Category: Travel

Volcanos, sunshine and Pura Vida. Nicaragua and Costa Rica. ☀️☀️☀️

Tuesday 5th January.

Another day of travelling into Nicaragua. The plane was originally delayed due to adverse weather conditions. The rain was a joke.

Our flight went via El Salvador which from the air looked beautiful!

Our hotel, Hotel Chilamates, was really nice with a good pool area. We went for dinner at Cafe Garden where I shared another good bottle of Malbecwith Ruth and Kim.

After dinner we had some uber cheap cocktails sat in a bar on the street.

Wednesday 6th January.

Today was a crazy busy day.

We had breakfast a Kathys Waffle House and I had some fantastic blueberry pancakes. We then had a tour of Granada and visited the market.

We then headed to the Masaya Volcano and walked across the top for some amazing views. It was bloody hot though and of course I got sunburnt! More stairs to climb too. GAH!

One of the craters was active so we could see the gas coming out (and smell it!)

From here we went to another crater that was full of water where we could swim. I sat and had lunch with Ibi and Krystal and continued to drink the rum cocktail we had that was rum and guava juice and it was beaut. My memory after this is a bit hazy…

We went on a boat, I know because I lost my sunglasses on said boat. I’m told we saw monkeys but I have no idea. Everyone was crazy drunk but it was a fun evening. All in bed by 9:30pm!

Thursday 7th January

Today was a chilled day and I sat by the pool – writing all this up! Ronny ordered fried chicken for lunch!

Nothing hugely exciting today other than lazing around. Dinner was at a restaurant called Nectar where I had a yummy fish burrito.

Friday 8th January.

Today we were due to get a chicken bus to the ferry to cross the lake to an island called Ometepe. As there isn’t loads to do on the island, and there is currently some form of bird flu outbreak in Nicaragua, we opted to get a private bus to a beach for the day and head to Ometepe later in the afternoon.

The beach was a surf camp and there were many good looking surfer boys and we could hire boards for $10 for the day. After joking that maybe surfing was the talent I was yet to find, I quickly realised that it was as far from being my forte as could be. I was useless. Tess and a couple of others did manage to stand up though! Good day all round.
We then arrived at the ferry port to a small boat which turned out to be our ferry. It was a little rickety and the benches downstairs were unbelievably uncomfortable. So much so I moved to a flat bit of floor to soon realise my bum was very hot as I was sitting above the engine. Good start to the trip!

To overcome any potential illness, I turned my music on and danced to the music while sat on the hot engine and pretended the movement of the sea was my dancing. It worked a treat. We even got to watch the sunset as we moved over the lake.

We were staying with families on the island. Tess and I were paired with a lady called Sandra and I figured this would be a real test of my spanish! Fortunately when we arrived, we also found that Ronny (our guide) was staying at our house too so that eased the tension a little!

It was a nice open plan house with tiles on the floor and coloured walls. Our beds had individual mosquito nets and we had an ensuite. There were many small bugs about but that wasn’t the end of the world.

Dinner of spaghetti, salsa and vegetables had been prepared for us. Tess and I sat with Ronny and the eldest boy in the house for dinner. His English was as good as my Spanish so we managed to muddle through okay! I found out he was studying accountancy at university so we were able to bond a little there! The girl who joined us shortly after was 15 and her English was really good so her translations were often very helpful!

Ronny had a full conversation (given that he is Costa Rican, Spanish is his first language so no problems for him!) with the parents and I piped in when I could – mainly when he was saying how much he liked Mexico to which I said “no, no me gusta Mexico – me gusta Belize!” Which they laughed at. It was a good evening and lots of their family came round.

Saturday 9th January.

Last night we were given our options of climbing with of the two volcanos – one requiring a particularly steep incline as its the second highest volcano in Nicaragua, the other was not so steep but as it was a mud trail, you would have needed shoes with traction both of which were 8-9 hours walking – or the other option was a “Lazy Tour” of the island including a visit to a beach, some hot springs and inspections of some rock carvings.

Needless to say which I (and in my defence the rest of the group) chose so we left at 9am for a drive to a lagoon where we only had a one hour walk around a lake looking at the fauna and flora surrounded by butterflies. It was a nice walk – albeit super hot! We also walked to see some howler monkeys that lived in a tree in the area which was pretty cool.
From here we headed to a local farm to see some rock carvings.

I also tried a star fruit which was so sour but so incredible. Definitely going to look out for those at home!

We stopped for lunch at a beach which was nice although we didn’t go in the water as we only had an hour or so there and I didn’t want to sit on a bus in wet clothes! I also stubbed my toe getting off the bus and was the most painful thing in the world!

After lunch we went to some natural springs although I say natural, the pool we were in was man made. The water was also bloody freezing. Some of the group had some of the CocoLoco there, a cocktail with a variety of shots in with the coconut water. Given that I don’t like coconut, I missed out though. Sarah bought herself and Katie one each and then tried to swim across the pool with one in each hand and nearly drowned doing so. It was very amusing!

We then went back to the community centre at the home stay where Leo gave Ibi a photography lesson which I listened in on (very helpful) and we watched the sunset before dinner.

Back to the home stay for our last night where on route I realised I had left my trainers on the bus. Mare. When we got back to our house, Tess went for a shower and a large bug/beetle landed on the floor next to my feet. As Tess wasn’t yet in the shower I called her for some help (it was mahoosive) and she flipped it the right way to help it fly out alone (our room had no windows). She went back in the shower and it flipped on its back again – it clearly couldn’t cope with the fan being on! I tried to turn it over again as Tess made it look easy. Poor thing. Tess came out the shower and a few minutes later the bug had gone and we assumed it had finally managed to fly away.

I asked Tess to put some after sun on my back and as I moved my hair out the way, I touched something hard and figured I must have left a hair grip in there. HOWEVER after a couple of seconds, I realised that this hard thing was no hair grip, IT WAS THE BUG/BEETLE FROM THE FLOOR! We had no idea how it had got into my hair but I was horrified and we both couldn’t stop laughing. Tess was laughing so much she couldn’t get her fingers to take it out! It was awful. Fortunately however she managed to remove said bug and my hair was once again restored to being bug free. AWFUL. Bed in my mosquito net couldn’t come soon enough.

Sunday 10th January

I woke at 05:30 and checked the time on my iPad. The iPad lit up my surroundings and I saw a GINORMOUS spider on my mosquito net. As we needed to get up at 05:45 anyway, I crawled down to the other end of the bed and exited the bed spider free. Yak.

We dressed, ate breakfast and left for the ferry. On route to the ferry we tried to drive past the bus drivers house to get my shoes back but unfortunately at 06:30 he wasn’t awake so I donated my shoes to the island. Nicaragua has had my sunglasses and my trainers. I hope they do someone well.

The ferry back to the mainland was not a chicken ferry and was relatively pleasant. We then had a short drive to the border for Costa Rica!

The crossing into Costa Rica was a mare and took ages. Lots of waiting in the sunshine. It also included a 10-15 minute walk in the sunshine with our bags. We were all sweaty bettys! Finally after 2 hours we made it into Costa Rica! Off to Monteverde we went.

We stopped for lunch at a supermarket that also had a clothes shop next door. Given that I was going to need trainers more than anything for the next few activity days I went and bought a pair of new trainers – much less snazzy than my old pair unfortunately but I bought some ultra snazzy new sunglasses to make up for it.

The afternoon was then spent in the van booking activities for tomorrow. I went for horse riding for the evening tonight. Tomorrow I will be going zip lining at 9am, ATV riding at 11am and walking through the hanging bridges tomorrow at 2:30pm. Busy busy!

Horse riding was lovely. We stopped to watch the sunset too which was really pretty. Riding back in the pitch black was interesting though – at least the horses knew where they were going!

Monday 11th January

Zip lining was awesome. There were 9 zip lines, the longest of which was 1.5km and is the longest in Latin America. It was pretty cool.

ATVs was my favourite activity though. Definitely want one at one. The views were absolutely amazing too.

The hanging bridges were cool. We saw pizotes in the trees and it was a relaxed walk in a beautiful setting.

We went to a bar after dinner where Pitbull was the main soundtrack which got a bit tedious and we also had these awful chilli shots which tasted like tomato sauce. Disgusting.

Tuesday 12th January.

Today we were leaving Monteverde and crossing the lake to La Fortuna. We had amazing views of the Arenal volcano too.

La Fortuna was hot and muggy. All activities were also crazy expensive and I didn’t fancy any of them. Tomorrow was going to be a quiet and relaxed day!

Dinner was at the most incredible steak restaurant. $22 for a beer, chicken wings and a delicious steak. Perfect.

Wednesday 13th January.

Today was very quiet. We headed into town for some lunch then Ibi and I tried to find a bar to watch a football game. No where was showing it, so back to the hotel to stream it with a couple of beers from the gas station!

After dinner we went to a local karaoke bar which was fun. Didn’t bode well for tomorrow’s early start though!

Thursday 14th January.

Today we had to wake up crazy early for whit water rafting. Many of us were feeling very worse for wear.

Fortunately the water did us good and we had a really fun day! Pictures to follow!

After changing, onto San Jose for our last night!

Friday 15th January.

Today I was leaving to fly to Quito for my final leg of my trip, a visit to the Galapagos. I nearly missed my connecting flight in Panama city as I was doing too much shopping but I made it to Quito safe and sound.

Off for my next adventure! Gutted to leave Central America though – I’ve had the most amazing time!

Central America is HOT ☀️☀️☀️

Monday 28th December.
I left for the airport at 4am on Monday morning and 3 flights later I arrived exhausted 24 hours later in Antigua, Guatemala at 10pm local time (4am UK time). I had managed to sleep the entirety of every plane journey, waking up only for meals – as a result I missed ice cream which was unfortunate.

Had a bit of a mare at the airport in that my driver wasn’t there. Fortunately a very friendly man sorted some internet for me and rang the hostel to find out where my driver had got to. Unlike many other airports I have been to, he managed to be very helpful and very friendly without being leery and making me uncomfortable. So, when he asked for a tip, I went against my normal rules of ‘anyone who asks for a tip, shouldn’t get one’ and gave him one. Hopefully he will help out the next person in an equally friendly manner!

It took an hour to get to the hostel from Guatemala City airport. Unlike the last time I was here, it wasn’t rainy and although it was dark outside I was able to look out the window and judge my driver’s driving. I would be interested to know why it is that all non-first world countries drive like maniacs. How does it work there and not at home? Crazy. Speed limits were obviously optional here.

Hostel was fine although I’d been given a top bunk which was super high from the floor. Just had to hope I didn’t need the loo in the night.

Which, of course I did. I woke at 4am and after a couple of episodes of eastenders and the Christmas special of Call the Midwife, I finally braved the stairs down to the floor which weren’t as bad as they looked – ie I survived. Back to bed for a little more sleep.

Tuesday 29th December.

I woke up for the second time at 11:45 and figured I should probably get up. I had arranged to meet a friend for lunch at 3 (Guatemalans dine late it seems) so I still had a few hours to explore.

Lunch with Pedro was at a local restaurant which sold various different dishes from the area. I chose a 3 meat curry – chicken, beef and I think pork, accompanied with some guacamole and rice. Nom.

After a leisurely lunch we headed out to find a bar called Earth Lodge. It took a while to find as people were sending us on a wild goose chase. We finally arrived and it was certainly worth the wait. The view was spectacular.

We sat outside with our drinks and as it got dark, we could see the volcano erupting in the distance which was amazing to watch. Taking pictures of it though was almost impossible! We even felt a small earthquake as it errupted!

I found out that you could also stay there and was gutted I couldn’t as it would have been an amazing view to wake up to! We had parked the car in the car park which was only a 10 minute walk away. Unfortunately for me though the walk to the lodge had been ten minute down hill so when we left to drive back to Antigua, it was then obviously a ten minute walk uphill and the incline was insane. I would not recommend that walk to anyone. Ever. Especially after 5 glasses of wine and in flip flops. Horrific. I’d rather climb the steps in China! I almost vommed.
The lodge was beautiful though so if I ever return, I will definitely stay there, although I will not be bringing luggage. They even had tree houses you could stay in!

After there we drove back to Antigua and spent the rest of the evening at a rooftop bar. Very enjoyable. This is what travelling is for.

Wednesday 30th December.

Wednesday was a slow day as the wine (and the g&ts on the rooftop) began to take its toll. I could also have done with a few more hours sleep! I was meeting the rest of the group tonight for my next tour so I spent a couple of hours over lunch (chicken and chips – glorified nandos) with a few beers and then back to the hotel for a quick nap.

Thursday 31st December.

Thursday morning we were leaving for Honduras. There’s a total of 16 of us in the group, 17 with the guide, Ronny. It’s a good group with everyone being a similar age. Given that I was super unprepared for this trip, I needed to get cash out. So a couple of the others and I went to find the cash machine. At first, my card didn’t work although Tom just said the machines were temperamental so I kept trying and after a few attempts on 3-4 machines, I finally had cash. Even though we were moving onto Honduras, the cash machines in Antigua were apparently safer than those in Honduras so I got enough to last the next week or so! A few days later though, I did find $180 in an envelope which I had stashed in my bag from the China part of the trip. Great find!

It was a long drive to Copán just over the border. We had lunch at a restaurant with a pool and had to change buses as the brakes on the old bus were broken! We got to Copán late but with enough time to go to dinner and see in the New Year!

Friday 1st January 2016.
The next morning I felt a little worse for wear but as there had been some devil children screaming outside the window from about half 7 in the morning, a few of us still managed to get up and explore the Mayan ruins. The Copán ruins are a UNESCO world heritage site and there was the longest hieroglyphic stairway there which was impressive. There was a lot of climbing and as I had a couple of near death experiences as I tripped over a tree root, I began to feel a little health and safety might not go amiss!

On the way back to the hotel, we saw some macaws which were amazing. They are so colourful (and so loud!)

The evening was spent at the Luna Jaguar hot springs. To get there we had to drive an hour and a half in the back of a pick up truck. Unfortunately I was on the end and got majorly squished every time the truck braked! It was a very scenic drive though so totally worth it!

The springs were amazing (and, unlike the ones in Japan, we didn’t have to be naked (and they also weren’t as ridiculously hot!). The pool we were in was bath temperature and was so relaxing. As we had opted for a bbq for dinner, we also had some nachos and some delicious cheesy dip. Sitting in hot springs with rum and coke and nachos, was the perfect way to spend an evening!

Dinner was also super tasty although it did start to rain slightly which, although fine for food as we were under cover, it did not bode well for the drive back and as it got worse, we were soaked!! Bed couldn’t come soon enough!

Saturday 2nd January.

Unfortunately the morning after, we were up at 5am for a crazy long travel day to Roatan, an island in the Caribbean. Four hours on a bus to then change to get on another bus for four hours. The first bus wasn’t too bad as we all managed to get seats but as more people got on and had to stand, they looked uncomfortable standing on a coach in that heat! I was sat next to my room buddy, Tess, and we decided to offer part of our chair to one of the small kids who were forced to stand. Although it was a nice thing to do, it did result in is being horrifically uncomfortable for an hour or so! Not enough space for two adults and a small child on those seats!

At the change over, we ran into the mall there to use the toilet. It was interesting to see the number of armed security patrolling the place – wasn’t sure whether to be concerned or not!

The next bus was much more roomy but after a couple of hours, the journey slowed substantially as the driver had to get out to poor water over the engine every so often to cool it down. Eventually after some other toying with the engine, we got off the bus and got taxis to the ferry terminal.

The ferry was an hour and a half and although miraculously I wasn’t, a number of people were ill. The staff were very good though and seemed to have a sixth sense for it and cleaned up things super quickly. I sat outside with a breeze and watched the sunset before I slept the rest of the journey!

After the ferry, we still had a short drive to the hotel so dinner was a quiet one with Mexican food on the beach before bed.

Sunday 3rd January.

Sunday morning a few of us were going snorkelling as it was the perfect day. The water was clear and the water not choppy. Very enjoyable. Other than the sunburn I ended up with!
After relaxing at a bar in West Bay after snorkelling and a good few margaritas later, a couple of us went to the beach after dinner at a Thai restaurant to look at the stars.

Monday 4th January.

Monday morning was much less sunny and I wasn’t feeling fantastic – blamed on the ice in the margaritas! As a result any plans to go diving were a definite no for me which was a shame but all diving was cancelled in the end due to bad weather :(. My ears had also hurt a little when I free dived on Sunday so it was probably for the best!

Instead we went to the beach for a little while until it started to rain. And oh my did it rain. The heavens opened and we ran back to the hotel. Not wanting to waste the afternoon though, Tess, Krystal and I decided to don our rain gear and umbrellas and head to the butterfly farm which we thought looked not to far away.

On route we stopped for lunch and waited for the rain to subside. After it eased a little, we started the short walk to the butterfly farm. Half an hour later, we were still walking and the of course the rain started again. We stopped to ask for directions and we kept going. Ten minutes later, with wet rubbed feet from flipflops and a lack of confidence in directions, we gave up and got a taxi back to the hotel. At least we tried.

Krystal went to her room for a nap before dinner and Tess and I headed back to our room. Tess took the time to read while I took the first shower. Just as I was enjoying my shower and washing out the conditioner, Tess started banging on the door telling me to get out the shower. Wondering what was wrong, I turned off the shower and grabbed my towel. I came out to find water pouring from the ceiling and the floor flooded. Fortunately Tess had been able to move my clothes out the way so little got wet but it was definitely time for a new room!

Our new room was a floor up so to save dragging my back pack up, I left my big bag in Ellie and Gregs room and took an overnight bag up. What a nightmare.

A few of us went to dinner at an Argentinian restaurant which was good. I had a Caribbean salad and shared a bottle of Malbec. Delish.

As we left the restaurant, we found that again, it was pouring down with rain. This time we had no rain gear and no umbrellas so we ran to the bar, aptly named Booty Bar. I was soaked through. Yak. And I did not dry so I partied soaked to the bone. Nice. Tequila made it better though.

Tuesday morning we were off to Nicaragua for some more lagoons and volcanos! Bring on the sunshine!

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.

The Polar Express to Suzhou and Shanghai

Before I go further, lets get this straight, Suzhou bought no warmer weather.

Tuesday. 24th November

The train from Xi’an was an interesting experience. The train station was busy with many policemen wondering around. Frank, the babe of a tour guide (genuinely – what a nice guy) informed us that the station was often subject to terrorist attacks and stabbings. Good start to the long journey!

We sat in a dingy waiting room to wait for our train. We were very early so got some seats but it very quickly filled up with the loud locals. When the train finally arrived there was a mad rush together on which seemed extreme until not much sooner after we were on the train with our bags, the train began to pull off and start its ~800 mile journey to Suzhou.

To put it nicely, the train was cosy. We had 6 beds in two, three bed high bunks in the cabin. Joined with all our luggage, breathing space was limited – but it’s all part of the adventure hey?

Train left around 8pm and lights out at 9:30pm. I lay down to read but was convinced I felt travel sick so forced myself to sleep. By 2am I was wide awake listening to the trains honk at each other as they passed. SO LOUD.

Eventually it was 8am and time to get up as we assumed we would be arriving at 9. We assumed wrong. Franky boy came to tell us we had slowed down due to the snow so we wouldn’t get in until half 11. I was bored of this train now so went back to sleep.

The upside to the train was that the toilet wasn’t as bad as it could have been – it didn’t smell great but it appeared clean. I also scored a bottom bunk so no climbing for me. Life could be worse.

We finally arrived in Suzhou. It was cold. We went to the Garden of the Master of the Nets which is considered to be one of Suzhou’s best preserved gardens. It was laid down in the 12th century and was left to die but was restored in the 18th century as part of the home of a fisherman (hence the name). It’s very pretty but given it was so cold, it was hard to enjoy the outdoor space so many of us headed back to the hotel after the garden for a decent sleep after last nights journey.

Thursday.

We caught an early bullet train to Shanghai. Top speed hit was 297km/h. I however was less speedy in taking a photo to show the speed!

We arrived into Shanghai to sunshine and blue skies. We checked in and went for a walk down the Bund for our first sight of the Shanghai skyline.

We had bought tickets to an evening acrobat show at the Shanghai Circus World which did not disappoint. The metro there was an experience – China in rush hour is crazy! Acrobat show was amazing though. Who mine you could fit 8 motorbikes into a caged sphere?

Friday.

Last day with the group. We walked back down the bund to the Yuyuan Gardens which were large markets that sold souvenirs and various bits of tat. It’s all in a nice setting though.

After a local lunch at Maccies, Lindsay, Hayley and I headed to the Shanghai Museum which is a large museum of ancient Chinese art. It was interesting but I’m glad it was free.

We then decided to head to an observatory tower. Given that we couldn’t access wifi we just guessed which metro station it was likely to be near. How wrong we were. Given that we didn’t know the name of the tower we wanted – just that it was known locally as the “bottle opener”, I couldn’t even attempt to find it on google maps. It is one of the tallest buildings in Shanghai, so you can imagine our surprise when we could no longer see it when we left the metro. Absolute mare. We guessed which way to walk and headed over. An hour or so later we finally arrived. Whilst writing this I have since learnt it was actually only a twenty minute walk – just shows you need to research where you are going first!!

We went all the way to the 100th floor at 474m high. It’s the tenth tallest building in the world and since we were fortunate to a clear day, the views across Shanghai were spectacular!

Dinner was the last supper. Last meal on tour. We all decided to get a taxi, which required 3 different taxis, and naturally, the three were taken at different times as they were hard to flag down and we all got dropped at different locations. However we did finally make it which was the best part of a miracle! After dinner a few of us walked back down the bund to see the skyline at night.

We made a detour via a bar for a well earned drink to celebrate a good week.

Saturday.

I had a final day in Shanghai by myself. I took myself off early to the Yuz Museum to see a new art installation called the RainRoom. It was a large room where 1800 litres of water fall from the ceiling every minute and yet you can walk through without getting wet.

It was amazing. It is all done through motion sensors and 3D cameras. The rest of the museum wasn’t hugely exciting but the rain room was well worth a visit.

I headed to the French concession for some lunch and a general wander round the area. Back then the hotel for an early night as I’d decided to brave the metro to the airport at 6am.

Back to Mainland China 🇨🇳

Beijing. Saturday 21st November

It was freezing when I left Beijing airport. My backpack had increased in weight by 6kg – likely to be a result of a bottle of gin I bought for the guides and forgot to give and the books – plural – I bought on the biography of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung that I am sure will make for fascinating bed time reading.

There was no taxi queue this time and the woman manning the rank pointed me to a guy who was beckoning me over. He showed me a card that read “I speak English” which made me laugh and then tried to charge me 500RMB for a taxi. That was not happening given that I was now a Beijing pro and knew it should only be 100. I loudly said “bù xièxiè” (no thank you) and went back to the queue for a regular taxi. I knew what I was doing.

At least, I thought I did, until I showed the next taxi man the hotel address (in Chinese characters) who then appeared to ask me how to get there. In mandarin – so at least that’s what I thought he was saying. After 5 minutes of him speaking very loudly in Chinese (which made me think the game Chinese whispers is an oxymoron as I don’t think it’s possible for them to speak quietly at all) he started off in what I figured must be the right direction.

My hotel was called Chongwenmen hotel and was right next to Chongwenmen metro station. The driver dropped me off at exit B (so it turned out) and according to my hotel directions, I wanted exit C. I paid less than 100RMB for the ride (glad I didn’t go with the original taxi thief) and headed into the metro to find exit C. I couldn’t cross through to exit C from where I was without a ticket so instead of going back upstairs to the road and crossing it, I just bought the equivalent to a 20p ticket to the next stop so I could cross the station. I exited at exit C and saw my hotel – 20p well spent.

The hotel was of a much higher standard than previous hostels which was a god send. So, instead of venturing out into Beijing, I went to the local department store for lunch, bought a new pair of straightners (which I rationalised by calling them my new “travel straightners”) and headed back to the hotel for a hot shower and a nap before the next tours orientation meeting.

Dinner was a very enjoyable affair of Peking duck with my new tour group. I never want crispy duck pancakes at home unless the pancakes are 1000 times thicker, at least 3 times the size and the duck is succulent and juicy. It was delicious.

Sunday

Early start for a trip to Tiannenmen Square and the forbidden city. It had snowed overnight and was still doing so when we ventured out. It was due to drop to -2 degrees today.

Fortunately at the time we got there the queue wasn’t too bad. The area looked pretty in the snow. It was still bloody cold though. My snazzy coat only kept me so warm and I made a mental note to wear more layers tomorrow.

After the trip we headed for a group lunch and then a few of us to the department store to buy more layers. I found a pair of 120 denier tights at an H&M and bought those as an extra under layer! Back to the hotel for a couple of hours before the evening activity as it was too cold to do much else!

The evening activity was a Kung fu show. It was brilliant. It was funny and a couple of parts required audience participation. Fortunately I was not chosen for that.

Monday

Today we were heading to see the Great Wall. We had a private bus to head out of town to the Mutianyu section, a recently renovated stretch of the Great Wall. It took two and a half hours to get there and naturally I slept the whole way. Travelling and being on holiday is exhausting.

“He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man.”

Mao Zedong

When we arrived at the wall the surrounding area was beautiful. We had clear blue skies and everything was covered in a layer of white snow. There was the option to walk up steps or get a cable car. Obviously I got the latter – figured I had climbed my fair share of steps this holiday at the rice terraces near Guilin alone!

The cable car didn’t not disappoint though. It took us up to tower 6 and the views were spectacular. The snow made it look so pretty. Myself and two girls, Hayley and Lindsey took the first selfies of many at the top and started walking carefully down the wall.

Tower 6 was quite high compared to some of the latter towers and walking down the wall required a descent down a number of steep steps. Often it was a case of watching someone else go down to conclude how slippy the steps were. Given my lack of general balance and coordination, I was glad I managed to do it in one piece.

The ‘original’ wall was begun more than 2000 years ago and it was hard to imagine the poor souls who dragged the required materials up the mountain without that handy cable car.

We walked down to tower 11 where we bumped into Ruth, a member of our group who had braved the steps up the mountain. She said it hadn’t been too bad so we decided to walk down and the steps looked manageable.

After the wall many of our group went to the Subway by the ticket office (the shops just at the base of the wall consisted of a subway and a pizza joint) and 3 of us went with Frank our guide to a local restaurant a few minutes walk away. Frank’s order did not disappoint and was delish.

The afternoon then consisted of a drive to the airport for a delayed flight to Xi’an. The Chinese were loving the group of western tourists sitting on their bags waiting for check in.

Tuesday

Late arrival and early start for a trip to the Terracotta warriors. This army is one of the most famous archeological finds in the world. In 1974, farmers were digging a well and uncovered an underground vault that yielded thousands of underground soldiers and horses in battle formation. These pits had never previously been mentioned in historical records.

On the warriors we could examine upclose, it was clear that no two faces are the same and their hairstyles,armour and even the tread of their foot ware was all unique.

There are three pits at the museum, pit 1 being the largest housing more than 6000 pottery warriors although approximately only 2000 are on show. The Warriors are reputed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”.

The warriors were found in 1974 when local farmers were drilling a well in search of water. They found pottery fragments which soon turned out to be all of this!

The below chap on the left is one of the seven “generals” found in the pits. The height, clothing and headgear of him all indicated his high rank.

The right picture above is one kind of the armored infantryman. The pose of his hands suggest he once held a crossbow. The back of the statue still had some colour from when they were originally painted!

I then attended a tea ceremony with some others and bought some lychee tea which was glorious. Chinese tea leaves can be used 6-7 times in one day and not lose their flavour. I wasn’t convinced I could drink that amount of tea without needing to visit the bathroom every 10 minutes! I was prepared to give it a try though.

After the tea ceremony we drove to Xi’an’s Muslim quarter. The area north of the drum tower has been home to the Hui community (Chinese Muslims) for centuries.

It is an area full of butcher shops, markets, one of China’s largest mosques and was a great place to wander and buy some fantastic smelling food.

Myself and Haley tried the lamb kebabs. I thought the skewer of meat was glorious so had one the bought another. Hayley didn’t seem to think the same so I had hers too. They were very enjoyable.

Tonight we board a train to Suzhou. I can’t say I’m looking forward to 14+ hours on a train in cramped cabins! Let’s hope Suzhou brings some warmer weather!

Beijing, North Korea and Dog Soup 🐶

I arrived late Saturday night into Beijing. I somehow managed to skip past a very long taxi queue and get to the front which, given that I was not feeling fresh, I had no qualms about doing. All the queuing the Chinese do was driving me crazy.

The taxi driver dropped me off at the end of a dark street and told me (in mandarin) that my hostel was “down there”. Concerning but nevertheless, I got my stuff together, paid and headed off down this dark little lane. After what felt like ages and not passing anyone else I was beginning to worry that the driver had lied to me and figured he would play a fun little joke on the English girl. Fortunately that was not the case as I finally found a the Saga Youth Hostel sign and headed in.

The restaurant only served western food so dinner was a burger and chips. Awful. My ‘no western food’ plan for this trip had been scuppered. I was also told these dark alleyways are known as Hutongs and are all over Beijing. I just wished I had known that before I was sent down the alley of death to my hostel.

Sunday.

Today I visited the Temple of Heaven Park after a long lie in and a detour to the department store to buy some straightners that worked in China! I only found mini ones but figured they were cheap and would do.

The park however was beautiful. There were many people – lots of elderly people doing various dancing exercises or playing ping pong. Some were also sat playing cards and a game I can only assume was mahjong. There was also a group of people singing which was mesmerising to watch.

Monday.

Today I had signed myself up for a market tour and cooking class with Hutong Cuisine. We made triple cooked pork, an aubergine dish, Szechuan beef and fried pepper. Super tasty.

Tuesday 17th November – D.P.R.K.

Today was the day I was heading off into what could be one of the most brutal and ridiculous countries of the world. The flight was with Air Koryo which is banned in the EU due to “serious safety deficiencies”. Check in at Beijing was pretty straight forward – I think we were surprised to see so many North Koreans checking in with us though!

On the plane I sat next to a 14 year old girl who had just been in China with the North Korean under 16 football team. Although she spoke no English we managed to communicate in smiles and nods and she enjoyed my pen which had a pull out slip with some Korean phrases on. She seemed find this very amusing!

Going though customs at Pyongang was an intense affair. Phones and passports were handed over first. Then your checked bag is scanned and anything you have claimed as a high value belonging or reading material is then given to the airport officials; I handed over my iPad, camera and China lonely planet guide. My bag was scanned and they were insistent I had two more books. My Japan guide was at the bottom of my bag so had to pull stuff out to get to that and I knew I had no other books. The official was having none of it and kept saying “one more book! One more book!” He pointed to where it was and I emptied the pocket. Turns out a bar of Lindt chocolate looks like a book in an airport scanner. He just laughed though as I brushed away the beads of sweat that were appearing as I worried someone had smuggled things into my bag. That was not the end of it. Before I even had time to put my things back in order and into my bag, I was whisked away down the room for them to go through my camera and iPad photos. Not sure what they were looking for but they did eventfully give them back. Note to self – next time someone goes through photos remember to delete all the selfies you’ve taken and decided not to use. It’s awkward when he’s just trolling through similar pictures of your face in various locations!

Eventually my belongings were handed back, I repacked and exited the airport into the arrivals lounge to wait for the bus with the others.

On the way back to the hotel we went via the Mansu Hill Grand Monument. These are 23m high bronze statues of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. They are pretty impressive. Before photos were taken we needed to show our respects first by bowing and laying down flowers. This was the first bow of many on this trip.

Wednesday.

The itinerary for today included The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, a trip on the metro and a helicopter ride over Pyongyang.

The museum taught us about the history of the Korean War from the North Korean perspective. There were many exhibititions, including the USS Pueblo; an American spy ship captured by the DPRK navy in in 1968. There were also numerous dioramas and captured weapons that belonged to the US ‘imperialists’.

The ride on the metro was like being back in the 50s with jazz music being played through speakers. It is also the deepest metro in the world. The designs of the stations were pretty with various mosaics and paintings of the leaders and scenes of Korean life.

The helicopter trip was certainly a highlight. Even though it was a little wet and rainy, it was impressive to see the city from the air. No photos were allowed during takeoff or until we got to Pyongyang but the helicopter was large and spacious although the decor was dated.

Thursday.

Today was a big day. Today we were visiting the Kumsusan Memorial Palace were Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie in state. This is a very important place to locals and the males of the group were instructed to wear ties. It was strange seeing the bodies of these men who have led one of the worlds most repressive governments and almost created a nationwide cult playing homage to them. It was hard to see that while in the country though. The people showed it most respect to the leaders and I felt I had to constantly remind myself of what we are told in the West that they have done and not get swept away in thinking they are great leaders.

The afternoon took us to a town called Nampo where foreign tourists hadn’t been allowed for a number of years. As a result many people looked our way! We again paid our respects to another set of statues before taking photos. We noticed that people cycling would get off their bike and walk it past the status. No one rode in front of it across the square.

After this we went to Nampo docks which pconsists of a remarkable 8km dam/causeway across the bay to the west of Nampo leading to a series of locks and a large control tower. The purpose of this is to regulate the fresh water river flow ( from Pyongyang, into the West ( Yellow ) Sea, and vice versa. It prevents flooding or low water levels upstream and allows shipping in and out through the locks. This was constructed, largely by hand, by a workforce of 30,000 soldiers between 1981-86, and not without a few casualties. The view on the drive was beautiful – stark comparison to the barren land we had seen previously.

From here we returned to Pyongyang for a trip to a glass factory. This may sound dull but it was fascinating to see the glass being made and being allowed to walk over an open bridge above the glass. Health and safety was of no concern! We were told the glass was unbreakable to American bullets. Assuming American bullets are no difference to any other, we assumed the guide just meant bulletproof.

Dinner was North Korean pizza. I had pizza with pepperoni which apparently was pizza with a few peppers. It was tasty all the same! We also crashed a military wedding party that was a relatively quiet affair other than some atrocious singing and an impressive drummer.

Friday.

Today took us to Kaesong and the DMZ. At the DMZ it was possible to go into one of the huts that straddles the demarcation line and actually cross over into South Korea! This is one of the few places where you can take pictures of (and even with) members of the DPRK military.

Kaesong for lunch where any tried Kaesong chicken – a whole chicken in ginseng broth – head included and others chose dog soup which I was told tasted like rabbit which I found very hard to believe. I chose neither and stuck to rice and various side dishes. I have morals.

After Keasong we went to a museum where we were told North Korea invented the spoon. So here is a picture of the worlds first spoon:

Below are some examples of the propaganda that was seen regularly around the cities:

Overall my time in the DPRK was interesting and we certainly were only shown the good side of the country. I have come away with many more questions than I had before and can see how they are led to believe that they have “Great Leaders”. I’m looking forward to having phone signal, wifi and control over my life again though. Tomorrow, back to China.

Here are some images of the local paper:

And what their currency looks like:

Guilin, Yangshou and a lot of rain 🇨🇳☔️

Wednesday.

On arrival into Guilin, I had to navigate my way on two buses to the hostel through rain and the cold with no English signs and limited mandarin knowledge. Where had I taken myself to?Fortunately the group of people I had heard speak English on the train were going to the same hostel so I tagged myself onto their group and onto a very busy bus.

Given the size of my bag, I stayed downstairs as walking up the bus steps was just not an option. Although we were on the bus and knew we needed to get of at Guilin South train station, the map of stops was in Chinese and we had no idea where to get off. One of the guys from the other group, whose name was Pedro, attempted to ask these two Chinese girls who were wearing identical cat ear hair bands if they spoke English. They giggled at him instead. Typical.

However, we were none the wiser so he tried again, this time using an app on his phone to try and translate. It sort of worked as they were able to tell us we were 12 stops away. Unfortunately the bus got particularly busy and it proved hard for anyone to move past the monstrosity that was my backpack. Life was great.

We finally arrived at the hostel and it was time for a well deserved beer and some dinner. Two of the guys, Felix and Ming , wanted to source some duck neck for dinner so we went in search. Whilst wondering in a shopping mall, there was a “9D experience”. 20 yuan (£2) for 10 minutes – why not? I chose the roller coaster option and I spent the next 10 minutes on a roller coaster in a virtual reality and needless to say I came off it feeling a little sick and dizzy so a good £2 well spent.

Dinner was clay pot rice that was super spicy. No duck necks.

Headed back to hostel for beers and a night out in Guilin. China nightlife is bizarre. Girls were giving free drinks out left right and centre and the choice of music was ridiculous. I am the Music Man mixed with some horrific techno beats was not my choice of fun. However hostel Tsingtao in 600ml bottles for £1.20 was very enjoyable.

Thursday.

Up early and feeling far from fresh for a trip to the rice terraces. 2 and a half hours and a replaced flat tyre later we arrived. Still raining we bought some snazzy plastic footwear to attempt to keep our feet dry. This was today’s attire:

Unfortunately due to the rain the views weren’t great but we managed to see some pretty impressive views. Again, millions of steps which was a bit of a mare but I certainly couldn’t complain about being cold anymore!

Quiet night in at the hostel with dinner there being enough in one portion to fill a family of 6. All for £3. Bargain. I also needed to do washing. It was only after I took it out of the machine that I realised there was no dryer and it was raining outside. Good start.

Friday.

Another early start but this time we were off on a four hour cruise down the Li river and into Yangshou. The trip is a popular one for Chinese tourists (which there were many of) as the scenery is picturesque and can be seen on a 20 Yuan banknote.

We didn’t have quite the same view but the rain didn’t make it any less impressive. A four hour trip might have been a bit excessive though. Lunch provided consisted of bean sprouts, pickles, egg and some plain rice. Not great – explained why everyone else on board bought their own picnics – we obviously missed that memo.

Gerado, me, Ming, Thiemo, Pedro, Felix, Erik

Yangshou itself is a pretty place. Much more traditional unlike the concrete city that was Guilin but as a result was much more touristy. The group were keen to head up to the tv tower on top of one of the mountains so we acquired a map and made our way.

Ming was directing us and told us to cut through the market. The market was almost deserted. It started by selling some typical weird animals such as eels and frogs and fruit I’ve never seen but as we ventured further in we began to see the dead animal carcasses. It started with ducks cut down the middle and hanging limp over a table but it very quickly descended into goats, rabbits and sadly cats and dogs.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw a cage with 5 or 6 kittens in there waiting for their fate and it nearly bought a tear to my eye. How can people think it’s a normal thing to eat? I made a swift exit after that not wanting to see any more upsetting sights. I nearly made it until I saw the remains of a dog, still with teeth intact. This market was in a different world.

We finally made it to the base of the route up to the tv tower. The steps started again and I have to admit, I did not feel like doing that again so I returned back to Yangshou with Pedro in search of other sights and a toilet. We met back up with the others an hour or so later and headed back to Guilin.

Another night was planned at Muse so after some more cheap beer and not so cheap G&Ts we returned. This time it was short lived for me though as the novelty of the appalling music and performances had worn off. Smoking is still allowed in clubs in China too so the air was pretty stuffy too. After a couple of hours we headed back to bed leaving Felix and Thiemo pulling some edgy shapes on stage.

Saturday. This morning we could lie in. I’d booked a flight to Beijing in the afternoon so I said my goodbyes and headed off to the airport after lunch.

See you soon Beijing!

The journey to Guilin from Hong Kong

So I awoke at the crack of dawn to get the train from Hong Kong over to mainland China.

To fly would have cost £130 and the train would be £21. Although I knew my way to the airport, I knew how to get through customs, I knew I could sleep safely on the plane, I knew the hostel the other end had a free transfer service, I decided to brave the train and save the money for a rainy day (as it turns out though it was pouring with rain in Guilin so maybe that day was today but never mind!).

I first had to make my way to Lok Ma Chau on the border using the subway. Which I needed to get a bus to first. In rush hour. But that was fine. I could cope.

I arrived (finally) at Lok Ma Chau, got through immigration fine and entered no mans land. I still had to get through to Shenzhen and through immigration and customs there. I managed that fine without any speaking, by following the crowd. Happy days.

The problem came when I had to buy a ticket from the border in Shenzhen to Shenzhen north where the train to Guilin left from. Although the machine said there was an English option, it lied. In the end a very nice lady asked if I needed help and bought my ticket for me. I say nice, she was probably too fed up of waiting behind me.

That ticket in hand I got another metro to the next station. To pick up my train ticket I had the instructions written in a handy piece of paper. I had come prepared. I handed that over in silence and the unfriendly lady printed the ticket without a smile. I began to wonder whether being unfriendly was a requirement of selling tickets in China; her, the machine in Shenzhen and the lady in Hong Kong. I kept that thought to myself.

I found my way to the correct platform and started to queue. The Chinese love a good queue. The train wasn’t leaving for an hour yet!

Unfortunately for me I ended up in a queue that ran parallel to a Chinese tour group. You can guess what happened there. One guy insisted on taking photos of me and my massive backpack. At first they were subtle. That quickly stopped as he began to angle it so that he could compare me to the poor 4ft lady in front who definitely could have fit in my bag.

I got on the train hoping I would finally be away from it all. But no. My luck had taken me to their carriage. And I ended up in the seat next to Mr Camera Man himself. Which the tour group found very amusing. Me, not so much.

I couldn’t help but laugh however as they keep talking to me in Chinese and I understood none of it. They clearly we’re loving life as they inspected my backpack and tried to lift it.

As the train pulled out of Shenzhen, they pulled out their lunch which consisted of a large bag of monkey nuts, a bag of dried prawns and a tub of an unidentified meat object. At first they offered some and I said no which they obviously didn’t understand as Mr Camera Man poured a large pile of prawns and monkey nuts on my tray. Tasty.

He then showed me pictures of his family and videos of his house which was fun. He was actually really friendly.

Through the tour of his photos I forgot to look out of the window. We were beginning to see the start of the bizarre Guilin landscape. The mountains are known as Karst Mountains and in the current weather they looked really eerie.

3 hrs and 41 minutes later I finally arrived at Guilin. I just had to get myself through the rain to the hostel!