Month: December 2015

The Neon City of Tokyo

Wednesday. 9th December 2015

My journey to Japan was an emotional roller coaster. First, it seemed to take them ages to let me through security at Lhasa airport. A lady took my passport and was asking questions then she left to find someone else then they took my passport elsewhere to someone else for more questions and finally after what felt like an hour, although most likely only 5 minutes, I was allowed through.

Secondly, I was robbed in Lhasa airport of my last of Chinese money and paid £12 for a bowl of noodles and a tea. Fortunately I figured I wouldn’t need money on the plane and could probably get by. Not the end of the world but my list of issues goes on…

Thirdly, given that my ears hadn’t popped for a couple of days in Tibet, the flight from Lhasa to Chengdu was a painful one and on landing in Chengdu, it resulted in a teary phone call to mum and a visit to a very lovely first aid lady who said I should go to hospital. As I was not going to do that, especially not in Chengdu, I took her hydro-chloride nasal drops and boarded my plane to Beijing. Rebel (a poorly one).

The next flight was painful but less so and only hurt on descent (although the pain was still horrific). I had originally planned to sleep on Beijing airport tonight given that this website made it look easy enough yet after take night at EBC, I booked the crown plaza hotel instead, even if I would only be there for 6 hours.

I was so glad I did. The room was incredible and even had separate conditioner which seems unheard of in China hotels (at least the ones I was in and I was running out). It was pure luxury and worth every penny.

My flight to Beijing was slightly more comfortable after a good nights sleep and I eventually made it to Japan.

I had bought a Japanese sim so I could use the interest so I headed off on this mission to find the airport post office. After wandering round for absolutely forever, I was told I was in fact in the wrong terminal one – I should be in domestic. EUGH. So I found the shuttle bus and headed off.

I easily picked up the sim and decided to send some bits home, mainly my sleeping bag and the DPRK books. An hour and a half later, and 6.5 kg lighter, I had filled up my box of goodies and sent it home. I can only hope it gets there in time for Christmas!

I was warned on the confusion of the Japanese subway in Tokyo but I was not prepared for the destination of a train not being its last stop so there were many occasions I got off the train, only to find I needed to get back on it to continue to a new line. It was mental.

I did however finally make it to Nui hostel, our home for the next 5 days. Gavin was arriving later so time for a nap and a shower. It then transpired that me phone wasn’t unlocked and I couldn’t use my new sim. However I had made it safely to Japan so life could be worse.
Getting to Tokyo’s other airport was even more of a mare and took a lifetime. Panic not though, I made it in time to meet my new travel buddy.

Back to the hostel we went (obviously this journey took even longer as we managed to get the slow train and not the rapid express train!). Dinner and bed ready for a fun packed day tomorrow!

Thursday.

As it was a sunny day we headed off to the Tokyo skytree for some views over Tokyo. We went to the top deck which was 450m and browsed the Star Wars exhibition that was there. We also managed to catch some glimpses of Mount Fuji which was really enjoyable!

For lunch we headed to the Dog Heart cafe that I had read about online. This was a place where dogs roamed round the cafe. On arrival we were greeted with around 15 puppies which were the most adorbale things in the world. It turns out it wasn`t a cafe but our hunger was quelled by the super cute faces of what was in front of us. For 900¥ (£4.50) we could sit and play with them for a whole half hour and they were great.

After lunch we strolled down to Shibuya to see the famous crossing. When the lights turn red, the traffic stops in all directions and there is a mass movement to cross the road. It was so crazy busy.

After walking across the crossing a gazillion times we finally left to wander the area and find some dinner. Which resulted in being a Maccies by the hostel as Gavin was starting to feel the jetlag. I wasn’t going to complain about an early night!

Friday.

I had hoped to see the tuna auction at Tsujiki market whilst I was here but unfortunately it had closed to tourists early December for the Christmas period (gives me an excuse to come back here). Instead we headed over to browse the stalls.

We bought some eel skewers and saw sea slugs which looked revolting. We also saw some very strange creature which we learnt a few days later wasn’t as unpleasant in taste as it looked!

Lunch was at a kaiten sushi restaurant which is the equivalent of Yo! Sushi in Japan but substantially cheaper – although no salmon and avacado hand rolls in this one! Gavin tried numerous different plates and did not shy away but it was fair to say, sushi was not his cave meal!

After lunch we continued walking around and came across a small shrine where there was a small ceremony taking place.

We then went to find the Nakagin Capsule Tower:

Each of these pods is a self contained unit and can be removed and replaced. I would not enjoy living in that!

We then headed over to the Kabuki theatre to see some tradition Japanese arts. It was very bizarre and I’m not sure I would recommend it to anyone. Both Gavin and I fell asleep. That may sound bad but sohad the majority of the back row. We read that the particular act of the play we were seeing was one of the top dance acts so were excited but a few stamps of feet and a couple of arm movements did not qualify for dancing in my eyes.

After our nap at the theatre we headed to the National Museum in Ueno Park. The park was very pretty at night as there was lots lit up and the museum was interesting with some original samurai armour.

Dinner for the evening was at the Robot Restaurant which was voted the number one attraction in Tokyo for foreign visitors.

Our table was booked at 9pm. We had just picked up our tickets at 9pm when I received my text from the ICAEW with my results. Gavin said don’t look at it until after dinner but I couldn’t leave it until then.

I opened the message as we crossed the street and I HAD PASSED. I squealed in delight – much to the astonishment of the public around me. I couldn’t believe it. No more exams ever! Absolutely buzzing.

I made the necessary phone calls to the family back home and I bought a bottle of champagne to drink at the show. Such a relief!
The robot show was the most bizarre and ridiculous thing I have ever seen. It was pretty funny though.

No storyline to the show but it was good all the same.

We had some post dinner drinks in a bar in the golden gai area and sat at a bar which can’t have been bigger than a goldfish bowl. Tiniest bar I’ve ever been in but we sat chatting to locals until the early morn.

Saturday.

I woke with a headache so decided I would treat myself to a lie in. We visited Meiji-Jingu, a large Shinto shrine in the middle of a huge park in Tokyo. It was very peaceful walking through the park and we even managed to watch some traditional Shinto weddings.

There are also large bright colourful empty barrels of sake piled up in the park which are a decorative display to the gods. It also made for a good seflie opportunity.

We walked from here to Harajuku where I wanted to see more quirky Japanese fashion. The long street did not disappoint. There were so many people it was insane – locals and tourists alike.

We browsed the various shops along route until we hit the designer shops and other than taking some snaps of their designer buildings, we walked straight on.

We reached the subway station and hopped on the metro to Akihabara; the anime and manga centre. On exiting the subway at Akihabara we were met with many many bright lights and strange characters adorning the walls of buildings on big billboards.

Girls dressed in cosplay outfits were everywhere trying to entice people into their overpriced maid cafes. The area known as Electric Town had many shops selling various gadgets and many brightly coloured arcades – half of them selling capsule toys – cheap toys in plastic balls; who would want those, I have no idea.

After wandering round for a couple of hours we were knackered and dinner wasn’t until 10pm (it was the only time this restaurant could get us in!) so we went back to the hostel for yet another nap.

Dinner was well worth the wait. We went to the ninja restaurant in Akasaka and it was just incredible. The food was great, the entertainment and atmosphere was great and it was a really fun evening. Definitely a good way to celebrate results!

Sunday.

This morning we tried to go see some sumo but although the Internet said it was on until 10am, when we arrived at 9:20, it was already finished so we could only see the wrestlers standing about chatting which was a shame.

After this disappointment we went to another shrine near our hostel called Senso-ji which was very busy but good to see all the same as it is Tokyos oldest temple. There was a large cauldron of incense which people wafted the smoke over themselves as it is said to bestow health.

The afternoon was our journey to Hakone via bullet train. I was looking forward to some traditional Japanese experience in the onsen!

Tibet, the Roof of the World

Tuesday.

As I took off from Chengdu for Lhasa, I came to the conclusion I had left my phone on the counter top when I had bought lunch. I reflected on how I would travel without my phone. It wasn’t like I could use the Internet casually, and I had my iPad for wifi and, as well as my SLR, I could also be one of those awful people who took photos on their iPad. So really I didn’t need my phone. I put my head back and went to sleep trying to convince myself of these facts.

I landed in Lhasa, got my luggage, didn’t go through any security, and went outside to find my driver.

I was met with beautiful blue skies and warm sunshine. What a change! I put my bags in the car and while we waited for another tour member, I took my coat off and sat in the hottest weather I had had since I left Hong Kong. After an hour of sunshine, Rachel arrived and we headed to our hotel. En route I found my phone tucked safely away in my purse. Result.

The choice of hotel in Lhasa was Heritage Hotel and we were greeted with Butter milk tea which tasted like sweet soy milk and I wasn’t a huge fan. We dumped our bags in our room and I met Billy, my roomie for the week and went for dinner. Rachel and Billy were my two new friends from rentafriend.com. (The lonely planet website).

Dinner was at Lhasa Kitchen that served Tibet, Nepali, Indian and Western food. I had chicken pieces which were crazy spicy and a tandoori roti. Washed down with a glass of hot water as, as I was told, “it’s good for healthy”. We were also told to steer away from alcohol for a few days while we acclimatise as Lhasa is at 3650m above sea level.

The walk to dinner was an interesting one as we had our first sight of the pilgrims and prostrators circling the Jokhang temple on the Barkhor circuit. Visitors come from all across Tibet and many stopped to stare at us, say hello, or ask for our pictures. As a result the walk took a little longer than we thought!

Wednesday.

After an average nights sleep – unsure whether that was due to the heater being left on, the altitude, or my 2 hour nap on the plane, we had an easy day exploring Lhasa.

Our first visit was to the Potala. This was the home of every Dalai Lama from the fifth to the fourteenth yet now lies relatively dormant as a monastery and functions more as a museum. It was a stark reminder that the current Dalai Lama was forced into exile and can no longer reside where his predecessors had. There are only around 30 monks that live there now and they are there to look after the monastery and collect pilgrims’ donations.

The large white palace was built in the 17th century and the fifth Dalai Lama moved in. However the red palace was finished later and the Dalai Lama died during the construction of the red palace and his death was kept hidden for 12 years until the red palace was completed.

The Potala served as the seat of the Tibetan government and was a self contained world with schools, chapels, jails and tombs for the Dalai Lama. All photos of inside were forbidden but it was an impressive visit.

Also worth noting the horrific number of steps required to reach the entrance and the various temples inside. It was a very slow walk and fortunately I wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of the altitude at this point!

Lunch was at a small local restaurant. I tried Yak momos which were delicious and had yak meat noodles too. Equally as tasty.

Rachel had potatoes and a Tibetan dumpling which looked and tasted exactly like a Yorkshire pudding!

The afternoon took us inside the Jokhang temple. The temple smelt strongly of all the yak butter and ghee that is burnt around the temple. Again, no pictures inside the temple were allowed but I’m not sure pictures would have done the interior justice!

After the temple, Rachel and I watched some of the pilgrims prostrate outside the temple and then wondered to find ice cream where we had a minor ordeal trying to order one original Oreo ice cream (for me) and one chocolate Oreo (for Rachel). Given our lack of knowledge of both Chinese and Tibetan, the lady behind us got involved and I ended up settling with a chocolate Oreo. Two of the same was much easier.

Dinner was a trip to Lhasa’s very own Times Square as I was determined to find a supermarket that sold hot water bottles (the night at EBC is apparently a cold one!). The supermarket was full of unknown fruits and goodies so we stocked up and headed to a local Thai restaurant.

Again, the language barrier was a minor issue as Rachel is a vegetarian. Fortunately my “Learn Chinese” app had the required phrase and we were able to order some dinner. I love Thai food!

Thursday.

Today we were visiting the two great Gelugpa monasteries; Drepung and Sera (I don’t think I need to see another monastery after this trip!).

We met downstairs to the sight of snow. I had little interest in spending yet another day wondering around in the snow. Rachel however is from Melbourne and had never seen snow before so it was amusing to watch her delight in building her first snow man (albeit a mini one!).

Drepung monastery was first. This used to be one of the largest monasteries in the world and it was huge. Once again, there were many many steps to climb, made even more unpleasant by the presence of snow!

This monastery houses Ganden Palace which was established by the second Dalai Lama in 1530 and became the residence of the Dalai Lama from the second to the fifth who then move to the Potala. The second, third and fourth Dalai Lama are all entombed here.

The other two members of our 5 person your group were a Thai couple who taught Yoga. The husband proceeded to film a update video, which was amazing to watch but his feet must have for cold and wet as he was doing it in the snow – much to everyone’s amazement!

A family from eastern Tibet wanted a photo and I managed to get he son (through various pointing actions) to take a cheeky snap of me and the dad in his traditional outfit.

We also came across a small boy sitting wrapped up in the cold. Our guide told us that he likely belonged to a family who left him there in order to collect money from pilgrims and visitors. Given how cold I was, this bought a tear to my eye. He must have been freezing. We did however manage to get a couple of smiles from the cutie.

We then headed to Sera monastery which was slightly smaller than Drepung.

Lunch was at a nearby local restaurant and I had a tasty yak meat curry!

The great Gelugpa monasteries once operated as self contained worlds. Drepung once housed 10,000 monks before the takeover in 1951. At Sera we managed to catch the monks during their debating practice which was an amazing experience. It was very loud!

Monks debate in pairs; one sits down and asks questions and the one stands and answers them. There are three movements of the answering monk.

The right hand represents method and compassion and the left hand represents wisdom. When they clap, wisdom and method are joined.

As they clap they stamp their feet which represents the idea that hell should listen.

The left arm is then held out simultaneously and the beads are bought to the shoulder. This represents the compassion being taken or being re born from hell (I think).

It was an amazing thing to watch – even if the spectators are controlled by grumpy Chinese security!

We then headed back to the hotel and I took the time to use the wifi and read.

For dinner, Billy, Rachel and I ordered a Tibetan pizza and watched Kundun which is a film about the life of the current Dalai Lama and well worth a watch. It was interesting to put where we had seen into perspective.

Friday.

Today we drove down the northern friendship highway to Shigatse. Along the route we went through a number of villages and stopped at a local home based incense factory. They used primative water operated tools to process the materials and we watched a man make an order for some burners.

At Shigatse our guide needed to obtain the Alien Travel Permit (ATP) that was needed for the border check at Shegar.

Lunch was at a small local restaurant where again, I had yak meat curry (the only alternative was rice) and made a new friend.

We continued driving after lunch and on arrival in Shigatse we went to Tashilumpo monastery. Here we were able to watch the monks chanting which was interesting. This monastery is known for the fake monks who are actually Chinese spies from Beijing. It’s also home to the largest future Buddha statue in the world – although I’m sure every monastery claimed this, it was pretty big.

Back to the hotel for check in, dinner, and a good nights sleep.

Saturday.

Early start for the drive to Everest base camp and an increase in elevation from 3900m at Shigatse to 5200m at EBC. I woke up with a sore throat but after a check to ensure it wasn’t tonsillitis (major paranoia), i was sure it wasn’t anything some paracetamol and ibruprophen wouldn’t cure.

The road to EBC was really windy and it was full of u bends which often resulted in my bag flying off the seat next to me.

We stopped a couple of times on route – one stop was the highest point of our trip at 5248m. The wind was bitterly cold.

The next stop was our first view of Mount Everest. That was pretty amazing.

We continued to Gawu la pass where we had views of five of the Himalyas that are greater than 8000m; Mt.Makalu(8463m), Mt.Lotse(8516m), Mt.Everest(8844m), Mt.Cho Oyu(8201m) and Mt.Shishapama(8020m).

We drove down through numbers of switchback bends lead to the dry valley of Tashi Zom and then finally the day’s destination – Everest Base Camp located in the Rongbuk valley. We paid a visit to Rongbuk monastery which is the highest monastery in the world and is located in a cave. It was so warm and peaceful!

We then headed to the base camp which was empty of tents as it is not climbing season but Everest was impressive. SO COLD.

Dinner was chicken fried rice at the local guesthouse. The rooms were freezing but the restaurant was warm so we stayed there until bedtime.

Tonight was possibly the worst nights sleep I have ever had. I had two thick blankets, my sleeping bag and a number of layers of clothes on and a hot water bottle but it was just so unpleasantly cold I couldn’t sleep. I think I had 3 hours sleep in total – the morning couldn’t come soon enough!

Sunday.

After the appalling sleep of last night, we were all looking forward to the pancakes for breakfast. The maple syrup and honey we were given were frozen so we had a hard time warming that up to get it out. At least there was hot water. I had an awful headache and whether it was the lack of sleep or the altitude (5200m), I felt awful.

It was a long drive back to Shigatse and again, lack of sleep, the altitude or the very bendy road lead to a very poorly Katie. We couldn’t wait to be back in the comfort of the Shigatse hotel were the beds were soft, the room was warm and there was running water! I had little energy for anything when we got back to the hotel so Billy and I nipped to the supermarket across the road for pot noodles for dinner. Time for a well earned shower and a good nights sleep.

Monday.

Still not sleeping. Such a pain. I’d now developed some form of cold and again I woke with a banging headache.

Today was another long drive back to Lhasa. At least this time we were stopping at serious points and I had at least had more sleep than at EBC.

Our first stop was in Gyantse where we visited Kumbum stupa and Palkhor Choede monastery. This magnificent multi-door structure is the largest stupa in Tibet, it is not only well known for its architecture but also its old sculptures and paintings all around its inner walls that date back to the 14th century.

Whilst waiting for the others, a lady offered me butter milk tea – I wasn’t feeling great so politely declined. However within 5 minutes she had taken me by the hand and had lead me over to her bench and sat me down and handed me some tea and some strange sugar treat. A young boy then joined us and he took our camera and became the photographer which was amusing.

The afternoon drive was a long but pretty one one with various stops including a stop at Karo la (5150m) to see the holy mount Nyenchen Kangsar glacier and some super cute Tibetan mastiffs.

As it was our last meal as a group and it was Rachel’s birthday we went for a group dinner at a Nepali restaurant where I had a yak meat pizza! Delish.

Tomorrow I fly back to Beijing ready for an early morning flight on Wednesday to Japan. I’m excited for the snazzy toilets and ninja shows!

Pandas

Monday. 30th November

06:54 – I awoke at 6am for my ride to the panda park. Given that this was a highlight of my trip (or rather the whole point I came to China) my lack of planning was appalling.

I write this sat in the private van I have hired, where the driver is nice but speaks zero English, not having a clue whether I am going to the right park for panda photos or not!

My research last night told me there are a couple of panda parks in Chengdu, the biggest being Giant Panda Breeding Research Base that has a confusing website, followed by Dujiangyan panda base that has no website at all and when I google, I am taken to pages about Dujiangyan irrigation system, which, although is a UNESCO world heritage site, I have zero interest in visiting.

In 2014, a few pandas in chengdu caught canine distemper and the survival rate was low. As a result, the panda centres stopped allowing human contact including photos to protect remaining pandas. However Dujiangyan has since reopened this opportunity but requires people to wear protective clothing.

I have seen friends photos in the past and a couple on my DPRK tour had been and the photos have all been amazing so I can only hope that I can do it too and I will ignore the things I have read about booking in advance! I don’t think I’ll see baby pandas at this one though.

Local name: 大熊猫谷

Local address: 白马村余塘乡

Breakfast however was an enjoyable affair – pocketed strawberry jam sandwiches with the crusts cut off. I started taking ‘Fufang Gaoshan Hongjingtian Koufuye’ on Saturday night which Frank said would help with potential altitude sickness in Tibet. It tastes a bit like liquorice. I can’t read the instructions as to what it does but I was told to take two vials a day. I took that as morning and evening – I couldn’t stomach two of these at once. At least the strawberry sandwiches took the taste away. Unless you speak Chinese, it’s a bit of a waste of time googling too!

08:30 – We finally arrived at the Dujiangyan Panda Park. The security guard said we would have to wait 15 minutes. I was filled with dread. I’ve come all this way, paid 400 yuan (~£40) for the driver and I might be turned away. However after 10 minutes a girl in a blue raincoat came and peered her head into the van and it seemed I could go in. Whoop!

We parked up and my driver took me through into the office. Although he spoke less English than I speak mandarin, he did a great job in explaining that I wanted to see the pandas. The girl asked for my donation of 1800 yuan and I agreed to some form of terms and conditions that I wouldn’t sell my photos. Not sure who would want my amateur photos anyway but there we go.

I was then let loose in the panda park. There are only 4-5 pandas that are open to the public, each in their own enclosure. At the sight of the first one, I almost skipped. The park was empty, there was no one in sight and with no crowds, you could get unbelievably close to them. I was on cloud nine.

The first panda was called Dai Li and he was 16 years old. He was a cutie. He only had three legs as he was found in the wild after being attacked by other animals so his leg had to be amputated. It had since healed and he was doing well on his other legs.

Another panda there was called Pan Pan. At 30 years old, he was the oldest panda at the park and the oldest male panda in the world. A birthday party was held for him in September. Cute! He was less photogenic than the others!

WuWen was a female panda and was 2 years old. When I first saw her she was folded over in the most uncomfortable position.

10:20 – After an hour and a half of creeping on the 4 pandas there, I headed back to the office for the main event. A photo with what was to be, my new best friend.

My new buddy was 1 year old and super cute. I was told that winter is a good time to see pandas as they prefer the cold and they are more active than in the summer when they insist on sleeping all day. He was a mischievous fellow who refused to get on the bench at first to pose for a photo. After he was given his carrot to munch on however he was a happy chap and sat nicely for the photos.

It was surreal. He was so adorable and so fluffy and it took every part of me to not pick him up and whisk him away. He looked at me with this big eyes and I melted a little inside. What amazing creatures.

Definitely worth every penny of my “donation”. I even got a certificate and a tshirt.

When I told the lady it was hard to find things about the park online, she said it was because it wasn’t open to the public. You can only go on a tour group or if you are willing to donate for the photo. That explained a lot as to why the park was so empty.

If I had time, I would have loved to go to the other panda centre to see the red pandas and the baby pandas but as I won’t get back until after lunch, I am probably cutting it fine. I’ll just have to come back to China in the future. They are incredible animals.