Squeaky Clean Singapore

Well, close enough anyways especially in comparison to China. And how do you keep a small island of over 4 million all shiny and sparkling? With an eccentric authoritarian obsession for cleanliness and order of course. Actions such as jay-walking, chewing gum in public, spitting, littering, not flushing the toilet, and consuming food and beverages on public transportation could land you with a heavy fine to the Michael Fay treatment. While these laws seemed to be randomly enforced, it is still impressive that most of the citizens follow them coming from such varying cultures. This city state has been the most diverse area we have been to yet housing a population from all over the world from Chinese, Malays, Indians, Arabs, and handfuls of expats.

Leaving from our not so clean, but definitely squawky red light district hotel, we venture out into the pristine city. First stop, we checked out Merlion Park, a harbor displaying the icon of Singapore. Half merman, half lion the statue faces out to sea spitting a fountain of water from its mouth. Not quite sure the significance, but entertaining nonetheless. The Singapore Flyer, the world’s largest observation wheel, was spectacular at sunset and lit up with colorful lights at night along with the other Christmas lights decorating the streets. While the closest thing we got to a turkey for Thanksgiving was roasted chicken potato chips, our chili crab and fried carrot cake dinner wasn’t too bad. However, the latter neither resemble carrot nor cake, still a mystery to us.

To our surprise the next morning we found the Aggies playing the Longhorns at Kyle field on TV, half way across the world. While wanting to watch the rest of the football game we had to check out. With some time to spare before our flight to Australia we strolled around the Singapore Zoo home to white tigers, Lions, and sun bears. Afternoon showers decided to stay so we packed it in early and decided to make our way to the airport for a couple hours before our 9:55pm flight. Our jaws dropped though when we saw that we had 30 minutes before our flight departed at 8:20pm. Like chickens with our heads cut off we ran around the airport to find the check in desk and pleaded our way onto the closed flight. Thank goodness for the rain because a couple minutes later and we might have had to take the animal cargo option instead. We made it through check in, immigration, security to our gate on the other side of the airport in 20 minutes flat, record time!

Huang Shan

Mt. Huang Shan is the stereotypical Chinese mountain and is perhaps the inspiration to most mountain paintings in China. It is this way we good reason as the sunrise and surrounding mist make the mountain peaks appear as they are floating in the clouds.

The main routes up and down the mountain are the eastern steps, western steps, and the cable car. We opted for the “easy” 7.5 km hike up steep, icy steps to the summit area. We wanted to hike down the western steps; however, by the time we finished exploring the summit area we didn’t have enough time to descend safely and we were exhausted, so we took the pleasurable cable car to the base.


Bright Summit is the highest peak of the mountain at 1860 meters; however, the Beginning-to-Believe and Jade Screen peaks we far more spectacular. The trails were covered with ice that made walking around the edges a bit difficult. Jason nearly took the express way to one of the view points; however, he managed to recover safely and got some nice photos.

Our time in China has come to an end and it is time to change hemispheres. Our flight leaves from Hangzhou, which is apparently an important tourist city in China; although it is a pretty city with a nice waterfront we didn’t find anything special to warrant a trip just to visit the city.

Shanghai

Shanghai is currently receiving a face-lift as it is preparing to host the 2010 World Expo on May 1st, which to our disappointment meant construction everywhere. The Bund was completely boarded up and our hopes of a dramatic skyline picture were dashed. Nevertheless we made an attempt and ended up at the rooftop bar at the Grand Hyatt to celebrate Jenny’s 26th birthday.

Before we board our train to Huang Shan to climb the mountain we ventured to the Dong Tai Rd antique market for a quick gander. It was similar to many of the other markets we have visited where people are trying to sell over-priced goods; however, we negotiated a few good prices and were on our way. We searched for the animal market with little success where we’re not sure if animals are sold as pets or for dinner… To this point we don’t think we have eaten any dog meat.

“The Venice of the East”

Once declared the most beautiful city in China by Marco Polo and nicknamed “the Venice of the East”, Suzhou is home to numerous gardens dating back to the 12th century. Luckily before we boarded our train to Suzhou, we realized that there are two Suzhous with the same English spelling and we were ticketed for the not so pretty one. We corrected our mistake and were forced to take a soft-seat for our 10 hour overnight train instead of a sleeping compartment. Although not the best sleep of our trip, the train was one of the new high-speed CHR2 trains topping out at 250 kph and it left from perhaps the fanciest train/airport/bus station we have ever seen (Beijing-South).

With so many gardens to choose from, we settled on the Humble Administrator’s Garden, Lion Forrest Garden, and Garden of the Master of the Nets. Each garden was unique and had something different to offer. The Humble Garden is perhaps the most impressive garden in Suzhou dating back to the 1500s and by no means did it disappoint. However, we’re glad we made this our first stop as hoards of Chinese tourist began to pour into the Garden as the day progressed. It showcased numerous pagodas, lakes, and a spectacular display of bonsai trees (however, some of them probably should not be classified as bonsai).

The Lion Forrest Garden was originally part of a Buddhist monastery and home to an enormous rock maze. Supposedly this is a metaphor for the path of our lives, which means our lives are absolutely confusing. We spent almost an hour looking for one another after we separated to take a few photos. It was interesting to see bar codes at different locations throughout the gardens for free audio guides for China Mobile users. All you have to do is take a picture of the bar code with your phone and listen to the description of the site.
Never underestimate the smallest garden of the group as the Master of the Nets was spectacular. Originally built in the 12th century and restored in the 18th century, this garden was the home of a retired official turned fisherman. The major attraction was the central pool filled with coy fish surrounded by Chinese architecture provided some marvelous views. After our tour of the Gardens we strolled around the town to enjoy the lit canals and dine at the Pizza Hut. Yes, we broke down and went to a Pizza Hut for dinner, but this was no ordinary Pizza Hut. It was setup like a fancy sit-down restaurant similar to that of The Cheesecake Factory.

“Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting….” Beijing

This political home of China is full of wonderful and controversial things to experience from the magnificent scenery of the Great Wall to the notorious history of Tiananmen Square.

We arrived with the snow and brought the blistering cold with us from Xian. It was strange to think that while we’re bundled up that sand storms invade this metropolis at other times of the year. Sands from the Gobi Desert are creeping towards the capital at a rate of 2,460 square miles/year, about the size of Delaware. The dust doesn’t help the already polluted city either. In 2005, Beijing had the world’s highest nitrogen-dioxide levels. However, since feeling the pressure of hosting an Olympic event, Beijing has started to clean up, and while there is still a ways to go they are having more blue sky days.

Wondering what the city must have been like before the Olympic overhaul we got a small taste after exploring the Hutongs, or alley neighborhoods. Little shops and homes line the street as locals zip by on the bicycles and electric scooters bundled in scarves and hats while smoking a cigarette. Later we caught an Acrobatic show, just like in Ocean’s Eleven, and then retired early for our 8 km hike on the Great Wall of China in the morning.

The hike, while slightly treacherous in some spots, was amazing as the walls were delicately covered in fresh powdery snow from the previous days. The path, however, had turned into a mixture of ice and snow, making the Jing Shan Ling to Si Ma Tai trek interesting as we navigated up and down the slippery rubble. Sweating and freezing all at the same time, we decided that “The Great Stair Case of China” was a much more fitting name. After a snowball fight and some “sledding” (not always voluntary) we made it back down in one piece with some unforgettable sights to take back with us. That night we went to the Kung Fu Show, while more of a show than much Kung Fu it was still entertaining.

The next day we prepared ourselves for the tourist circuit of Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Mao’s Mausoleum, and the Temple of Heaven. With Obama’s visit to China, streets were packed and busses overloaded as we spilled out into the square. It was interesting to see the American flag flying when we entered the square thinking about the infamous history it held. Things change quickly in China and it was only 20 years ago where we were now standing that students went on protest to mourn the death of pro-democracy diplomat, Hu Yaobang. It lasted seven weeks until tanks arrived June 4th, 1989. The number killed on either side remains a mystery today as numbers wildly vary depending on source.


Next was a structure that lives a little deeper in history, the Forbidden City. This massive walled palace was home to the ruling Emperors for almost 500 years. We recognized scenes from The Last Emperor as we hurriedly walked through the masses with our hands frozen. At the exit we bargained for some mittens a pair of ridiculously awesome panda hats! We were just two pandas out on the town for the rest of the day. Later, morbid curiosity got the best of us as we strolled along Mao’s Mausoleum (Mao-soleum for short) and decided to see the 33 year old preserved man himself.

Mao was an interesting character who holds much respect by the Chinese people as they feel he turned China into a world power, currently the third largest economic power, in spite of all the horrible things that happened. Such reforms, like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, are thought to have resulted in 50 to 70 MILLION people’s deaths. Mao was 82 when he died and had wished to be cremated, but the new powers to be preferred a Mao on display. A wax replica was produced as a backup in case the preservation process didn’t go well, as embalming technology had not been performed in China. So whether we saw real Mao or replica Mao we’ll never know, though he did look like he belonged at Madame Tussauds.

The street lights came on and we made our way to the Night Market. Calls of “Hello, penis” chant through the air. Now you may be wondering what kind of market is this, well it’s the Dong Hua Men food market, where all kinds of strange delicacies await the willing palate. From the bizarre to the disgusting they serve starfish, urchins, snake, kidneys (not sure who’s), sheep penis, and a wide assortment of crispy insects on a skewer. For dinner we had a little bit of everything. We begin our three course meal with some donated baby bees, (guess you could say they were free-bees….) then followed with fried silk worms for an appetizer, snake with a little centipede on the side for the main course and scorpion for desert. The scorpion actually tasted like fried chicken! However, the next night we had a much tastier meal consisting of Peking Duck and scallion dumplings.

Terra Cotta Warriors

“Are you a paranoid fanatic who is worried your subjects will not respect you once you’re gone? Then assemble a giant rock army to protect your tomb and rule on into the afterlife!”

And that’s exactly what Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi did. Described as an extremely type A personality, Huangdi accomplished many great feats during his reign such as the beginnings of the Great Wall, the abolishment of feudalism, and to top it off, the unification of China. However, many of these achievements came at a cost and he created many enemies among his citizens after forcing them into labor on his massive construction projects. It has also been said that he burned almost all written texts and buried 460 disapproving critics alive. Therefore, he ordered over 8000 terra cotta soldiers, horses, and carriages be built. However, his massive immobile forces were no match for the disgruntled peasants who lit his tomb on fire shortly after his death, leaving the statues buried and forgotten until 1974. In the Spring of ’74, farmers happened upon this mythical legend after digging for a well. Excavations are still occurring today, 35 years later.

After getting 6” of snow we weren’t quite sure if we would make it out to see the Terra Cotta Army but it warmed up and melted down into a wet slush that we ended up tramping through. With cold soggy feet we finally arrived to check out the museum and three pits. No. 1 is the most impressive with over 6000 baked earth soldiers facing East in formation. No two fighters are the same; different facial expressions, hairstyles and stances make each one unique. We also learned that the soldiers were originally painted in bright colors that have since mostly faded and flaked away.

Jiuzhaigou Valley: The Fairytale World

It was a bizarre and surreal 14 hour bus ride up to the Jiuzhaigou nature reserve as the bus navigated around the epicenter of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.  Over 64,000 people died and thousands are still missing after this 8.0 magnitude tremor shook the province.  Houses and schools still sat in disrepair; bridges and roads in ruins, but people continued to live and rebuild their city as bricks and contorted rebar lay in piles along the street.  We also passed by a clock tower and saw that the time remained 2:28; when the disaster hit. 

But we ascended higher leaving the nightmarish scene behind to find ourselves entering an almost story book landscape.  The river began to turn from a murky mud to a translucent olive green, and the dilapidated buildings were replaced with tiny farming villages dotted along the hillside.  Small crops of corn and cabbage lined up in rows between houses and young boys herded the livestock along the road.  Old men and women with hard earned wrinkles and ruddy cheeks sat on their stair steps watching the world go by.  But it got later in the evening and the charming sights faded away as the cold night started to settle in. 

We arrived in Jiuzhaigou and found it to be much colder than we anticipated.  Water was frozen in the pot holes of the street and we had no heat in our room.  We spent most of the days and night bundled in our two jackets.  Quite a change after only being in sticky South East Asia a couple of weeks ago, but we braved the cold because this is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Jiuzhaigou means "Nine Village Gully" and refers to the nine Tibetan villages that are spread about the reserve.    The Chinese myth behind the creation of the valley says that a jealous demon caused the goddess Wunosemo to drop her magic mirror, a present from her lover, onto the ground and it shattered into the 118 shimmering lakes.  After paying the steep admission fee we take the bus to the top.  We find snow capped mountain peaks standing majestically above pine forest and enchanting lakes that look like aquamarine, sapphire, and jade had been melted together into a lucid pool showing you what lies below.  Streams bend around the autumn colors that blaze in the reflection of the water and join together before cascading down a waterfall.  Walking several miles of trail we occasionally came across Bon prayer flags strung among the trees.   

That’s One Big Buddha

Bags packed we prepare ourselves for the grueling 25 hour smoke and lugee fest that lay ahead of us aboard the hard sleeper train to Chengdu.  I guess we must explain that the "no smoking sign" holds no merit what so ever and since everyone is smoking, everyone develops phlegm, and in the Chinese culture they believe that it is unhealthy to swallow it.  So players start your hacking! However, it has been said that with recent outbreaks of new diseases like SARS and H1N1, people have been a little more restrained on the spitting. The train was over an hour late which made the natives even more restless and queuing quickly dissolved into frenzy as people (holding tickets with assigned seat mind you) try to make their way thru the turn styles. 

But we find our 6 bed bunk and hunker down for awhile.  We attempted our pathetic excuse of Mandarin but our older roommates just found us amusing and intently watched us play a couple games of chess.  In our defense, the Chinese language is extremely difficult.  There are over 20,000 characters in the alphabet, compared to our measly 26.  On top of all of that, there are 5 tones which totally change the meaning of a word.  For example, "ma" depending on how you say it can have 5 different meanings, you could accidently call someone's mother a horse! And for the icing on the cake there are up to 9 different linguistic groups in China.    

Chengdu was more of a base for the next couple days, but most of our time was spent on the outskirts of the city.  We sampled the Sichuan "hot pot" cuisine, which is like a spicy fondu, though it is much more challenging trying to fish the food out with chopsticks.  We also enjoyed a "Sichuan Opera," however it was actually more of a variety show than opera with acrobatics, music, and dancing.  Then we sheepishly laid around for a while, spoiled with a soft bed, which is rare on the Asian continent, and 100's of DVD's at our disposal.   

Not too far from Chengdu is the city of Leshan which holds a really, really big Buddha, 71 m to be precise.  His name is Dafo and he actually holds the title of biggest stone Buddha in the world.  His toenails are bigger than your head!  With such a description one would think that he would not be too hard to find, but somehow we became VERY acquainted with Bus No. 1 in our drawn-out pursuit.    Finally locating something that resembled a ferry pier we bought our ticket and sailed our way out with the other 30 photo op crazed Asian tourist.  They love having their picture taken in front of things and throwing up hand signs.  Though we spent a small fraction of our day admiring this awe inspiring image carved into the red stone cliff we still think it was worth the effort.  So long Bus No. 1!

Abandon Ship!

Although we didn't actually have to abandon our "bamboo" (aka PVC) raft as we cruised down the Li River, we had a few close calls. Our trip began with two other friends from the hostel as we flagged down a bus heading to Yangshuo. From there we caught the short bus, which probably contained as many people as the previous one, to the dock where we negotiated a decent price for a raft down the river.

The boat captain was great, pointing out different rock formation and stopping where we wanted for a photo op.  The latter almost proved dire as we navigated cross the wind to a grotto in the mountain side. The wind started to torque the raft pushing the front corner under water; however, the captain quickly navigated the boat out of the wind and downstream to safety. The striking scenery and giant Karsts are best described by pictures.

Originally we hadn't planned to spend the night in Yangshuo; however, looking back we could easily have spent several nights there. Luckily we chose to spend one night as we didn't arrive to the city until dusk. After our welcome to the hostel,  beer,and a yummy dinner we headed to the Impressions Liu Sanjie show.  The show is comprised of 3000 plus people from five different villages with an impressive light show to accompany them. A Broadway scale production wasn't something we had expected from a small town in rural China. 

We hoped to rent bikes to explore the country side the next morning before we had to catch a train from Guilin to Chengdu; but we were unsuccessful at renting bikes at 6am. Instead we watched sunrise and had a nice breakfast consisting of warm soy-milk and century-egg porridge. I know it sounds disgusting, but it was actually quite tasty just go to show that you should try anything at least once.