Putuo Shan is one of the four most sacred buddhist mountains in China. It lies off the coast of Ningbo, a modern city with a huge port near Shanghai. Because of its importance to buddhism, no industry is permitted on the island, and it is kept in immaculate condition for the pilgrims and tourists that flock there.
I took a bus, a ferry, another bus, a taxi and a passenger boat to get to the island, meeting two european girls along the convoluted route. Normally the journey wouldn't involve so many steps but 'stormy seas' (which I saw absolutely no evidence of) meant no direct boats were going to the island.
Once we got there we realised that it was a good time to come. The port is huge because it is built to accomodate hundreds of visitors at a time. However, going in December meant that not only were there hardly any people around, but the price to enter the island was lower. (Yes, they actually charge you to set foot on the place!) We found a cheap hotel (another advantage of going out of season) and set off to explore.
An island without traffic, pollution and the usual din of the east coast of China felt strange at first. It fell dark quickly and there was virtually no one around. We walked North from our hotel in the South and came across a charming village with winding narrow streets and a central pond. Market stall-holders were trying to sell souvenirs, incense and other buddhist wares to the small numbers of passers by. We stumbled across a tailor working diligently into the night cutting and sewing robes for the many monks that live on the island. His shop was full of ochre, grey and brown gowns and bags.
In the morning we set out early to explore the sights. The island is small and so walking from one temple to the next was a pleasant way to find our way around. The money that tourism has brought to the place has been used to great effect on signing the place really well and maintaining the paths and steps.
There are small caves turned into shrines dotted around the coastline, two large beaches in the east and countless monastaries and nunneries. We seemed to be the only foreigners on the island; the other visitors were all Chinese coming to the island to pray and offer gifts to the monks there.
By digging around behind the pristine temples we stumbled across the local life on the island... well kept gardens where they were growing food, a well used for washing clothes and tiny shacks with scurrying cats and drying produce. Often it is more interesting to see this old way of life than to wander around yet another yellow temple!
The girls left on Friday night so on Saturday I was on my own climbing the sacred mountain. I saw pigrims bowing to touch their heads on the floor at every step they took up to the 300m summit. The philosophy is 'the harder the journey, the more spiritual gain you get'. On the top was a huge temple where monks walked around in quiet huddles and visitors lit incense and knelt in prayer.
There is a cable car to ferry people up and down the peak but I decided to find a path to walk down, hoping that it would take me to the northern most point of the island. I found a well worn but no longer used track through the autumnal trees - a very peacful decent! At one point I disturbed a deer which promptly fled and I came across a small grove of pomello trees. Not knowing when lunch would come I picked some off the floor and tucked in.
When I reached the bottom of the mountain I went to explore the remote local village there. Following the sound of drums and an Arhu (Chinese violin-type instrument) I stumbled across a performance of Peking Opera in a makeshift theatre there. Local Chinese beckoned me into the dim 'threatre' and I sat with them cracking nuts and eating sweets as the drama unfolded. Of course, I couldn't understand a word of what was being said and sung but the costumes were beautiful and the music interesting so I stayed for at least an hour. People came up to me to ask where I was from and so on and I discovered that my Chinese is coming along slowly.
Today I am going back to Jiaxing for a night and then I will head up North next week...
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
[Zhejiang Province, China] The Hanging Cloud
I can feel winter creeping up on me. It's seeping through the rows and rows of concrete apartments and over the stagnant rivers in a cloud of fog and cold air.
I left Shanghai last Wednesday. Leaving Shanghai by the south railway station is little like leaving Britain from Gatwick airport - the station is huge! I guess that a station that links a city of 18million people to the Southern provinces and Hong Kong needs to be big, but it can take 1 hour to find the ticket office alone!
I met a Canadian woman in Shanghai who is teaching in a small (4million) city called Jiaxing, in the Zhejiang province. She offered to put me up in a spare apartment at her boarding school and show me around the local area and Jiaxing city: an offer I couldn't refuse!
Jiaxing was very very different to Shanghai. The first thing you notice is that it is far less crowded. People seem to be wandering around with no real purpose, and at a pace which suits them alone. It is not uncommon to see people holding a conversation whilst standing right in the middle of a 4 lane road! The second thing that struck me about Jiaxing is that people stare here. They stare at foreigners. It's not aggressive or impolite, but it takes a bit of getting used to. The best action to take is simply smile back and say 'Ni Hao'. Invariably, people will holler a 'hello' across the street to anyone white in Jiaxing.
People are much more friendly here and I met people in the school, and the Canadian lady's friends, both local and foreign who were accomodating and hospitable.
On Friday we took a bus (well, actually it ended up one taxi and two buses) to Xitang. Xitang is a small town and the main attraction is a 1000+ year old town set by canals and lanes which survived the cultural revolution. People still live and work in the ancient buildings and there are quaint little restaurants, shops, gardens and temples to explore. Again, the pace of life in a place like this is almost backwards!
On Saturday we took a trip to a huge shopping mall. NB 'Huge' in China means 'gigantically hugely massive.' I have been thinking about the plans I have for the North and really needed to buy some warmer clothing. I came away with a great furry hat (with ear flaps) and some especially warm under-trousers. I don't think I spent more than 10pounds in total... China is cheap!
I am in a city called Ningbo now. An American friend who I did the TEFL course with is now working in a school here, so she is giving me a free bed and lots of food. Tomorrow we will explore the city which is a coastal city full of fresh seafood and a bustling modernising business environment.
I can also catch a ferry from here to the island of Putuo Shan. It is a sacred Buddhist island with many temples, pagodas, monastaries and statues to explore. Plus there is no city or urban deveploment so I will be able to get out of these crazy metropolises for a few days!
I left Shanghai last Wednesday. Leaving Shanghai by the south railway station is little like leaving Britain from Gatwick airport - the station is huge! I guess that a station that links a city of 18million people to the Southern provinces and Hong Kong needs to be big, but it can take 1 hour to find the ticket office alone!
I met a Canadian woman in Shanghai who is teaching in a small (4million) city called Jiaxing, in the Zhejiang province. She offered to put me up in a spare apartment at her boarding school and show me around the local area and Jiaxing city: an offer I couldn't refuse!
Jiaxing was very very different to Shanghai. The first thing you notice is that it is far less crowded. People seem to be wandering around with no real purpose, and at a pace which suits them alone. It is not uncommon to see people holding a conversation whilst standing right in the middle of a 4 lane road! The second thing that struck me about Jiaxing is that people stare here. They stare at foreigners. It's not aggressive or impolite, but it takes a bit of getting used to. The best action to take is simply smile back and say 'Ni Hao'. Invariably, people will holler a 'hello' across the street to anyone white in Jiaxing.
People are much more friendly here and I met people in the school, and the Canadian lady's friends, both local and foreign who were accomodating and hospitable.
On Friday we took a bus (well, actually it ended up one taxi and two buses) to Xitang. Xitang is a small town and the main attraction is a 1000+ year old town set by canals and lanes which survived the cultural revolution. People still live and work in the ancient buildings and there are quaint little restaurants, shops, gardens and temples to explore. Again, the pace of life in a place like this is almost backwards!
On Saturday we took a trip to a huge shopping mall. NB 'Huge' in China means 'gigantically hugely massive.' I have been thinking about the plans I have for the North and really needed to buy some warmer clothing. I came away with a great furry hat (with ear flaps) and some especially warm under-trousers. I don't think I spent more than 10pounds in total... China is cheap!
I am in a city called Ningbo now. An American friend who I did the TEFL course with is now working in a school here, so she is giving me a free bed and lots of food. Tomorrow we will explore the city which is a coastal city full of fresh seafood and a bustling modernising business environment.
I can also catch a ferry from here to the island of Putuo Shan. It is a sacred Buddhist island with many temples, pagodas, monastaries and statues to explore. Plus there is no city or urban deveploment so I will be able to get out of these crazy metropolises for a few days!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
[Shanghai, Shanghai, China] The Street
Life in Shanghai hits you in the face as soon as you arrive. It's not just because of the 18-19 million people that live here; it's more to do with the fact that life spills out of the buildings in a cloud of smoke, smell, dust, music, chattering, hooters and the call of traders. Right out on to the street from 6am to 3am every single day.
I have been here for over two weeks now and in that time I have seriously improved my dodging skills! The first things to dodge are the people. There are lots and lots of people in the streets here. Some of them are walking, some are just crouching on the ground watching people. Others are selling food out of bicycle-cum-kitchen contraptions, whilst more just wander around trying to find someone to sell fake watches, fake shoes, fake cameras, fake anything to! Shoulder barging can be a neccessary action, although in Shanghai people seem to be more polite compared to what I've heard of the China outside of this gargantuan metropolis.
And then there's the traffic... Once you've left the hostel you simply can't let up on the concentration required for the safe negotiation of the roads, which as well as 6 lanes for cars, also have a lane dedicated to mopeds, bicycles and motorbikes. Not only are they driving on the right hand side of the road, it is also perfetly acceptable to jump a red light if you are turning off the priority road. Pedestrians are the lowest in the pecking order and the advice I was given was to keep your eyes on the floor and then people will drive around you. If drivers see that you are aware of them they assume that you will get of the way (which could quite easily put you in the direct path of a bus barreling along at 40 mph!)
So I'm sure you can imagine that the streets are far from quiet. Added to the traffic noise and hooters it seems to be that every shop selling trainers or sportswear (and there are hundreds of them) is compelled to play hard dance music out onto the street out of muffly poppy speakers.
I'm sure that the streets here tell you more about the city than the clubs, restaurants and tourist hot spots. Having said that, I haven't told you the half of it yet...
I have been here for over two weeks now and in that time I have seriously improved my dodging skills! The first things to dodge are the people. There are lots and lots of people in the streets here. Some of them are walking, some are just crouching on the ground watching people. Others are selling food out of bicycle-cum-kitchen contraptions, whilst more just wander around trying to find someone to sell fake watches, fake shoes, fake cameras, fake anything to! Shoulder barging can be a neccessary action, although in Shanghai people seem to be more polite compared to what I've heard of the China outside of this gargantuan metropolis.
And then there's the traffic... Once you've left the hostel you simply can't let up on the concentration required for the safe negotiation of the roads, which as well as 6 lanes for cars, also have a lane dedicated to mopeds, bicycles and motorbikes. Not only are they driving on the right hand side of the road, it is also perfetly acceptable to jump a red light if you are turning off the priority road. Pedestrians are the lowest in the pecking order and the advice I was given was to keep your eyes on the floor and then people will drive around you. If drivers see that you are aware of them they assume that you will get of the way (which could quite easily put you in the direct path of a bus barreling along at 40 mph!)
So I'm sure you can imagine that the streets are far from quiet. Added to the traffic noise and hooters it seems to be that every shop selling trainers or sportswear (and there are hundreds of them) is compelled to play hard dance music out onto the street out of muffly poppy speakers.
I'm sure that the streets here tell you more about the city than the clubs, restaurants and tourist hot spots. Having said that, I haven't told you the half of it yet...
Thursday, November 1, 2007
[Hong Kong] My last day...:(
I will soon be saying 'farewell' to Hong Kong and 'hello' to mainland China!!
I have my VISA all sorted and the train is booked. I am pretty damn excited about the journey tomorrow... Watching China roll past the window for 23hrs will be an experience in itself... and then when I get off in Shanghai - who can tell what madness will ensue!
The last few days have been great. Last night I met some German friends I've made and we watched the famous 'symphony of lights' from Kowloon promenade... all the Skyscapers across the harbour shoot lazers, searchlights and coloured screen displays into the night sky to some really really really cheesey music. Imagine kraftwerk for kids! It was a great atmosphere... lots of Hong Kong people dressed up for halloween and it's so safe here that everyone is out an about until late in the streets shopping, eating and generally hanging out.
We went to one of those massive arcades which are simply full of flashing lights and a headache inducing dim of games effects noises. No sleep there!
I have been to the south of the island - Aberdeen harbour - where an old lady took me for a boat tour round the old fishing boats. There is also a whole restaurant floating on the water here as well.
The crazy thing about HK is that it is developing so fast that you come across historical pieces of the past such as old fishing boat community but there is always the sound of a pneumatic drill coming from somewhere, and high rise blocks of flats in the background.
It's certainly been an excellent few days - and I have seen as much as I could have.
More news to come - from mainland China, Shanghai.
I have my VISA all sorted and the train is booked. I am pretty damn excited about the journey tomorrow... Watching China roll past the window for 23hrs will be an experience in itself... and then when I get off in Shanghai - who can tell what madness will ensue!
The last few days have been great. Last night I met some German friends I've made and we watched the famous 'symphony of lights' from Kowloon promenade... all the Skyscapers across the harbour shoot lazers, searchlights and coloured screen displays into the night sky to some really really really cheesey music. Imagine kraftwerk for kids! It was a great atmosphere... lots of Hong Kong people dressed up for halloween and it's so safe here that everyone is out an about until late in the streets shopping, eating and generally hanging out.
We went to one of those massive arcades which are simply full of flashing lights and a headache inducing dim of games effects noises. No sleep there!
I have been to the south of the island - Aberdeen harbour - where an old lady took me for a boat tour round the old fishing boats. There is also a whole restaurant floating on the water here as well.
The crazy thing about HK is that it is developing so fast that you come across historical pieces of the past such as old fishing boat community but there is always the sound of a pneumatic drill coming from somewhere, and high rise blocks of flats in the background.
It's certainly been an excellent few days - and I have seen as much as I could have.
More news to come - from mainland China, Shanghai.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
[Hong Kong] Day of rest
Well I am having a well deserved and needed day of rest today - all I need to do is go and pick up my VISA. Fingers crossed that it is all sorted and OK.
I have been doing lots of crazy things and wandering around the city like a madman. The streets are never quiet and the ferries are so cheap that I have had time to go across to Lantau island for a hike up the 2nd highest Peak in Hong Kong and to visit the Buddhist monastery where there is a giant 200ton Bronze buddha on the top of a mountain.
I have been eating lots of different types of food - you seem to be able to get anything here, from Cantonese 'Dim Sum' (a special breakfast made up of lots of different dishes which vary in size and ingredients) to Mongolian buffet, Nepalese curries and simple noodle dishes for about 5pounds a meal (with tea!)
I don't have enough time now to tell you all the things I've been getting up to but I certainly haven't been idle.
I have spent 2 hours in a random tea shop drinking tea with the English speaking owner and discussing the best way to make it etc etc. I have been to the HK history museum where they have exhibits if Chinese tradional festivals and show you the history of HK from as far back as 400000000 years ago!
I have been riding ferries to and from Kowloon, visiting the Walled garden with its pagodas and fountains and getting lost in the seemingly endless metropolis of street markets and shopping malls.
I have seconds left on the internet so bye bye for now....!!!
I have been doing lots of crazy things and wandering around the city like a madman. The streets are never quiet and the ferries are so cheap that I have had time to go across to Lantau island for a hike up the 2nd highest Peak in Hong Kong and to visit the Buddhist monastery where there is a giant 200ton Bronze buddha on the top of a mountain.
I have been eating lots of different types of food - you seem to be able to get anything here, from Cantonese 'Dim Sum' (a special breakfast made up of lots of different dishes which vary in size and ingredients) to Mongolian buffet, Nepalese curries and simple noodle dishes for about 5pounds a meal (with tea!)
I don't have enough time now to tell you all the things I've been getting up to but I certainly haven't been idle.
I have spent 2 hours in a random tea shop drinking tea with the English speaking owner and discussing the best way to make it etc etc. I have been to the HK history museum where they have exhibits if Chinese tradional festivals and show you the history of HK from as far back as 400000000 years ago!
I have been riding ferries to and from Kowloon, visiting the Walled garden with its pagodas and fountains and getting lost in the seemingly endless metropolis of street markets and shopping malls.
I have seconds left on the internet so bye bye for now....!!!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
[Mt Davis, Hong Kong] Phew!
Well I have arrived well and safe. Thanks to Oasis Hong Kong for a completely uneventful flight with 'interesting' in-flight meals. The fish curry was good, the noodles with asparagus(?) not so good. Anyhow - I'm in Hong Kong and to some it up in one word I'd have to go for 'nuts'. Crazy, manic, doolally and other such terms would also fit!
There are a lot of people here. There are a lots of cars here. There are a lot of skyscrapers here. And it's all on top of each other and the walkways / road / trams / ferry terminals and MTR (tube) lines all intertwine with each other making it very hard to get to where you want to be. Although I am getting used to it now. I have spent some time wandering around the Central district with its cluttered shops, noodle bars and international restaurants. Prada shops pop out of malls in the bottom of skyscapers and I also rode the longest escalator in the world - 800metres. It took me too far up though so I have to walk down a bit after that.
Yesterday when I arrived I made an extra effort and caught the 'Star Ferry' across the bay from Kowloon to HK Island. It was a magnificent trip as the full moon rose above the infamous skyline. The skyscrapers light up with displays and adverts after dark and with the heat haze / smog HK Island has it's own glow of energy.
I'm feeling a little jet-lagged and went to the zoo to perk myself up. Saw some cool animals such as Orangutans, Gibbons and even a Jaguar. They were all in cages and all pretty sedate. Zoos ennit.
Hong Kong Park was fascinating as I saw loads of different people there from the local communtiy. A bride and groom were having their wedding photos taken there and recent graduates posed around the artificial lake for photos and so on. It seems that the people of Hong Kong value greenery and 'parkland', despite the fact that there is no greenery and parkland around the city at all as far as I can tell. The Park and the Zoo have been the only places with trees so far!
I have applied and paid for my Chinese VISA. All being well I will be able to pick it up next Tuesday. I have also booked myself a hard sleeper bunk on the train to Shanghai next Friday. This is going to be an awesome train journey as half of China rolls past me en route - and it's a long trip too. I think around 23 hours!
Over and out for now... I must sleep!
There are a lot of people here. There are a lots of cars here. There are a lot of skyscrapers here. And it's all on top of each other and the walkways / road / trams / ferry terminals and MTR (tube) lines all intertwine with each other making it very hard to get to where you want to be. Although I am getting used to it now. I have spent some time wandering around the Central district with its cluttered shops, noodle bars and international restaurants. Prada shops pop out of malls in the bottom of skyscapers and I also rode the longest escalator in the world - 800metres. It took me too far up though so I have to walk down a bit after that.
Yesterday when I arrived I made an extra effort and caught the 'Star Ferry' across the bay from Kowloon to HK Island. It was a magnificent trip as the full moon rose above the infamous skyline. The skyscrapers light up with displays and adverts after dark and with the heat haze / smog HK Island has it's own glow of energy.
I'm feeling a little jet-lagged and went to the zoo to perk myself up. Saw some cool animals such as Orangutans, Gibbons and even a Jaguar. They were all in cages and all pretty sedate. Zoos ennit.
Hong Kong Park was fascinating as I saw loads of different people there from the local communtiy. A bride and groom were having their wedding photos taken there and recent graduates posed around the artificial lake for photos and so on. It seems that the people of Hong Kong value greenery and 'parkland', despite the fact that there is no greenery and parkland around the city at all as far as I can tell. The Park and the Zoo have been the only places with trees so far!
I have applied and paid for my Chinese VISA. All being well I will be able to pick it up next Tuesday. I have also booked myself a hard sleeper bunk on the train to Shanghai next Friday. This is going to be an awesome train journey as half of China rolls past me en route - and it's a long trip too. I think around 23 hours!
Over and out for now... I must sleep!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
[Kettering, UK] Uh Oh
So today I went to pick up some Yuan from the post office in Northampton. I get to the post office, and I'm enjoying my Oliver Adams cup of tea and Oliver Adams apple dough-nut whilst waiting for the foreign exchange clerk.
She arrives.
I ask her for the Yuan I have ordered.
She doesn't have any Yuan.
I am adamant that I stood in the very same spot and ordered £400 worth of Yuan.
She doesn't have any.
I panic...
...then I remember that actually, I'm not in the wrong spot, talking to the wrong person, or even on the wrong day...
...I'm asking for the wrong currency. HK$ were from the Post Office and I must pick up the Yuan from Thomas Cook in Kettering.
So I ask myself: How will I even begin to cope in China when I can't even cope in England?
She arrives.
I ask her for the Yuan I have ordered.
She doesn't have any Yuan.
I am adamant that I stood in the very same spot and ordered £400 worth of Yuan.
She doesn't have any.
I panic...
...then I remember that actually, I'm not in the wrong spot, talking to the wrong person, or even on the wrong day...
...I'm asking for the wrong currency. HK$ were from the Post Office and I must pick up the Yuan from Thomas Cook in Kettering.
So I ask myself: How will I even begin to cope in China when I can't even cope in England?
Monday, October 22, 2007
[Kettering, UK] The deep breath before the plunge...
So my last weekend in the UK comes to a slow but inevitable end. A super-massive huge gigantic special thank you to everyone who made it to my farewell shindig on Saturday. Having all my best friends together for fun and frolics (despite disappointing sports results) is always the greatest thing. I love you all, and I will miss you all.
Today I have started a new pile of things to go in my bag. Now there are two piles and one empty bag. Hopefully by the end of tomorrow I will have a good idea of how much I'll be able to take and what I might have to leave behind. I seem to have a steadily increasing supply of medication building up - mostly down to the fact that the NHS doctors advise you to take anything you might need because Chinese pharmacies might only offer Chinese medicinal remedies. Maybe if I just drink plenty of tea I'll be fine.
Talking of tea...
Today I have started a new pile of things to go in my bag. Now there are two piles and one empty bag. Hopefully by the end of tomorrow I will have a good idea of how much I'll be able to take and what I might have to leave behind. I seem to have a steadily increasing supply of medication building up - mostly down to the fact that the NHS doctors advise you to take anything you might need because Chinese pharmacies might only offer Chinese medicinal remedies. Maybe if I just drink plenty of tea I'll be fine.
Talking of tea...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
[Kettering, UK] One week to go!
Time is ticking along!...
My room is piled high with unorganized mess and a slowly growing collection of stuff to take. Packing for all seasons is going to be a challenge... it is 28 degrees in Hong Kong at the moment but could fall as low as 1 degree in Shanghai towards the end of November.
I currently have no idea where I will be after I finish the TEFL course (Nov 30th). If I am in the North then it will be freezing (-15 degrees), if I'm in the South (Yunnan etc), it could be as warm as 24 degrees all winter! It's just one of the countless examples of how China is a country of huge contrasts! Basically I am supposed to be finding a school to teach in after the TEFL course. However, I think that because of the Winter Holiday which includes Chinese New Year and spans from January through to mid February I will be better off starting a teaching job after the break. I am more likely to get a 'proper' job rather than just a random teaching / foreigner-stuck-in-a-school-somewhere job.
China internationally:
For an insight in to the current turbulent politic climate in China see here.
The Americans have awarded the The Dalai Lama, (exiled Tibetan leader) the highest civilian honour Congress can give, stirring up outrage amongst the Chinese Communist Party. Tibet poses a massive challenge to me because of the reluctance the Chinese have of Westerners traveling there independently. No doubt things will get harder as time goes on as well!
My room is piled high with unorganized mess and a slowly growing collection of stuff to take. Packing for all seasons is going to be a challenge... it is 28 degrees in Hong Kong at the moment but could fall as low as 1 degree in Shanghai towards the end of November.
I currently have no idea where I will be after I finish the TEFL course (Nov 30th). If I am in the North then it will be freezing (-15 degrees), if I'm in the South (Yunnan etc), it could be as warm as 24 degrees all winter! It's just one of the countless examples of how China is a country of huge contrasts! Basically I am supposed to be finding a school to teach in after the TEFL course. However, I think that because of the Winter Holiday which includes Chinese New Year and spans from January through to mid February I will be better off starting a teaching job after the break. I am more likely to get a 'proper' job rather than just a random teaching / foreigner-stuck-in-a-school-somewhere job.
China internationally:
For an insight in to the current turbulent politic climate in China see here.
The Americans have awarded the The Dalai Lama, (exiled Tibetan leader) the highest civilian honour Congress can give, stirring up outrage amongst the Chinese Communist Party. Tibet poses a massive challenge to me because of the reluctance the Chinese have of Westerners traveling there independently. No doubt things will get harder as time goes on as well!
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