Ho Chi Minh - Hong Kong - Macau - Shanghai - Hangzhou - Suzhou - Xi'An - Beijing

01-28 February, 2010

Started the month by getting up at 5am to depart Cambodia via bus to Vietnam. It was the first time in Asia that our pick-up actually came on time to bring us to the bus station :) On the bus we were even given a little breakfast pack!

The ride to Ho Chi Minh was nothing great except for when we got to the border. Leaving Cambodia was easy, when we got to the Vietnam immigration our bus driver got into an argument with a Vietnamese guard who ended up demanding his passport & confiscated it. Well, of course we really don't know the whole story, but the bus did have to go around the immigration building & do the whole process again. Only Joel, myself & another man had to get off & drag our bags over to get scanned once more, & after that it was as if nothing happened & we were off again.

Finally arrived at Ho Chi Minh City around 1:30pm. Getting off the bus, or any form of transportation in most parts of Asia, you get hassled by tuk-tuk, taxi drivers etc. to give you a ride to your accommodation - usually at a ridiculous price. Even if your accommodation is literally around the corner they will insist it's too far to walk. Good thing I research my places of interests, & also get in touch with any hostel I plan to stay in to get directions. Sorry guys, but you're definitely not getting any business from me! So we got to the guesthouse fine, & spent the rest of the day browsing the streets around us.

We toured the grounds & the interior of the Independence Palace. There were replicas of the tanks that broke through the gates back in April 30, 1975. Inside you get to see the president's library, the banquet halls, reception area, & a cinema room. In the basement, there's the president's war bedroom as well as his office, & all the communication rooms. So yea, nothing exciting.

Made our way to the Central Post Office & it seemed to be such a big deal to the tourists. We only went because we saw so many people standing around taking pictures. It was packed inside! But all their souvenirs were overpriced & way too many people crammed in tiny spaces.

We found a nice cafe - Lam Cafe on our street, cheap & a good place to sit & people watch. And every day around lunch time, we would see the same guy walking around looking under the table at people's shoes, offering his services to shine them. Even asked Joel who was clearly not even wearing closed shoes!

We also checked out the War Remnants Museum. Learned how the stupid American troops treated & killed the Vietnamese people. The photos are proof of that. It makes me so angry & disgusted to have American bloodlines. Up till now you see how it has affected some people, most especially from the Agent Orange - birth defects, & also farmers injured and/or dying from steeping on the landmines. Really makes you think - don't these Americans know how to keep their noses in their own business?!?

Anyway afterwards we visited the Cathedral Notre-Dam & had a quick browse inside. I guess to pray for people's sins?!?

Out of Vietnam & into Hong Kong, flying with Cathay Pacific CX766 we departed at 11:40am. I love it when meals are served on flights, especially if it's around Asia, you know the food will be yummy! From the airport, it was just a bus ride away on the Airport Shuttle A21 to the hostel.

Anyone who decides to go to Hong Kong, stay away from the hostels at Chung King Mansions. Yes they are cheap, but unless you want to stay in - a) a shoebox-size room; b) shower literally over the toilet; or c) be hassled be losers trying to sell you suits, fake watches, phonecards, etc. & even other rooms to stay - keep away! But then again every corner in Tsim Sha Tsui has a salesman trying to sell you all those things - what on earth will I do with a suit on this trip? Seriously...

And as for those fake goods sellers, I was tempted to surprise them by taking their photo & telling them I work at customs & in the next hour someone will hunt you down & deport you out of the country. I hate pests like that, can't they get a better job? Nobody seems to ignore their blabber anyway.

Good thing not all of Hong Kong is like that. We went to Singapore Noodle for dinner - NEVER eating Chinese food again! I didn't like it before & now I'm determined that it's not good food at all. Everything is sooo oily, absolutely drenched in oil. And what's the go? No rice?!? I've never been to an Asian restaurant that doesn't have rice included with the meal. Forget it, I'm sticking to western fast food for the rest of the stay.

Nothing opens until around 11-11:30am here. We spent the morning just walking up Nathan Road until we got to Langham Place. I've never been so willing & craving to chow down McDonald's in my life! Tummy satisfied, we moved on just going up & down the streets around the electronic gods, Ladies Market, & the sporting goods before heading back down to the Star Ferry Pier.

It was overcast & the taller buildings were missing their top floors because of the clouds being so low. On the way back to the hostel, we passed a small convenience store selling some steamed goods. Not fried, OK I can do this; & so we bought some to try. Beef Shaomai, & Fish Shaomai - cheap & actually delicious :)

Rainy day in Hong Kong, but we headed out anyway. Umbrellas on hand & went to the Gold Fish Market where Joel went a little crazy taking pictures of ornamental fish. There were also pet shops in the area with really cute puppies! But what I really want is the tortoise which one of them was selling. One day I think I will...

For lunch today we went to Modern Toilet. It was great, & I wasn't the least bit grossed out. Our food was served not on plates, but on miniature toilet seats, wash basins, bathtubs, etc. And did I mention the chairs were toilet seats? The whole place was decorated like we were in the bathroom, but get this - they didn't have proper restrooms to use! The icing on the cake would have to be our dessert - chocolate ice cream served on a toilet seat - use your imagination of what this may look like ;)

We took a day trip to Macau, & didn't realise that we would get stamped in our passports...YEAY!!! We left at 7am on the New World First Ferry. It only took about an hour to get there, & the first thing you notice are the casinos. It's like the Asian version of Monaco without the little rick kids driving around in their expensive cars.

Macau isn't that big, so it was easy to walk around to see the sights. I had a few things listed to see here, but because we have the whole day, we decided to see all other attractions as well. Well we tried anyway - first was down to the Temple de A-Ma, then along Calcada de Barra was the Quartel dos Mouros, then rested for awhile at Largo do Lilau - I was starting to get dizzy.

We skipped the others, since most were churches anyway, & headed straight to Ruinas de S. Paulo. By the time we got there, I was feeling better, must have been that Portugese Egg Tart I bought to help get rid of it...that's what I'd like to think anyway :)

Back to Ruinas de S.Paulo, we went underground to visit a crypt & a small museum before heading up the hill to Fortaleza do Monte. Unfortunately, the museum is closed on Mondays, then it started to rain heavily. So we were stuck there for awhile, & by the time we got to walk around again it was coming up to lunch time.

Couldn't find a decent place that served food close to Portuguese-style cooking...we decided to eat at a buffet instead :) There were lots of casinos around, one was bound to have that sort of restaurant. Well, we got lucky on the 3rd one - Sands Macau. It had a good selection of mains, & of course dessert :) I was pleased to see that there was shaomai - but after biting into it, I realised it was not beef nor fish, not even close to tasting like chicken...it was horse meat! Oh my goodness, it was the most disgusting meat I've ever tasted! Note to self: ask if there's no label...

Planned to head up to Fortuleza de Guia & the Lighthouse afterwards, but decided against it because of the rain. Was definitely not in the mood to hike up the hill getting soaked in the rain. Instead we went to Doca de Pescadores de Macau & browsed around the Convention & Exhibition Centre, There was also an International Cultural & Food Festival on. Stuck around until it was time to catch our ferry back to Hong Kong. Luckily, we were in time for an earlier one.

The following day, got the MTR to Hong Kong Island. From the Centre, we walked across to Causeway Bay, an area I visited in 2007. Upon arriving, the only thing I recognised was Times Square. Everything else looked different, lots of scaffolding.

Soon it was time to fly into mainland China, & the first stop was Shanghai. Again with Cathay Pacific CX368, it was only a 3 hour flight. Took a taxi to The Phoenix Hostel. Shanghai is COLD! Only 3C when we landed, it was raining & really windy. Was it a mistake to come here?

The day after was nice, though still cold, at least the sun was out. Walked along Huaihai Road - street lined on both sides with boutiques, malls & countless western fast foods such as McDonald's, KFC, & even Pizza Hut. The world's only flagship Barbie store was also on this street. It was 4 floors of everything Barbie, including a cafe, a designer studio for the kids, & a whole floor dedicated to limited edition, & porcelain Barbie dolls. Wishing I could afford all, I still managed to purchase 3 for my collection.

Passed Shanghai Old Street, a small alley still with it's original housing. Along with their clothes hanging to dry, they also had all sorts of meat & fish with them. This street ran parallel to a street bustling with tourists, & locals selling their goods. A large bazaar was at one end next to the Yuyuan Garden.

Taking the subway around is very straight forward, unlike in Sydney where it's like an obstacle finding which train to catch on what platform, & if it even stops at your station. Got across the river & took pictures around Pudong. Two of the world's tallest skyscrapers are located here - Shanghai World Financial Centre, & Jin Mao Observatory 88.

We got lucky at this hostel, we were in a room with some great people - Eiman, Laura, Oli, & Shameel from the UK, Camila, & Rosie from Australia. And since tonight was Chinese New Year's Eve, we all went to the Bund to a bar called Bar Rouge. We had such a great view of the Pudong area from the roof deck. You could see the fireworks from all directions. It even started snowing! The bar was jam-packed full of foreigners, & the celebration continued well into the morning. We're now in the Year of the Tiger.

Our first experience of riding the train was leaving Shanghai for Hangzhou. The station was full & it was absolutely crazy once the gates opened to board the train. I've never seen anything like it. It was as if everyone flooded through these gates to grab their claim of a million dollars, gold or something mind blowing. When in fact it was just to grab the seats not occupied & for bag space. Luckily our ticket had reserve seating...mind you, we still had to run through those gates so that we didn't get trampled on by the Chinese stampede!

We stayed at the Hangzhou West Lake Youth Hostel. Had a nice long walk on one side of the West Lake in the morning before meeting with Scott & his cousin Romeo after lunch. The lake is huge, had nice gardens around too. Lots of families in the area since it was still their holiday period. The only thing annoying was having to constantly step aside to give way to those golf cart trains transporting people around the lake, & they didn't slow that for anybody. There were pagodas like Leifeng Pagoda to visit, small parks with ponds, temples, & some interesting old buildings converted into a tea house, or souvenir store.

For dinner, Scott invited us to a restaurant that was like the hawkers market in the passed countries we've been to. Payment was made with coupons, & everything was in Chinese, so it was a good thing Scott was there to translate. Our table was full of dumplings, noodles, & wontons. Scott was insisting it wasn't enough, but I'm telling you I was so full by the end. My stomach was definitely satisfied :) We then took the taxi to Wushan Square & walked up & down the markets before calling it a night. Thanks Scott & Romeo!

Next train ride was to Suzhou. But first let me say that the train station in Hangzhou was the filthiest place I've ever been to. There were piles of rubbish everywhere - empty/even half eaten noodle containers, bottles, papers...under seats, on seats, corners of the room - YUCK! And to top it all off the spitting on the floor INDOORS!?! I mean, come on China, after thousands of years, & being one of the oldest civilisations, don't you get what a clean hygiene is? Hos about manners? Pushing & shoving won't get you anywhere, but if you think you can cut through in front of me, you better think again. I have gotten to the point where I will trample on feet, elbow, & shove away anybody who thinks it's ok to get in my way. And I'm not the least bit sorry if your bread is flattened by my luggage or if you're pushed back our of the train. You surely deserved it.

In any case, arriving in Suzhou was left without a hassle. Caught the crowded bus (surprise surprise) into the city. Our next accommodation - Mingtown Suzhou Youth Hostel - is along Pingjiang Road, one of the oldest in the area.

Suzhou is known for it's classical gardens, & silk. Obviously we came at the wrong time of the year, because when we visited Wang Shi Yuan (Master of the Nets Garden) - which is said to be better than all the gardens combined - is was a real disappointment. Should have known better that flowers bloom in Spring, not in Winter...duhhh. Instead of beautiful colours, & gardens, we were greeted with a cold, dull, rocky place. Nothing much to see & actually quite a bore, not to mention a waste of money. Even Shuang Ta (Twin Pagodas) were nothing great. The only thing we looked forward to everyday was lunch time - eating at Pin Von Teahouse which is also located on our historic street. With their cheap fast snacks, such as dumplings, shaomai, spring rolls, & the absolutely delicious boiled glutinous rice balls in fermented glutinous rice...mmm.

Needless to say we were glad to leave Suzhou & hop on an overnight train to Xi'An. Not much sleep but is was good enough in our 4-bunk bed cabin which we shared with a mother & daughter. But oh my goodness...Xi'An would have to be the busiest place in China! Thankfully we were greeted by a representative from our hostel - Xian ShuYuan International Youth Hostel. I'm still not sure how we managed to squeeze into that crammed bus with our bags...

After settling in, we headed towards the Bell Tower, the Drum Tower, & through the Muslim Quarter. Xi'An is one of the few cities in China where old city walls are still visible.

We made our own way to The Museum of Terra-Cotta Warriors & Horses of Qin Shihuang. It was easy enough just taking the local buses & taking our time rather than joining an expensive tour.

You get to visit 3 pits here, as well as an Exhibition Hall which stores artifacts found during the digs. Pit 1 is the most impressive, it was first discovered in 1974 by a peasant digging a well. For those who don't know, the government only paid RMB10 (equivalent to less than AUD$2) the peasant for his find. He now signs books at the pit, but if you want a picture with him, you of course, got to pay :) Sadly he wasn't there on the day of our visit.

The 6000 terra-cotta figures of warriors & horses in Pit 1 are in battle formation, & facing east. The other pits weren't as impressive; Pit 2 was discovered in 1976, & only partially excavated with most warriors lying on their side, broken in pieces; & Pit 3, the smallest discovered in 1980 only had 60 or so warriors & horses.

After a short stay in Xi'An, we took another overnight train to our last stop in China, & Asia - Beijing. Our train was on time, but the weather was beyond freezing for me. After just a few minutes of waiting for the bus to arrive & take us into the city, my fingertips felt like they were about to fall off.

We joined a small tour group for our trip to The Great Wall of China. Reached the Mutianyu part of the wall in just under 2 hours. It was snowing so it was absolutely picturesque! Joel & I opted to climb up the wall rather than be lazy & pay to get the cable car up. It took just under 30 minutes, but we were left short of breath & hot in our jackets. We had about 3 hours walking the wall with 20 towers to visit.

The stairs led us up to tower 8, & so we walked along to tower 1. More stairs up & down, parts were slippery here & there but all was worth it. When we got to the end, we got great shots of walls where tourists weren't allowed. So back we went & reached tower 14 before having to make our way back down to meet with the rest of the group. By this time I was glad to be going back, because it started snowing again & the cold wind was picking up.

Lunch was at a little restaurant just a short walk from the wall.They had a great choice of six dishes & all were delicious.

The next day, we visited the site of the 2008 Olympic Games. Got pictures of the National Stadium, & the National Aquatics Centre. Well my impression of the place? Not as good as what I thought it would be, so I was quite over it pretty fast. Oh & not to mention my calves were killing from our great walk on the wall...

Tonight was also the last night of the Chinese New Year celebrations. More fireworks, not that they ever stopped firing them. We've been hearing them constantly since the New Year started, even during the day. But I was too tired to care & fell asleep instantly...