Why? We were supposed to go to Japan to visit Andrew and Yui but with the catastrophe in Japan that didn't happen. We had an awesome fare because of Jim and Denise and when I asked Air Canada if they would change our destination instead of a refund or credit to Tokyo, they hesitated and then said yes. I was so excited - disappointed about Japan but then so excited with the prospect of a new discovery. Clive was keen on Hong Kong and Macau and agreed to Guilin and Yanshou, China....not too much moving around and not too much travelling for what turned out to be a 17 day adventure.
Hong Kong is a city of skyscrapers with many mirrored exteriors, interesting shapes, richness (lots of these buildings are banks),towering heights, close together. There are pedestrian walkways (virtually plus-15s winding through shopping malls and over streets). There are often outdoor elevators to get you up to this level. The window shopping is amazing with all of the displays. Fashion in Hong Kong must be world class. We didn't even go into a department store as we are not really shoppers but I feasted on the window displays. Cappucinos and bakery goods are available everywhere. We tried a couple of dim sums that were great adventures....getting to one that Denise recommended with no English at all. We loved it.
Between the skyscrapers are bits of greenery and flowers. Hard to believe but they plant stuff in the smallest little areas - and I guess that the office workers can sit for a few minutes in the green. The density of people living in the high rises and working in nearby highrises is beyond my comprehension...so much humanity. We did take a bus around to the beach at Stanley one day and enjoyed watching various bride and groom photo shoots. They apparently happen one month before the wedding and they are obviously rented dresses - sometimes running shoes underneath or jeans nearby or in one case the dress didn't do up in the back. Saves for photos on the big day, I guess.
We stayed in the best little spot in central Hong Kong Island (Putman). Very small but floor to ceiling huge window and a massive bathroom. I enjoyed a couple of early morning yoga classes across the street at the fitness centre. Not great classes but that smug feeling of having the opportunity to act as though I was living in Hong Kong. Then something else that I never do on vacation - I read the morning South China News and that was pretty interesting reading about the odd civil rights China issue and then issues in Hong Kong. All that wealth and the minimum wage is just about nothing..immigrant workers. By then it was latte time and time to start the day properly (jetlag can allow me to rise pretty early). I enjoyed wandering around Hong Kong and remembering that 30 years ago it was all little shops and I remember it feeling quite closed in. It looks so ultra-modern and busy.
Then we caught the metro to the border and walked across to Shenzhen, China where we started by standing in line for a ticket for Guilin. When we got to the front of the line, we discovered that we were in the wrong line. No-one that understood English to ask but we got the right ticket soon - a soft sleeper that go that evening. So we walked across the street to a pretty nice hotel and found ourselves in wonderful surroundings enjoy dim sum on the China side of the border. We had no desire to go any further. We loved it and it was our first experience with a pretty full blown tea service so that was fun too. Then we had a wander around the mall that was underground and one floor up. There was the usual stuff - jeans, purses, shoes and then a few fast food places with duck head bones, chicken feet, organs (I saw nothing that I thought edible at these places).
The train was great - 4 beds, clean linen, a good sleep and less than desireable toilets. Woke up coming into Guilin and found a hotel. We found a pretty nice place to stay and had Chinese breakfast (dim sum) but had no idea what it was. Western breakfasts suited us better for the rest of the trip. We decided to move down the street to a smaller hotel with lots of Chinese character though the clientele tended to be Western (a Lonely Planet gem) - quite the opposite of the last hotel.
Guilin is a favorite spot for Chinese vacationers and they are travelling by the millions (probably not exaggerated). There are outcrop mountains that rise like domes that are tree covered in all of this area. Guilin itself has a wonderful wind slow river that has dream-like bridges, flowers, plants, etc. So peaceful and relaxing. In the morning tai-chi happens all around here and later you can hear relaxing music somewhere. And then you can have coffee and just savour the setting. I am always looking for cultural entertainment and it was tough to get the info but eventually we got ourselves tickets to some ballet, gymnastic, acrobatic production. There were even 2 dance skits in there with a couple of kids pushing chairs out from one another and trying to get the seat in one of them. It was hilarious and I enjoyed how much you can tell a story without words. It was amazing - colorful, amazing physical movements, pleasant music and an all Chinese audience. Of course, I loved every moment from standing in the lobby to taking photos after. The difficulty is seeing some very young children being groomed from such a young age to be dancers or acrobats.
We got ourselves to the Dragon Terraces about 3 hours by bus from Guilin. Dragon Terraces are the terraces that they grow rice on - some of them are half the size of our small front yard. They form such nice patterns on the contours as the light changes.
But stepping back a bit. Finding the right bus here was a bit of an epic. We got ourselves to the wrong bus station and finally figured out that we were at the wrong bus station. We got ourselves into a taxi and someone gave directions and got us to the right bus station and then we quickly got onto the right bus. In all of this, you never are quite sure if you are getting the right info. All we had was a Lonely Planet with the name Dragon Terrace (probably in Chinese) and our white skin. Then of course one is always a bit skeptical of taxi drivers...and others. But yes, it all worked out well and we were off on our adventure. I like the bus ride going up into higher elevation - it got really great after we changed buses and got the tourist bus up to the terrace - most of the tourist were Chinese but a couple of Westerners on the bus as well.
Then we needed accommodation. The village reminded me of Nepal, local people with hotels built of wood as we wound our way up the hill. We looked at 3 but we were really looking for a place that a couple of Americans had recommended. Never mind, the next place was like a dream. The wooden dining and reception was a relaxed darkness of wood looking out over the valley, the staff welcoming (and we did have to bargain for a bed), and with all of this the sun was shining. The young gal wanted to show every room (lots of space!)and which would we like. Any was fine. So we had the Japanese room with a raised floor for the futons. But so little time in the room. We zipped out and had a beer at a place with a propietor down the street who could speak English because he had been a cab driver before he had retired here. I loved wandering around here - in the village and out on the terraces. I would have loved more time here. By the time we had 3 meals at the hotel we stayed at - the staff was asking us to join them and try their lunch. It was a special time - great place for a honeymoon!
We had had fresh bamboo shoots and of course I loved all of the food in China. So many veggies and so little meat and steamed rice. I loved the diet - one of the best in the world and hard to get fat on despite the liberal use of oil in stir frying. Of course, we had lattes every day and then the bakeries are pretty amazing - I found stuff that even I wanted to try!
Then the boat ride to Yanshou - a 3 or 4 hour ride down the gentle river admiring the karsts (those domed mountain outcrops). Of course like everything and everywhere in China I am constantly amazed at how many people are moving about. We saw hundreds of these boats holding a couple of hundred people each.
The number of people that move about is unbelievable. When we entered China I went to the washroom at the border - a good time as there was a washroom and a long line. I come out of the washroom and the next metro has just arrived (all of 3 minutes later) and the same line again. So I guess that they process people quickly (much quicker than the line buying the train ticket). In Yanshou we went to an evening show on the water choreographed by the guy that did the opening ceremony of the Olympics. They have 2 shows nightly with 4-5000 people at each show! The show was ok though everywhere it was touted as the best. I was blown away at the organization to get the people in and out. The people just move - mind you the Chinese do travel by buses with a leader. We had trouble finding our ride back and stood in the street. Within 30 minutes every single tour bus (and there were tons of them) were gone and our ride found us. We thought that we would be making our own way back but not so.
Arriving in Yanshou we wanted somewhere to stay for the next 5 nights. We had a little difficulty as several hotels seemed to be filled up on the Saturday night. So we found a place for the first night and then had to find another for the remaining nights. We looked at numerous hotels and we discovered a couple where Westerners stay and they are great (but full on the Sat.), and we checked out numerous cookie cutter Chinese hotels. Just as our previous trip to China 10 years ago, they have pretty nice lobbies. Often the carpet in the room has a big spill or the hallways are dark and carpets need replacing. Anyways, we were being fussy as we wanted to be comfortable for the next 4 nights. As we settled on one, we just checked out a small hotel and thought it was amazing. I have to wonder how it will do but never mind, I enjoyed talking each evening with the receptionist - a Christian who thinks that Falun Gong has some to do with self inflicted injury. The room had a 4 poster bed and the bathroom with short side walls had a shower with a rain head and a jacuzzi and a Japanese toilet with all the options. A balcony to boot! and half a block from the centre of town.
We enjoyed our days riding bikes to the rice paddies, villages and wandering about. Always a good lunch spot - always idyllic - on the river or in a local village. Sometimes meeting someone, sometimes not. One day we chatted with an old Aussie gal with an art store in a village - how does one choose this for a life? The town had lots of vitality - they call it a Western hangout -well, maybe a bit but tons of Chinese - a sea of black heads and yes, the odd Westerner - especially in certain hotels. We are discovering that lots of Westerners are living in China and go on-line and book properties in this holiday area. In fact, Airbus is apparently building in China and has lots of overseas staff. One day I spoke with a 70year old from Ireland who travelled 3 weeks in China using Lonely Planet. She even walked the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek! So people can do things that they dream of!
I managed Chinese massage before we left Yanshou. They pressed around the base of the back of my skull for several minutes. They also pressed across the bottom of the lower back. I wondered about meridians, etc but anyways I enjoyed the experience - so much so that I went back for a foot massage a little later. They were really afraid that I would not come back. Our hotel was practically next door. The foot massage was also an experience. They lined a wooden bucket with plastic and filled with warm water and some brown powder. I had a upper back and skull massage again while my feet were soaking. Then on to pressing my feet - toes, arches, ankle point and even just below the knee at a couple of pressure points. Definitely felt therapeutic in nature and pleasant.
I didn't make it to the cooking class or back to another massage before we took a day bus to the border with Macau. Another epic journey that turned out quite well, serendipitously. Clive is no longer up for night bus rides (the beds are flat and well space but who when the sheets get changed. So we went to quite an effort to find a day bus (the train seemed a bad choice as we choice as we would need to take a 1.5hour bus journey in the wrong direction first and allow the extra time for combining it with the train. Flying had no reasonable fares left.) Anyways we did not always get matching info about day buses. When a couple of options jived we settled on a deluxe bus and had the arrangements setup by our hotel. Of course, with commission layers involved we got an early ride to a street corner to wait for the incoming bus. We got on the bus and it took us to the bus station (that was a 5 minute walk away from our hotel). So an hour later, we finally departed. The bus ride was great - we saw that the mountain (karst outcrops) went on for hours, there were lots of fast toll roads and very little traffic. After about 5 or 6 hours, I checked with someone about our destination and he told us that the bus did not go where we thought we were going (general right direction but wrong place). So in a matter of minutes at a bus stop we had to decide to get off this bus and wait for another bus. The bus driver was urging us to decide quickly and we were trying to ask why the bus was not going to Guanzhou. No answer, but the reassurance by someone that he would put us on the right bus. In about 10 minutes another bus showed up and this young couple with a few words of English got on this bus with us. I think that we were just outside this city of 14million people (Guanzhou). We rode this for about 40 minutes and then they warned us that we needed a taxi. So we jumped out of the bus and into a taxi with this young couple. Miles later we stopped and they took us to buy a bus ticket to Zhuhai which is on the border with Macau. He even told the ticket agent where we wanted to go. With ticket in hand, he went off with his girlfriend to get his ticket to Hong Kong. Whew!! Wow!!
So now it is getting dark and we have a couple of hours to get into Zhuhai. We asked a young guy on the bus about where we should get off. Well, that was challenging. We arrived at the border and the town centre didn't appear to far away. We had a hotel reservation but how to make ourselves understood to get there. So Clive is his thinking ahead had put the hotel as an icon on our netbook. So this kid waited while we booted the netbook and showed him the hotel name (he did not get the name or address in English). He saw it in Chinese characters and told the cab driver where to take us. So again voila, presto ...we made it. It was a long day but people sure directed us in the right direction. The room was clean and fine and we managed to find a beer and some noodles at this late hour. We were relieved to be comfortably settled for the night.
We got a taxi back to the border but not without the hotel not understanding where we wanted to go. The driver tried to leave at the wrong spot but we had seen the border the night before. This is all within a couple of km apart. So he went to a hotel nearby and got directions as to our destination. We were lucky after the border as our hotel was quite close and we walked there.
We then had 1.5 days to enjoy Macau. We were there just before the May 1 holiday so things were crowded. Our hotel turned out to be close the the restaurant and hotel school recommended in the Lonely Planet. Getting twisted in our bearings (I have never been the map reader) we resorted to a taxi and minutes later we were there. We had the most relaxing amazing lunch here so had to repeat it the next day. In the afternoon we enjoyed the little bit of old Macau that is left and then wandered around the big casino hotels. They call Macau the Las Vegas of the East. There are free shuttles from many hotels to the border with Hong Kong and China. We wandered through a few lobbies and then caught a shuttle to the newest island of Taipa where another whole bunch of hotels have sprung up. Apparently the Venetian is 3 times the size of the one in Vegas and there is a theatre that holds 15,000 people (we didn't see it). So another night in Macau and area to see a show would have been nice and also going up the gondola to see the big Buddha and wandering about Taipa. So it is nice to leave without having seen it all - we did enjoy our time here.
Clive was relieved to be out of China and some of its challenges. Clive was more comfortable in Hong Kong and Macau than China - though even Macau had some language issues asking the cab driver where to take us. And Clive does like to see sights that are historically important. We both had a wonderful time though me more than Clive at times. Clive was a firecracker on occasion and used the F-word more than once. Usually his explosion only lasted a minute or sometimes several before he accepted what was. We both enjoyed all of the good stuff but Clive did not like the energy used to get information and find hotels in China. As Clive says he has had enough of third world places, especially if it is not pre-organized. For me, I like things to go smoothly but I enjoyed the highs and manage the difficulties better. I also still enjoy sitting in a bus and watching the movie outsie. I love travelling with Clive and it has beeb such a good fit. He figures out all of the details, finds hotels, finds restaurants, orients us on the map and concentrates when I just follow and look about. I just follow blindly so often and enjoy what he finds for us. Clive can be determined to find a certain restaurant and I am always content to follow ...cause who knows what you may see on the way and the restaurants are usually great experiences (occasionally they are no longer in business). I can travel in a way that Clive would like but he is no longer up for long bus rides and hauling luggage about. I also need to have that physical component in my day and thrive when we go for a good bike ride or a hike. So I have to think about that as I do not want to do this alone and there is no fit quite like Clive. I really do not want a package holiday either. I like more time where I want and you really get a better feel for the place when you have to get yourself about. We found amazing places to stay, great food, interesting people, good experiences. I am so grateful for all of our wonderful travels...and I do wonder how the future will unfold. We shall see. I already have several ideas in mind. I guess that travelling invigorates and stimulates me and that then I can really enjoy my days at home. It does make me grateful for home - just not enough to stay there full time - while I am able to go about. So thanks Denise for the idea of the tickets because that started it all...and I feel so full with all of my experiences.
