Shangri La

 
 

Well I'm in Shanghai. Took 12 hours to get here via train. What a mess the Beijing Rail Station is. Not only is it just a colossal mass of people trying to get on their trains, but most of the signs aren't in English. I had to ask some of the locals in sign language if I was in the right place by comparing tickets. Chinese people do not know how to wait in line. Lines are not single file, they are just first come first serve. So you have a few hundred people trying to squees themselves between a narrow gate. Old people, crippled people, small children in their way? Doesn't matter. Everyone just gets squeezed through. I thought maybe I'd get over the fact that Chinese people have no sense of personal space, but no it still annoys me when I am so squished next to people that I can smell hundreds of flavors of BO. It's not a pleasant experience. Anyway, so my on my train ticket it has the train #, carriage # , and seat # on it. The carriage # (1) is preceded by something in Chinese. So, I walk to the front on the train because that's carriage #1. When I get there the train attendent says I must go to the back of the train, not the front. Apparently the Chinese in front of the carriage # meant 'Last' as in "last 1". I can't believe the ticket could be so poorly printed with all the foreigners in China nowadays. It's just so maddening you can't help but laugh.

When I arrived in Shanghai, it was hot,muggy, and raining. My goal was to get to my hostel but I had forgotten to print out the directions to the hostel. So, I spent the next 15 mins sharpening my Mandarin. I went around asking "Fujin yang wa ba ma", which means "where is the local internet cafe?". After wandering back and forth being given bad directions I finally found it. From there I looked up the directions and the cheapest way to get there was on bus 113. It cost 2 yuan or basically less than 30 cents. So, I wander around with my 35 lb backpack and find the bus station. The only problem with directions here is that no one knows the English equivalent of the Chinese. For example, I had to get off at Bejing West Lu station. Everyone I asked just looked at me like I was crazy. I imagined them thinking, "is this guy nuts, this is Shanghai not Beijing". I realized the locals were useless in helping me out, so I was looking at every street judiciously, trying to see something that I would recognize. I was stressing a bit, but I knew even if I got lost I could get a cab, and get to the hostel no problems. Well, amazingly enough I saw a street that I recognized from the directions, and got off. Then I hunted around, and found the hostel in an alley far away from the main road. I was so relieved. Sometimes, you amaze yourself by doing things you think you can't do. I was pretty sure I would get lost, but I guess I have a knack for finding things.

Anyway, enough of getting to Shanghai. I've spent 2 days here, and my impression of Shanghai is that it's much more Westernized than Beijing. It's more compact, and dense. My impression of the people is that they aren't as friendly. The hostel is bigger but I dont' get the same community type vibe of the hostel in Beijing. Nobody talks to each other. I think its because the hostel is mainly used by local kids who speak Mandarin. So they have their own cliques. But, even the travelers here don't seem to be quite as open as in Beijing. Anyway, I'm leaving tomorrow, and moving on to Hong Kong. There isn't much to see here anyway. I went to this area called the Bund, and that's where I took the skyline picture. It's pretty cool, everything is lit up. The other picture is the famous shopping area here called Nanjing.

Everyone here thinks my name is Mr. DVD, or Mr. Watch. I keep having to correct them, but it gets annoying ;). Just walking through Nanjing will drive you nuts, as you have a few hundred people coming up to you and saying "Hello, dvd, watch, clothes?" It's as if they're waiting for a person to be like "A DVD and a watch? That's EXACTLY what I was looking for!" But, one thing I have realized is that these big cities are just like big cities anywhere else. They are pretty much westernized and not really interesting to visit. I will have to go to a more remote place later.

Here's a link to my Shanghai album pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/srirammanian/Shanghai?authkey=XZbUgBzK18Y#

Time to move on to Shanghai

Well, today is my last day in Beijing. I've been here since the 11th, so 9 days. It's gone by so fast, yet this place has felt like home. I'm a little sad to be leaving this hostel. I've met many people and made some good friends from all over the world. I hope the future hostels I stay at are as cool as this place. Anyway, I highly recommend the Red Lantern Hostel if you ever go to Beijing. You will not be dissappointed.

My plan for the day is to go to the famous Silk Market where they sell everything at low prices if you're up for a little haggling. After that I catch a 11 hour train to Shanghai. I got a Soft Seat which is basically an airline type seat. Should be comfortable enough.

Oh yeah, yesterday I went to dinner with my old co worker and some people from the hostel. We went to try the famous Peking Duck at Da Dong restaurant. It's known as the best duck restaurant in Beijing. Anyway, it was an interesting experience. You eat the duck sort of like a burrito. The 'tortilla' part is duck skin, and you put the meat inside along with some toppings like celery, radish, and some other weird stuff. And the treat if you are brave enough to try it is what you see in the picture above. If you can make it out, its part of a duck head. You can eat the beak, and if you want scoop out the mushy stuff inside the head. Yes, the brain. Tastes a bit like eggs. After dinner, I had a weird craving for bread crumbs. Just kidding.

BTW, thank you for your comments. I've read all of them and I really look forward to them. Sorry, if I don't always respond back or make updates. I will try to update more in Shanghai!

Killing some time at an Internet Cafe

So I went with my Canadien friend, Dave, to this electronics mall so that I could buy a memory card for my camera. If you've ever been to Bangkok, it's similar. There are probably thousands of stores that sell every type of electronic thing you could think of. The vendors are aggressive so they'll try to stop you to come to their shop. It's irritating after a while because they won't leave you alone, when you just want to look around.

The prices are pretty cheap for anything that's a knockoff, but any real, legit brand is almost always more expensive than in the US. I was looking at an Apple Macbook Air laptop, and the best price I could get from them was $2300. I think you could buy the same laptop for like $1900 in the US. I do get a kick out of low balling the vendors and seeing their reactions. The first price they give you is of course a sucker's price. I usually respond with "Ta que la" which means "that's too expensive." A lot of people were suprised to hear me say that, they didn't expect me to be able to speak a little chinese. One person then assumed i knew how to speak Chinese, and started going off. Anyway, I ended up buying a 8 GB flash card for $24 USD. I think the same thing in the states is like 40 or 50. So, it's a decent discount.

I'm going to meet my buddy Morris in an hour near Tianamen square. Should be a good time discussing the shit hole the markets are in right now. I hope I don't wake up tomorrow in my hostel, and have to pay like 600 yuan instead of the 60 I pay right now LOL.

Wrapup of the last few days

Ya so I've been a little lazy with the updates,so sue me , I'm on vacation ;). Last few days I've really gotten comfortable with Beijing. I know the subway system pretty well. It's great because it loops around the city, so if you miss your station you could just sit on the train till it comes back around, of course it would probably take a couple of hours. I can also say a few phrases, like 'ni hao (hello)' or more importantly 'pijiu (beer).' I've also had the local delicacies like pork entrails, ox tongue, peking roast duck, and chicken heart. Ok, I didn't try the chicken heart. But I got close. Who knows what I'm actually eating though. Everything is pretty much mystery meat.

I've met a few people here that are pretty cool. I went to the Paralympics with this guy from Calgary, Canada, and a girl from New Zealand. We got tickets to Wheelchair Rugby , more accurately known as 'Murderball.' It's actually more a wheelchair version of soccer or basketball than rugby. But let me tell you, these guys are INTENSE. Especially the US Team. This one guy on the US Team (#9) has no hands, but he was easily the best player on the floor. I can't count how many times I saw him go full speed into a guy and knock him out of his wheelchair. The cruel (sort of funny though I have to admit) part is that the referee is apparently not allowed to help the fallen player. So for a few long seconds the guy is just sitting there tipped over in his wheelchair while a couple of able bodied guys from his team saunter over taking their time to tip him back right side up. Anyway, I watched about 8 hours of wheelchair rugby, and ended up watching the US beat Great Britain in the semi finals.

What else...I've been roaming the city. Went to Summer Palace today. It's basically a massive lake surrounded by palaces from the Jin Dynasty. The lake is probably 5 or 6 times the size of lake elizabeth in Fremont. In the winter the locals apparently go ice skating on it. I can't imagine it getting cold enough for all that water to turn to ice. I mean its mid Sept and its been over 90 degrees every day and humid as hell. But, the crazy Chinese probably wouldn't care if they lost a few people falling through the ice LOL. I also rented a bike the third day I was here. That was quite interesting. I didn't feel nervous at all about it actually. I'm used to splitting lanes with my motorcycle so I had no problems staying alive on the bike. I rode the bike to this tea house and had a tea ceremony. Then went to the Lama Temple and Confuscious temple. I got lost on the way there, but this woman going the opposite direction from me stopped and asked me in broken english if I was lost and "wheree doo u go"? The amazing part which totally humbled me was that she then told me to follow her, which I did for a couple of miles to the temple. People are so kind here it's amazing. I always sort of believed the stereotype that Chinese people were machine like, and they don't show much emotion. That couldn't be more wrong. People here are nicer in general than back at home I think. I don't know if they just treat foreigners well or what but regardless, some of the friendliest humans are here.

So, I've been in Beijing for 6 days now, and at this point I think I've seen everything there is to see. I have a flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong on the 23rd so I have to make it to Shanghai, but I sort of don't want to anymore because I've heard its just like Beijing except bigger and more modern. I'd rather see the countryside but trains take 12 or more hours depending on where you go (China is big.) So, I have to figure out my next destination tonight. My former co worker is flying in tomorrow afternoon so I may stay long enough to see him. Not sure yet. Anyway, that's the wrapup. I know I'm forgetting things, I'll try to fill in more once it comes back to me.

Here is a video of this famous food market where they sell chicken heart, fried scorpion, crickets, starfish, basically anything they see moving in front of their stands that's not human. Well actually I did eat this thing called "Preson". I think they just misspelled "Person", so who knows.
Edit, my camera died. So i'll have to upload the video later.

What a day!

I'm tired beyond belief...went to Tianamen Square, Forbidden Palace, Wafujing, Jingshan Park, and other random places. Let me tell you if you didn't know already, but the Forbidden Palace is BIG. 9,999 rooms big. But even with its size, the number of people who visit it makes you wish it was even bigger. I hope that tells you something about the number of people in China. No words can describe it. This city makes LA look like a small town. I think Beijing has got about 12 million people, can't imagine what Tokyo feels like. At one point I was waiting to take the subway to Wanfujing (a shopping area). I bought a ticket (which only cost 2 yuan or about 30 cents) and waited for the train. A train arrived so squished with people, they were literally leaving nose marks on the windows. So I passed on the first train. Somehow some of the locals managed to fit themselves in any spare nooks and crannies left. Waited another 5 mins for the next train. Same situation. After striking out twice, I was determined not to be such an obvious foreigner. I dove into the third train and probably crushed a few kids while doing it. Thankfully I only had to go one stop. One of the locals on the train struck up a conversation with me that went like this:
Local:"Ni hau" (hello)
Me : "Ni hau"
Local: "Where are you frem?"
Me: "America. From San Francisco."
Local: "Oh San Francisco! I am 23, how old are you?"
Me: "29."
Local: Makes some weird noises.I couldn't figure out what he was saying, finally realize he's giving me his name. "What is your name?"
Me: "Sri"
Local: "You're cute."
Me: Surprised look on my face, totally embarassed. "Uh, thanks."
Local: "Sorry , are you gay?"
Me: "No."
Thank god the next station arrived just in time. I said "Bai Bai" as I ran out of the train. I think the "from San Francisco" part excited him. Who knows. My day wasn't quite as interesting after. I went to this gigantic shopping mall that is just like any mall you'll find in the US. Probably close to Valley Fair, but more upscale. The prices are crazy. Nike Air Force 1 shoes go for around $110 USD. How do Chinese people afford this stuff? I was going to buy these Armani Exchange shorts but they it is the equivalent of my entire hotel stay in Beijing.
After spending some time in the super commercialized area, I decided to go to Jingshan Park, which is basically a temple that overlooks the entire city of Beijing. I suck at deciphering where the bus stops (plus I'm easily distracted), so I ended up walking a few miles to get there. I walked through this old area with houses called hutongs that line the Forbidden Palace. This is what the old China looks like. It's such a drastic difference. I was thinking these people who look poor must be wondering what happened to China to change so quickly. I admit this is my Western biased view. Maybe Beijing wasn't as poor and developing as we were led to believe back in the day. Anyway, I found this cool place to take pictures, where I met this guy on a bike who kept giving me advice on what angles to take. Every time I showed him the picture I had taken with his suggestion, he would nod disapprovingly and wave his hand to follow him to a new location to take pics. After doing this for a while, I just gave him my $2k camera and told him to take pics. It was pretty funny watching this old man try to figure out how to use it. He did take some good pics though. I got his email address so I'll have to send them to him. Our entire exchange was done through sign language. He didn't speak a word of English and me Mandarin.
Anyway, I'm about to collapse. So far I've been around China in taxi,bus,subway, on foot, and tobagon. Tomorrow, I'll rent a bike and give my feet some rest. Here is a little piece of the Forbidden Palace for you before I hit the sack.

Uploaded Pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/srirammanian/FarEastBeast#

Pizza mansion?

I decided to go to pizza hut for a quick meal. I would eat some
authentic Chinese but after my lunch I don't feel like eating more
pork in weird shapes. I'll take my pork in American circles thank you
very much. I ordered the 'americn special' - pepperoni pizza.

Pizza hut is more upscale here BTW. They sit you down , no ordering
from the counter. This place looks like a restaurant you might see in
a nice hotel.

Great Wall

I went to the Great Wall this morning. Decided to skip doing the city tour by myself because they had a group tour going to the wall this morning. Went with a Canadian daughter and mom, plus an Aussie. Pretty cool bunch.

Anyway, about the wall, all I can say is it really is 'great.' Its pretty mindboggling that humans built it. Certain sections of the wall are so steep you need to climb with your hands and knees. It was extremely hot, must have been in the upper 90s. After taking a cable tram up to the wall, we were allowed 4 hours to explore the wall by ourselves. This was plenty of time, in fact too much time because after 30 mins of hiking along the wall, combined with the heat, everyone was scampering for some shade. Every few sections there are these twoers which used to be inhabited by guards but now are guarded by people selling Coke, beer, and cookies. They ask you "Wheeeree areee u frem?" And then say "You want buy coluh , beer?" You could walk by them ignoring their catcalls, turn around literally right past them and they would still ask you to buy 'coluh'.
After a few hours of doing the equivalent of a month of stairmaster, I went back down the mountain via a tobagon. What I love about countries in the East is that they don't have any concept of liabilities, and waivers, or just plain safety. You go down the mountain in a Chinese made plastic sled with a lever that if you push forward makes you go faster, and if you pull back slows you down. You slide down in this metal slide that goes down a 2000 ft mtn. It's insanity. In the US, they would have you wear football gear, and ask you to sign a death waiver, while selling you life insurance at the same time.
After that, I was exposed to more hawking my street vendors selling all kinds of trinkets. I played hacky sack with this one guy who goes by 'Bruce Lee.' We then had lunch which consisted of rice, chicken , and 'Grind Pork in fish taste sauce.' Surprisingly, I was the only one who was brave enough to try everything right away. I thought that the Aussie and Canadiens would have no fear, but they were really hesitant. Tasted good BTW.
I'm back at the hostel now , and feeling jet lagged. Going to sleep now.

I'm in China!

Reached Beijing after a relatively smooth 12 hour flight. Everything was fine until I ate the fish meal they had. Then my stomach got a little upset. I'll spare you guys the details (Anu I can go into more detail for you if you'd like lol).
First impression of Beijing: So clean. Everything literally looks like it's brand new. I"ve never seen roads this clean, except for maybe Singapore. The airport is one of the best I've ever seen. Everything seems so orderly. Maybe there is a seedy underbelly to this town that is being brushed aside? The city transportation system, state of the roads, and infrastructure is miles ahead of the States.
My Mandarin Language Iphone app came in handy today. I was able to converse with the taxi driver on how far the destination was, and how bad traffic is here. They have a cool Taxi Driver Language Interpreter program where the driver calls this English speaking guy so you can have him translate for you.
The hostel I'm staying at is pretty cool. It's run by young looking people (but in China who knows how old they actually are) , and they arrange tours, bike rentals, phone calls , pretty much anything you'd want to do here.
Anyway, I'm pretty tired. Tomorrow I'll tour the city.

No tv screens in the seats!!

I'm going to have to try to keep myself occupied just by reading. I
brought 3 books: Life of Pi, A New Earth, and The Monk who Sold his
Ferrari. Anyone have any recommendations for other books I can read
in China?

Waiting to board

Waiting to board air china flight to Beijing. I gotta say that the
SFO international terminal kicks ass. It's so fresh and so clean.
I've taken china air before which has the worst service record of any
airline, but I've heard air china is actually pretty good. Here's
hoping for a good flight.

Btw, went to the duty free and the lady there was trying to steer me
into buying cigs that are not available in china. Thought that was
pretty funny.

Packed and ready to go!