Month: October 2018

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!!!!!

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.  It’s actually evening here, but it’s morning where most people are reading this.

I knew immediately that I was going to love Vietnam.  It’s chaotic, friendly, crazy and laid back all at the same time.  It might have an identity crisis if it cared.

I just walked around Ho Chi Minh City today to get a feel for things.  I have a tour starting day after tomorrow, so I think I will see the sights then.  It was great.  The air here has the scent of overripe tropical fruit with a hint of motorbike exhaust.  The streets are organized chaos.  There are motorbikes, vespas and mopeds everywhere…they are like bees in a wildflower field.

Even taxis operate on motorbikes (they do have 4 wheel taxis also).  It’s called Go-Bike and they have an extra helmet for the passenger.  Locals seem to carpool.  These two ladies where getting ready to brave the streets when I saw them.  They let me take their picture.

Deliveries also seem to be made with motorbikes.  The Culligan man in the USA has it really easy.

And so does the FTD guy

Crossing the street in Ho Chi Minh City is a bit like being the mole in Whack-a-Mole.  Every time you think you find a safe hole, something comes out of nowhere to try to take you down.  I noticed some locals waited to cross “en-masse” with arms linked together.  I decided that just makes you a bigger target.  Take a close look at this picture.  What is the one thing missing from this intersection?

There are a few signs left of the French colonial past.  The country has the best coffee I have had in Asia so far and I saw one old cathedral.

When the heat became too much,  I stopped in at a cafe.  It was too hot to try the life-changing coffee, however.

Now, if anyone out there has been to Vietnam and can explain this next picture, I would be grateful.  The questions are both why and how?  Do people not want to litter or are they going to come back later and finish their beverage?

I have signed up to take a cooking class tomorrow.  We are supposed to start at the market to shop for ingredients and then head to the kitchen to cook.  Should be a blast!!!

Au Revoir!

 

 

Yangtze and Shanghai

My final days in China were spent on the Yangtze and then in Shanghai.

A quick cruise along the Yangtze begins in Chongquin, a city of 30+million inhabitants. While the city does not have much in the way of tourist sites, departing from the city at night takes you under a lovely lighted bridge.

The first part of the cruise is a little depressing.  The river is polluted and there are large factories right along the banks.

Our first stop was a small town which was newly built after the government opened the dam and flooded the areas close to the old river banks.  There is an interesting museum and underwater viewing area in the town, but the best site was the VEGETADLE MARKET.

Inside there were plenty of vegetadles, and some other interesting things…(sorry Lynn – look away)

While our group was interested in the market, the locals were interested in us.  Our guide told us that they don’t see tourists very often.  Seems the whole town wanted to see us on to the bus.  We felt a bit like space aliens returning to the ship.

We continued down river toward the Three Gorges Area, an area of impressive natural beauty.

The best part of the Three Gorges area visit for me was the trip on the little boats.  The oarsmen paddle with the guests on the boats along one of the tributaries of the Yangtze.

We also had lunch in a small village and got to see the inside of a typical home.  Don’t ever say you hate your kitchen again.

At the end of our river cruise we took a quick flight to Shanghai.

Shanghai was once known as the Pearl of the Orient.  Well, now it’s a diamond!  What a great city!  Glitz and glam with a sedate side too.

Kathy, Amy and Lauren with the Bull.

I don’t know if Shanghai is the world capital of sky scrapers, but it’s got to be close!  The tall one is the second tallest in the world.

It’ not all cement and glass.  There is some green space, too.  Yu Gardens is a lovely oasis in the middle of town.

Despite the green, the skyscrapers beckon.  I had to go up to the top.  Before I could, I had to get to the other side of the river.

There are no bridges in the center of town, so to cross the river you have to go through a tunnel.  Pedestrians have their own tunnel, which is actually a little funicular rail and a psychedelic tunnel, for a short strange trip.

You exit the tunnel in a space-age land of tall shiny buildings.  Shanghai Tower, the second tallest building in the world, is not really finished yet.  The only things open are the observation tower on the top and the shopping mall on the bottom.   I think the cost of the visit is helping to fund the completion of the middle floors!

The view from the top is pretty impressive.

Even with all of these wonderful vistas, it is at night when Shanghai really shines…literally shines.  It’s like Vegas on steroids, but with a bit more class.

China has been an amazing experience.  I have only just scratched the surface of the county, however.  I can say that I have had an introduction to the country, but there is so much more to China than the places I have been.  Maybe some day…

I have a stop in Hong Kong and then it’s on to Vietnam.

PANDAS!!!…and other things in Chengdu

Yes, the Panda is real. And yes, that’s me with the panda.

Chengdu is Panda central.  When we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted by a dancing panda.

Even the manhole covers have pandas on them.

So, here is some cuteness overload…

Too lazy to sit up and eat.

And just in case you don’t believe the first picture from this post, here are a few more of me and the panda.

To get your photo opp with the panda, you have to don a lovely blue jumpsuit, gloves and shoe covers.  This is not for your protection, but for Panda’s.  The panda really could not care less if you are there or not.  He is busy eating bamboo.  He is a juvenile, about 18 months old.  You are given about 30 seconds with the panda.

Now, Chengdu is not ALL about pandas.  There is a lovely people’s park and interesting tea houses.  But after looking at all the cuteness above, nothing else can compare.

Next stop…the Yangtze (or Yangzi) river and the Three Gorge (apparently Yangzi is the preferred spelling).

 

Xian and the Warriors

Xian, China is famous for the Terracotta Warriors  This is why people come here.   However, there are a few other interesting sites including the Muslim quarter and the old city wall.

The Muslim quarter is a sight for the senses.  There are people selling all sorts of food.  Squid on a stick was quite popular.  If they don’t sell it as food, they can repurpose it as a puppet!

The mosque in the quarter is a lovely mixture of gardens and structures.  On the surface it looks decidedly Chinese but when you look closely there are clear Arab and Persian touches.

Below is where the muezzin makes the call for prayer.

While we were at the mosque, a bride and groom were having their photos taken.

After walking around the quarter, we headed to lunch.  Penguin was horrified when he saw the dumplings.

The next day, we headed out to see what we all came to Xian for, the famed Terracotta Warriors.  They were discovered in 1974 by a farmer digging a well.  They date from the Qin dynasty which ended around 210 BCE and were buried with the emperor to protect him in the afterlife.

This first pit has the most number of restored warriors.  When you walk in, you are confronted by them.

They all have different faces and expressions, and the detail is incredible.

It is believed that when they were buried, they had wooden weapons in their hands.  These burned during a fire when a rebel general later entered the tomb and pretty much trashed and burned it.  You can see how they are holding their hands.

What the general did is why the warriors were found in pieces.  The archeologists are now working on one of the biggest, and perhaps most important, jigsaw puzzle in the world.

The Penguin was in awe!

After a morning of warriors, we headed to the old city wall.  It’s only about 600 years old and is a nice way to see the city.

Our next stop, and the next post, is Chengdu.  I promise, you won’t want to miss it!!!!

 

Beijing – Central and More

I am coming to the end of my China journey.  Internet has been sketchy at best for the past week or so.  I will attempt to get posts updated in the next few days.

Beijing is a feast for every sense:  sight, sound and smell (the latter not always good).  The city is the jewel of modern China.  Everywhere you look there is building going on and shiny skyscrapers to wow you.  It is much more modern than I thought it would be and is testament to the tenacity  and drive of the Chinese people.

This view is from my hotel at sunset, but you get the idea of how modern the city really is.

After departing the Summer Palace, we went to see the Olympic Village and the local art street.

The olympic village is nice and the Beijing government has done a very good job of repurposing the facilities in the village to benefit the citizens of Beijing.

Inside the stadium, I got a chance to ride a bike with some of the greats!

The art district, called 798, is a vibrant area of the city with galleries and cafes.  The galleries are pretty expensive.  It’s fun to walk around for an hour or so, but don’t plan on spending the whole day here.

After a restful evening at a nice hotel, we started the next day at the Temple of Heaven, constructed first in the 14th century (rebuilt and restored a few times thereafter).  The primary structure is the Hall for Prayer for Good Harvests.  We got very lucky as the smog cleared and the skies were blue!

I think my favorite thing about all of these old Asian buildings are the decorations/figurines on the corners.

After the temple of heaven, we visited the Forbidden City.  It is so named because only the Emperor and nobles were allowed to even APPROACH it.  Inside the walls was a private city, separated from the rabble outside.

In Chinese imperial life, the number 9 was reserved for the Emperor and only the Emperor.  So, in the Forbidden City there are 9 mythical animals on the roofs (9 between the other guys).

Our last full day in Beijing we really lucked out.  We had blue skies and perfect temperatures.  We ran out to the Great Wall first thing to get there before the crowds.   The wall, in its earliest version, was built 2000 years ago to protect the new Chinese empire against invaders.  Its earliest version was primarily dirt.  The wall we see today is only several hundred years old.  The portions we visit have been refurbished.  It is everything you expect it to be and more.  It is truly amazing to think of how long it once stretched.

As you walk along the wall, you can go in to the watchtowers.  They have the feeling of medieval castles.

One of the coolest things in Beijing was actually in a park.  The Chinese get to retire at 60 but they do not sit around playing bingo.  They go to the park and excercise with friends.  I was truly impressed by the fitness level of many of the people.

This guy is 70 years old.

And this pretzel man is 72!!!

All I can say is WOW!

Stay tuned for Xian and the warriors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beijing – Summer Palace, China

Hello From China!!!

I arrived from Japan at an ungodly hour and was transported to the Crowne Plaza Beijing Airport to sleep.  I would not recommend this place.  I think it is about to be dumped at a Crowne Plaza because it does’t meet international standards.

Anyway, after that I was taken by the tour company to the Aman at the Summer Palace.  A vast improvement!!

The hotel, while not old, was built to resemble the palace. It is beautiful.

 

Who wouldn’t want to start the day with breakfast here?

A very vocal little bird woke me up at 6:05 am on my first morning at the Summer Palace.   I quickly dressed and ran to the palace grounds to see what I could before the crowds arrived.  I am glad I did.

Later that same morning, we had a tour of the palace.  The crowds had arrived but it was still wonderful.

This is one of the windows that lines the corridors of the palace. They were built so the women of the court could view the outdoors without leaving the palace buildings.
The marble boat. One of the emporers wanted a boat that was so strong it could not sink. This is what he got. A boat made from marble. It cannot sink, but it also cannot go anywhere.
Elderly gentleman paingin on the slate. He paints the characters with water so the figures only last a few minutes.
A Phoenex at the palace.

After the summer palace, we went to central Beijing.  I will try to get those photos uploaded soon.