My brain finally took Charon's bark over the river Styx (or Acheron - whatever you prefer) and returned from the land of dead. It took more than seven weeks from my last post and six weeks after my return from Hong Kong - last stop of my infamous journey. You can imagine how hard is to think and writing with brain missing and imagine that for someone like me - impossible... Anyway, now with all superb memories forgotten, there is no fear of suicidal depression arising and I can write about rest of my journey (although rather short just to stay safe) and time in the darkness (even shorter as I am lazy and not much happened :) ). Read on!
Kuala Lumpur
I get into Kuala Lumpur (locally known as 'KL') with one of my favorite budget airlines - Tiger Airways - for free or if you spin it other way, for airport tax fee and insurance. I admire the business model of Asian budget airlines (e.g. Air Asia and Tiger Airways) - they manage to stay in black while offering huge discounts and plenty of free seats. Their complementing schedules and flights make it very easy for travelers from around the world to explore the beauties of Southeast Asia and Oceania. What a difference compared to Central European dying breed of budgeters.
In Kuala Lumpur I spent two wonderful days wondering around city, visiting local monuments, museums, enjoying local food (viva China town!) and architecture. I had the pleasure to witness some true tropical storm with 20cm rainfall in 2 hours. Besides enjoying local hospitality, when all locals are smiling and helpful (another country which can smile) I realized that Malaysia is not at all third world country as I initially expected. The streets are clean, infrastructure working and architecture positively modern or even futuristic (especially in KL with its National Mosque, Dataran Mandaka square and Petronas Twin Towers). Maybe it has something to do with British rule (another country driving on the right side :) ). All in all, I was positively surprised by KL and country as a whole and decided to return someday to explore some historical palaces of Malacca and Georgetown.
Mt. Kinabalu
As a part of my preparation for Hong Kong marathon I decided to climb Mt. Kinabalu - one of the highest mountains in the region (although marketed as the highest, it is not true as my more affluent friend from India told me). In fact, I climbed it because during planning of my trip I felt that I would need to see some actual jungle after days spent in Singapore and KL. This trip turned out to be another highlight and belongs to the hall of fame moments of my travel. Not only I met THE people (Sydney/Thailand couple I shared ride from airport to Kinabalu park and awesome threesome of Queensland), but also we together climbed 4,000 vertical meters in two days (and returned to zero). For the first time in my life I saw people capable of smiling and laughing constantly. Awesome threesome inflicted and literally forced their sunshine nature on everybody they met - not only other tourists but also on porters and staff at the resort, park rangers, taxi drivers, anything and everything that moved - they even attracted bevy of squirrels on each stop up to the mountain. I am eternally thankful for opportunity to climb up with them and stare in mute astonishment - hats off mates and thank you! :)
Climb was by itself magnificent and although not particularly demanding (no need of technical climbing as path was clearly marked, it required normal fitness from the climbers), by keeping 'near running' tempo we burned some calories. Due to cloudy weather our waking-up time of 2.30am was completely useless. Also, most of us did not bear well the 25 degrees centigrade drop in temperature (compared to sea level), it was pretty much freezing at 5 o'clock in the morning at the top of Mt. Kinabalu :) On our way back to warmth of Laban Rata huts we were rewarded with spectacular views of Borneo mountains (again pictures are coming sometimes soon). After some feeble attempt to threaten the current Mt. Kinabalu Climbaton record books (really a feeble attempt) I managed to get back to civilization, and more importantly, airport at Kota Kinabalu (or 'KK' for locals) on time for my return flight to KL.
Hong Kong Half-Marathon
After another pleasant day in KL I flew to Hong Kong in order to participate in the local half-marathon. This might sound pretty strange but main it is true - only reason for my second stay in HK was half-marathon. Although, I have to admit that I love this city and I have enjoyed walking its street very much. Half-marathon path was unlike the one in Shanghai, uneven with several ascents and subsequent descents. With start at Kowloon we run on the highway and under the sea to finish among the skyscrapers of Hong Kong island. Sunny weather and architectural beauty of the financial heart of Asia combined for breathtaking atmosphere. Of course, I needed that breath to finish within some decent time limit which I did not. My official time of 1:41:45 was five minutes better than in Shanghai but still worse than my brothers and 1:45 minutes above the time limit I eventually want to achieve. Better luck next time I hope :)
Six weeks in the land of dead
With Hong Kong-Shanghai express I was able to get back on Monday and indulged in sorrow of my memories of what I saw and experienced while traveling. Besides that, I...
...wrote an incredibly crappy paper but still passed the class. As of today, I am carefully considering whether I should share it with the readers of this blog in new section listing all the bollocks I have wrote, or I should save the world from it and leave it peacefully go on (as a responsible citizen I always consider pebble in the water theory).
...tried to summarize my life on four PowerPoint slides but the only one who got it, and get kick out of it was my little brother. I guess this by itself summarizes my life perfectly :)
...didn't do any sports as it is too cold to run and I am too lazy, I guess, to play badminton in training suit and undergarments.
...got seriously ticked off and little sick by swings in Shanghai weather. 4 days almost summer like sunshine and plus 23 degrees and then within one day drop of 10 degrees centigrade with strong northern winds does not do it for me.
...got two new jeans at tailor market for ten euro each (cut to the liking of Levi's 501 model :) ) and could have get better price but was too lazy to bargain more.
...started to sort pictures I made during my trips since I came to China - still c. 2,500 to go. Some of them I will post on here (see Photo section).
...kept myself somehow busy (I think so) although I can't remember what exactly I did.
...finally promised myself to start solving the global problems and not selfishly write about my travel experience which, I selfishly admit, is pretty painful thing as those memories are so great (especially in cloudy cold Shanghai :) ). And there go my last readers... :D
3/24/2009
2/01/2009
Close encounters (by the breasts of Chinese girl)
Using immortal words of the best Czech sports commentator, I introduce you to what I have been through in past couple of days traveling around kiwiland, land of Oz and Singapore. What follows is description of noteable facts I have written down since my last post. In this column expression used in the title would be examined from all possible angles - consider yourself warned. Read on.
Naturally disastrous
As New Zealand is located exactly on a meeting point of two tectonic plates (Australian and Pacific) it is predisposed to volcanic activity, earthquakes and similar. As such it is relatively young and still developing landmass which explains unique fauna and flora (partially :) ) - more likely it is unique due to a fact that New Zealand is so remote and out of reach (Land of Oz is the closest thing and it is still solid three hours flight away). The phrase in the subtitle was used in one of many exhibitions in Te Papa museum which is highly interactive museum (as most of the museums I have visited during past three years - including Sydney and Singapore) showing and explaining New Zealand and life on it.
Positively surreal
My two days in Sydney were definitely something. I was able to; swim in Tasman sea (incredibly cold compared to New Zealand waters) on Bondi beach where I realised that sometime in the future I will have to switch to contact lenses if I want to learn to surf, also I met (or rather crashed his tour) governor of Hunan province on the tour of New South Wales parliament mere one month after I visited Hunan. Positively surreal is also the niceness and openness of Aussies who are able and willing to talk to you on the street while waiting for a green light (and they call everyone darling down under :) ) and who thank busdriver when getting off the bus. What other word than surreal would adequately describe the fact that there is 30 pianos placed all over Sydney for people to play (and they actually do) - occassion is Sydney festival - and city council and parks maintenance asks you to walk on grass in their parks and hug trees (literally)? Bottom line is that both Sydney and Perth are magnificiently liveble cities. Even more surreal was realisation that during my stay at Sydney Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard would be performing at Sydney Opera. Unfortunately this was another of my close encounters as both concerts were sold out (I did not visit the Opera for any other performance as I did not possess proper attire and would seriously harm my food budget :) ). Last but not least almost incredible happened and in Perth I almost visited one-day test match between Australia and South Africa at famous WACA oval (it was close but as the event was sold out I was relegated to watching kangaroo in nearby natural reserve - in the middle of the freaking city!!!). All the sold out events bring me to conclussion that Aussies are crazy about culture - what a surprise if you consider that de facto they are just bunch of convicts :) (joke!! :) ) - even during Friday when they are supposed to work and not watch cricket!
Brothers of Southern hemisphere
Australia (Oz) and New Zealand (Kiwiland) are somethin like Czech Republic and Slovakia of the down under. Both countries are close with very similar nations speaking some sort of similar language which they understand perfectly (it is some different kind of English which is surprisingly hard to understand when spoken in full throttle - e.g. they pronounce "pegs" as "pigs" etc.). Further more they compete between each other in anything and both thing of themselves as the better one (independently I was told by both Aussies and Kiwis that their nation and country is better and that the other one has "only sheeps and honey and nothing else" - which basically is true about both of them - this coming from Slovak whose country does not have even that :) ). In sports their competition can be also likened to Czech Republic and Slovakia substituting football and hockey with rugby and cricket (although it is more balanced competition, even though Black caps are laughing stock of international cricket just like Slovakia is laughing stock of world football). From the girls point of view the rivalry is also in favor of bigger brother - Oz is like rainforrest compared to Sahara of Kiwiland (this finding was acknowledged by my Kiwi friend but still I appologize for bluntness :) ).
Gradual therapy
Singapore is something in between Asia (namely China) and Oz and Kiwiland. It is hands down beautiful city with plenty of historical buildings and very modern skyscrapers. It has unique feel of melting pot of various cultures and religions. If I said about any city that people there leave next to each other regardless of their beliefs, Singapore thrashes it by landslide. Althoug it is little over-religious with church, temple of mosque on every corner (although different freom Maccau which is I would say over-catholic) there are no conflicts - everything is even written in "stone" (rather paper I would say). On the other hand it is little bit more polluted (I can feel it in my lungs after weeks spend in NZ) and dirty as each community keeps itself separated from the others and their influence. Unlike in Hong Kong where British way of life was prevalent and impossed more or less on all newcomers, in Singapore Indians (generally all who came from India even though there are many nationalities there e.g. Sikhs etc.), Chinese and Malay people positioned themselfes in certain neighbourhoods which prevail until today (it makes it interesting from touristic point of view). What I want to say is that there are certain customs which are same as in Mainland China such as; spitting on the street (although it was bus driver of Chinese group), honking (less than Shanghai though), hawking (although Indian stall owners are nowhere near the level of their Shanghai counterparts and might be even considered polite - they approach you with greeting and shake of hand instead of grabing you and pushing or fighting over you) etc. Also you can see some strictly-Chinese-way-of-thinking facts from the past. For example there is a street in city center where in the past were located "dead houses" where sick and old went to die, because to die at someone house might bring bad luck to the house - awesome (similarly to Aussie legislation regarding Abo's as animals who should be protected from overhunting, this houses were aborted and prohibited in 1960's - probably hippies have something to do with all this happiness and humanity around :) ). Anyway to sumarise, I have in fact started my gradual adaptation therapy to what awaits me in one week - return to Shanghai (further stage is Malaysia) :)
Other
Other remarks include; Air New Zealand became my favourite flag carrier with best service and most comfortable planes (it beats SAS due to younger stewardess), my realization that if I would want to know Australia I would need at least four weeks to explore it and still by far it might be not enough. In Singapore I stay at Sentosa island which is something like gigantic Disneyland - Asian style - with plenty of attractions for incoming tourists. Although twice as expensive as dorms on the main island it is needed relaxation break after two nights spending on travel and transfer (from Sydney to Perth and then to Singapore). At least I have an opportunity for morning swim in Indian ocean, morning run to prepare myself for Hong Kong and most importantly to drink evening cocktail in Bikini bar (actual name of the local beach bar) watching *INSERT WHATEVER YOU WANT (OPTIONS: a-sunset, b-bikini clad waitresses, c-fellow customers in beach wear)*.
Next stop is Kuala Lumpur and Kina Balu where I will transfer my sorry bottom in next two days. Next post will be probably from Hong Kong - maybe :) Enjoy!
PS: Of course I went for the oBvious answer - it is easier if you imagine that shortly I will return to the country where D-cups have the same meaning as Dinosaurs - extinct :)
Naturally disastrous
As New Zealand is located exactly on a meeting point of two tectonic plates (Australian and Pacific) it is predisposed to volcanic activity, earthquakes and similar. As such it is relatively young and still developing landmass which explains unique fauna and flora (partially :) ) - more likely it is unique due to a fact that New Zealand is so remote and out of reach (Land of Oz is the closest thing and it is still solid three hours flight away). The phrase in the subtitle was used in one of many exhibitions in Te Papa museum which is highly interactive museum (as most of the museums I have visited during past three years - including Sydney and Singapore) showing and explaining New Zealand and life on it.
Positively surreal
My two days in Sydney were definitely something. I was able to; swim in Tasman sea (incredibly cold compared to New Zealand waters) on Bondi beach where I realised that sometime in the future I will have to switch to contact lenses if I want to learn to surf, also I met (or rather crashed his tour) governor of Hunan province on the tour of New South Wales parliament mere one month after I visited Hunan. Positively surreal is also the niceness and openness of Aussies who are able and willing to talk to you on the street while waiting for a green light (and they call everyone darling down under :) ) and who thank busdriver when getting off the bus. What other word than surreal would adequately describe the fact that there is 30 pianos placed all over Sydney for people to play (and they actually do) - occassion is Sydney festival - and city council and parks maintenance asks you to walk on grass in their parks and hug trees (literally)? Bottom line is that both Sydney and Perth are magnificiently liveble cities. Even more surreal was realisation that during my stay at Sydney Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard would be performing at Sydney Opera. Unfortunately this was another of my close encounters as both concerts were sold out (I did not visit the Opera for any other performance as I did not possess proper attire and would seriously harm my food budget :) ). Last but not least almost incredible happened and in Perth I almost visited one-day test match between Australia and South Africa at famous WACA oval (it was close but as the event was sold out I was relegated to watching kangaroo in nearby natural reserve - in the middle of the freaking city!!!). All the sold out events bring me to conclussion that Aussies are crazy about culture - what a surprise if you consider that de facto they are just bunch of convicts :) (joke!! :) ) - even during Friday when they are supposed to work and not watch cricket!
Brothers of Southern hemisphere
Australia (Oz) and New Zealand (Kiwiland) are somethin like Czech Republic and Slovakia of the down under. Both countries are close with very similar nations speaking some sort of similar language which they understand perfectly (it is some different kind of English which is surprisingly hard to understand when spoken in full throttle - e.g. they pronounce "pegs" as "pigs" etc.). Further more they compete between each other in anything and both thing of themselves as the better one (independently I was told by both Aussies and Kiwis that their nation and country is better and that the other one has "only sheeps and honey and nothing else" - which basically is true about both of them - this coming from Slovak whose country does not have even that :) ). In sports their competition can be also likened to Czech Republic and Slovakia substituting football and hockey with rugby and cricket (although it is more balanced competition, even though Black caps are laughing stock of international cricket just like Slovakia is laughing stock of world football). From the girls point of view the rivalry is also in favor of bigger brother - Oz is like rainforrest compared to Sahara of Kiwiland (this finding was acknowledged by my Kiwi friend but still I appologize for bluntness :) ).
Gradual therapy
Singapore is something in between Asia (namely China) and Oz and Kiwiland. It is hands down beautiful city with plenty of historical buildings and very modern skyscrapers. It has unique feel of melting pot of various cultures and religions. If I said about any city that people there leave next to each other regardless of their beliefs, Singapore thrashes it by landslide. Althoug it is little over-religious with church, temple of mosque on every corner (although different freom Maccau which is I would say over-catholic) there are no conflicts - everything is even written in "stone" (rather paper I would say). On the other hand it is little bit more polluted (I can feel it in my lungs after weeks spend in NZ) and dirty as each community keeps itself separated from the others and their influence. Unlike in Hong Kong where British way of life was prevalent and impossed more or less on all newcomers, in Singapore Indians (generally all who came from India even though there are many nationalities there e.g. Sikhs etc.), Chinese and Malay people positioned themselfes in certain neighbourhoods which prevail until today (it makes it interesting from touristic point of view). What I want to say is that there are certain customs which are same as in Mainland China such as; spitting on the street (although it was bus driver of Chinese group), honking (less than Shanghai though), hawking (although Indian stall owners are nowhere near the level of their Shanghai counterparts and might be even considered polite - they approach you with greeting and shake of hand instead of grabing you and pushing or fighting over you) etc. Also you can see some strictly-Chinese-way-of-thinking facts from the past. For example there is a street in city center where in the past were located "dead houses" where sick and old went to die, because to die at someone house might bring bad luck to the house - awesome (similarly to Aussie legislation regarding Abo's as animals who should be protected from overhunting, this houses were aborted and prohibited in 1960's - probably hippies have something to do with all this happiness and humanity around :) ). Anyway to sumarise, I have in fact started my gradual adaptation therapy to what awaits me in one week - return to Shanghai (further stage is Malaysia) :)
Other
Other remarks include; Air New Zealand became my favourite flag carrier with best service and most comfortable planes (it beats SAS due to younger stewardess), my realization that if I would want to know Australia I would need at least four weeks to explore it and still by far it might be not enough. In Singapore I stay at Sentosa island which is something like gigantic Disneyland - Asian style - with plenty of attractions for incoming tourists. Although twice as expensive as dorms on the main island it is needed relaxation break after two nights spending on travel and transfer (from Sydney to Perth and then to Singapore). At least I have an opportunity for morning swim in Indian ocean, morning run to prepare myself for Hong Kong and most importantly to drink evening cocktail in Bikini bar (actual name of the local beach bar) watching *INSERT WHATEVER YOU WANT (OPTIONS: a-sunset, b-bikini clad waitresses, c-fellow customers in beach wear)*.
Next stop is Kuala Lumpur and Kina Balu where I will transfer my sorry bottom in next two days. Next post will be probably from Hong Kong - maybe :) Enjoy!
PS: Of course I went for the oBvious answer - it is easier if you imagine that shortly I will return to the country where D-cups have the same meaning as Dinosaurs - extinct :)
1/26/2009
Northern push
Past three days I spent mainly behind the steering wheel of rental Toyota Corrola as I criss-crossed the country. Taking all scenic routes available I transferred my sorry bottom back to Northern Island and momentarily enjoy internet access in Gisborn's YHA. Below you can find some notes on that.
From Fjordland I headed south to the southernmost point of New Zealand 'mainland'. Upon reaching it I turned around and headed north. As distances are really huge (each day I covered c. 700km) and I had to stop to make pictures and enjoy the scenery (or got lost) I did not have much time to spent in the cities I was passing through. Mostly they become refueling stations both for my car and myself. I had time to stop at Invercargill's huge park with rose gardens (very nice with plenty of information about origin of various rose types), Dunedin's city centre with English-like architecture (Edwardian they call it :) ) and by Mt. Cook.
Christchurch looks a lot like Dunedin and both have cathedrals - sort of (we would call it a mere church or chapel but here they are cathedrals :) ). In Christchurch I visited buskers world festival (street performers). I have to admit that I have seen better and more funnier ones in Paris and Rotterdam but at least it was quite an experience. Only think I missed was shopping in Napier's art deco shops (everything closed on Sunday afternoon) and Kaikoura's swimming with the dolphins (passed through this part of the island in the night as I was delayed with unscheduled and unplanned 100km return to gas station...).
Only think I really am angry about is that I missed opportunity to spend more time around Mt. Cook (thus I have to return there once) as the weather was awesome - bright and sunny woth temperatures of 30 degrees. Anyway it requires at least two weeks to hike the area and climb the mountain and I really did not have time for that :)
Next is Coromandel with it's beaches - I plan to dig my hot hole there :) Enjoy!
From Fjordland I headed south to the southernmost point of New Zealand 'mainland'. Upon reaching it I turned around and headed north. As distances are really huge (each day I covered c. 700km) and I had to stop to make pictures and enjoy the scenery (or got lost) I did not have much time to spent in the cities I was passing through. Mostly they become refueling stations both for my car and myself. I had time to stop at Invercargill's huge park with rose gardens (very nice with plenty of information about origin of various rose types), Dunedin's city centre with English-like architecture (Edwardian they call it :) ) and by Mt. Cook.
Christchurch looks a lot like Dunedin and both have cathedrals - sort of (we would call it a mere church or chapel but here they are cathedrals :) ). In Christchurch I visited buskers world festival (street performers). I have to admit that I have seen better and more funnier ones in Paris and Rotterdam but at least it was quite an experience. Only think I missed was shopping in Napier's art deco shops (everything closed on Sunday afternoon) and Kaikoura's swimming with the dolphins (passed through this part of the island in the night as I was delayed with unscheduled and unplanned 100km return to gas station...).
Only think I really am angry about is that I missed opportunity to spend more time around Mt. Cook (thus I have to return there once) as the weather was awesome - bright and sunny woth temperatures of 30 degrees. Anyway it requires at least two weeks to hike the area and climb the mountain and I really did not have time for that :)
Next is Coromandel with it's beaches - I plan to dig my hot hole there :) Enjoy!
1/22/2009
Traveller's notes on Kiwiland
After spending 11 days in this beautiful country I feel entitled to write something about it. Someone might argue that I wrote more during my China trip because there was more to say but believe me it is not true - I still have to stop my head from spinning around from what I have seen so far and find my jaw which dropped somewhere around Auckland. Furthermore, today I had finished 'hiking' part of my trip and in front of me is the 'driving stage'. During this part I will drive northwards along east coast of both islands stopping to make pictures of landscape, penguins and to clean front of my car from the dead kiwis :) (no worries I had not hit any of these nocturnal birds although I have seen fair share of them killed on roads). Hereafter I offer you some sketches of my experience with hiking in New Zealand's National Parks.
As already mentioned previously nature in New Zealand is unrivaled anywhere in the world. After intensive thinking process I come up with the best metaphor or comparison; 'Walking around New Zealand is like watching All-stars game of nature'. Literally you can find here everything. From crystal clear sandy beaches of tropic jungle (e.g. Abel Tasman) to high mountains and glaciers of monumental mountains (Southern Alps and glaciers there) to fjords carved into the land (Fjordland) to bare volcanic country (Tongariro). And I do not even bother you with description of vineyards, valleys looking like cut from American West and coastal areas of Southern Africa or Mediterranean (eventually I bothered you but who cares :) ).
Even more awesome is the fact that New Zealanders value this beauty and try to preserve it - sometimes I have a feeling that they go overboard with 'Go green!' attitude but it might be only my Chinese re-education program speaking :) Grandgrandfathers of today's citizens installed the system of National Parks which are visited by throngs of tourists and are the best place to enjoy yourself (of course as a objective observer I have to add that their grandgrandgrandfathers plundered the country to the extent of exterminating 80 per cent of it's original forest cover - only after that their turned the switch to 'Go green!'). National Parks and scenic areas and reserves are maintained by Department of Conservation which is basically Big Brother for tourists in New Zealand (in a good way) and Ministry of Tourism, Agriculture, National Park overseeing body and whatever issue concerning nature combined. In these National Parks (NPs) you can visit so called Great Walks which encompass the most beautiful and unique parts of nature available in this country. There are totally nine of these walks and I visited three which are described below.
Tongariro (Northern Circuit)
The oldest NP in New Zealand located in central North Island includes two loop tracks (Northern circuit and Round the mountain track - as you can see kiwis do not bother with inventing ear-pleasing names). Northern circuit is included among Great walks and it is the one I walked. Only on this track I have learned that something like Great walks actually exists :) Track circles around volcano - Mt. Ngauruhoe (better known as Mt. Doom from the Lord of the rings trilogy) with possible side track up the mountain. Rest assured I took the side track and hesitated about throwing in my ring but luckily there was no Glum to bite my finger of and I still have 'One Ring to Rule Them All. One Ring to Find Them. One Ring to Bring Them All and In The Darkness Bind Them.' on my middle finger :) This volcano is pretty active one with latest eruption in 1975. On top there are still rocks hot enough to make a good stake or scrambled eggs and from the cracks you can see gases and steam getting out. Southern loop is around the mountain and is twice as long as above mentioned therefore I did not take it (it goes around another interesting snow peaked mountain/volcano which can be eventually climbed).
Abel Tasman (Coastal Track)
Abel Tasman is NP on the northernmost part of Southern island and includes incredible sceneries of sandy beaches and clear blue sea. On your way you can dip in whenever you feel hot or tired and camp on beach overnight. Track leads through rainforest or whatever you call incredibly green forest with fern leaves bigger than adult person and actually five meters high fern trees - absolutely awesome and something I have never seen before :) I was literally catching my dropping jaw all day long. On your way you cross three estuaries (two have high tide optional route and one ca n be crossed only during low tide) thus you should plan your journey according to low and high tide (I did not and ended up waiting / trying-to-find-my-way-across-the-bush for four hours).
Fjordland (Kepler Track)
My last Great walk was down in the deep south in country of fjords. Fjordland NP is the biggest NP of New Zealand and actually includes two Great Walks (also Milford Track). I took Kepler as it leads through higher alpine country and it is loop. Two thirds of the track are in forested area and remaining 20km are along ridge (including ascent and descent) of mountain range. The best time and views are available during sunny days therefore advisable is to plan your stay in the area for couple of days so you can wait out rainstorms (which are plenty as fjordland has 200 days of rain during year).
My experience suggest that all of the Great Walks are doable in one day (it took me two for Kepler and Northern circuit - mainly due to my inexperience with these tracks as I expected something harder and prebooked my accommodation) and are fairly easy walks. Tracks are very well maintained by park rangers and walked by huge numbers of tourists during the day. Therefore most advisable strategy is to get up as early as you can and be the first on the track - amazing experience believe me :)
Also I took half day glacier tour on Fox glacier (Franz Joseph is more popular and more famous but flat and thus more boring compared to Fox) while passing by Southern Alps on the west coast of Southern Island.
This is all about my hiking - further notes will follow in couple of days. I have to share with you one more thing - only mistake / fault I discovered about New Zealand so far. Winemakers here do not put corks in the bottles - all bottles have screws - so uncultural! :) Enjoy because I really do!!! :)
As already mentioned previously nature in New Zealand is unrivaled anywhere in the world. After intensive thinking process I come up with the best metaphor or comparison; 'Walking around New Zealand is like watching All-stars game of nature'. Literally you can find here everything. From crystal clear sandy beaches of tropic jungle (e.g. Abel Tasman) to high mountains and glaciers of monumental mountains (Southern Alps and glaciers there) to fjords carved into the land (Fjordland) to bare volcanic country (Tongariro). And I do not even bother you with description of vineyards, valleys looking like cut from American West and coastal areas of Southern Africa or Mediterranean (eventually I bothered you but who cares :) ).
Even more awesome is the fact that New Zealanders value this beauty and try to preserve it - sometimes I have a feeling that they go overboard with 'Go green!' attitude but it might be only my Chinese re-education program speaking :) Grandgrandfathers of today's citizens installed the system of National Parks which are visited by throngs of tourists and are the best place to enjoy yourself (of course as a objective observer I have to add that their grandgrandgrandfathers plundered the country to the extent of exterminating 80 per cent of it's original forest cover - only after that their turned the switch to 'Go green!'). National Parks and scenic areas and reserves are maintained by Department of Conservation which is basically Big Brother for tourists in New Zealand (in a good way) and Ministry of Tourism, Agriculture, National Park overseeing body and whatever issue concerning nature combined. In these National Parks (NPs) you can visit so called Great Walks which encompass the most beautiful and unique parts of nature available in this country. There are totally nine of these walks and I visited three which are described below.
Tongariro (Northern Circuit)
The oldest NP in New Zealand located in central North Island includes two loop tracks (Northern circuit and Round the mountain track - as you can see kiwis do not bother with inventing ear-pleasing names). Northern circuit is included among Great walks and it is the one I walked. Only on this track I have learned that something like Great walks actually exists :) Track circles around volcano - Mt. Ngauruhoe (better known as Mt. Doom from the Lord of the rings trilogy) with possible side track up the mountain. Rest assured I took the side track and hesitated about throwing in my ring but luckily there was no Glum to bite my finger of and I still have 'One Ring to Rule Them All. One Ring to Find Them. One Ring to Bring Them All and In The Darkness Bind Them.' on my middle finger :) This volcano is pretty active one with latest eruption in 1975. On top there are still rocks hot enough to make a good stake or scrambled eggs and from the cracks you can see gases and steam getting out. Southern loop is around the mountain and is twice as long as above mentioned therefore I did not take it (it goes around another interesting snow peaked mountain/volcano which can be eventually climbed).
Abel Tasman (Coastal Track)
Abel Tasman is NP on the northernmost part of Southern island and includes incredible sceneries of sandy beaches and clear blue sea. On your way you can dip in whenever you feel hot or tired and camp on beach overnight. Track leads through rainforest or whatever you call incredibly green forest with fern leaves bigger than adult person and actually five meters high fern trees - absolutely awesome and something I have never seen before :) I was literally catching my dropping jaw all day long. On your way you cross three estuaries (two have high tide optional route and one ca n be crossed only during low tide) thus you should plan your journey according to low and high tide (I did not and ended up waiting / trying-to-find-my-way-across-the-bush for four hours).
Fjordland (Kepler Track)
My last Great walk was down in the deep south in country of fjords. Fjordland NP is the biggest NP of New Zealand and actually includes two Great Walks (also Milford Track). I took Kepler as it leads through higher alpine country and it is loop. Two thirds of the track are in forested area and remaining 20km are along ridge (including ascent and descent) of mountain range. The best time and views are available during sunny days therefore advisable is to plan your stay in the area for couple of days so you can wait out rainstorms (which are plenty as fjordland has 200 days of rain during year).
My experience suggest that all of the Great Walks are doable in one day (it took me two for Kepler and Northern circuit - mainly due to my inexperience with these tracks as I expected something harder and prebooked my accommodation) and are fairly easy walks. Tracks are very well maintained by park rangers and walked by huge numbers of tourists during the day. Therefore most advisable strategy is to get up as early as you can and be the first on the track - amazing experience believe me :)
Also I took half day glacier tour on Fox glacier (Franz Joseph is more popular and more famous but flat and thus more boring compared to Fox) while passing by Southern Alps on the west coast of Southern Island.
This is all about my hiking - further notes will follow in couple of days. I have to share with you one more thing - only mistake / fault I discovered about New Zealand so far. Winemakers here do not put corks in the bottles - all bottles have screws - so uncultural! :) Enjoy because I really do!!! :)
1/16/2009
Travelling around "Middle Earth"
As most of you already know, I am now traveling around New Zealand and thus any comments about Hong Kong and final notes on Chinese culture will be posted after my return. Anyway this is the best way as I can compare Hong Kong with something at least equally beautiful because there is nothing remotely as beautiful as HK in China. Furthermore this will allow me to compare two distinctive cultures (one of happy and smiling New Zealanders with grumpy Chinese :) ). Bellow follow quick notes.
Travel plan:
In two weeks I plan two travel down and up the coasts of New Zealand which usually takes 5 weeks up to four years (timeframe taken from my fellow travelers I met). There is no exact plan as flexibility is needed. I hired a car and travel basically between the National Parks and places I was recommended to visit (with further recommendations gathered along my way). After that I will go to Sydney (2 days), Perth (one day), Singapor (2 days) Kuala Lumpur (one day altogether), Kina Balu (3 days) and Hong Kong (2 days for half marathon - if I'll be up to it).
Driving on the wrong side:
New Zealand as other Commonwealth countries uses "wrong side" of the road (best argument for this was that right hand is more sensitive and precise therefore you should use this one for steering the wheel and not shifting the gear). So far it does not caused any problems for me (also thanks to big big arrow on my wheel saying "Keep left"). Speed limit is 100km per hour and drivers are very careful (probably bad experience with tourists) and thus I am gaining confidence with myself. So far I did 600km and plan to do altogether c. 4,000km during the whole trip - we will see.
Auckland:
The biggest city of New Zealand. I spend there only one day and basically feel confident that I saw the essence of the city. You do not need to spend there too much time and you should get out of the city to the nature which is much more enjoyable. Harbor and city centre are all within walking distance. Views from the Auckland tower are nice but you can see mostly suburbs spread around (Auckland does not have many highrises). My friend from studies in China who recently returned home showed me on the northern shore and offered me accommodation for the first night. After what I have seen I kept him asking; how and why did he picked China for Master program (anyway he is back in New Zealand after four months - I guess he come to his senses :D ).
Rotorua and thermal discovery highway:
Shortly - Rotorua and surrounding area is Southern Hemisphere Yellowstone National Park. Many streams and hot pools with geysers all over the place. My bad was that I spent too much time walking around Rotorua (very nice SPA city) and thus missed other attractions (which I would not take anyway as they are too expensive) along the highway (no. 1 from Auckland down to the south).
So far I travelled also to Tongariro and coastal area but I will write more when I have time. Next plan is to spent a day in Wellington and transfer myself to Southern island. Enjoy!
Travel plan:
In two weeks I plan two travel down and up the coasts of New Zealand which usually takes 5 weeks up to four years (timeframe taken from my fellow travelers I met). There is no exact plan as flexibility is needed. I hired a car and travel basically between the National Parks and places I was recommended to visit (with further recommendations gathered along my way). After that I will go to Sydney (2 days), Perth (one day), Singapor (2 days) Kuala Lumpur (one day altogether), Kina Balu (3 days) and Hong Kong (2 days for half marathon - if I'll be up to it).
Driving on the wrong side:
New Zealand as other Commonwealth countries uses "wrong side" of the road (best argument for this was that right hand is more sensitive and precise therefore you should use this one for steering the wheel and not shifting the gear). So far it does not caused any problems for me (also thanks to big big arrow on my wheel saying "Keep left"). Speed limit is 100km per hour and drivers are very careful (probably bad experience with tourists) and thus I am gaining confidence with myself. So far I did 600km and plan to do altogether c. 4,000km during the whole trip - we will see.
Auckland:
The biggest city of New Zealand. I spend there only one day and basically feel confident that I saw the essence of the city. You do not need to spend there too much time and you should get out of the city to the nature which is much more enjoyable. Harbor and city centre are all within walking distance. Views from the Auckland tower are nice but you can see mostly suburbs spread around (Auckland does not have many highrises). My friend from studies in China who recently returned home showed me on the northern shore and offered me accommodation for the first night. After what I have seen I kept him asking; how and why did he picked China for Master program (anyway he is back in New Zealand after four months - I guess he come to his senses :D ).
Rotorua and thermal discovery highway:
Shortly - Rotorua and surrounding area is Southern Hemisphere Yellowstone National Park. Many streams and hot pools with geysers all over the place. My bad was that I spent too much time walking around Rotorua (very nice SPA city) and thus missed other attractions (which I would not take anyway as they are too expensive) along the highway (no. 1 from Auckland down to the south).
So far I travelled also to Tongariro and coastal area but I will write more when I have time. Next plan is to spent a day in Wellington and transfer myself to Southern island. Enjoy!
12/30/2008
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 :)
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.
12/27/2008
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.
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.
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