Friday 9th back to Melbourne

Survived a noisy plane trip and arrived back in Melbourne very happy that all our planning went so well. Everything we saw was so much better than we had anticipated. We had a very happy time travelling around.  The spirit of Tibet was our highlight. Yet so many other memories  were so special that we will enjoy unpacking, rereading books and notes, emailing Dharci our Tibetan guide and just smiling at our memories. Tim picked us up and took us back to Pascoe Vale and we had breakfast with Tom as well. They looked great.
Arrived home here to a lovely prepared dinner from Libby and a table set up with one minute noodles!! We will see her around midnight if we can stay up. Have been unpacking,washing and now its time to start phoning. Thanks to all our followers and friends who have travelled along as well. What a trip!! And thank you Andrew for being our photographer so we could share what we experienced.

Off to Bangkok again

All up at 5.30 to leave by 6.45. All cases downstairs and into a taxi. Off to the Airport Express Station, Sarah booked in then we had breakfast together. A few more tears again then off she went to London and we went to terminal 1. No dramas. Off to Bangkok. Arrived at 1.30 so we decided to leave our luggage their for the day and catch bus into the city We wanted to go to the MPK to have a look and a bit of shopping. The traffic was shocking but we arrived and it was like a large Myers with speciality areas as well as stalls about 6 floors of shopping. Crocodile skin coats to i phones to trashy commercial pieces, very interesting Some good buys here. Left about 6 and arrived at the airport at 7.30, It was the end of term and graduating classes had special late afternoon presentations, flowers, soft toys, special robes and people everywhere! Boarded the plane at 9.30 and spent our last holiday night on the plane. 

The Great Firewall of China

The Great Firewall of China was now a thing of the past. I am able to blog myself again instead of emailing them to Libby to upload.  Good to read the comments too. So we spent the morning updating the Blog and repacking suitcases. Then off to Mon Kok markets for some last minute shopping, we needed chopsticks. Sarah and I went off to have a pedicure then out for dinner again. This time Mexican, delicious. Some of Sarah’s Hong Kong family joined us. About 10 later joined us at an Aussie bar for some great chats talking about our China trip and Sarah talking about her plans for Europe. So we had a very enjoyable last night in Honkers.  

It has been fabulous to travel

It  has been  fabulous to travel with Sarah and see the most amazing sights. We really loved the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. And now it is back to Honkers....

We all travelled to the airport together but went to different terminals. Uneventful flights then we arrived back at Hong Kong and Andrew and I navigated our way from the plane to Sarah’s front door without a hitch, we were very proud. The MTR works so well! We arrived at 8 pm so a very quick change and refresher before drinks and dinner with Greg, Sarah’s ex principal. Greg is heading off to Vietnam soon. The beers were good and the Greek dinner delicious.

A Big Day.....

6 o’clock rise and breakfast then ready for our big day to the Wall! The tour guide arrived and we were taken on a mini bus with only 2 others a Dutch doctor and a teacher from the US. We visited the Ming Tombs in the foothills of the Dragon and Tiger Mountains and learnt about the Ming Emperors who were buried there and how the Chinese government are being careful in how and when they open up the tombs.  It took us about an hour by bus to get there; it took the emperors 10 days to get there by horse and back. They used to go there to offer sacrifices to their ancestors, concubines who did not bear children were sacrificed to the ancestors each year.

Off again in the bus to a jade factory to see artisans in action as well as the big sell. At least here we knew what was real A grade and which was not. Lunch was provided then off to the Wall.  Hundreds of buses and thousands of people were planning to do the same as us! We arrived and were in awe of the enormity of the Wall. It was so steep but so inspiring, We made our way up to our starting point and walked and walked. The views were brilliant and we thought about the million people who built this wall throughout various dynasties, especially all of those who died doing it. It was very hard work at the section we were at. Many gave up at the first Tower but not us! The Doctor and the 3 of us  kept going, the inclines were very steep and Sarah and Andrew ventured off a bit further on while the doctor and I admired the strength and endurance of the Chinese!

Later that day we heard that it was 40o+ in Beijing the hottest day in 58 years!!! What a day to walk the Wall. It was worth it, the breeze up there was fine and as we made our made way back we stopped off at a Chinese Medicine Facility to have a traditional Foot Massage.Bliss!! They also made a quick diagnosis of each of us by taking pulses and looking at tongues. We did not buy the medicine they prescribed.  Back to Beijing into the lobby. Then showers and off to dinner with Adrian.Chinese of course!!  

Later we went to the Silk Markets which sold everything except real brands, a real experience at bargaining as well as hailing a taxi. After much dispute and being totally ripped off we found a driver who was a little bit reasonable. So Beijing had so much going for it except the taxi drivers.

Another beautiful, hot sunny and clear day in Beijing..

Slow paced morning, beautiful hot day again around 38o so we taxied to Tienanmen Square. Very hot with many thousands of people milling around so we walked  and visited some significant buildings which luckily were only open during the holiday season, ate icy poles and ventured across the square thinking about the very long history this square has both good and bad. Missed out on seeing Mao by 10 min but so be it!

 Down the subway to cross the road and paid 2yuan each to walk through a very pretty garden beside the Forbidden City.It was lovely to be walking on very green grass and away from the masses. Then back to the hotel for a leisurely rest and drink. We decided to eat out again and found some hot and spicy food then we walked and bought at the night markets where we saw on skewers- scorpions, crickets (still wriggling), large black spiders, seahorses and many other creatures which we could not bring ourselves to eat. Took photos though! Found a very interesting book store then went back to the lobby in time for the World Cup! 

Off to Beijing to land at the Golden Dragon Airport (biggest airport in the world)...

The Golden Dragon Airport here we come! Flight delayed due to bad weather. So we waited.  Sarah’s flight had been cancelled and she was having trouble getting a flight to Beijing as well.  So we waited and then finally we took off, some turbulence, fog, smog and rain in Beijing.  Arrived at the Novetal Peace Beijing, and waited downstairs in the lobby for Sarah.  A great way to relax, a few drinks, nibbles and watch the world go past. Noticed many American couples with Chinese babies or toddlers and that the World Cup is big all over China. Another big screen here!

It was great to see Sarah pull up in a taxi, had dinner then walked the local precincts. Beijing will be good!!

There would be no better way to start Beijing touring than at the Forbidden City, Nearly 5000 buildings and just under 9000 rooms it was Wow, Wow, Wow! We adjusted to the clear heat, beautiful blue skies and tens of thousands of people!!  We spent hours walking, reading, looking and trying to take photos. We all agreed that the emperors and their entourage lived very privileged lives and it was no wonder that the masses revolted! Luckily the Japanese did not damage the exterior of the buildings when they invaded; they just took the special loot they could walk with!!  Much of the palace has been renovated but it will take years to restore the entire place. But the enormity of it all was unbelievable. We then ventured back to the hotel and had a beer or two as it was so hot!! Rested, and then off to Chinese dinner and a walk around. Sarah went to catch up with Adrian a HK friend to watch the soccer (after much delay in trying to get a taxi).  Arrived back at 1.30 all well!!

Xian, the former capital of China

Xian is a very historic city, we were quite excited about staying at the Mecure within the old city walls. It was quite a trip from the airport but the city was fascinating. We went to check in but they upgraded us to the Sofital next door. Well what can I say, luxury plus. We adapted to our new lifestyle very quickly. The suite had an emperor size bed, bigger than 2 double beds combined. We were presented with fresh fruit and meringues on arrival.  We went downtown to explore the ancient Bell Tower and Drum Towers. The city was vibrant, affluent and friendly.

Next day off to the Terracotta Warriors in a small mini bus with couples from Canada, USA, Germany and UK. A really good group, we had fun. We finally saw the Warriors after a morning of seeing how they are made now in a factory, shopping, lunch, video and the oral history of the area. But it was worth it all, they really are a great wonder of the world. So many thousands have not been dug up as the technology has not been developed which will prevent them from losing the incredible colours they are covered in. We saw Mr Yung who was the farmer who discovered them about 20 yrs ago.

We had a real WOW moment here.  Back to Xian and into the city to hear the drum performance, very impressive as was the Muslim quarters where hundreds of food stalls, and other stalls were colourful, noisy and vibrant. Then the rain came, every taxi in Xian was not to be found so we walked and walked until we were lost. Retraced our steps, had advice from a friendly Xian resident and we were still lost. Rain ceased then more taxis were available so we arrived back at the Sofital for a delicious cocktail or two which was a fitting  end a fantastic day.

Xining

At Xining, we caught a taxi to the hotel and luckily we were able to check in early, had fresh fruit and yoghurt for breakfast and really enjoyed a hot shower. Rested up and decided to go the Xining Museum as we only had the day there. Taxied into town, a little disappointed as the museum had been turned into an open market stall area. So we walked and realised for three days we had not seen another westerner. We gradually made our way back past mosques, and plastic coconut trees and we were glad we bought along our jackets as it was the coolest place we had been to, about 15o. Our stay was brief and uneventful so we were early to the airport next morning.

On the Train to Xining...

Up early and picked up at 6.45 to head for the station. All went well until I couldn’t find my phone, Mr Driver went back to the hotel, a little panicky but we decided to go through security. We needed our passports and yes there was the phone, not in its usual place. Big breath, then onto the train. We really enjoyed Lhasa it was such a highlight to be there. We met our travelling companions for the next 24hrs, a Malaysian couple who spoke English. He was a bit precious but otherwise a very friendly, respectful couple. They were able to write our hotel in Chinese so we could communicate with a driver.
Seeing the magnificent mountains, snow capped and with glaciers was awesome. Seeing Tibetan deer and antelopes running and grazing in their natural habitat was very special. The scenery kept us captivated for hours. We slept well this time arriving at Xining around 7am.

Too excited to sleep..

Interesting choices at breakfast, a bit of Tibetan, Chinese and Western, then off to the Summer Palace of the Dalai Lama’s. Dharci was very informative, friendly and lively. The old buildings and temples were our first taste to Tibetan Buddhist culture. The stories of the different Dalai Lama’s were fascinating and intriguing. The gardens were very reclusive in the hot Tibetan summer with many willows, bamboos and other Chinese plants having been planted as gifts brought to Tibet by the Princess Wuling of Chinese and subsequent courtiers. The 5th Dalai Lama’s study was a palace in itself. We saw many different sculptures of Buddha and Lama’s.
Next we were off to the Potala Palace. 1 hr to see everything, 15 minutes only in the red temple. We only just made it as there are restrictions on the number of visitors each day. WOW it is enormous and set in the side of a mountain. It has fairly recently been restored and the colours were brilliant. We slowly ascended the steps after going through security checks and we had many stops along the way, of course admiring the views while trying very hard to breathe normally. No one is allowed to take oxygen or water into the grounds. When we reached the red temple it was magnificent but unfortunately no one is allowed to take photos inside. We saw sleeping quarters, bathrooms, studies, temples, waiting rooms, Tibetan books, and elaborate sculptures of the Dalai Lamas 1to 13, no 8 was a romantic so he is not revered and no 14 was not talked about. The different Buddhas and their meanings as well as the old kings of Tibet and their stories had our heads spinning but it was worth it.

The walk down gave us a wonderful view across Lhasa, a very young and modern city which appeared very prosperous. Buddhists were circling the temple in traditional clothes with their prayer wheels in their hands, chanting or singing. It was quite a sight.

Lunch at a Western style steakhouse so roasted yak on rocks I had, very tender in a herbaceous sauce. It was delicious. The decor was Tibetan and then off to the Sera Monastery.

Sera Monastery is also set on a mountain and it houses about 2 thousand Buddhist monks. The debating of the monks was a highlight as well as seeing their kitchen and of course their temples. Colourful and ancient, hard to belief it is so old yet in such strong structural position. Rest for an hour then off to dinner at a traditional Tibetan restaurant with Dharci. We tried Barley wine, Tibetan beer (quite nice, very light) . Dharci’s mother made butter tea a very traditional drink for us to try. We sample many different Tibetan cooking and presentations, a very interesting dinner.

Two Days and Nights on a Train.

Up around at 8 after looking at the countryside roll by. We went through many mountains by tunnels and saw endless villages built from brick and tiles. Some had thatched roofs. Every village had extensive vegetable plots. Some of the cities like Lanzhou( pop 6 million) went on forever. We actually spent 5 min off the train there. The countryside has changed dramatically higher mountains but much drier. We had lunch at the food carriage amongst many others, it was not bad.
Our companions were very friendly and with the help from a translator next door, Julie an Chinese teacher who teaches English, we spent time finding out about things. The little girl Ling Ling was very good and she picked up English very easily. She was in kinder and learnt English rhymes at kinder.

Sleeping was ok as the train just jugged along at a good pace. But the second night and day the oxygen tubes were in use across the whole train. Our neighbours gave us some herbal capsules which assisted us. 100’s of photos were taken. We had access to boiling water and used it for our noodle box dinner. Once we were over the border we awoke to scenery much the same but as came close to Lhasa the snow capped mountains were enormous and we saw many nomadic herdsmen and their tents on the plains. Yaks were roaming as were long haired sheep. We actually saw 3 wolves running across the plateau which is very sparsely populated with absolutely no trees. Rivers and creeks were running and Chinese army had a presence every so many kilometres with a single man tent and a guard who would salute the train as it went pass.

As we travelled further more and more Buddhist flags could be seen hanging from rocky outcrops and villages, even some yaks had them around their necks. We were very thankful as we arrived in Lhasa as we were looking forward to having a hot shower. The weather was sunny and hot as we pulled into Lhasa’s new, huge train station. We managed to get through the formalities then we had to find our guide. Dharci found us and Mr Driver welcomed us with Tibetan white scarves. We were then greeted with a traditional Tibetan greeting dance and music at the hotel. But no showers, Dharci said and also no meat tonight! He gave us each an oxygen canister to assist in the high altitude as well as the herbal capsules the hotel supplied. Dinner in the hotel was a little boring vegetables and watermelon. So here we are in Lhasa very excited about what we are to see.

Off to see the Chinese National Treasures.

Spent a leisurely morning not rushing around too much, Put our luggage in hold for the day before we went to the Panda Research Base. Through the smog we travelled about 40 minutes to a beautiful setting. Very commercial of course but proceeds go to Panda Research. Walked Around and saw 9 in various enclosures, playing, sleeping and washing. It was worth the effort to get there. We had lunch then taxied back to town to get our last supplies. We went to Chunxi Rd. It was much like the Bourke St Mall. Back to hotel, quick shower and picked up at 6 for the train to Tibet! Julie our guide was really good getting us to the train station and into the Soft Sleeper waiting room, then getting us onto the train and set up. We shared a room with 2 ladies from Chengdu. We slept a little as the train rocked along. Don’t really like the swat toilets!!

Trekking around Chengdu

Up early and aware of the smog but the temp due to get to 32o with the help of a tourist map in Chinese/English we hailed another taxi to take us to the Qingyanggong Temple where we saw some magnificent gardens, Taoist temples and beautiful tea gardens. The setting was absolutely brilliant, very traditional Chinese. We spent a few hours roaming about before we went to Thatched Cottage of Du Fu. A replica cottage and gardens as he established in 759 were fascinating to wander through. In 2002 the origin site was excavated and many artefacts were on show including the original site. Du Fu was a famous Chinese poet from the Tang Dynasty time. His poems are revered by the Chinese. It was very interesting that both these places were in the heart of Chengdu yet once inside the gardens and walled boundaries the traffic noise could not be heard. Around 5 million live here.
By accident we ended up at Jinli Street, an ancient streetscape preserved as an upmarket China town with beautiful shops, silk making displays, paper cutting and very interesting food stalls. We spent ages walking and looking. So back to the hotel for a rest then off to Jini Street again. It looked fabulous at night with all the lights and noise. Had Chinese of course and spent the warm evening being tourists.

ps check out our photos in the link on the side of the page

We had plenty of time until.....

Up early and packed our little bags ready to leave at 9.15. Relaxing, spending the last moments with Sarah when Andrew decided he wanted some more cash. So at 8.00 he went downtown, he knew the way. By 9.00 we decided that Sarah had better go looking! Yes, he was lost 5 blocks up and up an extremely steep grade. Somehow she found him, so shower, cool drink then a taxi to the station. We will miss Sarah but not the humidity!!


We were able to locate our station but oh my, I will not miss the steep escalators of Hong Kong! We were at Kowloon ½ hr before our bus departed so Starbucks for coffee. The bus trip to Shenzen was fine plenty to look at. The immigration checkpoint into China went smoothly so back onto a bus to Shenzen airport. Checked in had lunch at KFC then waited. Flight to Chengdu was really good. We noticed the smog, thick and heavy but nevertheless an interesting city. Taxi to hotel, unpacked, showered and had dinner at the restaurant. We went for a walk around our precinct. Quite tired, but very happy to be in Chengdu. Tried to blog and upload photos we knew there was a problem!

The Great Firewall of China

Hey Hey all you followers out there!
It's Libby here, sorry to say that my parents are experiencing some technical difficulties in mainland China. What is known as 'The Great Firewall of China' does not allow them to access this blog or their photo sharing site, but don't get too upset because they will be emailing me where possible and I'll upload their blogs from the lovely destination of Ballarat! They are just about to hop on a train and are very excited to travel to Tibet.. lucky them! However as they'll be living it up on the train will have no internet so we won't hear from them for a few days, in the mean time i will try to get their photos up for you to see!
Over and Out
Libby
PS mum and dad say hi :-)

Off to School and on the Train at 7am then ferry to Macau

Up early to go to the American International School with Sarah. The faces of the kids were familiar after skyping, we settled into writing and assisted when needed. They were very happy to have visitors. We watched them go swimming in the school's swimming pool then Sarah took us for a tour around. We gave the children our gifts then set off to the Kowloon Tong station to go back to Central. Took a taxi to the ferry terminal and set of to Macau. We finally boarded the jet ferry after Andrew went through customs, ready to board when he realized that he had left his ticket at the departure station where he had been filling in his form. So up stairs, running back through customs and then down again, we were last on board but we made it. The journey was a bit rough but we survived, glad for an hour to rest in the air-conditioning.
Macau is famous for its fishing fleets and its casinos. The casinos are elaborate and huge, they dominate the landscape. We walked to the centre of the city from the terminal then checked the maps. We decided to investigate the old Portuguese precincts. These were very European and Catholic, some very interesting buildings.
From there we walked to the Maritime Museum which told of Macau's fishing history. Nearby was a very ancient temple. The A-Ma temple was built in 550AD  http://lostdetails.typepad.com/photos/macau/index.html 
this shows some interesting photos. This was the only Chinese style building we saw after hours of walking and looking around. We bought some Portuguese Egg Tarts to take back for Sarah they were delicious! Then we took a taxi back to the ferry. This time we were awake and had a window seat, the views were worth it.
After a little rest we went to the Waygu Bar and met many of Sarah's Hong Kong family. We had a great night, lots of fun.

Where are my Feet?

We celebrated my birthday night  in a Greek restaurant with Fiona a teacher from the Australian International School who befriended Sarah from Day 1 here. Yummy food  and then we had Irish coffee and cake at another venue, very nice! The night finished rather sedately as my feet turned into something quit foreign. They did not belong to me!! The humidity is unbelievable, all the expats are complaining. So next day, after a very leisurely morning dropping our washing off to the little laundry down the road we decided to investigate Sarah's local area. A chemist, doctor, dentist and supermarket within 1 minute walk so we didn't have to go far!
After trying to solve some more dilemmas with uploading photos Andrew and I walked down town to the bus terminal and caught a bus to the Peak, we did the tourist thing and sat upstairs , right in  the front and took in all the views. Andrew noticed a changed landscape from when he was up there 13 years ago. We lunched at Bubba's, an American restaurant dedicated to Forest Gump. I could have had my photo taken with the box of chocolates but chose not to instead we looked at the costumes and the memorabilia from the set. Of course prawns and chips were on the menu from Lieutenant Dan's  prawning vessel. Anyhow the views were good not to hazy.
Thursday night we met Sarah's foster parents here Greg and Anne, her principal and his wife. We met at the Mon Kok market and had a delicious meal of spicy crabs, chicken and fish. Greg and Anne were lovely, Sarah will miss them as they are going to Vietnam next semester. A very hot night so beers went down well, we walked the extensive night markets and bought a few things before heading back.

A Public Holiday Just for Me!!

We were off early with Sarah and her friend John to Stanley to see the Dragon Boat Races. We traveled by bus for 45 minutes over, around and under mountains to get there. We saw some quite stunning areas of Hong Kong. Wall to wall people on the beaches and streets, lots of colour, drums and noise! We had lunch on the foreshore at a restaurant watching the world go by, including an Aussie we didn't really want to see. Anyhow the markets were air conditioned as we walked through to go back to the bus. Up the many escalators and home to rest before we hit the nightlife later.

Bangkok to Hong Kong

Blog, Blog trying to anyway, thanks Lib with the help! A leisurely spent morning in Bangkok having a late breakfast and walking around the local area. Off to the airport and a leisurely wait there before an uneventful flight to Hong Kong. What a sight at night on a clear night, it was brilliant!. After leaving the plane we boarded a train to immigration and baggage pick up, it is a huge airport! Then a teary reunion with Sarah, it was so good to see her.
Back to her apartment for gift giving and off loading the kilos of supplies we had taken over. A wonderful night walking the streets and eating out.

A Day in Bangkok

We had a driver for the day to   take us to many of the famous places. We started at the Grand Palace on Rattanakosin Island which was very opulent and fascinating. The detail in the gold leaf and porcelain was quite unbelievable. 11/2 hrs later we left to take a river trip along the canals which surrounds the palace and other significant places. This was refreshing as it was 37o, we saw many contrasting houses, we finished with a lovely coconut milk drink. Next stop was at the Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) and Wat Pho (reclining Buddha). We had good tour guides and had to avoid the sprukers. We arrived back exhausted looking forward to the air-con. Had a Thai dinner then a night walk amongst the outside  food vendors. Highlights of the day were seeing the Jade Buddha, the Reclining Buddha and the fresh watermelon and pineapple for lunch!

The Packing Is Nearly Finished!

We are trying to complete our packing but somehow we need to fit in all of Sarah's requests. I have to work out how to upload the photos tonight.Bangkok here we come.

Our Itinerary

Sunday 13th June:leave Melbourne arrive Bangkok
Monday14th :Bangkok
Tuesday 15th :leave Bangkok arrive Hong Kong
Wednesday 16th-Sunday 20th : Hong Kong arrive Chengdu (mainland China)
Tuesday 22nd -depart Chengdu
Thursday 24th - arrive Lhasa (Tibet)
Sunday27th - depart Lhasa
Monday 28th - arrive Xining
Tuesday29th -arrrive Xi'an
Thursday 1st July: depart Xi'an arrive Beijing
Tuesday 6th: depart Beijing arrive Hong Kong
Thursday 8th: depart Hong Kong
Friday 9th : arrive Melbourne

The Countdown has started- 4 days to go!

I am starting to allow myself to get excited. My to do list is shrinking 6 things to go. Andrew's is much longer but he has 2 extra days to do it in.