hey! my 100th post!

Unfortunately it's not about anything very eventful. I went to the Summer Palaces yesterday. Maybe I've done too much sightseeing, or maybe I've already seen the best, but I wasn't very impressed.. it was nice enough, but not 'wow'.

Old Summer Palace:
Ruins in a big park. Almost all the pictures I took were of the wild flowers growing by the path, or of the sunset.. ruins wise, it's nothing compared to Rome, which it was like in a way.. 1700s stone structures in pseudo European style. Perhaps fascinating to the Chinese, but there was nothing there to interest me.

New Summer Palace:
ok. big lake. the usu style of buildings. the marble boat that cixi built. But I was still meh... I guess seeing 西湖，网师园， 黄山，紫禁城，天坛公园， 洪村 all in one trip has spoiled me for pretty much everything else... was not really impressed by much else, baring the usual beauty of nature kind of thing...

Today I will attempt to go wander ard in hutong, and, if time permits (prob not, knowing me, and pending when the cleaning aunty can come in), also go to the 798 galleries again. Both areas seem to have nice cafes I can just sit in for hours... and try not to shop.

I dropped off the dreadfully packed and slow and jerky and super long bus journey yesterday coming back from the summer palaces early - I think I would have puked if I had stay on. Ended up on a street with all the music shops. Some selling both erhu and trombone. People practising with their instruments on the sidewalk, a lao-wai on an erhu being instructed by an old man... it was not far from XiDan, one of the main shopping areas, where I popped into a mall to use the loo, which turned out to be a dressing room.. very nice. Better than sg hotel loos =P

Made the mistake of looking ard the neighbouring mall as it looked like an interesting bldg from the outside, and had a great lighting system over the entire façade. Nice on the inside too. Malls here can really be done very well. Walked into Uniqio. Damm. Lots of things I wanted to get, at prices I wouldn't have blinked at back home.. my debit card couldn't be accepted though. Phew? but being an upscale shopping mall, there was a stanchart atm for foreign cards only (and yes, i felt a bit atas while using it, because the locals before and after me couldn't get anything out of it )... but I managed to tear myself away w only a nice plain black tee =P v tempted to go back though. it's all v comfy, good quality material, fits me well, is classic yet fashionable... >.< I should just have stuck to the far east plaza kind of teenagers' mall across the road... though uniqio and muji are def more me style-wise...

I've seen some nice bldgs here, many of them from the bus or cab so I have no idea where they are, what they are, or who built them.. some nice ideas, some just done well, some just attention grabbing...

ok, i'd better go. my last full day in beijing!

yesterday: great wall = great!

We went to a relatively quiet stretch of the wall. Great scenery, nice dinner, was brought to a fantastic dvd shop and some high quality but still cheap fake goods shop, nice bar for strong drinks after. Good day.

Also, today has almost gone and I'm still in the house! had to hang ard to deal w electrician fixing the wiring (if not, no dvd nights or internet...)

so, that all for now!

I did not see the summer palace yesterday as planned. Went instead to the new National Theatre to try for tickets to Red Giselle by the St Petersburg Elfman Ballet, which yes, I have seen before (at the dans fest in sg last year) but would like to see again, and it's of a standard I think my wonderful host lw would like. Unfortunately only 400 and 800rmb tickets were left, I did not have enough cash on me, and forgot to bring the card out. Touts at the counter had apparently bought all the 100/200rmb tickets, and were pushing them, but I just think it's such a bad practice which should not be encouraged, that I refused to even listen to them... they are probably real seats, but it's just so wrong. Sigh. It takes time, I guess. and I can't fault them for trying to make a few bucks - it's in their blood? but it still gets on my nerves.

Then I went to Beihai Park and JingShan Park. They would have been pleasant places to sit or stroll or picnic. if not for the incredible wind and hence chill. That said, it's been getting warmer every day, so I'm feeling much better =) anyway, both places are nice as parks, to see the locals (usu older folk) dancing, singing, taichi-ing, gambling, etc... bldgs not so impressive or especially thought-provoking, but still nice. I think I've just seen too much already...

Then rushed to meet lw, jh and some other uni coursemates here on holiday for dinner, in a little restuarant in the hutong area the american landscape architect working here whom I meet in Suzhou had told me I must go. Really nice neighbourhood. I'll probably have found a hostel in this area if I hadn't already had somewhere to stay... there's a wonderful, gregarious owner who really made the place that bit more special in addition to the good food...

today. brunch, then to the 798 galleries. i def have to spend another day just wandering ard the galleries. so that's my 3 remaining weekdays (before may1/2 and my flight south) taken care of: summer palace, hutongs, and art galleries. After the galleries, we headed for the mandatary Peking roast duck dinner, then the Philip Stark designed lan club (not that fantastic except for the big comfy private toilets), then another club, then back to the aptm. The clubs here are def much more interesting than back home.. more varied, more character, stronger drinks.. =P

Tml, great wall w the group.

still alive!

yesterday: Forbidden City. Huge. Spaces. Hierarchy. Procession.

Many of the important buildings were totally out of bounds and wrapped in scaffolding and green netting as they get spruced up. I can see why they want to do that. Most of the place is looking kind of scuffed, and though that is the look I prefer - weathered and aged and full of history and stories - it's probably not quite the image they want to portray in such an important symbol of the city/country. But I guess the magnificence of the place lies in its spatial, or processional, qualities. Not just the huge ceremonial squares and architecture, but also in the smaller palaces/compounds behind and around, and in the long relatively dark corridors of the various gates; places that, as in the Suzhou gardens, constrict before expanding into the vast square, so that you truly feel the awed, overwhelmed and relieved by the open space, and by association, greatness of the emperor/empire . The hierarchy within the Forbidden city, and within each of its components... everything has its place and reason...

I barely saw the exhibits, I barely had time to see the spaces, to linger, to understand the place and imagine its rituals.

Of course, I know that much of what I imagine to be life there is very much inspired by that HK drama series from 2(?) years back about the concubines..

shit, it's 11am, and the Summer Palace, which I want to see today, is huge, so I really should get moving!

written yesterday but had problems w connection so here it is now:

I am.. not really in the mood to write... I can't seem to get myself out of the house before noon (when lunch beckons and tummy starts to whine), but I also realise that each of the city's sights are so huge and my pace of seeing things is so slow that I will need an entire day from early morning till closing time (at about 5-6pm for most sights) to get my fill of a place.. and I still need to run errands today.. sigh..

But yesterday was good. Clear blue skies. Lovely sunset at the Temple of Heaven. A little cold, but beautiful. The sheer scale of the public ceremonial spaces and the ordered approaches to each sight.. truly a masterpiece in experiential orchestration, inspiring awe and respect.. I feel many things when I look at it.. in a way, it's a huge part of where I came from. My people and culture. Things I've been far removed from and have, at times, ridiculed and felt embarrassed about, but now have trying to repossess and understand, as I try to find my place in the world, and to understand who I am and what will make me happy...

I'm liking Beijing much better than Shanghai already. People seem nicer and more polite and less frantic, there's a bit more space (though still not very walkable as things are very spread out).. not to mention that by now the weather is not as bitterly cold as when I was in Shanghai, though still far from balmy by my standards. It's big, and takes a while to get to know, though the basics of the city layout are easy enough to understand.

In a way, I'm really tired from the past 40(!) days so I'm thinking I should to take it easy, esp considering I have almost 2 weeks here before I leave for Shantou. Also, a bit sick of touristy sights, so I will just see the must-sees (Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Tiannanmen Square, a less developed stretch of the Great Wall, maybe the Ming Tombs? and a couple of museums), then spend the rest of the time walking ard hutongs and going to art galleries...

also, I desperately need to get new shoes (the current pair did not stand up well to the constant rain and scruffs, and walking around the whole day in pointy spiky heels is not fun for the feet) and a haircut (now that it's getting warmer and I no longer need to go around looking like a Neanderthal in order to keep myself a fraction of a degree warmer =P). So far, I have not been to the cheap(er) places and while I don't want to scrimp on shoes, 990RMB is too much to pay for simple ballet flats (and those were the only ones I saw that I sort of like..). Sigh.. I think I am already looking forward to a higher standard of living than I have been experiencing for the past month...

went to walk in Tiannanmen Square yesterday evening, but got there too late to go into any place other than the shopping malls nearby =P It's been raining the past 2 days so I have not really experienced the famed pollution, though the city is now one big construction site (but all must be finished/stopped by July). It's also very convenient to have someone who knows the hutongs and how to find a nice bar or restaurant in the middle of all the dark alleys =)

Arrived in Beijing. Tired and sleepy because the train was not a sleeper and the guy beside me snored. It's not as cold as expected (phew!). Sky is overcast and featureless, but at least it's not raining... lw's apartment is very nice and big, if a bit difficult to find and not exactly in city centre... the best thing is, I have a room all to myself =)

but I really need to go get some sleep first...

just a quick post to say I'll be leaving this afternoon on the 3pm train to Wuxi (0.5h trip) to take the 8pm train to Beijing. Sigh. Direct tickets to get to beijing on a weekend were sold out.

Today the street the hostel is on is very happening. and I'm sure, the shopping street is as well. It's the start of the Suzhou Int'l Tourism Festival. Here, there are stages and performances all along the street, crafts and art stalls and artisans and food and snacks, as well as a traditional wedding demo by the canal... quite cool. today's art students are not sketching but painting.

I know i've mentioned that I love this area already, but after yesterday (during which i didn't really do anything but walk ard the neighbourhood) i love it even more, because there are shops where people are weaving rush mat for the old beds, old men sanding wood and making wooden buckets, women drawing water out of the well which can be anywhere (at a village intersection, beside the road, beside the canal) and washing clothes, etc...

I need to check out soon... it seems to be a busy weekend...

cold wet dreary weather... today i abandoned my itiniery for the day after lunch.. tired.. and it didn't look like it as going to stop drizzling (though it has now that I'm back nice and warm in the hotel. figures.).

went to HanShan Temple today. Because of that damn poem. The temple itself is actually nothing very special chinese temples wise.. I guess it's just to see the setting of that poem...

I've been feeling so tired last few days.. partly cos of the weather, and mostly just becuse I've been travelling too long and have yet to really just take a day off and sit and not go anywhere...

ok, i'd better go next door and get those nice postcards so that I can write and send them asap =)

sigh.. my photo storage hard disk is out of battery, and it can only be charged by being connected to a computer, and as there's no way I'm going to head out to the gardens without being able to take pictures, I'm stuck here for a bit waiting for it to get just enough juice so it can start up and get yesterday's photos into it...

The weather is not so good today. rained yesterday and still looks quite dreary now at 8 in the morning.. and at the rate this photo thing is going, I'm not going to be able to miss the first of the tour groups by the time I can head out.. The gardens and other attractions all close around 5 or 5.30pm, so sightseeing time is limited. Of course, I could just go another day, 30Y is not much, but there are other day trips I want to go for.. suddenly my time is not as flexible as I wanted.. Will also have to go to the train station today and hope that sat night tickets on the express train to Beijing are still available... and I want a bed, not standing space! sigh.. must rememebr to buy tickets as soon as i arrive in beijing to get me back south to guangzhou so I will be forced to plan my time properly, and can confirm my arrival in guangzhou with friends and family there...

hungry.. the only problem with this hostel is that they don't provide (or I just can't find the dispenser for) hot drinking water, which has been essential elsewhere in making coffee in the mornings, a hot cup of water at night, or instant noodles for those times when I'm too lazy to go out for food.. man, i need coffee.. but I've been getting more stingy now that i know that a cup of americano or espresso can sometimes get me 5-8 meals...

groceries are a bit more expensive here than in the carrefour in hangzhou, but still cheap compared to back home. I need to buy shower foam and shampoo but the shampoo only comes in 200ml bottles, which is too much, and they don't seem to have shower foam, only bar soap.. dang, i had planned my toiletries too perfectly to last me till this past weekend, when i was supposed to reach Beijing (and free lodging!)..

I'm beginning to get a bit tired of travelling.. I think i prob need a day off to just lie in bed or sit in some cafe (there's a sabai sabai cafe down the street, next to an indian incense stall, and the architecture info centre's cafe/restaurant next door/opp0site), but I still really want to see so many things here!! Oh, my portable hard disk, please recharge fast!!

I must be going mad from hunger... =P

Tomorrow is last day of low season so I'm trying to whack the most impt gardens first, before ticket prices rise by 10-20 yuan.. went to Liu Yuan (Garden to Linger in) and Shi Zi Lin (Lion's Grove) today.. both very nice, but for the tour groups that started appearing after 10/11am.. I love the way they plan the gardens..

Lion's Grove was like a maze of stone caves and narrow passages through which you can always see other parts of the garden/the place you want to go, but which you can never quite reach... great for kids.. and lovers =P

Liu Yuan was also fab. I love that every bit of it is so well designed.. the borrowing of scenery, that every view is a landscape or arrangement of some sort, such that all views are beautiful.. and the flowers!! lovely gardens and bonsai... as if I didn't have a million photos of flowers already...

but the flowers, while sort of the same (as I'm in rel the same region), are changing too, with the seasons.. when I first arrived in hangzhou the plum blossoms were in bloom or blooming, and the floor was littered with their pink and while petals, then came the dandelions (?) floating in the air, and the wisteria and those bis blooms you see in chinese paintings (I forget the name right now) were blooming... today, along with the dandelions, the wisteria petals were also starting to grace the air and the streets, and other flowers are blooming...

food is good and cheap n everywhere =) had rice gruel and yu tiao for 1.5Y for breakfast, 4Y noodles for lunch, 1Y for 4 pieces of fried toufu... went to the I M Pei designed Suzhou Museum today... Nicer than I expected. Bigger too. I think it's because now that I'm here and have seen suzhou's architecture, I can better understand how it fits into its surroundings and culture. There's an old residence (of some impt guy) attached to it that was very quiet and pleasant..

the canals are all very nice in the evenings, when the residents hang out outside.. and throw their day's waste water into it...

but I'm really very tired now, after a whole day of walking around and not much lingering in the gardens at all (it's not very restful with so the constant flow of tour groups). so. ciao! tml: the Humble Ambassador's Garden, and the Garden of the Master of the Nets..

just arr in suzhou, as usu ppl waiting to use net, so a quick note to say: horrible journey from Tunxi to here, but the hostel and the area its in is so nice that i'm feeling much better. Suzhou is a much bigger city than i imagined, and not very pleasant, but this area is perfect. no big vehicles, still got people living in the maze of old houses and waterways all around, really like the 'venice of the east'. The aki centre/place thingy is just beside the hostel, and it seems a lot of old impt bldgs are all ard this block, so I may just buy the book and take a day to explore. It's very pictureques.
It's also very near the town centre/shopping area, but very far removed in spirit. Fantastic. And I haven't even gotten to the gardens suzhou is famed for! Feeing 100% better than when I first arrived. But still very physically tired... gg to rest tonight and hope the gardens are really places to linger in!

heh, finally, I am going to try to post a few select photos from the past couple of days.. oh, the joys of the 'countryside'... I only hope this comp can handle it.. starting second attempt *crosses fingers*

ok, i give up. It's taking too long to upload even 1 miserly 700kb photo. Sorry.. hopefully Suzhou works out.. if I get bored I'll try to upload again =P

Anyway, today was spent at Hong Cun, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and 'one of the top ten most senic villages in China'. It certainly lives up to the name, I must say. I was there at the same time as what must be the entire cohort of art students in AnHui. Everywhere I turned, at every obscure corner where at any other time I would have been the only visitor, there was at least one or 2 students, if not a horde of them, perched on their little folding stools w a drawing board in front of them. Ah well. better than the usual tour groups. Some of their sketches/painting were actually quite good. The teachers usu had a big group surrounding them, so there was no hope of seeing their work... But yeah nice. and nice street food.. that's prob part of the reason I liked it =P

And before I forget, I really liked the bus ride to the village as well. The chinese countryside.. through smaller towns and little villages... mountains/hills/rocks/valleys/vegetable patches/rice? fields/fields of heather?(yellow flowers)/village kids/friendly passengers and bus lady/river/passing motor vehicles, one of which was a bike which was buried under a mountian of xiao bai cai... I definately like the less developed places better than the big cities..

Anyway, back to TunXi aka Huang Shan Shi to see the Lao Jie, which is basically a tourist street. I was very very tempted to shop.. made a seal for myself and a handphone trinket w my name (i wanted to make for friends too but i realised I have no idea how to write your chinese names =P ). There's lots of street food and little stalls and snacks! and the normal food is great tasting and cheap and has lots of ingredients too! There was a kind of black seseme paste that has red dates and raisins and nuts and the tangyuan flour mini balls and lots of stuff.. and there was this black tang hoon thing w sausage and vege and tuakwa in ball forn and bamboo shoots and musrooms in a slight spicy beany soup.. and satay and bbq squid on a stick.. and the snacks are great too.. I really like Tunxi and the area its in best out of all the places on this trip so far...

have I mentioned that HuangShan is impressive in my last post? I would like to go again, because my mood was totally spoiled by this woman who just stuck to me and kept talking (or more accurately, shouting) all the way up and on the mountain, and had bad breath, and was just so rushed and so 'scenic spot orientated'. I don't think she very really SAW any of those spots, she was always looking at the map and planning which other spots were to must sees... sigh..

anyway, I will leave for suzhou on the 7am bus. not sure how long it will take, but the trian is super slow and takes 12h and the bus driver from hangzhou to tangkou described it as 'painful'. So the bus it is. The roads are fairly good, the buses are all clean, public transport incl bus are easy to figure out and cheap, new highways makes travel between cities a breeze.. travelling here is much easier than I expected. Though I know that speaking mandarin is a huge part of that.. I have met westerners who don't know a word, and have been here 6months, so I guess it's possible to manage without, but it prob takes a lot more patience, though I guess they get a pass since they are so obviously foreign...

I don't think this blog can really convey what I'm experiencing.. there's too much, and at the same time, nothing to say...

ah well, I'd better go sleep soon in case I miss the bus tml!!

my posts have been getting shorter =P here's another short one. Yesterday was great. Again, did not go according to plan. found that Six Harmonies Pagoda is nicer than expected (read: not been 'rebuilt/restored') and the peonies they are famous for were all blooming beautifully, and there's a huge park, and hiking trails on the mountain behind connect it to all the other sights nearby (max 2h hikes). So of course, I walked to HuPao Springs, another nice big park, beautiful springs and trees etc..

Then my camera ran out of battery. sigh. Came back and out again, then headed out to dinner and to get groceries for huangshan (next stop!), then got caught in the rain when I decided to take a detour to see the musical fountain another time. So jeans and shoes are soaked again.. sigh..

Today had wanted to go to WuZhen, but I'm feeling lazy, so I think I'll just sit ard and read and gaze at the lake if the sun decides to make an appearance... =)

Thunderstorms expected today.. Guess the short Hangzhou spring is over and sunner is really approaching.. temperature is hitting highs of 20+ C, but it's also starting to rain a lot after qingming, and the lake is a lot more misty.. Xihu is like a woman I think: everchanging (and quick-changing) moods, but each side of her has a beauty of its own.. I wonder what she's like in other seasons.. she doesn't freeze, even in the last year's bitter winter, and from the various paintings I've seen, she's beautiful no mattr what clothes she's wearing.. I will see her in the rain today I guess. And yes, I remembered to bring the brolly out this time. Will try to hit Liu4 He2 Ta3 (six harmonies pagoda) today, and then back to the city to climb up the north hill/mountain to see the yello dragon cave and baochu pagoda, then sit by the lake and try to regain the inspiration I felt yesterday as I was doing that but couldn't act on as I didn't bring my markers out (for once, sigh).

Went to Bai Causeway yesterday and Gu Shan, wanted to eat at the famous Lou Wai Lou but I was ignored! Plus I realised it's really hard to eat at nicer chinese restaurants when one is alone.. chinese meals are, after all, communal events. sigh. I'm stuck w simple rice and noodle places and streetside stalls/shops I guess.. but hangzhou food is good. Quite happy.

heh. as usu I didn't go see what I had planned to see. the bus went by LingYin temple/fei lai feng so I decided to just get off there. Did NOT realise that it's a mountain monastary(s). And of course I could not stop myself from climbing Fei Lai Peak as well. Feet are dying. The other temple behind the main one was much better as there were far fewer touts/guides. super irritating and totally spoiled the temple atmosphere. They are working temples, so it was actually quite nice.. esp w all the mountian paths and bamboo forests and roadside flowers all in bloom and the little zen stone lanterns...

ok, need to rest my feet. a hot shower sounds good.. ciao! at least the shanghainese (who I suspect ALL came over to Hangzhou) have all left after the qing ming holiday, so I may be able to upload some photos soon =P

hmm.. still alive, feeling ok, but not really in the mood to write.. getting lazy.. maybe it's been too many days of dunning around with different groups of people.. having to socialise... need some alone time again.. but now that it's after qing ming it's really starting to rain everywhere so not so nice to stroll and sit and take it in.. today I refused all invitations and will just go check out the north part of Xihu.. and will have to do all the walking and climbing in heels cos my walking shoes are soaked after last night's downpour... sigh.. at least I will look good =P

went running, or rather, taxi-ing, ard town with the 2 girls before their bus and flight back in the late afternoon.. I've not had to pay for a meal since yesterday, feel quite paiseh.. went to repair the met student girls' cameras then met her friend and his friends for lunch at the zhejiang uni grad student restaurant (they have a mini xihu on campus!) before heading to the silk shops street.. it was very very hard to resist cos things are really cheap for that quality and some are quite fashionable. Been talking to many strangers, drivers, convenience store owners etc who are all very helpful in helping us understand how to tell what is real silk, how to get where, etc.

Friends!

Had a great time today, even though all my plans for the day were dashed. Ended up spending the whole day and night with my roommates and one of their friends. First brunch at the China Art Academy's canteen (cheapest, biggest meals ever! and quite edible too), the to the Nine somesomething which is a small waterfall with a pool at the bottom. On the way back from there we stopped by Shi Feng Shan's LongJing village for free tea at the villgers' houses but ended up buying a bit of very expensive (but very fragrant) LongJing Tea. It's apparently the top grade of the 5 different kinds of LongJing Tea (from different villages/areas). Had a nice chat w the family. the kid was very cute, as I have found most babies and kids here to be. Well behaved too. Then to a place selling pearls. From XiHu. freshwater. Some special discount period, plus the sales person thought we were students so we got a huge discount =P then to the silk products selling place, where at least we are assured of getting real silk. I got a small silk scarf/big hankie to replace the scarf I lost. So, it was a say of shopping of the 3 products that Hangzhou is famous for... plus very good company =)

In the evening we went for the music fountain on the NE of Xihu. Nice. And as one of my companions said, like a cleansing of the heart (sounds better when she says it in mandarin). Then dinner and a slow walk back to the hostel, marked by much giggling and laughter and trying to climb into the ferries and getting chased by the guards and taking photos of flowers at night (by and large unsuccessful) and getting scared by a beggar woman silently approaching us and suddenly grabbing our arms just as we were crossing a bridge and talking about grave and cremation and death... and then of course I missed my uni hostel friend, who I stood up by not appearing for dinner and getting back too late for drinks =P

So that's a very happy day. It's not often that one meets complete strangers who just seem to hit it off so well (we were all lone travellers/students). Unfortunately they are leaving tomorrow, both for their hometowns in different provinces, so I'll be alone again, enjoying a different side of Hangzhou I guess =)

Out of the big city and in wonderful, beautiful, relaxed hangzhou!! of course, I felt very different when I first arrived - it's a city, no mistake, and I was overwhelmed at the train station. I was truely a droplet in the sea of people exiting the station.. quite a feeling.. and trying not to stop for fear of getting crushed =P

The hostel is very nice. Great location just by Xihu. Cheap. Wonderfully nice and warm and fun roommates. But when I unpacked I realised that I had left or lost or been robbed of, my nice esprit thin woollen scarf in shanghai. Sign, it was something that kept me warm and made me look more classic/sleek and hence feel much better.. I have another scarf, but it's kind of thick and frumpy.. moped for an hour, then went out, and Xihu hit me, and all was well with the world again =)

didn't go far today. just wandered around a very small bit of the lake, taking too many pictures of flowers and plants and water..

Would like to download some since this comp is much better but there there many people waiting to use the net so I guess that's it for now.. Anyway this is not a place to wax lyrical about, beause it's not enough to convey the atmostphere here.. even photos can't do it justice.. I guess only the paintings by the masters who have lived and passed through here over the ages can do that...