I woke up on the 27th March to a day that could only be described as a perfect 10; clear blue sky, low humidity, buildings whose glass sparkled in the reflected sunlight and sidewalks remarkable for how clean they were.Welcome to modern Beijing. Any one booked for the August Olympics is going to be pleasantly surprised. Even the public toilets have attendants imbued with a single minded intensity to ensure that these facilities remain clean.I hope that western visitors come forewarned about the standard "floor"model. Our hotel, hoping to avoid this 'sticky' problem, cleverly installed toilets whose height is halfway in between!
Mal and I spent most of the day walking, hopping a taxi only to take us to one of the Hutong districts. These are areas of old Beijing that have survived centuries of crises in the city and now find themselves threatened with extinction in the twenty first century by something mistakenly considered progress. Here we found the last redoubt of the once ubiquitous rickshaw, now used solely to transport tourists. Our guide book recommended these as the best way to explore the area.
During the seventh century Beijing was built on a system of grids. Within each grid there is a labyrinth of small streets and lanes. These are created by small, single story houses which surround a shared courtyard.The back doors open onto the narrow lanes, or hutongs. Most districts still carry the name of the craft or skill that they were formally associated with such as millinery, weaving etc. Normally passed from generation to generation, I saw some evidence that these houses are being purchased and renovated by young ambitious Chinese.
Commercial Beiling appears very prosperous. All the cars, including taxis,look brand new. Mal suspects that older models are banned because they are more likely to contribute to pollution. People are fashionably dressed,especially the young, and there is an energy about the city that is infectious.
There is little evidence of the rebelliousness that caused the tragedy of Tiananmen Square. I suspect that full employment, because of the Olympics,leaves people either too busy or too tired at the end of the day to have time for adverse politics. Not that all is well. The army is omnipresent throughout the city and there is still serious censorship. I was watching CNN news when my screen went blank. It frustrated me that the stations on either side of this channel were working perfectly. Suddenly CNN returned,thankfully, because I was giving myself a bad case of Nintendonitis with the remote control. Later, when it happened again, I realized that the trigger was the mention of Tibet. All the news about Tibet is censored. This censorship extends to the newspapers. A story, as reported by the International Herald Tribune, is distinctly different to the same story as reported by the state run China News.
Please appreciate how wonderful it is to live in a free world - in spite of all the warts - and the National Enquirer!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Beijing Pics
Hutong Backdoor 3-26-2008 
In a gardern just outside the Forbidden City 3-26-2008 3-48-57 AM
Some Hutong lanes were built just wide enough for a man on a horse 3-26-2008 7-26-32 AM
The dining room in a wealthy Ming period courtyard home 3-26-2008 8-14-24 AM
Tiananmen Square. Did we mention what a perfect day it was 3-26-2008 3-17-48 AM
A feeling of peace pervades this temple courtyard 3-26-2008 7-39-48 AM
A group tour in Tiananmen Square 3-26-2008 3-19-29 AM
A Rickshaw in the hutong district 3-26-2008 7-17-01 AM
Chairman Mao 3-26-2008 3-24-57 AM
Downtown Beijing 3-25-2008 10-53-39 AM
WHAT ALL MY FEMALE FRIENDS WOULD LIKE TO KNOW BUT HESITATE TO ASK!
Most of the cities that we visit have two distinct personalities: old towns filled with centuries old Chinese residences, store front retail shops,butchers, green grocers with neighborhood flavors and idiosyncrasies peculiar to each area, and new towns, less than twenty-five years old,filled with modern hi-rise buildings, built to meet the demand of new industries and the prosperity that these industries have generated.
Dalian is different. It is two cities merged into one. In the nineteenth century, Russia took a small fishing village and turned it into a thriving port, Port Arthur, to house their Pacific fleet. One day in 1904,completely out of the blue, (Oh goodness me!) the Japanese attacked the Russian fleet. Next day the Japanese declared war and the Russo-Japanese conflict became official. China eventually regained the port and it remained Port Arthur for many years until they decided to merge it with a neighboring city. They named this megalopolis Dalian.
There are many beautiful beaches that stretch on either side of the port leading to a thriving tourist industry. In the summer Chinese and Russians gravitate here en masse. We don't visualize the Chinese or Russians in swimsuits having fun but if we did we would realize how alike we are.
Mal and I hired a driver to take us to the "Old Town", hoping to explore the old city. Imagine our dismay when we found ourselves at the foot of a large mall. Unlike its U.S. counterpart this mall extends vertically as opposed to horizontally. The format is similar to some large U.S. hotels. There is an atrium in the middle with upscale retailers filling the peripheral areas.
We decided to abandon the mall and seek greener fields in the city streets.Before leaving I suggested we visit the "W.C.", (a term the Chinese undoubtedly adopted from the Brits), on the grounds that they would be modern and clean. I found beautifully tiled walls, polished stainless steel cubicles, automatic proximity faucets and hot air hand driers. Inside the stainless steel doors were pristine, white porcelain toilet bowls....set into the floor. Billions of Asians have used this arrangement for centuries so I doubt that it is going to change, and, in fact, I've grown accustomed to it. What seems a little odd, although it really shouldn't, given that this is a very modern mall, is that these toilets are self flushing, and like their U.S. equivalents, they don't give any warning before they flush!
Oh, yes. No toilet paper. There was a vending machine that dispensed small packets of tissues for a few cents, but, what every Asian woman, and at least one westerner, knows -- always carry your own toilet paper.
Dalian is different. It is two cities merged into one. In the nineteenth century, Russia took a small fishing village and turned it into a thriving port, Port Arthur, to house their Pacific fleet. One day in 1904,completely out of the blue, (Oh goodness me!) the Japanese attacked the Russian fleet. Next day the Japanese declared war and the Russo-Japanese conflict became official. China eventually regained the port and it remained Port Arthur for many years until they decided to merge it with a neighboring city. They named this megalopolis Dalian.
There are many beautiful beaches that stretch on either side of the port leading to a thriving tourist industry. In the summer Chinese and Russians gravitate here en masse. We don't visualize the Chinese or Russians in swimsuits having fun but if we did we would realize how alike we are.
Mal and I hired a driver to take us to the "Old Town", hoping to explore the old city. Imagine our dismay when we found ourselves at the foot of a large mall. Unlike its U.S. counterpart this mall extends vertically as opposed to horizontally. The format is similar to some large U.S. hotels. There is an atrium in the middle with upscale retailers filling the peripheral areas.
We decided to abandon the mall and seek greener fields in the city streets.Before leaving I suggested we visit the "W.C.", (a term the Chinese undoubtedly adopted from the Brits), on the grounds that they would be modern and clean. I found beautifully tiled walls, polished stainless steel cubicles, automatic proximity faucets and hot air hand driers. Inside the stainless steel doors were pristine, white porcelain toilet bowls....set into the floor. Billions of Asians have used this arrangement for centuries so I doubt that it is going to change, and, in fact, I've grown accustomed to it. What seems a little odd, although it really shouldn't, given that this is a very modern mall, is that these toilets are self flushing, and like their U.S. equivalents, they don't give any warning before they flush!
Oh, yes. No toilet paper. There was a vending machine that dispensed small packets of tissues for a few cents, but, what every Asian woman, and at least one westerner, knows -- always carry your own toilet paper.
Food for Foodies
Mal and I followed Alex’s advice and ate in the, “Made in China” restaurant in the Hyatt hotel near the Forbidden City. What a delicious meal. The cuisine is local to Beijing.
The nibbles, which accompanied our aperitif, were pickled fava beans smothered in an unfamiliar green herb, and pickled pieces of lotus and turnip served with pieces of dried fish.
Our main course consisted of duck livers served with scone-like pancakes,(sorry, don’t know how else to describe them) scallions and hoison sauce, a pie made with shortcrust pastry, filled with ground lamb, seasoned with cumin and cardamom, and pork in brown sauce (menu description) with cashew and macadamia nuts.
The sommelier, Heiko Roeder from Nuremberg, helped us choose our wine; a superb organic Sauvignon Blanc from Argentina. It was a little more fragrant than we are accustomed to, and was a perfect complement to the spicy food.
We rounded the meal off in the Lobby Bar by sharing a dessert of Crème Brule served with a compote of plums, accompanied by cognac and aged port.
The nibbles, which accompanied our aperitif, were pickled fava beans smothered in an unfamiliar green herb, and pickled pieces of lotus and turnip served with pieces of dried fish.
Our main course consisted of duck livers served with scone-like pancakes,(sorry, don’t know how else to describe them) scallions and hoison sauce, a pie made with shortcrust pastry, filled with ground lamb, seasoned with cumin and cardamom, and pork in brown sauce (menu description) with cashew and macadamia nuts.
The sommelier, Heiko Roeder from Nuremberg, helped us choose our wine; a superb organic Sauvignon Blanc from Argentina. It was a little more fragrant than we are accustomed to, and was a perfect complement to the spicy food.
We rounded the meal off in the Lobby Bar by sharing a dessert of Crème Brule served with a compote of plums, accompanied by cognac and aged port.
Shanghai
Getting a haircut in Shanghai
On the way to the haircut
Shanghai is like no other city in the world. Home to 17 million people it is the largest economic and transportation center in China,and yet it is breathtakingly beautiful. Mal and I stayed overnight in a hotel close to the "Old City" or "Nanshi", as it is known by locally. The city is so diverse that even a week spent here would hardly be sufficient to do it justice. Perhaps the easiest way to understand the multicultural aspect is to look at its history.
1,000 years ago it was a small fishing village.
In the 13th century it became a recognized town, frequently attacked by Japanese pirates.
In the 16th century a wall was built around the city to ward off the above pirates.
In the 1842 the city survived the opium war.
In the late 19th century /Early 20th century the city became a glamorous, if risqué, international port, home to people from all over the world.
In 1916 the city dismantled the wall.
In 1921 the Chinese Communist Party was formed in the French Quarter.Mao Zedong was present.
From 1937 to 1945 the port was occupied by the Japanese.
From 1945 to 1949 it was ruled by the Guomindang Nationalists.
In 1949 it reverted to Communism.
In 1965 The City gave birth to the Cultural Revolution.
In 1990 the city entered its "skyscraper" period. There are 3,100high-rise buildings. At one time the construction was so intense that it caused a shortage of building cranes throughout Asia.
Most of the newest skyscrapers are in Pudunk, an area along the north bank of the river Huang Pu river. They represent, collectively, the best designs of the world's top architects. Each building is a strikingly beautiful work of art.
Mal and I had arranged for the hotel's car service to drive us back to the port. Unlike our inward journey, our outward journey was in a modern minibus, with a driver who spoke English. Even at 7:00 at night we had to struggle with downtown congestion, so it wasn't until we were speeding up a ramp onto an elevated highway that I experienced the full impact of the city's beauty. Many of the skyscrapers were lit up against the night sky, some in abstract design, and others silhouettes of their buildings. The display was dynamic, quietly sliding through a rainbow of colors,consisting predominantly of green, purple, red, blue and gold turning the city into a symphony of color and light.
As we sped away, I watched this panoply of color and design until it receded into the distance, knowing that I would probably never see this extravagant display again.
The tale of the peek-a-boo toe
Envrionmentally Friendly clothes dryers
Happiness is a new customer
Shoe repair while you wait, Qingdao style
We only had one day to spend in Qingdao, so Mal and I decided to hire a guide and a driver for the day. In his haste to leave the ship Mal caught the toe of his shoe on the underside of the metal gangway. In one of those strange occurrences in life the shoe made contact with a sharp piece of metal at exactly the right angle, and with exactly the right force, that the stitching joining the top of the shoe to the front and sides got cut leaving a two centimeter hole. These are Mal's, "long distance," walking shoes and their loss would be significant. When our guide asked us how we would like to spend our day, Mal tacked on a request for a shoe repair shop that could possible repair his shoe while he waited.
A mention of the sad plight of the shoe didn't arise again until late in the afternoon when we were returning to the ship. "Ah yes," said our guide, and directed our driver to exit the highway. We were immediately plunged into a world of narrow cobbled streets and alleyways awash with overhead laundry.After squirreling around for five or ten minutes we were suddenly treated to a chorus of the Chinese equivalent of, "Eureka". There, on the sidewalk,was a little old shoe repair lady, complete with sewing machine, and surrounded by her neighbors and friends. Mal was offered a small stool to sit on and the offending shoe was removed and replaced by a brocade slipper.
Twenty minutes and one dollar twenty-five cents later Mal's shoe was returned to him looking like new. There was no evidence that it had ever been damaged.
Our guide explained to the group that we were going around the world by ship, so after the shoe was returned to Mal, there was much bowing and nodding of heads. They asked our guide to tell us that they were very happyto be of service to such distinguished guests.
Signed
Your distinguished guest
Anne Marie
Shanghaied On the Way to Shanghai
Heiner - Who learnt what is meant to be Shanghaied 2-26-2008 Typical of many ports that we visit, the commercial terminal for Shanghai,Luojing harbor, is a distance from the city. We were advised that we were approximately 20 miles away from the city center, and that transportation might be difficult to find.
We didn't realize that the miles were "Irish Miles", where "a mile or so down the road" is Irish lingo for a distance measuring anywhere from 1 to 10miles. As for getting there, we had several candidates willing to arrange transportation for us. The first person who approached us appeared to speak English, always a plus, and seemed nice. He offered to get us a taxi that would take us to the city for a total of $30.
The taxi left a little to be desired, especially the clutch. The taxi driver spoke and understood little English. Mal had carefully written the address and telephone number of our hotel on a piece of paper which he handed to our driver. He immediately became a little distressed and called his dispatcher. At the same time he kept telling us, "No go Shanghai."After a very animated conversation in Chinese, he handed the phone to Mal.It appeared that the original agent's command of the English wasn't so good afterall. He thought that we wanted to go to Jaiding, a large town much closer to the port. The dispatcher, who spoke excellent English, told Malthat a trip to Shanghai would cost US$70. After much negotiation the price was reduced to $60.
Problem solved, or so we thought until Heiner's GPS showed that we were actually heading away from Shanghai. Any attempt to learn why this should be was answered with, "No go Shanghai". Mal assured Heiner and me that the dispatcher knew that we wanted to go to downtown Shanghai and there was nothing we could do but have faith.
An analogy might be arriving at JFK and asking to be driven to Greenwich Village only to have the taxi head toward the Riverdale section of the Bronx. I muttered to myself, "Shanghaied, by golly, in Shanghai."
Eventually we arrived literally at the feet of the dispatcher where we changed to another car and driver. Our new driver, needless to say, took us directly to our Hotel.
The explanation lies in method that the City of Shanghai uses to cut down traffic congestion in the city. There is a finite number of license plates issued, and these coveted plates are allocated by lottery. Our driver's "Nogo Shanghai" was an effort to tell us, "I don't have a license plate that allows me to drive in Shanghai."
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