Hong Kong

I arrived yesterday and I already like this place. Politeness and curteousy seems to be a lot more prevalent here. Aaaand, I can access my blog. Woo hoo.

Kristy lives in the new territory, just north of Hong Kong. The view from her family's 58th floor apartment is spectacular. I will definitely take lots of photos. The building has about 75 floors so that makes the Jaimao Tower seem very unimpressive in comparision. I left my guide and map of Hong Kong at the apartment this morning but that's alright, I think I'll just wonder around near Kristy's work this morning.

Kristy's office is right above a cafe. "Graze Cafe", the company that she works for owns it. I had real coffee this morning. I don't mean starbucks but actual coffee with real milk. Yaaaay, it was a fantastic way to start the day. So now? I'm off to explore my surroundings.

http://hk.bcmagazine.net/hk.bcmagazine.issues/bcmagazine_webissue237/12megabites.html

Shanghai in Style

It's been so long since I last posted. It seems that when there are lots of cool things to blog about, there just isn't anytime to do so.

I spent 3 days with a friend from high school. Dave, he's in China at the mo teaching english. He managed to get a few days off so we could hang out in Shanghai.

 

Day 1.

The markets. Firstly, we went to the biggest market, Chipulu. This experience with Dave, Kenji and Peter was completely different to when I went with mum, Danny and XiaoYi. You see, the second list of people don't stand out in a crowd of chinese ppl (apart from the fact that we're incredibly good looking of course). So... Dave (the tall white boy) and Kenji (the Japanese boy) attracted lots of hagglers. It was horrible!! They kept following us around, trying to take us into certain stores. I hated it! I felt so preyed upon. It was intense and I didn't feel safe at all! It's one of the few times in my life that ever second word it my head was a swear word or some kind of aggressive phase :(  We didn't stay there for as long as we initially planned. There wasn't much that Dave saw anyway so it was no great lost. We didn't have this problem at Jiang market. In between this, we went to Nanjing Rd to have lunch at one of the side restaurants. It was a noodle place where you get to pick and choose the vegetables, meats, meatballs and tofu. It was quite nice and very cheap.

 

Before we left Jiang market, I needed a coat since it was almost evening and I was starting to get cold. This meant that I didn't have to go back to the hotel to get one. I can't say that I do that regularly in NZ. Kenji and Peter left after that since they had dinner plans. Dave and I came across a CD and DVD store. It looked nice so we went inside, down some steps which led to a slightly dodgy looking store. They were selling DVDs for 8 yeun each! pirated ones ofcourse. I checked out the CDs. They were alot more expensive. I'm not certain about whether they were pirated or not.

 

Haagen Daz icrecream was the next stop. Really yummy but definitely western prices.

 

We walked aroung afterwards looking for the mexican restaurant that was in out guide book. It didn't exist. We found a posh looking french restaurant. We decided to share a bottle of wine. Wine is 2-3 times the price of what would be charged in or the rest of the world. They had Montana Pinot Noir that we can get in most NZ supermarkets for about $15 and many restaurants for about $35. They charged $80. We went for an Australian Pinot. They didn't have the tasting notes and our waitre couldn't tell us what each bottle was like. Our choice fortunately turned out to be good and the waiter did an above average job of serving it, better than many NZ restaurants.

 

Day 2.

We walked along the bund river, had brunch at another western restaurant (my chicken and avocado grilled sandwich was fabulous) before crossing the river to explore the other side. We discovered that the observation deck of the Jaimao tower (on the 84th floor) that we wanted to go to would cost us 70 yuen. I called Danny. He gave us the inside info. He told us that we could get onto the 87th floor for free if we went to the bar and restaurant instead. We spent a few hours in the Shanghai historical meusum before browsing in the giant mall. We were waiting for 5pm to arrive which was when the bar in the Jaimao tower ("Cloud 9")would open up. While walking there, Dave observed that I was hungry. He commented that I get quiet just before meal time. So we did a detour. Thai restaurant. It was ok. Their Papaya salad made me happy though. By the time we arrive at Cloud 9, the city lights were out. We enjoyed the 100 million dollar view while sipping on cocktails. Oh the life!

 

We went back to the hotel to freshen up and so I could get more of my money off my brother. The taxi fair was quite expensive. Danny and his 2 flatmates said that the taxi driver probably took us for a detour. We've learnt to always grab the taxi receipts. They suggested where Dave and I could go for a night out on the town. They weren't keen on coming out because they had school the next day and 2 of them were quite sick also.

 

The taxi driver dropped us off. We got the impression that the bar that we wanted was close by. We wandered briefly before deciding to go into a nearby mall to ask for directions. We asked a styly girl at the counter. We told us about a bar at the top of the mall and said she'd take us there. We were treated very well. She gave us her card and said we could contact her whenever we came. Aparrently there was a cover charge but she said we were with her. Then we filled in our names and email addresses before getting a free drink voucher and having 2 people finding us a good table. The place was very popular and way more hip and funky than any bar that Dave's found in China. We had a few drinks (expat prices) and danced the night away. In between that, we had a photographer taking a few pics of us and at one stage, the bar top was lift of fire and there were bar men pouring drinks into people's mouths. Fun Times!!

 

Day 3.

We slept in. We caught the bus to People's square, walked through people's park before finding a flash thai restaurant at the top of a mall. We were hungry and lots trat of how many dishes we ordered. Turned out to be 7 dishes!! It was no surprise that we didn't finish it all. One of the dishes that we ordered was gross so it was really only 6, but still!

 

We went to the Shanghai museum. We had just over an hour since the museum was closing at 5pm. We later went to the foriegn book store so that Dave could get a few novels to read. Then we walking along Nanjing Rd, it was absolutely beautiful. We were grinning from ear to ear that we were hanging out in Shanghai, living a high roller's lifestyle. We enjoyed some yummy desserts and snacks before heading back to the hotel so that Dave could grab his things.

 

We said "see you in Christchurch" to each other and goodbye to 3 fabulous days of our lives

The Circus

We went to see the Shanghai Circus earlier this week. It was incredible!!! There were no animals, just lots of ridiculously talented people doing the most amazing things. I don't even know where to begin. There were women that were as flexible as if they didn't have any bones yet strong enough that they could support other humans being balanced on top of them. There were insane dirt bike stunts, ferrus wheel stunts, a man throwing and catching large clay pots as if they were rubber balls; and much much  more! We were all every impressed. We found it to be more entertaining than the Kung fu show in Beijing (though that was brilliant too).

Sickness

I'm not well at the mo. Wasn't feeling 100% when we were leaving Shanghai and now it's just gotten worse. I'm not doing much today so hopefully one day's rest will put me back on tract. Prayers in general is much appreciated - thanks 

Sleeping Beauties

Mum and Danny had lunch and went straight to sleep. I'm still awake cos I'm tough (and clearly don't need anymore beauty) ;). We got back late last night from our trip to Suzhou and Hanzhou (they're both neighbouring cities to Shanghai). It was lots of fun but very exhausting too. A lot was packed into 2 days. Unfortunately we couldn't book with an english speaking touring agency for these two places, so we booked with a government touring agency instead. It included train tickets, accommodation and tours around the two cities. Hmmm, probably wasn't the best plan. It turned out to be a bit of a rip in some respects. The train ride was pretty terrible (by most ppl's standard). Danny has caught the train to Hanzhou before and he said it was VERY comfortable yet very affordable. He said that the agency must have gotten us VERY cheap train tickets. I wish I can go on some website to bad mouth that agency (and not get in trouble - I don't think they value freedom of speech here) since they would have made a decent profit even if they had gotten us proper tickets!

 

That's the main thing about the trip that I needed to get off my chest. Now that that's over... Suzhou and Hanzhou are both beautiful in their own ways. Suzhou is known to many as the Venice of China. It's a city with many rivers and waterways within it. We saw many Pagodas, went boat riding to capture some of the main attractions of the ciy. We went to another silk factory (much bigger than the one in Beijing). I bought many silk merchandise and learnt that silk doesn't burn (unlike other fabric). We went to many other touristy places before heading off to Hangzhou. We also went to a place that made and sold clay tea pots. One of them was very impressive. when you put a tea cup in a certain spot, the pot automatically pours and then stops when you remove it. No electricity or batteries needed. I didn't buy anything, partly because my budget wouldn't allow me (they were all very expensive), but also cos there was no real need. Danny already brought clay tea pots to NZ when he visited in September.

 

The highlight of Hangzhou would have to be the tea tasting. Tea appreciation in China is like wine appreciation in NZ (and other parts of the world). It is so much better than any asian tea that you can get in NZ! There were many different flower teas also. You place one into a glass, add hot water and watch as the flower expands. It looks beautiful and is drinkable (but expensive!) I loved it. I bought some tea to take back home with me. Mum said that China's dodgy and there is a chance that what I bought isn't what I tasted. She said that her and her friends experienced this when they toured around China last year. I haven't tried any of my teas but I really hope mum's wrong this time.

Chinese Experiences

In China, it seems that "complimentary and alternative medicines" are sorta more mainstream that "conventional" western medicines. It might seem like I'm stating the obvious but when I think of mainstream chinese medicine, I think of the country side and "the old times". I'm in Shanghai where it's very modern and skyscrapers are constantly being built at a ridulous rate (If it was up to the Shanghainese, the Queen St revamp in Auckland would take weeks rather than months/years). This is a part of the world that it definitely up with the play. I think that it's the most modern city in China (at least according to the lonely planet guide).

 

I went to the post office yesterday to send a few postcards to NZ. I excepted it to be similar to every other part of the world that I've been to. Since its just a post office right? Go there, get some stamped, wet the back of the stamp and stick it on. Or if you're fancy like NZ, you can get sticker stamps instead. Once I was at the counter, I was given three stamps for each postcard. While this transaction was taking place, 2 people had entered the building also and decided to wait right next to me. My personal space was being horribly violated by these strangers. I wanted to to turn to them and say "BACK OFF" but I can't speak chinese. Once I paid for all my stamps I was directed to a table to put the stamps on myself. I had no intention of licking the stamps. I think it's gross enough in NZ! At the table, I didn't find anything to moisten my stamps with. Only a big ugly pottle of glue and a well used brush. "No way!" I thought. Yes, that's the norm in China. regardless of whether you're in a big modern city or in a rural town, that's how you put stamps on.

Beijing

I had a fabulous time in the capital city with my family. We definitely did Beijing with style and a good balance of sightseeing, dining, minimal shopping and R&R at the hotel. The sites that we saw included the Great Wall, Tinamen Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. We also went and saw a kong fu show. It was very entertaining and contained many of the things in chinese theatre that we wanted to see. It definitely target the tourist (and charged tourist prices) but i still recommend it if you don't plan on seeing many shows in China. It offers the works :) Also, we got to take pictures with the main actors afterwards :)

 

We went out for dinner with Danny's friend Jo one evening. I was so good to catch up with him. He first moved to NZ for study about 8 years previously and Danny was one of the first friends he had. We couldn't quite believe that we'd known each other for that long. Since I was in 7th form and High School doesn't feel like nearly a decade ago... anyway, dinner was absolutely delicious. I finally got to eat real Peking Duck (it puts NZ peking duck to shame!)

 

The hotel did my homesickness some good. We stayed at the China World Hotel which has an international platinum 5 star rating. All the staff (including the cleaners) spoke at least a little bit of english which mum and I were very pleased about (can't  say the same about where we're staying in shanghai though). There were so many western comforts like western beverages aaand my bed was actually comfortable (Chinese beds are like rocks). We started each day with a buffet breaky that consisted of western and eastern cuisine, and plenty of different fruit to choose from. It was devine. There were so many cooked breaky things like waffles, crispy bacon, pancakes. There was also congee and things but since i can get that easily in shanghai, I didn't bother. Anyway, there was just so much variety and best of all, there was real milk! All you in white-people land need to appreciate the milk that we have. It's hard to explain but the milk in China just doesn't taste right.

 

In saying that, there are also many good things in China that you can't get in NZ; like quality Yum Cha, a vast selection of  fresh fruit and veggies, 24-hour everythings (eg. haircut), pretty much a large selection of most things within any budget range. E.g. You can find hundreds of shoes in the under NZ$15 range aaand still, you can do the same if you're looking for shoes in the NZ$300+ range (mind you, you often get the quality that you pay for).

Chinglish

I love this crazy place. everytime you get into a taxi, you're greeted by an recording. First in Mandarin, then in English. "welcome to take my taxi" and there's a sign saying "mental patients or drunkards are prohibited from taking the taxi without guardians", very PC

culture shock

yes, I'm asian and very proud of my asian-ness but all the asian-ness that I've accumulated over the years could not prepare me for China.

I feel like a fresher... I can't speak the language. It's completely alien to me. I've been to countries where I can't speak the language properly before but this is the first time that I'm completely clueless on the dialect. It doesn't help that I look chinese. Everyone starts speaking to me in Mandarin. I'vee learnt to say "I don't understand" in Mandarin. It's going to be hilarious when I meet up with David next month. It'll be a little asian girl and a tall white boy frolicking around china. Everyone will talk to the girl but it'll be the white boy that will be translating to the asian girl! good times! hehehe

Ching is insane. But there is method to it's madness :) firstly, the Land and Transport Safety Authority does not seem to exist here. Aparently there are road rules but you wouldn't survive if you relied on them. Once you understand the unwritten road rules in China, "bad asian drivers" are actually really skilled! It definitely takes alot of skills to do a U-turn on a busy 3-laned road or be part of a highway merge (13 lanes down to 4!). Oh, and with all the chaos, no one wears a seatbelt! Also, pedestrians beware! When the green man appears at a pedestrian crossing, this means "cross at your own risk" whereas the red man means "cross if you want to die!".

We went to the supermarket today. That was an adventure in itself. Will continue to take lots of pictures and will post them up one day when I can teach Pete how to do it. Stay tuned

The great chinese experience

So this is the craziest country ever! i can't access my blog or anyother for that matter. Because somehow, it's a threat? I'm just writing about my adventures. oh well. Peter Sin is such a darling that he's going to post all my blog post for me :) this also means that if there's anything dodgy in it, I take no responsiblity since until I've arrived in Hong Kong.

 

I've been here for 2 days now. I met mum, danny and Xiao Yi (Danny's girlfriend). Her name sounds like Shelly, I'm very to just call her that. Mum arrived at 6am while I arrive at 10am. We pretty much arrived to hit the ground running. We checked into our hotel (which is literally around the corner from Danny's apartment), before getting a 2hour massage. it was sooo cheap. Less than $20 each! Shanghai is a beautiful city. Full of ppl from all different walks of life (lots of asians though).

 

I've experienced some very interesting things while I've been here already. here's a tip, NEVER eat fish in china.I ordered a fish dish last night and was asked to go choose one from the fish tank. I didn't think I'd have too much of a problem with it but when I got there and had to give one a death sentence, it was tough. ... The ugliest, angriest looking one was chosen. The biggest blow came in the form of the bill. 600 yuen which is about NZ$120!!!!!!!!!!!!! I kid you not! Never again.

 

I had shark fin soup on my first night here. yummmmmy :) was expensive but not $120! I don't think I can consider NZ's shark fin soup to be remotely authentic now.

 

I've had two shopping experiences so far. The first was in a mall.Everything was expensive, even the 50% off stuff. They had all the great brands though like DKNY, LV, Prada... even more impressive than houston's galleria. I was looking at a few bras and the lady asked for my size. Xiao Yi translated for me but since it was NZ sizing, the lady asked if she could measure me.

I say "ok".

 

She brings out a tape measure and measures my chest diameter. That's the first step. Pretty harmless... it's what's done in NZ. Then... she grabs my right breast for a split second. I was horrified. "she touched my boobies!!!" Aparently that's how they measure cup size in China! this was in a proper mall wear things cost 100s-1000s of dollars!!!!! at least I won't have to go through that again.

 

My second experience: the market. WHat a baaaargin! Aaaand you can bargin :) anywho, this is a long enough blog. Lunch calls