Younger sister of Vegas, poorer cousin of Hong Kong (Macau)

This post is written just after my arrival from Macau where I spent this day. Any post about Hong Kong will be written after my arrival to Shanghai. It is solely due to the fact that I need to digest all I went through and have seen here. In other words unless you want to read pretty inconsistent blabber you have to wait till my thoughts stop spinning as I bang my head on each wall I pass by. Read on.

Macau is circa one hour ride (by ferry) away from Hong Kong. The cost differs according the time you take the ferry. My ride there by the morning ferry cost me 134HKD (Hong Kong dollars - c. 1 kuai equals 1HKD) and ride back by evening ferry could cost 175MOP (Macau Pataca - c. 1 HKD equals 1 MOP). You should buy your ticket upon your arrival or you could end up stranded on this peninsula as tickets are easily sold out*. This might not be as problematic as it seems - hotel space is abundant and gambling is going on 24/7.

Macau is in fact very small peninsula just next to Guangdong province of mainland China. It also includes small island where new casinos are being built on the reclaimed land (from sea). Unless you plan to gamble your life savings here, one day for a visit is sufficient enough. You can easily walk all around the place and criss-cross the streets of old town as well as stride along boulevards were big casinos are. The fact that in Macau you can find both; historical buildings included on UNESCO World Heritage List and ultramodern temples of mammon is the main reason which I think this place does not have a it's own identity. Of the above mentioned two parts of Macau history is loosing lately.

Unlike Vegas' Strip were you can see the gambling culture in its purest form, Macau does not have dominant street where the casinos are concentrated. You rather find them spread all over southern half of the peninsula (Gran Lisboa, MGM Grand, Wynn etc.) and over the islands of Taipa and Coloane - or rather reclaimed land between them (Venetian). Also unlike Vegas, which sold its soul entirely and went for 'kitsch' of fake Parisian, Venetian, Ceasar's and so on, Macau does not present you with Eiffel Tower, Pirates' Bay, Roman palace or pyramid. Only outrageously crazy thing is Gran Lisboa's tulip like tower which dominates city landscape (small Chinese fortress or some Egyptian looking complex does not count). One thing is not enough to push the city towards the 'beauty-of-the-beast' thing seen in Vegas. Maybe after completion of ongoing projects** (which momentarily stand idle due to financial crisis) Macau will receive face lift which put it out of the shadow of its bigger brother.

Of course I did not have opportunity to see Macau by the night (only from ferry terminal and the whole promenade was dominated by big neon sign of Sands) and it could have entirely changed my perception, which I really doubt, as Vegas was hideously beautiful also during the day.

Further, I was perplexed by combination of skyscrapers with history. It really does not go well (at least for me) to see tall-rises spread all over the horizon disrupting view of the historical town center. What is even worse is Gran Lisboa golden tulip which can be seen from any viewpoint in the city (literally). This is currently the tallest point in the city besides Macau tower, rising even above the level of hills within city limits. Although city accepted UNESCO charter on preservation of cultural heritage, it was too-little-too-late to save the views :)

Old town is on the other hand something very Portugese and out of place and time here in Asia :) Although little over-churched it fully deserves to be thronged by Asian tourists.

Anyway, I have returned to Hong Kong, where all buildings, with exception of Legislative building, are at least 30 storeys high and still do not reach over Victoria peak.

Note: * Turbojet company is the one with the most frequent schedule. It connects Hong Kong island with Macau. You should check out other companies as well. Although they are not cheaper, they might offer better times. They link Macau with other parts of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (e.g. Kowloon).

** believe me there are plenty of ongoing projects. Most of them seems to be put into rest and conserved while waiting for financing. It looks odd to see buildings with cranes on top of them but no movement or construction work going on.

In the land of dogs

Past two days I spent in Guangzhou (formerly Canton), capital of Guangdong province and center of world famous cuisine. All of you eating 'Chinese' food back home are in fact eating Cantonese dishes because it was exactly this cuisine that was exported over past two centuries into western countries. Mainly this is due to the fact that Guangzhou was first only and later main port in contact with colonial powers engaged in trade with China. Bellow you can find summary of my experience with this city and it's past.

After my arrival to Guangzhou I walked through early morning streets to my hostel. If possible I prefer to walk to the place I am supposed to stay as I think that you can get to know the city most during early morning walk when streets wake up (I never get lost in the city I have walked in the morning - not for a long time :) ) - you can experience spirit of the city as during the sunrise nothing is hidden under the veil of hurried people. Anyone can easily spot that Guangzhou is different from the other Chinese cities. It actually has some spirit (for the suspense purposes it will be described later).

I stay at Shamian island, which is one of the Pearl river islands, in particular, one ceeded to Britain and later France after first opium war. On this island you can find buildings built in colonial style (similar to any other buildings found in colonies) with plenty of trees and wonderful park / street going across the middle of it. I have to admit that compared to busy downtown (crazy busy) and overcrowded streets it is pleasure to walk the quite Shamian DaiJie (the street) on your way back to the hostel ('location location location' is true more than anywhere else).

From the history of Guangzhou you can see that it was prime contact point of Chinese empire (throughout various dynasties and periods) with western world. Besides starting point of maritime silk road it was also used for trade with Southeast Asian islands. For some time it also held monopoly on this trade. After opium wars it lost it's sole status (another harbours were opened to foreigners - among them certain fishermen village of name Shanghai) but still was superior to others regarding its riches. Unlike in other Chinese cities, center of the city (old town) consists of narrow (really narrow) streets. These streets were not built for cars or other motorized vehicles but for pedicabs and horse drawn trailers, in the days when Guangzhou's harbor was main source of income of the emperor. Actually, for the first time I have feeling that this city exists for more than two centuries and did not suddenly sprung out of nowhere (e.g. Shanghai developed into a world metropolis in mere 20 years).*

With this goes the spirit of the city which is positively European. If in Changsha you had a feeling somewhere in the back of your brain that people are as nice to each other as anywhere in western world, here in Guangzhou you can actually see it. People are polite, do not spit on the ground (of course there are exceptions but I like to call them tourists :) ) and most importantly; people know how to wait in line. Furthermore, western civilization influence is visible also in their behavior and customs. They have dinners much later than is common in China; after 8.00pm it is absolutely common to see people wait to get seated in the restaurant, whilst in Changsha restaurants by that time were already closing. They also go out. I have yet to see busier center of the city in China. Even more disturbing; in the capital of Guangdong province you can see some real sculptures. In Renmin park (one of city's many parks) I saw not one, not two but at least four sculptures that did not look like early cubist lion / dragon / work (someone else might have called them physically disfigured or even degenerated from four generations of inbreeding, but lets be politically correct :) ).

All the above mentioned, together with English subtitles in the half empty train (positively European like :) ), might be attributed to the influence of nearby Hong Kong (waiting to get on the bus in line is probably copied from the custom of Hong Kong citizens who allegedly love to wait in line) or the location of the city which is so far south that it might require little late dinning due to hot summers (this is pure speculation as anything in this blog :) ). What can not be attributed to anything else but the western influence is the fact that brides are wearing white for the wedding (traditional Chinese color of choice for such occasion is red) - fact confirmed by sighting of at least 15 soon-to-be married couples taking their wedding pictures in the park of Shamian island.** Building on the previous paragraphs I can conclude / speculate that interaction of Guangzhou with the west have profound influence on the city and made it not only one of the richest cities in China but also the one that is more 'civilized'.

My activities during the past two days included visiting of the local museums (I had my half-year dose of impressionists in Guangdong Museum of Art where they currently show selected works from collection of Perez Simon :) ) and sights. I feel I have completed my 'red' reeducation by visiting Martyr's memorial, Dr. Sun Yatsen memorial and Peasant institute ('where Mao taught' for one year) and can enter the capitalistic Hong Kong without being afraid of giving in :)

Regarding the cuisine I am unfortunate again as Guangzhou is so civilized now that the dogs are hard to find (luckily I have a back up back in Shanghai - one restaurant where we were promised last time that 'gou rou' - dog meat - will be provided :) ). On the other hand I was fortunate enough to find secret corner and back alley full of seafood restaurants (rather street stalls). In this place (just north of pedestrian part of XiaJiu Lu) I ate so much mussels, oysters, scallops octopuses and sepias that my satisfaction almost erased any bad feelings preserved from previous day when I took advice (once again, but this time certainly for the last time) from Lonely Planet. If anything is incorrect, not precise or not good in Lonely Planet it is the restaurant listings. I always paid up much more or had the food of dubious quality. It is much more enjoyable to follow your own advice and search for restaurant by yourself.

Tomorrow awaits me transfer to Shenzen (not decided yet how much time I want to spent in this city) and Hong Kong. Next post will be from Hong Kong island hopefully written while looking on Victoria Harbour :)

Note on Chinese culture / soul
Looking and comparing Guangzhou with Shanghai and Changsha (both major cities and provincial capitals) I think that by trying to balance the wealth distribution across China more evenly and thus ignoring Guangzhou as a potential special economic zone (both Changsha and Shanghai have these) was in some way a blessing for this city. Unlike Shanghai and Changsha it preserved the spirit from it's past. Although the development is visibly less explosive than in Shanghai and Changsha, still Guangzhou retains upper hand with the people patiently waiting in line to get on the bus (what a difference from the fighting and running for their lives to get one last free seat on Shanghai's subway) and small bakeries spread allover the city. My hypothesis which I kindly propose and make available for your critical tests (lets play Popper for a moment) is that assigning status of special development / economic zone enhances growth of the city but destroys its spirit. The influx of migrant workers from rural areas will cause decivilisation of the city and end up in the ultracapitalistic attitude and environment. The question is whether it will be possible to spread Guangzhou culture and export it to other Chinese cities or other cities will overrun this island.

Note: * of course main roads and streets are wide and fit for any truck, what I mean here is the fact that if you wonder of the 'map' you will find true treasure. There are no enclosed apartment complexes as in other cities.

** in two days I saw 15 couples having their pictures taken, one wedding ceremony and one wedding gowns fashion show. I am not sure what is wrong with this city or whether somebody is trying to suggest something to me but this is absolutely crazy.

I was in Shangri-La (almost)

Although momentarily stationed in Guangzhou here follows account of my days spent in Yangshuo and surrounding area. Last two days I spent hiking and cycling all over the place (my back side still hurts as a result).

My hiking trip took place on Christmas Eve as I took a bus ride to Yangdi and hiked by Li river to Xingping, from where I took another bus to Yangshuo. Initially I planned to hike all the way to Yangshuo, which is previously mentioned 44 km long trip, but I was delayed. Main reasons for the delay were absolute beauty of the area and river banks and my unsatisfiable appetite for making pictures. This hike momentarily belongs to my top three must see things to visit in China (others being Himalayas and Great wall). Altogether, I made c. 200 pictures which brought my memory card free space on the brink of extinction (I had to start deleting process as Hong Kong is coming).

Xingping is a small village down the river with some remarkably old streets and falling apart houses. It is also end station for the bamboo rafts starting from Yangdi (for those who are lazy to hike and have some money to shed). Area between Yangdi and Xingping is labeled as some national protection area or some sort of park and as such development is fairly limited. On the other hand entrance fee of 16 kuai does not include additional payments for crossing the river. There are two crossings but I paid only for one as in the first case I got across the river for free on the raft of some girls I met on the river bank (there is plenty of good people going down the river so do not hesitate to wait for a moment and look as lost as you can).

After my return I went for magnificent Christmas Eve dinner consisting of local specialty - beer fish. It is very easy to cook dish as you basically kill the fish in front of the customer, chop it a little, throw it on hot pan with oil, add herbs, veggies and spices, stew it on beer for a short time and serve it with rice and side dishes. I do not dare to say that is as good as the Christmas style carp my mom prepares (she would not let me in the country otherwise) but it is delicious:) I recommend everyone to go to the local farmers' market which is hidden behind the archway on Pantao Lu. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from and you can bargain your price (English menu is for orientation purposes only - what they actually offer :) ). Be aware that if you pick one restaurant the owners of others will remember that and make you suffer next time you show up (own experience). I picked my dinner of course by price but did not realized that in the process I rejected only restaurant selling the dried rats. Dowager of the rat place would than hike up the prices for my insolence and ask 50 kuai for the mouse dish. Her anger would preserve for following days until my departure. As a consolation price I decided to try snails a'la China (I honestly prefer French style snails).

Next day I got up early an went to watch sunrise over Li river (nowhere near the magnificence of Huangshan sunrise but still it is nice), hired bike and went on to Yulong river. Yulong river should by its scenery measure up to Li river (described above) and should be more comfortable as this is allegedly bikers paradise. I have to admit that I prefer Li river as it is more a back country and still undeveloped area. Yulong river is too civilized for me with villages and orange plantations, fish ponds and rice fields all over the place. Yulong bridge (built in 1412 - old school) is the final stop of the journey for most of the bikers but as I was there a little too early I cycled further along the main road to the village of Shangri-La. This is small village with out-door museum showing past life in China. I bet that it applies to most of the rural areas even today but why not ask 50 kuai entrance fee from naive city people coming in organized tours :) Anyway I did not dare to pay the fee and rather bought myself dried oranges on the way back.

Guilin area is renowned for it's touristic drive and as a 'must visit' destination for Chinese tourists. On the other hand it's smaller sister town of Yangshuo was described in Lonely Planet and by other people visiting it before me as a backpackers paradise. Unfortunately my experience is to the contrary. Yangshuo is changed and it is not to good. There are tourists all over the place (and December is supposed to be low season) and boats go up and down Li river in frequency I have not seen nowhere else (do not want to see this place in peak season). According to some locals my new acquittance talked with, Yangshuo is experiencing explosive development and growth of tourist oriented bars, restaurants, hotels and other touts.

After my return to Yangshuo I took bus to Guilin and from there the night train to Guangzhou, where my journey continues. I leave rural areas with orange and tangerine plantations (I proudly hold on to single orange I took from one of them) scattered all over the country side, where people grow sugar cane and other plants all year round, to spent my final week of travel in cities which were extensively exposed to western influence (Guangzhou is historical Canton).

Note on Chinese culture / soul
As I leave rural areas it will be even harder for me to discover and understand Chinese soul. Even until now I traveled through touristically popular areas (with exception of Changsha - attractive for Mao's pilgrims mostly) and I had to walk (literally) great lengths to see some original Chinese life and meet local people untouched by different cultures (e.g. Miao minority would have almost skipped past me if I did not apply 'strictly hard seater' policy for my train travels). What I saw so far, is the fact that Chinese people are nice, fun loving (of course exception of eastern provinces still apply) and talkative. They are eager to meet and create new acquittance (not only with westerners but also between themselves). For example during 50minutes bus ride they are able to talk with total strangers without problem and by the end of the journey whole minibus know each other. On the other hand Chinese people have utter disregard for environment and they living conditions (note to all travelers - never ever sit on the floor in Chinese trains - I saw mothers taking their little toddlers to take a leak on it without hesitation and without being reprimanded by anybody). They are prepared to throw away any packaging, peels or other on the spot. No matter that all the trash cans have separate parts for recyclable and non-recyclable trash and no matter that streets are constantly swept, nobody actually does separation and streets are instantly repopulated by tangerine peels, plastic bags etc. What worries me the most is that throwing away garbage continues also outside of the city where there is nobody to sweep it. Of course this way was alright until China started to use plastic packaging. Nowadays wherever you go you see trash and China is quickly becoming one large dumping ground. Unless people will change they habits, this might become unbearable.

In the land of rats

Another post from dimly lighted internet cafe - this time in Yangshuo. This, together with the fact that posts are written after whole day activity usually at 11.00pm, might affect quality of spelling (especially Chinese names) - as some of you kindly pointed out* :) Still continuing my exploration of the karst country in Guangxi province I entered expats heaven. Although Lonely Planet calls Yangshuo backpackers paradise I think more appropriate would be the name mentioned above. Density of plain people trashes even Shanghai. You can find European style cafe's, hotels, hostels, restaurants etc. wherever you go.

On last day in Guilin weather forecast showed true and visibility improved markedly. On the other hand temperature drop of c. 17 degrees within 24 hours was aggressively resembling those I run away from in Shanghai. Besides almost freezing in 3 degrees extremely windy weather, I saw my first panda. Of course only in captivity but still, these big fat fluffy eating machines are not that common to see. Note for all the animal lovers; if possible avoid Chinese zoo's as much as you can. Conditions of animals living there are terrible (this is coming from person who does not care) - imagine 30 deers crammed in the 10mx30m yard or black bears locked in 3mx4m cages - they literally cried for help or else...

Last night in Backstreet Hostel in Guilin was the TICiest night so far on my trip. Allow me to tell you a story - it is not a fairy tale, rather typical Chinese legend. First, there was shower. This shower required 25 minutes of solid water clearing flow till the warm water started trickling down the tubes. Truly to it's land of origin it was leaking all over the hose. Upon discovery of this fact by hostel staff it was promptly changed with an assistance of Slovak plumber (we go east while Poles go west). To get actually hot water flowing out of the shower, the sink tap had to be turned on on maximum. Exactly how this was possible (usually is simultaneous flow reducing the amount of hot water in the shower) remains mystery to this day.

Second, there was a Chinese monk (not sure whether it was monk but let's call him that). This monk shared the room with five other people from all over the world (Canada, Germany, Norway and Slovakia). According to the account of those poor souls the monk make Guantanamo sound like five star hotel. He terrorized them with cacophony of sounds you would never imagine homo sapiens can make. Only solace his roommates could find was in wagering whether he is actually choking or snoring and in documenting his sounds on their cellphones (proof will be provided later). End of story.

Upon successful transfer and establishing of my presence in Yangshuo I decided to explore the city and take a small (10miles / 16km) hike to Moon Hill. Views are magnificent and river banks are exactly as they describe them (both word of mouth and internet) - awesome. Unfortunately, I visit the place in it's dry season - spring is allegedly the best time for visit - and thus colors are little sad. Furthermore, I'm in some strange kind of sense used to the beauty of the place. This means that although I am not blown away I still enjoy scenery very much.

Tomorrow I will undertake main attraction in the area - hike along Li river. This c. 27 miles (44km) hike would be hopefully concluded by Christmas Eve dinner of local specials (dried fried rat, dried fried squirrel and beer fish).

As tomorrow is Christmas Eve, let me wish you all MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Especially to my mom, dad and little brother as this will be the first Christmas we do not celebrate together.

Note on Chinese culture / soul (will be elaborated on later - I hope)
As an accountant (unfortunately I am) I was always told that substance is more important than the form. This is not true in China. Form is all over substance. Everything is done in order to impress and to show you in better light. But if you dig deeper and look under the cover you see that it is all one big mess. For example; people care about their hair and you can see hair studios on each street (sometimes every fifty meters) but if you read the book in the train or in the subway they look at you as you are mental case. Physical appearance is important but your mental health and development not at all. People were suits but they do not hesitate to sleep on the floor in them. Potemkin villages are not built - they are walking the streets :)

Note: * as a budget traveller and more importantly extremely lazy person I am refusing to read the text and correct the spelling mistakes :)

Adijo Hunan! Hello Guangxi!

Hereafter follows account of my last day and supper in Hunan and description of my early impressions from Guangxi. They might seem incoherent as I do not have time to think at all (like I do... - anyway it hurts therefore it is advisable not to perform such activity) but they are first hand and as such are more reliable :)

Last day in Hunan confirmed old truth I found out earlier in the trip - in China nothing is perfect, something is always missing or is wrong and improvisation is required. Although I spent little longer than planned pacing up and down halls of Yuelu Academy and adjoining park, my day plan was eventually blown up to pieces by delay at Hunan Provincial Museum.

Surprisingly what is for free is very popular and thus are the museums in Changsha :) Due to heavy traffic tickets at Hunan Provincial Museum are issued for certain period of entry in order to keep the flow of visitors at bearable level. This delay cost me valuable time which looking back would be probably better used in exploration of Yueyang (I spent there only two hours - one hour for dinner and one hour waiting at trainstation :) ). That does not mean that Museum exhibition was not worth the price (every mao of it :) ). It means that I have seen more interesting and entertaining (more detail on it in the note below).

During the journey to Yueyang, my perception of Hunanese people was further cemented when I met Sandy and Cathy (student and teacher of English respectively). They are nice and much more friendly than those I have met in Shanghai (even bus drivers are up for a laugh with passengers). Their explanation was that people in Shanghai are much more busier earning money and thus do not have time to smile. I am inclined to agree with this but than I need explanation or the reasons which; a) lead Hunan people to stand up in public buses and automatically (like in Prague) release their seat to the elders (not quite common in Shanghai), b) lead bus drivers to wait for the late comers and even stop outside of bus stop limits to let people in - possible explanation is that it is usually nice lady :) - thing not at all seen in Shanghai, and last but not least c) standing in line like civilized people and not fighting and bulking together (this is common way in mainland China). All the above mentioned makes Hunan my favorite province so far (out of all five I have visited).

Transfer to Guilin took me 11 hours in train where I was supposed to stand (due to seats and sleepers being outsold) but ended up first three hours switching one seat with teenage boys of Guangxi origin. The frequency of switches was in accordance with their cigarette breaks stoically overseen by their parents. Although not confirmed I am willing to bet cold Pilsner that they were below 15 years old, which makes me worried about future of rural China (on the other hand, this might be the solution for population problems of today's China). The train journey was notable also for amount of trash conductor pushed each hour in order to make the aisle passable and Chinese people utter disregard about their clothing. How otherwise you can explain people sleeping on the floor of the train in suits?

Arrival and first day at Guilin was pretty much without problems. I will stay next two days in local hostel (member of Hosteling International) were I write this post. Walking through Guilin I can say that it is truly tourist destination with hotels springing up all over the place and that it truly deserves it's place in UNESCO World Heritage list. For the first time in long time I was truly blown away by something - this time by the views you have from the top of some Bright Moon peak (one of many karst peaks spread all over the city). Imagine city of London but instead of man-made skyscrapers, natural peaks sticking out of the plain of homes. Absolute beauty and something unimaginable for me up until now (I still do not get the process how these karst peak showed up). Hopefully, sky will clear itself in next few days and I will be able to document it on the appropriate level.

Projections for blue sky is little better as the heat wave (consider 23 degrees at 1.30pm on 20 December) I enjoyed in past few days is gone and days will get colder. Next post will be from Yangshuo where I am planning to go after two days spent in Guilin exploring karst and caves within reach.

Note on Chinese culture / soul
After visits to Yuelu Academy and Hunan Provincial Museum I understand the drive of China to improve economically a little better. These were my first encounters with Chinese history (true history). As I was explained, upon change of dynasty or regime, new rulers took great pains in eliminating anything visible which could remind people of those before them. Yuelu Academy was established in 976 and was de facto predecessor of Hunan University. Hunan museum exhibition presented objects of more than 2100 years old which were discovered in tombs in Changsha district. Both encounters proved that China was indeed long long ago sophisticated and civilised country. Unfortunately, the haydays are over and reality kicked in (great leaps into greater unknown sent the country back into stone age). From what I see China is the only country which is truly trying to recover it's former glory (unlike other great past civilisation) and also the only one with a chance of success (US is still trying to prevent its decline but...). Combination of this drive and potential might be the ultimate reason for the fact that we might soon see two hump camel in the flock of one hump nations.

Switching Tao for Mao

After two days of heavy brainwashing I needed some change and thus I decided to visit one of the five holy peaks of Taoism - Heng shan or Nanyue. Waking up at 6.00am and walking through the campus at 7.00am you would hardly believe that from the public speaking system blasts lesson in English instead of comrades songs. At least for me this was an absolutely surreal experience. Why would you play anything at 7.00am in the morning and why would you choose lessons in English rather than some song? Whoever comes up with the satisfactory answer will receive 30 kuai credit for fake market from me :)

Village of Nanyue (three hours bus ride south from Changsha) is located at the bottom of the mountain and includes one of the biggest Taoism temples in China (I think so). Architecturally it is pleasure for your eyes. Although slim and tall shapes of European cathedrals cannot be found, vaulted roofs and colored reliefs have their beauty as well. Surroundings of the temple are focused on selling of religious objects to Taoist's pilgrims.

Ascent to the mountain should take four hours according to the Lonely Planet (c. 12 km). It took me only two and a half but I was in great hurry to catch the last bus leaving at 4.00pm. Of course against my great effort (sweating through two T-shirts, loosing another kilo of weight, not paying for cable car on my way back - I was waived Taoistically by the conductor - and paying 25 kuai for minibus ride of last 4 km) I arrived at the bottom of the mountain at 3.54pm. Running through the city like crazy I might have caught the bus, but my better judgment lead me to ask for a ride to bus station of group of people returning with me from the mountain in the minibus.

They not only offered their help, but as they were heading to Changsha as well they offered me a ride with them. Therefore through this channel I would like to again express my gratitude to Sarah and Julio who were today (Nov. 19) on a trip at Heng shan. I wish you safe travel home and Merry Christmas :)

The whole day was pleasantly finished in the traditional Hunanese restaurant with pictures of Mao all over the place and me eating Mao's favorite dish (I just do not get it how he could survive for so long if his favorite dish is swimming in fat - I guess that the saying about bad plants dying hard is right :).

Tomorrow I will leave Changsha and head to Yueyang (city of sublime tea) and afterward to Guilin (Guanxi province) with its karst peaks. Hopefully I will have an opportunity to post news on this blog along the way and even more I hope I will have more time to think them through :)

Note on Chinese culture / soul
In Nanyue I saw Taoist temples next to the Budhist one in the same single temple complex. Considering that Hunan is stronghold of communism I admire the ability to coexist as well as tolerance of Chinese people. I wish this was the case all around the world and hope that I will live through the day that similar peaceful atmosphere would be felt in Jerusalem.

In Mao's footsteps

Writing from the dark dungeons of China's original internet cafe (clouds of smoke are hoovering above the heads of gamers and gamblers), I will try to describe what I went through in the last three days after my arrival to Changsha. This post has to be posted by my collaborator (brother) as blogs and other selected pages do not work (reasons are to be filled by the reader). Altogether the journey from Huang shan shi was c. 11 hours ride through boredom enlivened only by argument of two brothers who shouted until 2.00am while the whole carriage wanted to sleep. Afterward one of the brothers started to feed himself (I honestly cannot call his activity otherwise) with such an acoustic background that even dead man would start walking.

To sum up my impressions about Changsha with three words - awesome but dirty. I am happy to report that there are happy people in China too. Trying to elaborate; Hunan people are nice and smiling, Hunan girls are on average the most beautiful I have seen in China (although there are some exceptions even in Shanghai which will make your head spin and I have heard that Hangzhou girls are also renowned for their beauty - cannot confirm this one), people here are actually still in love with their Mao and finally, these same people are relaxed and actually willing to help you without expecting something in return or inviting you for tea ritual where you end up paying 400 kuai for worthless tea. On the other hand, nothing is perfect, nor Changsha is. The air polution is so strong that even I with three months of Shanghai experience had problem breathing.

After my arrival to Shifan Daxue (local university - Hunan Normal University) I was assisted by local student who just happen to have some time between the classes and helped me find accommodation in local dorms. Afternoon I spent wandering around the city from museum to museum and around local parks. Changsha City Museum has impressive exhibition celebrating the 30 years of reforms in China brought to you by no one else but yours truly "crescent and hammer" (started by Deng Xiao Ping in 1978 after Mao's death...) - call it cultural heritage :D Hunan Provincial Museum which should have extensive collection of Chinese historical objects was closed due to the facts that all tickets for the day were given out (Hunan is the same as London - all museums are for free).

The next day was THE DAY - I went to visit Mao's birthplace - Shao shan. It is a rather small village c. 2 hours by bus from Changsha south bus station. In the bus I met another waiguo ren (foreigner) - Thomas from Germany - with the same goal. We ended up spending the whole day together (it is more comfortable to face the pressure of ideology not alone) exploring home of the great helmsman, museum dedicated to him, and tombs of his family. In all cases we were somehow disappointed. Mao's home was really big for China (see also note for further details) even though it was used by two families. Museum was disappointingly showing only heroic period and 30 years of human experiments were kindly omitted, and tombs of his parents we almost overlooked. Shortly - really lot of shouting about nothing:)

After return to Changsha we lost again at the bus station and met Alex (true Shaoshan local) with whom we ended up having dinner and he ended up paying for us. Although it classifies as foreigners ripping off Chinese guys, which is the worst kind of ripping that can happen to you* it was purely unintentional. Maybe this happened due to the fact that in some way people in Hunan are more naive and more relaxed than those living on eastern coast. Maybe this is why Changsha looks much more European than Shanghai (spirit-wise) and maybe this is the reason I would prefer Changsha over Shanghai (all other things equal - which are not of course :). Unfortunately, money (in Shanghai) and air pollution (in Changsha) are strongly in favor of the former :)

Note on Chinese culture / soul
[still need to think it through - might be updated later]

Note: * Ripping off or getting undue amount of money from the guy on the other side of the transaction has several categories. These are classified as follows:

- Foreigners being ripped off by Chinese - the lowest level as it is the easiest way to gain profit. Basically self explanatory as foreigners are either only tourists staying for a couple of days and / or do not have time and experience to bargain.

- Chinese being ripped off by Chinese - although this happens very rarely. It is due to naivete of Chinese people being ripped off, or due to the fact that locals price-discriminate also other Chinese provinces (this form is especially applicable when locals speak in special dialect - e.g. Shanghai).

- Chinese being ripped off by Foreigners - this is the rarest form of ripping off as it can happen only unintentionally when foreigners do not know local customs (e.g. that even if host pays and initially refuses, we should include our share of dinner)

Huang shan

Easily the best thing (mountain-wise) I experienced in China so far. Although it is pretty cold up on the top (I saw my first solid ice in China - not including the one at the skating ring) it is well worth every mao you pay (of course during the off-season in December :) ). More detailed description follows below.

First leg of my trip started at 7.28am when I left comfortable and english apeaking Shanghai on the bus for Tunxi in Anhui province. We arrived short after noon. I was dropped at Tunxi coach station but I am sure you can ask the driver to be dropped at Huanshan shi train station (Huangshan shi is the locals' name for Tunxi and is shorter - which goes very well with Chinese people). From both places there is no problem to get a ride to Tangkou (village at the foot of the mountain) by local minibus (18 kuai today - nonnegotiable upticked price from 10 kuai mentioned in Lonely planet).

Tangkou is typical mountain village whose architecture distincts it from European counterparts. From there you have to take another bus (14 kuai) or taxi (negotiable but only advantageous for group of people) to get to the bottom of the trails leading up to huang shan (cable car is option for disabled :) ).

I took eastern steps - shorter way - in order to get up as quickly as possible to be able to book accommodation. As already mentioned, the time of the year makes it very easy for budget travellers as everything is discounted by huge amounts (entrance to the park - 100 kuai instead of 200, accommodation - 60 kuai without negotiation). The whole point in staying at the top of the mountain is to watch the sunrise over the Northern sea. I have to admit it is well worth it (even if you get up only for the half of it as I did :) ).

Way back, which for me was via western steps, is more photogenic with the stellar views. It is at least twice as long as the way up (it offers plenty of bypasses and optional prolongations for the strong ones). During my visit two of the highest peaks (Lotus and Jade peak) were closed which is often the case according to Lonely planet and flegmatic responses of the domestic tourists.

Getting back from the park gates to Tunxi (city with available train and long distance bus connections) you have to go through ordeal of transfers again. As Tunxi is not famous for anything I bought the next ticket for Changsha immediately after the drop off from the minibus. Only problem is that if there is no direct connection available you have to go from city to city and hope for available seats at the trains (therefore I'm taking overnight train to Zhuzhou only). Ticket counters are able to sell tickets only for direct connections from their city - TIC.

Unfortunately, I had to abandon my planned visit of Sanqing shan as it seems nobody knows about this mountain (included in the UNESCO list only this year) or is not able to understand my pronounciation. I believe this is not the case as on occassion I can speak in simple Chinese with other people - e.g. I got to the point to understand questions such as "where are you from?", "how old are you?", "what do you do?" and similar. Of course it is more due to the fact that they speak with me as with an imbecile and virtually everyone on the trails is asking above mentioned questions (sightings of foreigners are not so often this tim eof the year). Anyway, I will try to visit Sanqing shan in spring and I will bring some chinese friend as a help.

Next stage of the journey will therefore take me to Changsha - epicentre of the Hunan cuisine (one of the spiciest in China - I am so happy - I want to cry :) ) and Mao culture. Hope there will be more opportunities along the way to post some news and to upload some pictures. This post is written from the lobby of Tunxi hostel where they kindly let me and fulfilled all my requests - of course for appropriate charge :)

Note on Chinese culture / soul
So far what I have learned is that virtually everyone is in for a buck - meaning the buck for himself. The good thing is that it means that you can buy anything. The bad thing is that you have to beware as first price is substantially marked up to the price sellers / services providers are ready to accept. You have to bargain and you have to bargain hard. If you do not know it or you do not have the stomach to do it, take knowledgeable person with you or just avoid China :) The system works to such an extent that there is a chain of cooperation between self made man (i.e. shadow / off-the-books economy) which completely bypasses anything in uniform. For example, taxi drivers cooperate with minibus drivers and drop their passengers at the preagreed sites (meaning at the door of the minibus) - which is kind of comfortable for the customers :) Even more so, official park service bus drivers cooperate with taxi drivers because they are lazy / it is inefficient to drive nearly empty bus down. It is very funny to watch taxi drivers taking all the potential customers from the official buses ticket sale window (literally) and seeing employees just watch the opportunity of actually selling some tickets walk by. And I'm completely omitting cooperation of restaurant and accommodation enterpreneurs with the above mentioned. Strangely, it helps customers to get the best service. Although only for the money you are able / willing to pay. This is more capitalistic system than the one developed oversees and celebrated by everyone (although not lately :) ). Invisible hand has never been so visible.

In search of soul of China

As some of you already know, today I am starting my "epic" journey in search of soul of China. This journey will last until Jan. 02, 2009 when I am supposed to return to Shanghai. Below you can find overview of presupposed stops and assumed program of the journey.

Although main goal of the journey is to "better understand" Chinese people (basically to be able to explain why they wear pyjamas on the street), I have to admit that if I will not eat dog or something which sounds similarly disgusting, this journey will be waste of time. According to information there is a great chance that both my goals would be fulfilled. I will leave European-like Shanghai and visit "old-school / hard-line" places such as Shaoshan in Hunan (birth place of Mao) and Guangdong province (allegedly people there can eat anything what moves or even stopped its movement).

Due to Chinese system of booking or better not-booking trains upfront I will rely on hope and good chance that seats and tickets will be available - luckily this is a low season for travel in China as everybody works and ignores Christmas and New Year.

15-16 Dec. 2008 - Tunxi and Huang shan, Anhui province (sleeping at the summit)
17 Dec. 2008 - Sanqing shan, Jiangxi province (one day trip from Tunxi)
18-20 Dec. 2008 - Changsha, Hunan province (one day trips in the surrounding area)
21-25 Dec. 2008 - Guilin and Yangshuo, Guanxi province (allegedly one of the most beautiful parts of China)
26-27 Dec. 2008 - Guangzhou, Guangdong province (a.k.a. Canton)
28 Dec. 2008-01 Jan. 2009 - Hong Kong and Macau

If possible I will post news about my progress. If there is no opportunity to do so later, let me wish you merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :)

Suzhou, Olympics and life beyond... (November highlights)

This post shortly summarizes interesting events of past two months in Shanghai and surrounding area. It includes trip to Suzhou, SHUFE Olympics, visits to Shanghai botanical garden and certain high school and SHUFE International day. Enjoy the reading!

SHUFE Olympics (Nov. 4)
This exceptional sporting event took place at our campus' athletic track. Competition was preceded by opening ceremony during which students from all SHUFE schools and teachers tried to show what they are capable of. International students also presented short, 30 second act. Although the dance routine was nowhere near breathtaking, we tried our best and got free jacket for it :)

Competitions can be summed up by:
- running suits (fake of course) provided to participants by the school - free of charge
- lunch in cafeteria although provided with "free lunch" coupon - 5 kuai
- winning six silver medals by single French guy - couple of painful laps on track
- watching late entrant Tommi from Finland stealing gold medal in short put by last attempt in whole competition from the guy who led throughout six rounds - priceless

Silkiness of Suzhou (Nov. 14)
During November our "beloved" university offered us organized trip to Suzhou or Zhouzhuang (I think). As Zhouzhuang was labeled by more experienced travelers as a stinky dump (originally meant as Venice of the East), most of us decided to visit Suzhou (allegedly silk capital of Eastern China). For mere 100 kuai (11 EUR) we got bus ride, guide tour around some of the coveted sights, lunch and visit to silk factory (which I think would be for free anyway :) ).

Suzhou is famous across China for its picturesque gardens (see pictures gallery) and silk industry. We visited "garden to linger in" which although not the biggest or the most famous, is offering for visitors all pleasures (including bonsai kindergarten and tea house) garden is supposed to have. Of course in line with perception of western tourists we spent the biggest portion of our time sipping tea in the tea house - arguing which tea is better (more expensive or the less expensive) and what exactly are we drinking.

The highlight of this trip (at least for me) was visit to silk factory where we were shown the process of producing silk. It all starts with maggots and goes through cocoons of mulberry silkworm which are after careful selection unwounded on the mills into silk threads (one cocoon produces c. one mile of filament). Interesting think is that these "things" are cultivated and bred to the extent of perfect efficiency (they live altogether c. two months in which they are able to go through the whole life cycle and "plant seeds of the future generations"). Larvas are blind eating machines which in 35 days grow into full extent ready to hatch. Eight filaments are combined into one thread which is than used in clothes production. Even more interesting is the production of bedsheets. These are not weaved but manufactured by stretching of moistened cocoons one by one and pressing them together. Quality and price of the bedsheets depends on the number of cocoons used for them (ranging from 100 up to whatever you want).

Botanical garden and "daddy" of all high schools (Nov. 16)
Shanghai's botanical garden is huge and includes some of plants I have not seen in such size (ficus) or at all (no clue about the names). It is nice place to kill an afternoon but it does not differ substantially from the one back home or in Prague (only in size). Part of the problem might be that your faitful narator has no clue about the plants and species of plants and thus does not enjoy botanical gardens as much as people more affluent in the area (I noticed occassional cries of enthusiasm from my companions).

On the other hand, Shanghai High School no. 1, which we visited on the same day, took the breath away of all of us. This is prime example of duality of China. On one side you have extremely poor infrastructure and living condition (e.g. rural areas described in Wugong Shan post) and on the other you have this high school which has by far better facilities than any other high school I have ever seen (US included). Imagine indoor swimming pool, athletic track, huge parks and alleys, watter pool with fountains etc etc. Unfortunately, I have to admit that living standards at SHUFE (for everyone) and Fudan University (for Chinese students) are worse than what we saw here. (More on the duality of China and living in the extremes in future blog posts)

International day (Nov. 28)
On this day we were supposed to present our countries and try to introduce them to Chinese students (meaning provide national food and drink). Also some of us elected to prepare short presentation their national traditions (highlights are provided in Photos section). The whole program was anchored by our Chinese teachers who sung for us traditional Chinese songs. If judged by the interest of Chinese students attending the countries presentations, they are mostly interested in free drink and food (preferable alcoholic). Whichever stall / country run out of beverages or food the interest quickly vaporized.

Half-Marathon (Nov. 30)
As mentioned earlier, I run a half-marathon on Nov. 30. As of today, I am looking for other opportunities to run (Hong Kong anyone?). On the other hand, next two months will be very challenging for my practice regiment as I plan to travel all over this part of the world :)

I did it, I did it, I did it!!! :)

Finally after three years of almost running I run my first official half marathon this Sunday. After c. 6 weeks of not so serious training I was able to finish in 1:46:03 on 723rd place (consolation prize included cap and sweatband). Hopefully I will not have to wait for the next opportunity to participate in half marathon as long as for this one :)

Ideals worth fighting for

The other day (two weeks ago) I had once again lengthy discussion with my little brother, this time without any of us being intoxicated. Above mentioned colloquy focused on ideas of ideals*. Bellow you can find brief summary of my views and arguments.

Each of us has some ideals and goals. Even the laziest ones (e.g. my brother) have ultimate goal of not doing anything and spending their time staring at the ceiling in their rooms. The ultimate question is whether these objectives are good or bad and whether we can judge them as such. Who has the moral authority to decide whether my goal is better than yours?

My argument goes that any ideal you commit yourself to is good. Being "good" means it forces you into; taking a stance, action or changing your life in some way and thus evocate progress and evolution. By "committing yourself" I mean you are willing to fight for it (not literally - see more detailed discussion further below) - undergo strains and pains in order to achieve it. If you are unwilling to do so it means that ideal you proclaim to fashion is not the one you really strive to achieve. For example dedication of lazy person to laziness can be measured by what he is willing to sacrifice (strains) in order to be able not to do anything. He is willing to forgo higher salary earned in time demanding jobs and / or positions requiring long-term training and education. Economically speaking, time spent in bed brings higher utility than consumption of goods to be bought by money earned.

Under "anything goes" policy we are also admitting ideals and ideas of that twisted mind of bearded caveman in hiding for past seven years. These ideals as such are "good" even though 99 per cent of world population do not agree with them. We have no moral right to limit his thoughts, forbade his thinking and enforce our views upon him. What we are capable of is judging his actions which he undertakes in the process of achieving his goals. Killing of people will always be wrong, no matter what is the reason and ultimate goal.

By judging only action we do not prevent thinking but we prevent any potential excuses that might be used by criminals and other characters. There is no excuse for atrocities performed by German soldiers during WWII or Congolese rebels in the most recent uprising. There is no apology for crimes committed because you were just following orders (Germans) or excuse that you were only protecting Hutu minority and displaced, raped and robed 1 million people in the process (DR Congo). In thinking this way we are using deontological ethics and its theories rather than consequentialism.

In order to decide righteousness of act we should use simplistic principle of "do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you". This is in fact very simplified version of I. Kant's three maxims. Basically, we are saying that if you want to cause harm to someone by means of detonation, first do it to yourself (and you save us lot of money and time).

Note: * here meaning "an ultimate object or aim of endeavor" (Merriam-Webster).

A love letter to Shanghai

Frankly, after bottle of wine and so far the two best movies of 2008 (The Dark Knight and Kunsten a tenke negativt) it is appropriate time to write a love letter. Therefore; I love Shanghai because of...

...arteries clogging traditional Chinese breakfast (Vermont cheddar found its match). Although, most of the Chinese people will eat bowl of noodles for a breakfast, I had a pleasure to be treated with traditional Chinese breakfast (more popular in northern part of the country). These contain oil-soaked & deep-fried baguette-resembling thing which actually tastes good although heavily heavy. Furthermore it contains various kinds of dumplings with meat and other fillings (health warning for all those calorie counting losers).

...Chinese kitchen with all its varieties. Besides noodles, fried noodles, fried rice, vegetable dishes, dumplings of 1,000 kinds you have also province specific cuisine. Shanghai is heavy on seafood, Beijing on a duck, Sichuan is spicy and Hunan is absolutely hot. Besides that you can fill yourself up in Korean, Japanesse and occasionally European style dining eateries. What is the most important for all us - budget constrained students - it is all sooooo cheap :) Besides unbelievingly cheap university canteens (huge three course dinner/lunch can be purchased for 13 kuai - 1.5 euro) restaurants are fairly inexpensive (all fair-skin warnings and toilette rush alerts apply!). Those who dare, can eat on street for virtually nothing - in total for cost of higher toilette paper consumption.

...tailor market. The best place for clothes shopping in Shanghai is offering tailored shirts, suits, coats and anything else made from fabric for reasonable prices (depending on your bargaining ability). I do not know about any other place where you can buy tailored shirt for 85 kuai (9 euros). Eventually you end up buying suits and shirts you really do not need - just for the fun of it (I'm thinking of getting made two button suit - Paul Smith style :D - in addition to five shirts I have already bought). Anyway, my biggest problem is how to get all these clothes back home as I flew in 15 kilos overweight already. Only possible solution I can envisage is that anybody coming for a visit will fly in light-weighted (meaning one empty luggage) :)

...fake market. The best place for "super brands" shopping anywhere east of Paris. And what is the best - it is all fake and really really cheap (again depends on your bargaining ability). You can buy Fred Perry, Paul Smith, Louis Vuitton and anybrand you can imagine here (I do not even dare to start about watches :) ). Of course you have to be careful as quality of fake can be deceiving. There are several levels of fake; from really cheap ones which would last up to first "stress test" or which are easily recognizable as fake by close look, to those which are virtually same as original. All above is reflected in the price of fakes.

...bargaining. Anything can be bargained for and unless you are rich and do not care, everything you should bargain for. Usually it takes three walk-outs from the shop and shop attendant chasing you in the halls till you get reasonable price (the one you asked for the first time :) ). Furthermore, unlike in Europe or Americas, you can try and taste the fruits at the market so you know what are you buying - at least the taste of it. As a "fair skin" you have to watch out all the time as you are easy target for the sellers to ask/get more than from the natives.

...People's park Sunday dating sessions. In one of the People's park meeting points each Sunday meet people who post their profiles (one page flyers) on surrounding benches, trees and strings in between them. Usually these people are 40 and above (all the way up) and allegedly you can meet concerned parents searching for the future bride-to-be. As I was told such parents are worried that their only child is not able to enter the relationship and a "little" nudge is needed. This is Chinese version of western civilisation internet dating scene :)

...non-drinking Chinese students. Virtually, you can get drunk only with your fellow international students as Chinese people do not drink or their drinking stamina is fairly low. On the other hand when drinking they drink till the bitter end :)

...my student life. I almost forgot how good it is to drink beer and wine freely at noon. Luckily I was reminded this week at Czech National Day celebration organised by Czech consulate. I almost forgot how good it is to study and torture your brain. Luckily I am reminded everyday as my Chinese lessons require plenty of preparation and students here are just used to study like crazy and spend their weekends self-studying in classes - I follow their example (occassionally) as I prepare for all the crap I signed up for. I almost forgot how good it is to visit lectures of renowned professors and rise on the intellectual ladder :D Unfortunately I was reminded by a lecture given by prof. Kenneth Arrow at Fudan. Unfortunately any further rise is prevented by my duties at least until end of this year. Then the ascent of the monkeys will continue!

...doing sports. Unfortunately I am getting beaten all the time and it becomes more and more frustrating :)

...difficulty of Chinese language. Although nowhere near of being a lingua franca, Chinese is spoken and understood by c. 1.3 billion people (the highest estimate quoted as there is c. 1.4 billion people living in China these days). After 5 weeks of studying Chinese and 20 characters a day I come to conclussion that whoever submits himself voluntarily to intensive Chinese course he is either crazy, masochist or plain stupid. I guess the third option applies to me as I did not climb the IQ ladder high enough. On the other hand, it is very nice to see the actual results of your studies in a daily conversation (so far one-to-two word sentences).

Volatility forever...

Is it true that we entered the age of turbulence and volatility as former FED chairman suggests in the title of his book?* Should we expect even bigger swings on stock markets or the worst days are already over? Will the vision of the latest Nobel prize laureate Mr. Krugman (btw congratulations!!!) come true and the US will experience severe recession if not depression? Below you can find some thoughts re latest markets development and outlook.

In past two years (2007 and 2008) we experienced unusual financial markets development with wild swings both up and down perfectly illustrated by single day plunges of 679 points (Oct. 9) and 778 points (Sept. 29) and 936 points increase (Oct. 13) all withing 11 trading days**. And for the simplicity purposes we happily ignore intraday volatility which presents us with some really quirky numbers. As all reaction has its action, even this new found volatility is not self-invented. Whether it is just a prelude for the upcoming recession or has less simple explanation is a still open discussion. One of many reasons might be return to pre-Volckerian monetary policy (interest rates as main tool for fine-tuning of economy) and focus of new chairman (Mr. Bernanke) on bringing more clarity into it as opposed to "if it's not broken, don't touch / don't repair / don't explain" approach of Mr. Greenspan.

Mr. Bernanke's background (inflation targeting expert and promoter) and well documented remarks in first years of his tenur might have had exactly opposite impact than the one intended and eventually could have brought confusion and increased volatility to markets . That the volatility of the US markets (precisely Dow Jones Industrial Average index - which is the best measure of the US financial markets anyway) increased in past two years is confirmed by computations summarised in the table below. If we adjust data for a first 100 days "grace period" the difference increases (mainly due to exclussion of 1987 financial market meltdown from Mr. Greenspan datafile which he could not affect or eliminate anyway), showing that in fact we are entering the age of turbulence. More detailed analysis of annualized volatility rates*** (both for actual trading days in a year and 252-trading days year) is presented at the end of the text.

Standard deviations of continuosly compounded day-to-day DJIA closing values
		Greenspan	Bernanke
Standard deviation (Stdev.)		0.0111	0.0126
Stdev. adjusted for first 100 days		0.0100	0.0133

But is this volatility to continue? All evidence points out to the possitive answer to this question, meaning more uncertainity and damage to all investors. As previous slow-downs suggest higher volatility of financial markets in the periods of distress (see below and link) we should remember that technically we are still more or less not in the recession - although heading there at Jorg Haider speed. If Mr. Krugman's prediction will come true and the US and EU experience recessions in the immediate future (i.e. 2009 and beyond) we can expected increased volatility of financial markets in next years with new records for daily decreases and increases on pretty much regular basis. Ultimately this mean that smart investors can gain loads of money by entering and closing shor-term and/or intraday positions. On the other hand, all others (including me - to a great displeasure of my dad) should brace tehmeselves for a rough ride as they try to weather the downturn.

Unfortunately, governments with their bailout plans do not help to quickly resolve financial market crisis as participants keep testing the limits of government pockets and push for more (even by throwing word "panic" into the mix). By enabling them to do that, ultimately I might end up living in the country with the highest company private ownership participation rate in the world. Just don't tell me it is so bad or I am that smart and picked it upfront - all of us know it is not true :)

Note: * Be warned that as I did not read the book, basically I do not know what I am talking about. I did not have spare time for this type of "light reading" literature in past two years.
** For more details please refer to DJIA development chart available at any major financial portal.
*** Volatility is the most commonly measured as a standard deviation of continously compounded returns. This standard deviation is usually annualised in order to show comparable measures. Circa 252 trading days are within one year (in our sample it was the most common number of trading days) although differences arise (most notably in 2001 and the incomplete years at the begining and end of each chairman tenure).

	Annualized volatility
	Greenspan		Bernanke
	act. days	252-days	act. days	252-days
2008			0.2784	0.3110
2007			0.1452	0.1455
2006	0.0302	0.1073	0.0937	0.0979
2005	0.1028	0.1028
2004	0.1082	0.1082
2003	0.1653	0.1653
2002	0.2540	0.2540
2001	0.2122	0.2139
2000	0.2074	0.2074
1999	0.1611	0.1611
1998	0.1985	0.1985
1997	0.1880	0.1876
1996	0.1201	0.1197
1995	0.0866	0.0866
1994	0.1090	0.1090
1993	0.0868	0.0866
1992	0.1035	0.1031
1991	0.1461	0.1458
1990	0.1635	0.1631
1989	0.1429	0.1429
1988	0.1823	0.1819
1987	0.3436	0.5427

Chinese medicine / Dumplings = Education

After several days of "normalcy" finally something interesting happened. In line with my noble resolution of increasing daily amount of sport I decided to play basketball on Thursday. Of course as usual, my clumsiness prevailed and after three long minutes of hard on-court action, my head met with shoulder of an opponent I was supposed to guard. Bottom line of this are three stitches over my eyebrow. Hereafter follows the description of days and events that followed.

I have to admit that the cut on the eyebrow was deep and initially I was bleeding like a pig at hog-killing (or slaughterhouse). Opposed to my wishes (lazy by nature I did not want go through stitching-it-up procedures as any amount of stitches would require multiple visits to doctor and hospital) doctor from our university clinic insisted on my visit to hospital and seeking out stapling job. Maybe it was post-traumatic shock or endorphins released into blood which was still inside my body, but all the way to the hospital I was happily chatting (more precisely attempting to learn new words by wildly pointing to things around) with the cabdriver. Considering his zero knowledge of English and my trickling blood problem we had to look like really odd taxi. I think he had more fun than I had as he almost caused two accidents while vigorously attempting to explain proper pronunciation of bicycle, three-wheeler and other means of transportation in Shanghai.

Visit to the hospital was quick and efficient as I was pointed in the right direction or showed by nurse to the proper room like complete idiot. Ultimately I ended up in the room with doctor whose English was to my surprise almost flawless (seriously - hands down her English was better than English of some of my professors at University back in Prague). On my second visit (healing progress check up) she disclosed that she recently spent three months on some training/internship/whatever program in the US. Ultimately three stitches cost me only 50kuai (local currency) plus 30-something kuai in "hospital hospitality visit charges". Considering local stitch-job prices and fun I had during my encounters with the staff in white dresses, I am not only strongly inclined towards playing basketball again but also towards exploring some more adrenalin forms of self destruction (e.g. with my friends we might undertake indoor climbing exercise next week).

Anyway, as my little brother put it nicely, this patch up job might only help my face and I might finally look like Bruce Willis at the end of Die Hard movies (he took great pains in pointing out that I am bald enough already). That no harm was done to any of my motoric functions was proven next day when four of us played badminton (losing a bet - tickets to a cinema - I blame entirely on limited vision from a patch I was wearing that afternoon). Note to the fellow badminton players in Prague; beware - the beast downhere in Mordor is gathering it's strength again :)

Over the weekend besides usual parties (this time with the hiking club who had it's annual dinner) I have visited 7th Shanghai Biennale in Shanghai Art Museum taking full advantage of my student status (5kuai instead of 20 :) ) and my host for the day (I got from her also my first traditional Chinese breakfast which are little too heavy for me :) ). Surprisingly the exhibition was very nice and some of the pieces were worth every mao we paid. It is obvious that I still do not understand Chinese culture and way of thinking. One of the pieces showed collection of c. 20 T-shirts with various quotes including "dumplings = education". First hand explanation was that without eating nobody will survive and thus he cannot educate himself. If you can come up with the better one please let me know :)

Enjoy!

Wugong shan / TIC

During week-long* vacation due to Chinese National Day (1 Oct) me and three other international students joined hiking club "expedition" to Wugong shan in Jiangxi province. Besides us there was another 10 hikers from various Shanghai universities or already graduated friends of the club members. Plan was to hike along the ridge of Wugong shan for four days (c. 60-65km) climbing the various peaks along the way (Wugong shan is the highest peak of the range with elevation of 1,918m above sea level). Hereinafter follows the account of this adventure with selection of pictures attached in the gallery at the sidebar (in the following days).

Day 1: After meeting at South Shanghai Railway station and successfully smuggling two out of four gas cartridges through security checks at the station (caring gas and other dangerous objects is prohibited and X-ray detectors are installed on all stations) we boarded train destined for Shenzen (probably). Our destination was Ji'an in Jiangxi province where we were supposed to be picked up by shuttle bus and driven to our "base camp". After the 10.5 hour long journey when only 12 out of 14 people had seats reservations (this is China) international students realized that shuttle bus transfer is to be negotiated upon arrival. This proved to be more difficult than expected as drivers were uncharacteristically unwilling to lower their price during negotiations. Who would do it if he is supposed to drive 14 muffs for two and a half hours at midnight to some remote place without any prospect of getting some customers on a return journey? Finally, after our failed attempts to reach out to competition we relented and pressed ourselves with our backpacks into single vehicle size of Ford Transit. During ride to final destination we experienced something what certainly Russian tanks did on their way to Berlin - breakneck pace on the breakneck roads of some backwater place. When we arrived to the destination or more precisely, driver lost his patience and pulled in the middle of the second village we got lost in, we camped and built our tents on the porch of house in the middle of this village. This is China.

Day 2: Awaken by 5.00am by barking of dogs and shouts of surprised villagers of Jinding who found 10 tents built overnight on their main square, our leaders realized that we are c. 1 hour drive from the intended and paid for destination (this is China). Luckily, villagers were very very nice to us (mainly thanks to the fact that there were three of us of fair skin which was fairly big attraction along the whole way as we were only white people we met and due to fact that we had miraculous machines making pictures of people and everything around - we promised to send these pictures to them) and fed us and provided means of transportation (truck and a motorcycle) to a start of the trail. The trail led us up on the top of Wugong shan (1,918.3m). During the ascend we passed Budhist temple where all internationals received blessings and amulets to protect our fortunes and lives. Also we drank (sipped - due to health reasons) from well of eternal life. Considering the things we saw on cups we drank from we expect our lives to be seriously cut (basically negating the effects of amulet and water). Anyway on the top we visited several ancient Taoist temples built well before most of the cathedrals I have visited in Europe. Their size corresponding to the size of early Christian churches from Roman times. Camping was provided in front of a hut operated by our guide's family/acquitances in a village just bellow the peak.

Day 3: Third day was the hardest day (walking-wise) of the trip as we were supposed to cover c. 30 km. During the day we ascended and descended over six major peaks along the ridge of Wugong shan range. Hills** were not high but the character of these hills required deep descents and long ascends as peaks were separated and standing in mohyla like formations. All the way we experienced cloudy and misty weather not allowing views. What significantly affected our experience was amount of trash left along the trail by other groups. It appears that abuse of nature is prevalent in parks and nature areas too as plastic bags, bottles and other kinds of trash are freely disposed along the paths (this is China). On the other hand it appears that young generation is environment conscious and tries to minimize its imprint on the environment. All of our group members were trying to collect trash and carry it with ourselves and some of them went to the lengths of asking other tourists to clean their trash or not to throw away it. Fayunjie (day's destination) was reached just before darkness allowing enough time for camp set up. The dinner provided was so far the best one in China with spicy local specials without excessive use of oil (so often in Shanghai) and plenty of vegetables of various kinds. The food during the trip was of very good quality and unless new symptoms will show up in the upcoming days, relatively safe. After the dinner I had the honor to experience Korean army shower (after refusing to shower for the second day in a row next to local shithole - this is China). Besides the most gayish thing I have went through up to this day, it is very useful tool to keep your pants dry while cleaning your upper body (hands down, Korean army got hygiene figured out).

Day 4: Night was cold and morning was even colder with most of us developing sore throats during this night and thus partially ruining my joy of capturing the sunrise in the Wugong shan (a really beautifull event). Fourth day was the toughest (environment-wise) of the trip. We walked for c. 17 km in thick jungle up and down the hills. I have to admit that I was slapped by tree branches more than by my father during whole childhood :) As we were unable to refill our water supplies during the day by the evening we were thirsty like drunks with terrible hangover after long long night. Anyway, when we discovered the mountain hut providing soy milk to passers-by, our flock literally destroyed their supplies (who would not when it costs 1 kuai and is melanine free :) ). Some of us also refiled our alcohol supplies (which were non-existing up to that day) envisioning humble celebration of our last night in the hills. Upon reaching our destination (Yangshimu) and building our tents we performed this while playing card games and discussing dangers of drinking water in Shanghai (e.g. you should not drink tapped water at any costs - although filtered for solid particles it still contains heavy metals - therefore our Association of international experts recomends Nongfu Spring).

Day 5: Last day of our hiking trip contained descent from Wugong shan range to the civilisation. After two-hour-knee-shattering descent of "stairs to heaven" - a concrete manmade stairs which were built for tourists acending the mountain and which we took in opposite direction - we visited hot spa (compared to places we lived in past four days, a steril clean place). During our journey to train station we were notified by our handlers (hired powers) that there are only five tickets available for us and thus we will be forced to buy these tickets at the train (we were assured by them that they will handle it and will help us with their purchase). Eventually we boarded the train with tickets for next stop and paid surcharge upon arrival to Shanghai (this is China). When road from Shanghai to Ji'an was an Experience than our return journey was THE EXPERIENCE!!! I was already warned that travel during Chinese 7-day holidays is generally not recommended. While on the way to Ji'an I can safely estimate that for each 100 seats carriage 130 tickets were sold (forcing significant number of people to stand) on the way back for each 100 seats carriage we can estimate 160 tickets sold (Sunday was the last day of holiday). Entering the train is basically possible by pushing (literally pressing your way in) people in front of you into the carriage and wrecking havoc inside. There could be seen people sleeping underneath the seats (which is btw really smart idea as there is plenty of space) and people standing or sitting on the floor for 12 hours during the night (among others also our group). On the other hand, we experienced something what I would not expect in European trains. Unknown people offered to share their seats with us (eventhough only for several hours, a gesture deeply appreciated and for which we are still very gratefull) or squeeze to make room for some of us (absolutely amazing niceness of Chinese people). This is China.***

Monday after: Unfortunately I have to report that my previous statement about smog levels similar to Prague and other European cities got shattered this Monday. Today was the smogiest smogfest I have ever seen with the visibility limited to 500 meters and smog hanging over city preventing any outdoor sport activity. Hopefully this will change quickly and pre-hike levels will be restored.

Anyway, I have to admit that this trip showed us real China - considerably different from Shanghai. Enjoy!

Note: * week-long vacation means literally 7-days holiday. Usually besides national holiday (1 Oct - Wednesday) two off-days (Thursday and Friday) are provided to employees. Furthermore, additional two off-days are switched for weekend preceding the holiday (this year it was Monday and Tuesday - 29 and 30 Sept). The same principle is applied during Spring festival.

** for clarification and future use this blog uses definition of mountain as follows: Mountains is a landmass that projects conspiciously above its surroundings and reaches altitudes of more than 2,000 meters above sea level. Anything else is just hill (sorry my Czech friends :P ).

*** for those really really slow: TIC stands for This Is China.