken had known for 7-8 years, his wife, his son’s family (wife, daughter donna and 4-month old baby) and an 18-year old daughter. the baby was in a hammock which was swung vigorously by grandma. donna was absolutely adorable, though very shy at first, running to her uncle(?) at every opportunity. like the uighurs, the tajiks married early, around 20-21 for the men and 18-19 for the women. the village we were in had a population of over 30,000 and marriages took place across villages as well.
living off the land meant that they age quickly and the difference between the 21-year old uncle and the weathered 25-year old son was striking. they refused to believe that A was over 40 (‘older than the house!’) and claimed her passport to be fake.
we’d been really lucky in meeting people and it seemed that the tajiks were a warm, friendly and welcoming people with strong ties to the land and their fellow uighur brethren. the women folk dressed in bright colours and vibrant patterns, though red seemed to be a favourite.
before leaving, A gave the family her sarong and a recently purchased pashmina scarf. i gave the old man the Tylenol i had on me. he told us he had been having gastric pain but did not have medicine for it. donna we fed (bribed) with a muesli bar and a packet of raisins from the flight. the family refused to take any payment from us.
on the way back, arken stopped to say goodbye to the kirghiz woman. he told us that he makes this trip five to six times a month.
our final stop before reaching kashgar was the tomb of mahmud al-kashgari (12 each), an 11th century linguist and uighur patriot. inclusive of the ticket price was a brief explanation at the casket of the poet. the dome-shaped motif was the cradle, from which we were born and to which we returned. babies slept on top of it and the dead were buried beneath it. prayers were offered while we were there. a mellifluous calm descended. supposed that it was free for uighurs since it seemed to be a picnic spot with entire families with 5, 6 children in tow on the grounds.
after using the ‘toilet,’ (worst one on the trip, temporary sheeting while a permanent structure was being built), found our way back to the entrance by another track, which emerged right beside the gated entrance.
dinner back at intizar where we got the 小老板 to get us seats. he asked this Chinese man with a little girl to sit at a larger table with other customers. the man later walked off. we felt kinda bad but小老板waved it off. dinner came to 40 for 5 skewers, 家常面and大盘鸡.
another day caked with dust. arken’s car (taxi actually, in bright green) had sand and dust in every cranny, it got noticeably more difficult to wind the windows.
Friday, August 05, 2005
karakoram highway: karakuri lake, tashkurgan.
upal was about an hour away from the city and the last-chance stop for food and supplies. breakfast for 4 came to 22 for 3 bowls of rice/noodles.
came upon a checkpoint where our particulars were taken down by a man in uniform. at karakuri lake, we avoided the official collection point (50 a head). took in the snow-capped peaks, water of shades of blue and green, goats grazing on the grass at a leisurely pace. this beat tianchi hands down. best of all, the tourists were all at the designated area. also happy that it was cold enough to use the jacket i had lugged along.
invited into kirghiz woman’s yurt and served chai and naan. the chai was supposed to help alleviate altitude sickness but i never got used to the taste. the woman’s 6 year old boy was with her and it was a sight to watch him ride a full-sized bicycle. the yurt was temporary accommodation and they moved 3-4 times a year. L bought a pillow case (red stitch-work on black cloth) for 50 from her. arken gave her some of the melons and food that he had brought from the city.
not long after, arken stopped to help a fellow uighur driver having car trouble. turned out to be a 2 hour wait.
reached tashkurgan and arken brought us to traffic hotel, which was next to the bus station. doubles with attached bathroom for 120 or bed in dingy-looking 4-person room for 10. the choice was clear.
stone city site (with archaeological remains dating back to the Tang dynasty) was near to the hotel. provided dramatic views of the surrounding grass plains and mountains. the gorgeous play of light and shadows on the landscape was transfixing. L and i stayed for a while in the evening sun as the cold and desolate wind lashed around us.
dinner was huimen and meat skewers, came to 25 for 4.
at last, a hot shower with adequate water. most excellent. slight headache from the altitude (3200 feet) but slept well.
upal was about an hour away from the city and the last-chance stop for food and supplies. breakfast for 4 came to 22 for 3 bowls of rice/noodles.
came upon a checkpoint where our particulars were taken down by a man in uniform. at karakuri lake, we avoided the official collection point (50 a head). took in the snow-capped peaks, water of shades of blue and green, goats grazing on the grass at a leisurely pace. this beat tianchi hands down. best of all, the tourists were all at the designated area. also happy that it was cold enough to use the jacket i had lugged along.
invited into kirghiz woman’s yurt and served chai and naan. the chai was supposed to help alleviate altitude sickness but i never got used to the taste. the woman’s 6 year old boy was with her and it was a sight to watch him ride a full-sized bicycle. the yurt was temporary accommodation and they moved 3-4 times a year. L bought a pillow case (red stitch-work on black cloth) for 50 from her. arken gave her some of the melons and food that he had brought from the city.
not long after, arken stopped to help a fellow uighur driver having car trouble. turned out to be a 2 hour wait.
reached tashkurgan and arken brought us to traffic hotel, which was next to the bus station. doubles with attached bathroom for 120 or bed in dingy-looking 4-person room for 10. the choice was clear.
stone city site (with archaeological remains dating back to the Tang dynasty) was near to the hotel. provided dramatic views of the surrounding grass plains and mountains. the gorgeous play of light and shadows on the landscape was transfixing. L and i stayed for a while in the evening sun as the cold and desolate wind lashed around us.
dinner was huimen and meat skewers, came to 25 for 4.
at last, a hot shower with adequate water. most excellent. slight headache from the altitude (3200 feet) but slept well.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
served手抓饭(!) on the morning flight. took the shuttle from the airport to chini bagh hotel (triple for 180) at 5 a head. upon reaching, the driver kindly informed us that a taxi ride to the airport from the hotel should cost no more than 10. hmm, was a little disappointed that kashgar seemed to be more like a chinese city than was expected.
first order of business was to get to the travel agent at seman hotel. first place we tried was uighur but the 12 year old boy (later found out he was 16) had limited English and didn’t seem too sure about the money figures either. not too reassuring. skipped the chinese-run agency to check out the other uighur agency. the guy in charge was ali, who spoke excellent English, was knowledgeable about routes and costs and affable and humourous to boot. (uighur tour and travel centre, abdultour@yahoo.com, UTTC_ks@yahoo.com) offered 1200 for the trip to tashkurgan, 1 600km round trip. (other place offered 1200, not inclusive of gas.) having settled on tashkurgan, also took the day trip option split over the 4th and 7th. car (200) and guide for 450 total.
lunched at intizar (total 50). tried the yoghurt, 囊炒肉, noodles.
first stop was apa hoja tomb, gorgeous building with a colourful tiled exterior. explanation of funeral rites by ali. id kah mosque was next, then off to the side streets, filled with craftsmen plying their trade – in caps, in musical instruments, in golden boxes, in cradles. then the kashgar museum, which had an air of neglect about it.
old city followed. there was an outfit collecting 30 a person but this didn’t go back to the community. ali took us there bypassing the collectors (‘run if you see them’). we went into the house of a family who made hats for sale and later ended up at a wedding – ali’s friend’s son. (the friend was arken, a driver for the agency, but not the same arken who was to be our driver.) there were musicians, there was dancing, there was food and fruits, there were children, clamouring to have their photos taken, laughing and squealing with delight at seeing their own images on the lcd screens.
dinner at enjoy tea restaurant (90), another of ali’s recommendation. the cornucopia of fake fruits and dim multicoloured lighting did not bode well but the food and tea were surprisingly good. and it’s true, the further out west, the more tender the meat skewers. also had 大盘鸡, 日本豆腐, pastries.
back at chini bagh, more bathroom misadventures with cold water running out at one point. night lessons in tajik culture from ali at their chini bagh office – the headgear of the women is called the crown; how they greeted each other, danced; that the eagle was their symbol.
first order of business was to get to the travel agent at seman hotel. first place we tried was uighur but the 12 year old boy (later found out he was 16) had limited English and didn’t seem too sure about the money figures either. not too reassuring. skipped the chinese-run agency to check out the other uighur agency. the guy in charge was ali, who spoke excellent English, was knowledgeable about routes and costs and affable and humourous to boot. (uighur tour and travel centre, abdultour@yahoo.com, UTTC_ks@yahoo.com) offered 1200 for the trip to tashkurgan, 1 600km round trip. (other place offered 1200, not inclusive of gas.) having settled on tashkurgan, also took the day trip option split over the 4th and 7th. car (200) and guide for 450 total.
lunched at intizar (total 50). tried the yoghurt, 囊炒肉, noodles.
first stop was apa hoja tomb, gorgeous building with a colourful tiled exterior. explanation of funeral rites by ali. id kah mosque was next, then off to the side streets, filled with craftsmen plying their trade – in caps, in musical instruments, in golden boxes, in cradles. then the kashgar museum, which had an air of neglect about it.
old city followed. there was an outfit collecting 30 a person but this didn’t go back to the community. ali took us there bypassing the collectors (‘run if you see them’). we went into the house of a family who made hats for sale and later ended up at a wedding – ali’s friend’s son. (the friend was arken, a driver for the agency, but not the same arken who was to be our driver.) there were musicians, there was dancing, there was food and fruits, there were children, clamouring to have their photos taken, laughing and squealing with delight at seeing their own images on the lcd screens.
dinner at enjoy tea restaurant (90), another of ali’s recommendation. the cornucopia of fake fruits and dim multicoloured lighting did not bode well but the food and tea were surprisingly good. and it’s true, the further out west, the more tender the meat skewers. also had 大盘鸡, 日本豆腐, pastries.
back at chini bagh, more bathroom misadventures with cold water running out at one point. night lessons in tajik culture from ali at their chini bagh office – the headgear of the women is called the crown; how they greeted each other, danced; that the eagle was their symbol.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
tian shifu led us on an agate hunting trip. but everything, or nothing, looked like agate in its au naturel state, whatever that was. went on the oil field roads on the way back. paved roads are such a blessing. lunched at restaurant (though nothing about the place would have suggested such a word) catering to nearby workers. 手抓饭 at 8 a plate. return route via fukang, which was a decidedly less bumpy journey than the previous day’s. reached urumqi after 6pm. checked out the largest night market 五一星光夜市 but didn’t eat or buy anything.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
tianchi, wucaiwan
jeep for 800+450 (gas).
scamville or tianchi
tianchi scam – ticket required for driver, and vehicles not allowed in unless arrangements are made to eat at a restaurant in the tianchi lake area. zuo shifu was sussing the guy out: just lunch? no other charges? ‘no, no, just lunch.’ in retrospect, maybe the fact that we were in a jeep broadcasted ‘fleece me! fleece me!’ the guy and his body odour hopped on and got us past the first parking lot. stopped at 2nd parking lot (where cable car stops, and you have to take the trolley to venture further up.) all the bloody ‘guards’ are in on this, communicating license plate numbers on their walkie-talkies. guessing level 2 guard not happy with his cut. this required someone higher up the hierarchy to make a personal appearance: a petite lady in white oversized sunglasses. having finally made it through, decided to have lunch first and finish with our obligation. ‘come this way, dining room, yurt, it’s all the same, yurt’s cooler,’ said the spider to the fly. severely inflated prices, with many dishes clearing 100. ordered手抓肉 (80), 2手抓饭 (30), vegetables (35). bill came to 455. charged 30 for chai, 80 for the snacks on the table (‘how much are the snacks? ‘dunno.’) and a whopping 200 for the yurt. we refused to pay for the last 2 items, counted out 175, and told the woman who took our order to take it or leave it. we left the money on the table and went out. protracted session in the lot between slimy sleazeball and our driver, who was not happy with the hidden charges either. A finally gave the guy another 50 and then we left.
soured by the bad experience, the sight of hordes of tourists around tianchi did nothing to improve our mood.
after half an hour of half-hearted photo-taking, sleazeball popped up again. now claiming that there was no money in the yurt and threatened to call the police. so we told him to go ahead, he subsequently turned up with a bunch of公安 (security guards), who were in on the scam in the first place! luckily for us, someone in charge from the tianchi management turned up to arbitrate. (hard to tell at first since he was in plain clothes.) we didn’t want to return to the scene of the scam but he promised us the matter would be settled in 10 minutes. once there, there was a parade of the 2 servers who claimed to have seen no money. upshot was guy-in-charge said ok, we’ll halve the amount and then consider the matter settled. we forked out 90 and finally left the place at about 3 pm.
the plan had been to meet up with another jeep carrying a couple to五彩湾as well. bought a家食瓜 (10) and ate half the melon while waiting for the other jeep. a miscommunication over the rendezvous point meant another half an hour was wasted. eventually met up at dahuangshan, and thus began the long and bumpy journey to reach五彩湾before sunset. the road leading there was currently under construction so much of the journey was off-road, on dirt/gravel tracks, with bouts of dust-eating. after a while, our vehicle started throwing tantrums and the engine kept dying on us. good thing there was the other jeep so we squeezed in with the couple. for the second time in 2 days, A was reckoned to be mom to L and me. 同母异父we joked!
tian shifu was a more experienced driver and he would be the couple’s driver for the next 10 days. the couple was from shanghai; she a secondary school astronomy teacher and he a serious photography buff. they’d been planning this for a while and were doing both the northern (北疆) and southern (南疆) routes in 20 days. most amazingly, she was doing it even though she gets carsick!?
made it in time for sunset, only to find two mini-buses of tourists from hong kong. they endured the journey in those?? also surprised to find 2 chaps staying out here just to collect the 20 rmb entry per person (16 if no receipt needed).
in the event, we were the only ones camping there, though from the amount of broken beer bottle glass around, many have certainly done so.
wucaiwan was a gorgeous geological site with stripes of various hues running across the hills. and the best part given that it was a tourist attraction in china? the absolute silence whenever the wind dropped.
it was hotter than expected, even at night. it was unbearably stifling in the tent and i decided to sleep with my head sticking out. until i saw a raccoon-sized animal streak across the groundsheet. back into the stifling tent it was. didn’t get much sleep that night.
jeep for 800+450 (gas).
scamville or tianchi
tianchi scam – ticket required for driver, and vehicles not allowed in unless arrangements are made to eat at a restaurant in the tianchi lake area. zuo shifu was sussing the guy out: just lunch? no other charges? ‘no, no, just lunch.’ in retrospect, maybe the fact that we were in a jeep broadcasted ‘fleece me! fleece me!’ the guy and his body odour hopped on and got us past the first parking lot. stopped at 2nd parking lot (where cable car stops, and you have to take the trolley to venture further up.) all the bloody ‘guards’ are in on this, communicating license plate numbers on their walkie-talkies. guessing level 2 guard not happy with his cut. this required someone higher up the hierarchy to make a personal appearance: a petite lady in white oversized sunglasses. having finally made it through, decided to have lunch first and finish with our obligation. ‘come this way, dining room, yurt, it’s all the same, yurt’s cooler,’ said the spider to the fly. severely inflated prices, with many dishes clearing 100. ordered手抓肉 (80), 2手抓饭 (30), vegetables (35). bill came to 455. charged 30 for chai, 80 for the snacks on the table (‘how much are the snacks? ‘dunno.’) and a whopping 200 for the yurt. we refused to pay for the last 2 items, counted out 175, and told the woman who took our order to take it or leave it. we left the money on the table and went out. protracted session in the lot between slimy sleazeball and our driver, who was not happy with the hidden charges either. A finally gave the guy another 50 and then we left.
soured by the bad experience, the sight of hordes of tourists around tianchi did nothing to improve our mood.
after half an hour of half-hearted photo-taking, sleazeball popped up again. now claiming that there was no money in the yurt and threatened to call the police. so we told him to go ahead, he subsequently turned up with a bunch of公安 (security guards), who were in on the scam in the first place! luckily for us, someone in charge from the tianchi management turned up to arbitrate. (hard to tell at first since he was in plain clothes.) we didn’t want to return to the scene of the scam but he promised us the matter would be settled in 10 minutes. once there, there was a parade of the 2 servers who claimed to have seen no money. upshot was guy-in-charge said ok, we’ll halve the amount and then consider the matter settled. we forked out 90 and finally left the place at about 3 pm.
the plan had been to meet up with another jeep carrying a couple to五彩湾as well. bought a家食瓜 (10) and ate half the melon while waiting for the other jeep. a miscommunication over the rendezvous point meant another half an hour was wasted. eventually met up at dahuangshan, and thus began the long and bumpy journey to reach五彩湾before sunset. the road leading there was currently under construction so much of the journey was off-road, on dirt/gravel tracks, with bouts of dust-eating. after a while, our vehicle started throwing tantrums and the engine kept dying on us. good thing there was the other jeep so we squeezed in with the couple. for the second time in 2 days, A was reckoned to be mom to L and me. 同母异父we joked!
tian shifu was a more experienced driver and he would be the couple’s driver for the next 10 days. the couple was from shanghai; she a secondary school astronomy teacher and he a serious photography buff. they’d been planning this for a while and were doing both the northern (北疆) and southern (南疆) routes in 20 days. most amazingly, she was doing it even though she gets carsick!?
made it in time for sunset, only to find two mini-buses of tourists from hong kong. they endured the journey in those?? also surprised to find 2 chaps staying out here just to collect the 20 rmb entry per person (16 if no receipt needed).
in the event, we were the only ones camping there, though from the amount of broken beer bottle glass around, many have certainly done so.
wucaiwan was a gorgeous geological site with stripes of various hues running across the hills. and the best part given that it was a tourist attraction in china? the absolute silence whenever the wind dropped.
it was hotter than expected, even at night. it was unbearably stifling in the tent and i decided to sleep with my head sticking out. until i saw a raccoon-sized animal streak across the groundsheet. back into the stifling tent it was. didn’t get much sleep that night.
Monday, August 01, 2005
huoyanshan, tuyugo, gaochang ancient city, putougao
rented car for the day: 200+90 (toll fees)+142 (gas)+50 (tips). arranged thru xiaoshen; driver was gao shifu.
set off at 9, finally something at a decent hour. 1st stop was火焰山, aka friggin flaming mountain, (entry 20), notable chiefly for the heat and the world’s largest thermometer.
next stop was tuyugo, which our driver admitted he had not been. love the doors with the colourful motifs and the gorgeous tiled mosques. spotted a watermelon seller and bought one for 2.40. a little girl cut up the rinds to feed to the goats. she didn’t understand Chinese, not all the uighurs do. urumqi is still predominantly han Chinese.
chief attraction in tuyugo was the old uighur residential quarters, mosque (mecca of the east), graves and thousand buddha cave (older than the mogao caves, but very badly preserved). place was mercifully peaceful and quiet, then again, it was the hottest part of the day. photo exhibition of chappie who lived there for 2 years and recorded the sights and customs of the place, including bride-roasting (she’s wrapped in a rug and then tossed over a fire). bliss was ice cold drinks at the end of the walkabout.
stopped at roadside stall for烤包子 (baked buns stuffed with fatty mutton and onions at 0.5 each) and naan (1).
to prove that it was possible, 高昌was even hotter. a fierce heat that stings the skin and stuns the senses. sat on donkey drawn cart while feet blazed away. 1500 years of history, crusades, Buddhist temple, whatnot, everything lost in the haze of the heat.
some shopping after in the adjoining lot for the women.
last stop was葡萄沟since we had to do some grape-related activity. the entire area in吐鲁番turfan is now monopolized by a corporation. access to the village is controlled and separate theme parks have been built.
bought some off-the-vine grapes for 10. no chemicals promised the farmer.
moved on to the putaogou amusement park. friendly uighur chap gave us a quick tour of the grape museum and sold us fresh grape juice at 10 a cup. he’d graduated from environmental studies and this was his first job. groused about pollution of the area and china’s inefficient use of resources. worked from 10am to 8pm (or 8 to 6 Xinjiang time) for a 600rmb salary. told us our grapes were sprayed with chemicals.
decided not to buy the raisins which were at any rate, last year’s stock.
gao shifu had been affable and patient the entire day, even suggesting squeezing in another attraction. but the brochure for the well looked tacky.
according to gao, urumqi has really taken off over the past 10 years. feels like a prosperous city with a certain 气派 and vibrancy. got back to hostel at 10 plus just when it’s getting dark.ate at restaurant next to hostel. 爆炒山鸡, 2 veggies and 10 skewers of mutton from the restaurant further down. now this was tender.
rented car for the day: 200+90 (toll fees)+142 (gas)+50 (tips). arranged thru xiaoshen; driver was gao shifu.
set off at 9, finally something at a decent hour. 1st stop was火焰山, aka friggin flaming mountain, (entry 20), notable chiefly for the heat and the world’s largest thermometer.
next stop was tuyugo, which our driver admitted he had not been. love the doors with the colourful motifs and the gorgeous tiled mosques. spotted a watermelon seller and bought one for 2.40. a little girl cut up the rinds to feed to the goats. she didn’t understand Chinese, not all the uighurs do. urumqi is still predominantly han Chinese.
chief attraction in tuyugo was the old uighur residential quarters, mosque (mecca of the east), graves and thousand buddha cave (older than the mogao caves, but very badly preserved). place was mercifully peaceful and quiet, then again, it was the hottest part of the day. photo exhibition of chappie who lived there for 2 years and recorded the sights and customs of the place, including bride-roasting (she’s wrapped in a rug and then tossed over a fire). bliss was ice cold drinks at the end of the walkabout.
stopped at roadside stall for烤包子 (baked buns stuffed with fatty mutton and onions at 0.5 each) and naan (1).
to prove that it was possible, 高昌was even hotter. a fierce heat that stings the skin and stuns the senses. sat on donkey drawn cart while feet blazed away. 1500 years of history, crusades, Buddhist temple, whatnot, everything lost in the haze of the heat.
some shopping after in the adjoining lot for the women.
last stop was葡萄沟since we had to do some grape-related activity. the entire area in吐鲁番turfan is now monopolized by a corporation. access to the village is controlled and separate theme parks have been built.
bought some off-the-vine grapes for 10. no chemicals promised the farmer.
moved on to the putaogou amusement park. friendly uighur chap gave us a quick tour of the grape museum and sold us fresh grape juice at 10 a cup. he’d graduated from environmental studies and this was his first job. groused about pollution of the area and china’s inefficient use of resources. worked from 10am to 8pm (or 8 to 6 Xinjiang time) for a 600rmb salary. told us our grapes were sprayed with chemicals.
decided not to buy the raisins which were at any rate, last year’s stock.
gao shifu had been affable and patient the entire day, even suggesting squeezing in another attraction. but the brochure for the well looked tacky.
according to gao, urumqi has really taken off over the past 10 years. feels like a prosperous city with a certain 气派 and vibrancy. got back to hostel at 10 plus just when it’s getting dark.ate at restaurant next to hostel. 爆炒山鸡, 2 veggies and 10 skewers of mutton from the restaurant further down. now this was tender.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
dunhuang, urumqi
left hotel at 6.30 am for breakfast of beef noodles, a lanzhou/gansu specialty. we were enthralled by description of noodles as thin as human hair but were disappointed by the thicker, if still delicious, noodles.
the thing about yumen guan and yang guan was the getting there. at points, there wasn’t even a road but stakes outlining a path on the gravel. and the desert stretched away on both sides and u think, god, it’s beautiful. and please don’t let the vehicle break down here.
as the minivan zipped along, the shadow hovering craft on the desert ground glided along effortlessly.
the soundtrack to our travels is an eclectic mixed tape that runs the gamut from 70s pop to more current mandopop, with a dose of patriotic songs for good measure. the true oddity is a heavily-accented version of a cantopop hit (candy lo’s 好心分手) in mandarin? some local dialect? with bizarro lyrics. but it was only hilarious the first time round.
30 for entry into yumen gate. all that’s left is the weathered remains of the building for processing visas. a further 5 rmb a head to engage a guide to listen to the history of the place. given the wind erosion, it’s amazing that anything survives, same with the fortified earthworks of the han dynasty great wall.
yang guan was next, 40 for tix. quite impressive that they’ve built up this whole compound in the middle of nowhere. pity it feels like a movie set then. u could even get your olden day visa for a fee, complete with issuing official and a send-off party of dancing girls. or so the photos suggested. in reality, the ‘official’ was some guy who looked as if he had just rolled out of bed and the send-off party comprised 1 single girl, who was at least in costume.
the sole surviving structure was a ways off and lethargy and the fact that it was noon almost made me miss it. good thing L was determined to press on.
while the fire tower was underwhelming up close, one did get to glimpse the wide expanse of land from that vantage point. pretty sure no one traveled for fun back then.
lunch was at a 农家菜 place nearby. pleasant setting under the grape vines, which provided much welcome shade. plucked a few grapes but they were a little sour. certainly took their time preparing the food and it wasn’t cheap either – chicken in sauce, egg with tomato and 干扁扁豆 (ganbian biandou), noodles – came to 120+ for 5. the 扁豆 was great though, it tasted sweet and went well with the peppercorns.
back into the city with some time to kill before our flight at 7.40 pm. went to a café for ice-cream (4) and plum juice (6).
reached urumqi at about 9pm. cab fare to the youth hostel was about 50. triple with attached bath for 190 a night. place was only 3 months old and run by certified cool people who were friendly and helpful. 小沈 (xiaoshen, syb-2000@sohu.com, www.yhaxinjiang.com) owned the place and he’s certainly done his share of traveling. listening to him swap adventure tales made our ‘off-the-beaten-path’ plans sound well-trodden.
went to 友好夜市 (youhao yeshi), the 2nd largest night market in the city, for dinner. turned out to be a 45-min walk as opposed to a promised/imagined 10. row of food stalls lining the sidewalk with seating behind them and people packed tightly together on stools. we had claypot chicken (10), fried noodles (5) and of course, mutton skewers (10 for 10), and a yoghurt drink (3) to which you added sugar and sesame. tried not to think about the food we were stepping on.
room was new, hence clean, but no fan and temperamental hot/cold water. glad we’re setting off at 9 the next day, can finally get more sleep.
left hotel at 6.30 am for breakfast of beef noodles, a lanzhou/gansu specialty. we were enthralled by description of noodles as thin as human hair but were disappointed by the thicker, if still delicious, noodles.
the thing about yumen guan and yang guan was the getting there. at points, there wasn’t even a road but stakes outlining a path on the gravel. and the desert stretched away on both sides and u think, god, it’s beautiful. and please don’t let the vehicle break down here.
as the minivan zipped along, the shadow hovering craft on the desert ground glided along effortlessly.
the soundtrack to our travels is an eclectic mixed tape that runs the gamut from 70s pop to more current mandopop, with a dose of patriotic songs for good measure. the true oddity is a heavily-accented version of a cantopop hit (candy lo’s 好心分手) in mandarin? some local dialect? with bizarro lyrics. but it was only hilarious the first time round.
30 for entry into yumen gate. all that’s left is the weathered remains of the building for processing visas. a further 5 rmb a head to engage a guide to listen to the history of the place. given the wind erosion, it’s amazing that anything survives, same with the fortified earthworks of the han dynasty great wall.
yang guan was next, 40 for tix. quite impressive that they’ve built up this whole compound in the middle of nowhere. pity it feels like a movie set then. u could even get your olden day visa for a fee, complete with issuing official and a send-off party of dancing girls. or so the photos suggested. in reality, the ‘official’ was some guy who looked as if he had just rolled out of bed and the send-off party comprised 1 single girl, who was at least in costume.
the sole surviving structure was a ways off and lethargy and the fact that it was noon almost made me miss it. good thing L was determined to press on.
while the fire tower was underwhelming up close, one did get to glimpse the wide expanse of land from that vantage point. pretty sure no one traveled for fun back then.
lunch was at a 农家菜 place nearby. pleasant setting under the grape vines, which provided much welcome shade. plucked a few grapes but they were a little sour. certainly took their time preparing the food and it wasn’t cheap either – chicken in sauce, egg with tomato and 干扁扁豆 (ganbian biandou), noodles – came to 120+ for 5. the 扁豆 was great though, it tasted sweet and went well with the peppercorns.
back into the city with some time to kill before our flight at 7.40 pm. went to a café for ice-cream (4) and plum juice (6).
reached urumqi at about 9pm. cab fare to the youth hostel was about 50. triple with attached bath for 190 a night. place was only 3 months old and run by certified cool people who were friendly and helpful. 小沈 (xiaoshen, syb-2000@sohu.com, www.yhaxinjiang.com) owned the place and he’s certainly done his share of traveling. listening to him swap adventure tales made our ‘off-the-beaten-path’ plans sound well-trodden.
went to 友好夜市 (youhao yeshi), the 2nd largest night market in the city, for dinner. turned out to be a 45-min walk as opposed to a promised/imagined 10. row of food stalls lining the sidewalk with seating behind them and people packed tightly together on stools. we had claypot chicken (10), fried noodles (5) and of course, mutton skewers (10 for 10), and a yoghurt drink (3) to which you added sugar and sesame. tried not to think about the food we were stepping on.
room was new, hence clean, but no fan and temperamental hot/cold water. glad we’re setting off at 9 the next day, can finally get more sleep.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
dunhuang
dunhuang and xinjiang have always been such evocative names - the former once regal and majestic and the latter an intoxicating mix of images: the old silk road, the boundless desert, bountiful fruits, colourful carpets, a whole other culture at the westernmost end of china.
we were received at the airport by a young chap and greeted at our arrival at the hotel with the still smoking husk of a short-circuited car. the triple (255) in a 2 star hotel was clean enough, though the bathroom was unaccountably dark and the hot/cold water controls were mislabelled.
found out that the young chap was the son of the sales manager of the hotel (bossDH2008@126.com). (no lift, no key either, of the holler-for-an-attendant variety.) he was studying tourism in lanzhou and came back home to help during the hols.
settled on a package for 500 rmb for the next 1.5 days to go to the mogao caves, mingshashan, yueyaquan, yumen gate and yang gate.
but first things first, lunch. went to a food court type place where we tried 浆水面 (3.5), cold noodles in a vinegary soup and introduced to 杏皮水 (apricot skin drink), the perfect antidote to the summer heat. 肉夹莫roujiamo (4 each) was freshly made and tasty.
ubiquitous: stuffed camels in all shades and sizes.
first stop was mogao caves, home of famed frescoes and sculptures, remarkably preserved and dating back to the 5th/6th centuries AD. the sheer detail and vividness of the colours was impressive, even in the 10 open-to-the-public caves we saw (100 rmb for a 2 hr tour.). (a few more restricted caves are accessible at the right price.) as the guide trained her torchlight in practiced swoops about the darkened caves, we caught glimpses of 飞天 (flying apsaras), buddhas, generals, sutras, and entire storylines. it was pointed out that the elegance and grace of the original sculptures eclipsed the pale repairs.
the viewing experience though left much to be desired. the place was packed with herds of about 20 people and shepherded from cave to cave by the site’s guides. given there was no strict route, u sometimes ended up with 2 groups in 1 cave with our guide trying to make herself heard and then rush on to the next cave before it got too crowded. kudos to our guide for fiercely bearing down on those who tried to sneak in a photograph or two. the closed in caves amplified chatter and made it hard to hear the guide at times. further irritated by presence of an annoying mother/father/child combo who were guilty of ugly behaviour, brattiness and bad fashion sense.
the site museum had some artefacts along with full-scale reproductions of a few caves. at least here there was peace and quiet, though there was no guide. still prefer the yungang grottoes, where the emphasis was on sculptures rather than frescoes.
back to hotel after that to escape from the scorching heat and searing light. we set off for yueyaquan/mingshashan at 6. any earlier and the sand would have been too hot to handle. yyq is an oasis in the desert, but it’s looking less impressive these days with the water level down to a measly 1m. oft-repeated fact: dunhuang gets 400-600mm of precipitation in a year; 2468mm lost to evaporation. the sand dunes made for a dramatic backdrop for the buildings though.
took off our shoes to trek uphill but quickly learnt that it takes more effort than u think. there was certainly a sense of achievement when i made it, crossing over from the slope in shadow to the ridge which straddled light and shade. there were lots of activities going on: camel rides, archery, sand dune sledding (didn’t get any momentum on my attempt), aerogliding. and the water truck spraying to the tune of ‘santa claus is coming to town.’ left at about sundown at 9.30 pm.
dinner with xiao hu and shen shifu. tried 驴肉黄面, donkey meat yellow noodles. the meat went well with a chilli sauce mixed with garlic and vinegar and the noodle were reminiscent of spaghetti. drank the plain and floury water in which the noodles were cooked in. the meal for 5 came to 73.
noodles are the key staple here and shen said that if they did not feel like cooking, they would buy half-processed noodles home as opposed to making them from scratch. shen farms cotton, with the cottonseed oil for their own consumption. had seen the neat rectangular plots ringed by stalks of corn coming in from the airport. he has 20 mu and harvests once a year, with an annual income of 40,000 rmb. (this can’t be right. maybe 4000 rmb?)
dunhuang and xinjiang have always been such evocative names - the former once regal and majestic and the latter an intoxicating mix of images: the old silk road, the boundless desert, bountiful fruits, colourful carpets, a whole other culture at the westernmost end of china.
we were received at the airport by a young chap and greeted at our arrival at the hotel with the still smoking husk of a short-circuited car. the triple (255) in a 2 star hotel was clean enough, though the bathroom was unaccountably dark and the hot/cold water controls were mislabelled.
found out that the young chap was the son of the sales manager of the hotel (bossDH2008@126.com). (no lift, no key either, of the holler-for-an-attendant variety.) he was studying tourism in lanzhou and came back home to help during the hols.
settled on a package for 500 rmb for the next 1.5 days to go to the mogao caves, mingshashan, yueyaquan, yumen gate and yang gate.
but first things first, lunch. went to a food court type place where we tried 浆水面 (3.5), cold noodles in a vinegary soup and introduced to 杏皮水 (apricot skin drink), the perfect antidote to the summer heat. 肉夹莫roujiamo (4 each) was freshly made and tasty.
ubiquitous: stuffed camels in all shades and sizes.
first stop was mogao caves, home of famed frescoes and sculptures, remarkably preserved and dating back to the 5th/6th centuries AD. the sheer detail and vividness of the colours was impressive, even in the 10 open-to-the-public caves we saw (100 rmb for a 2 hr tour.). (a few more restricted caves are accessible at the right price.) as the guide trained her torchlight in practiced swoops about the darkened caves, we caught glimpses of 飞天 (flying apsaras), buddhas, generals, sutras, and entire storylines. it was pointed out that the elegance and grace of the original sculptures eclipsed the pale repairs.
the viewing experience though left much to be desired. the place was packed with herds of about 20 people and shepherded from cave to cave by the site’s guides. given there was no strict route, u sometimes ended up with 2 groups in 1 cave with our guide trying to make herself heard and then rush on to the next cave before it got too crowded. kudos to our guide for fiercely bearing down on those who tried to sneak in a photograph or two. the closed in caves amplified chatter and made it hard to hear the guide at times. further irritated by presence of an annoying mother/father/child combo who were guilty of ugly behaviour, brattiness and bad fashion sense.
the site museum had some artefacts along with full-scale reproductions of a few caves. at least here there was peace and quiet, though there was no guide. still prefer the yungang grottoes, where the emphasis was on sculptures rather than frescoes.
back to hotel after that to escape from the scorching heat and searing light. we set off for yueyaquan/mingshashan at 6. any earlier and the sand would have been too hot to handle. yyq is an oasis in the desert, but it’s looking less impressive these days with the water level down to a measly 1m. oft-repeated fact: dunhuang gets 400-600mm of precipitation in a year; 2468mm lost to evaporation. the sand dunes made for a dramatic backdrop for the buildings though.
took off our shoes to trek uphill but quickly learnt that it takes more effort than u think. there was certainly a sense of achievement when i made it, crossing over from the slope in shadow to the ridge which straddled light and shade. there were lots of activities going on: camel rides, archery, sand dune sledding (didn’t get any momentum on my attempt), aerogliding. and the water truck spraying to the tune of ‘santa claus is coming to town.’ left at about sundown at 9.30 pm.
dinner with xiao hu and shen shifu. tried 驴肉黄面, donkey meat yellow noodles. the meat went well with a chilli sauce mixed with garlic and vinegar and the noodle were reminiscent of spaghetti. drank the plain and floury water in which the noodles were cooked in. the meal for 5 came to 73.
noodles are the key staple here and shen said that if they did not feel like cooking, they would buy half-processed noodles home as opposed to making them from scratch. shen farms cotton, with the cottonseed oil for their own consumption. had seen the neat rectangular plots ringed by stalks of corn coming in from the airport. he has 20 mu and harvests once a year, with an annual income of 40,000 rmb. (this can’t be right. maybe 4000 rmb?)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)