0002 So we went to China !

0002  So we went to China !
12th - 25th May 2019
It's a BIG country, with a LOT of people !

Our Chinese tour before P2P

I was due to be in Beijing for the start of the 2019 Peking to Paris on the 30th May.    The car had been shipped from Australia to China in March - So after 2 years of work, I had nothing left to do !   Now, I have never really wanted to travel to China - No reason why not other than the fact that there are other places I would rather visit, and I can't afford to go everywhere on this planet.  Nor am I into group tours, but since I had nothing else to do, I looked at possible tours in China, and when I found one from Wendy Wu that finished in Beijing on the 26th May,(most tours seem to start in Beijing and end in Shanghai), it was obviously meant to be.  And it covered the main tourist "attractions" - Yangtse River cruise, and the 3 Gorges Dam,; Pandas; Terracotta Warriors; Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall.  Sounded perfect - So in early May, off we went.

Small problem with the Honda

But before we could go, a small hiccup.  Janet went to Tasmania to see Sarah and Benn and the girls for a few days, and when she came back, I met her at the airport.  Driving home, just 3 days before we leave to China, and I had to stop fairly quickly on the

Rear window smashed in

freeway due to a problem ahead.   However a fully laden B double semi trailer behind us was unable to stop, and all I could see was this enormous roo bar coming at us in the rear view mirror, all wheels locked up.  And in the end he went right up our rear, making a complete mess of our car.  But we were OK.  Long story short,  we ended up in a hire car for the next 3 days.  Not what we needed just before leaving on a 3 month overseas trip !

Tuesday 14 May

Drinks at Brisbane airport

We decided to drive up to the airport the evening before our flight, drop the hire car off at the airport, and stay at airport hotel and have breakfast before boarding the next morning to Guangzhou. Much easier than rushing up in the morning.  We flew China Southern Airlines - Hmmmm.  Movie screen didn’t work 🙁 Guangzhou very crowded and airport security had a great interest in batteries, which meant we had to unload everything since i was carrying hundreds for rally instrument purposes.   So only just made the connection to Shanghai !

We were met at Shanghai airport by a driver, then a 1 hour drive through continuous high rises (the first of many !) to our hotel where George our Wendy Wu tour guide met us, gave us a snack and we went to bed.  

Wednesday 15th May 

Shanghai from hotel

Our group is to be called “George’s Family” (GF) - after our guide George !   An excellent guide who made the trip for everyone. 

We met a few other tour members at breakfast then it was down to the bus for a lecture about the coming tour, before finally heading off through Shanghai to the beautiful Yu Gardens.   Wandered round there for a couple of hours, and found an amazing show where the band was playing all their music on various types of china items - Plates, pots, dishes, etc   Amazing.   We then had a coffee before we drove down the side of the Huangpu River, admiring the excellent vertical flower gardens beside the road, heading to the 425 m high Jin Mao tower.  One of the tallest buildings in the world, and is the highest 5 star hotel in the world.  While queuing up a number of local girls decided they wanted to have photos taken with me !   Hmmmm

Yu Gardens, Shanghai

View from Jin Mao Tower

We went up in the incredibly fast elevator to the 88th floor, where we exited on a enclosed viewing platform -  Amazing views. Buildings every where, some even taller than the one we were in.    Supposedly 8 out of 10 visibility today, but still really smoggy, so I don't know what a 3 / 10 would look like.  George says they never see blue skies any more.   After that, and after more photos with local girls, it was off to the Maglev train for a 7 minute 30 km ride to airport at 431 kmh.  Wow - What an experience.  I have been on the European TGV trains before, and they are fast, but this took it to another level.   And

431 kmh in Maglev train

when the train going the other way passed us (so like 862 kmh closing speed), the whole train rocked for about the 2 seconds it took to pass  us !!  After that it was downstairs from the platform for a great first Chinese lunch in a nearby restaurant before heading to stroll on the Bund, the walkway alongside the Huangpu river.   Great sights along the river, and a LOT of tall buildings.  Also a LOT of Police presence and surveillance cameras everywhere.   Eerie.   We then had an early dinner before boarding a boat for a sunset cruise on river with all buildings lit up. Very impressive - apparently all paid for by government. Then back to hotel and bed. 

Thursday 16th May

Silk cacoons

Huangpu river at night

Packed suitcases and after breakfast set off in bus to silk factory.  Very interesting - Janet bought a silk doona and is having it shipped to Aus !  Then caught bus to Shanghai airport for flight to Wuhan (more battery issues !) followed by a 5 hour bus trip to Sandouping, which was quite fun through the countryside. Busy freeway all the way, with lots of trucks.  I was trying to learn as much as I could about Chinese driving habits so I could pass them on to Ashton for the P2P !    Amazing long tunnels through mountains as we neared the end - nearly as good as Norway !!  We then had to catch a funicular down to ship - very low water at this time of year as dam water released during dry season, and levels drop considerably. We had been provided with sandwiches on the bus, so attended familiarisation talk in the lounge and then had a few beers in the bar with others from GF before heading to our cabin. 

Friday 17th May

Our ship - MV Jenna

Part of Tribe of 3 Gorges Park

When we woke up, we were still tied up to wharf at Sandouping.  Straight after breakfast, we queued up in tour groups to get off boat, walking up the many steps to the bus tour, avoiding crowds for funicular, and hopefully getting a bit of exercise.  An hours bus ride (singing Chinese songs !) to “Tribe of the 3 Gorges” park - and then quite a long walk through the valley with staged historical and cultural “shows” along the way. Beautiful scenery and all really good, but once you get tangled up with local tourists, it is a case of “elbows out” if you want to keep your place.   Beautiful inter-active Chinese Wedding show half way round which was quite fun. Then slowly back to bottom of valley and home to the ship for lunch.

After lunch, back up the hill again to the buses for trip to the 3 Gorges Dam. All very impressive, but they

Locks beside 3 Gordes Dam

seem to believe that they are the only people in the world who have ever built a dam, or a lock, and were really surprised when I told them there is an English lock system with 23 locks (sic) that was dug by hand over 100 years ago !!  Certainly very impressive, but it is still just a concrete monstrosity to me, that even they admit is devastating the flora and fauna.  “Government will fix that next”, we were told with pride.  Escalators to the top kept breaking down, and hoards of jostling tourists fighting to take selfies 🙁   But a very interesting project nevertheless. 

Back to ship where I bought a 6 pack of ice cold local beer from a local vendor on shore for 30 yuan vs 25 yuan per can on board.  Found out from another vendor later that I could have got the 6 pack for 20 yuan !!

Nice hot shower after a long hot day and to Captain’s Welcome reception in the bar - except Captain didn’t show up !!  Free drinks though !

In the evening we finally set sail from Sandouping - After 1 1/2 days tied up here I thought we would never leave !  Great dinner and then a show of Chinese costumes during the ages, before a few more beers and dancing with GF before bed. 

Arrived at Xinling and anchored overnight. 

Saturday 18th May

Shennong Stream Gorge

Breakfast, and then onto a smaller boat for run up the Shennong Stream Gorge. All great fun with George’s Family gang, even though it rained a bit. Very pretty but nothing earth shattering. Set sail from Xinling and had interesting talk from ship’s doctor about acupuncture.  Then went through Wu Gorge, 2nd of 3 and supposedly most beautiful.  But weather a bit hazy, and though very nice to see, doesn’t have the stunning beauty of Norwegian fjords. Virtually no wildlife at all - 2 birds, 6 sheep and 2 monkeys. Weird.  Lunch, then through last gorge - Qutang Gorge.  Again, very interesting and some amazing new bridges over it, but, to me, it is all a man made engineering feat rather than nature at work, like in N Australian gorges. 

Cave on Shennong Stream

Very pleasant chatting with other’s from GF - good and very diverse bunch of people.  Tied up near Baidi and Janet went off to Mah Jong with George, while I relaxed.  Others went off on historical tour to White Emperor City Baidicheng.   

Dr Liu gave a chinese medicine talk which was good, and then the afternoon was spent on board ship going through the narrow and steepsided Wu and Qutang Gorges.  Very pleasant.  

After dinner, crew did a show in the evening which was good until they tried to get everyone up on stage - At which point I went to bed ! 

Jade Emperor Site

Sunday  19th May

Janet went to Tai Chi, and after breakfast she went for acupuncture, then we had talks on pearls and snuff bottle painting in the main lounge.  Interesting.  Also excellent slide show talk on the 3 Gorges Project, good and bad side for a change - They actually admitted there were problems with the dam project, like silting, demise of wildlife and fish, etc.   All really interesting.  

Coming down Jade Emperor hill

After lunch we docked north of Chongqing, and went on a tour to the Jade Emperor scenic site. Bus up a very steep and winding hill to a temple that had Buddha’s face removed in the Cultural Revolution, and we then walked down the hill in the rain down very slippery steps, past 4 other temples. Eventually got down safely and went back to the boat. Very wet.  

Enjoyed some tequila specials in the bar, then a meeting with George followed by Happy Hour. Dinner with Captain and crew on parade, and Geoffrey and Gwen’s birthday. Then packed suitcases and put them outside the cabin door before turning in. 

Disembarking in Chongqing

Old Chonqing markets

Monday 20th May   Sailed on to Chongqing overnight.  Pack up rest of stuff and prepare tip envelopes for waitresses and crew.  Breakfast then meet in lobby before disembarking in the rain to a marching band, then across rickety pontoons across fast flowing river, and up long stair case to "ground" level. Staircase only appears

Janet finds a friend !

when river/ dam levels low at this time of year - in wet season only a few stairs to climb !  10 min walk in rain to bus, then a short ride into old Chongqing which is a great old market.  Lots of interesting shops - mostly food - with some interesting sales pitches from some of them making noodles or other delicacies.  Had an early lunch in a restaurant in the middle - Chongqing Tea very bitter and expensive - should have had a beer !  Soup and a fried chicken lunch - not the best meal we have had !!

Bitter Chongqing tea

Then it was back on the bus for a 5 hour drive to Chengdu, home of the pandas. Couple of loo stops on the way, and then VERY busy Chengdu - about 14 million people and SO many high rises 😳.  Can’t imagine living here, but apparently quite a popular place to live with low cost of living and booming economy.   Our hotel right in the middle of town. 

Tuesday 21st May

In the morning, set off to the Panda place by coach, and when we arrived, I think the rest of China was there !   Very crowded everywhere, and as soon as a panda appeared, everyone rushed to see it.  Very much an elbows out day !!   It was slightly better down in the breeding

Panda chewing bamboo

section where several pandas were out being exercised or played with.   Most of the time, pandas seem to sleep in the shade !  But interesting to see, nevertheless, and nice to see Red Pandas. which in fact are more like wombats or racoons, and seem to be a bit more active than regular pandas.

Red Panda

In the afternoon we caight the Bullet train to Xi’an.  This is more like catching a plane than a train, with an enormous hall, and check in etc.   Train was all very nice, and a good ride up, but not as fast as the Maglev in Shanghai !
In Xi'an that evening, we went to a Chinese cultural show, and had a "dumpling banquet".  Both were    
                                             "interesting" !

Dumpling banquet

Terracotta Army

Wednesday 22nd May     In Xi’an.  In the morning we set off by coach to the Terracotta Warriors with Rocky, our guide for the day.   Amazing story that they were only "found" by some peasants drilling a water well in 1974, and if they had drilled just a few feet to the left, they might never have found them !   Once again, VERY crowded, but you could find a space if you worked at it.   The Warriors are certainly very impressive, but I was surprised by how few of them have actually been "uncovered".  I was expecting to see far more of them. But it is an amazing sight, especially Pit 1 which is enormous. 

Broken pieces everywhere

There are large areas which still have the original "roof" still in place, showing how much more needs to be done.  And where they have taken the "roof" off, the damage underneath is extreme, as can be seen from the masses of broken soldiers and horses, crushed beneath the weight of the ground above.  At the far end is the extensive working area for the "hospital", where pieces of broken warriors and horses are repaired so they can be put back in their correct position.

With the supposed "finder"

At the end, as we were leaving, we checked in to the tourist shop where there is an area where the man who (supposedly) found the warriors sometimes sits, signing books,  His story is amazing - An unrecognised peasant who, until President Clinton asked to meet the man who found them, remained in his village.  Now well known and quite wealthy, he is sometimes there to sign his books.  Today he was there, we paid our money, and he signed our book for us !  However I understand that there may be "several" of these people, so we take it all with a pinch of salt !!  Or should I say a grain of rice ?

Xi'an at night

In the evening we spent a while in an entertainment precinct where they had bands, food stalls, coloured pavers that changed as you walked on them, and lots of other interesting sights.   Following that we drove around Xi'an to see the city at night - ancient city walls all lit up, central forts along the wall, and of course the usual police presence !  Hmmmm.

Thursday 23rd May

Doing Chinese calligraphy !

Check out of hotel in morning, and after breakfast get on the bus and drive to a temple.  Very pleasant.  Did some Chinese calligraphy which was interesting - they may have 1000’s of characters, but there are only 8 different brush strokes and they have to be done in the right order.  Quite complicated.  Great

Little Swan Pagoda

massage chair in there !!   Then out to the Little Swan Pagoda which is over 1000 years old, and a big bell in the courtyard which is supposed to bring good luck when rung 3, 6, or 9 times. Water in pots nearby actually vibrates and overflows because of the vibrations from the bell !

Xi'an City Wall

Then it was back on the bus to drive across to the very centre of Xian, where we climbed up onto the old city wall for a while. Very impressive.  14 kms long, it goes right round the old city, and with more time we could have walked or cycled right round.  All renovated with watch towers every 120 metres (because the archer's arrows had a range of 60 metres). 

Durian shop in Muslim section

From there we bussed over to the Muslim section of Xian - a one km street of mostly food vendors which seemed more Chinese than Muslim. Apparently 8000 muslims here, some we saw were from Turkey, apparently, but their ancestors came from the countries along the Silk Road. 

After that we went for lunch in the Tang Dynasty before catching bus to airport to fly to Beijing. Airport had spooky face recognition scanners that instantly posted your photo, full name, and distance from your gate !! 

Olympic swimming "cube"

Land in Beijing and long bus ride through traffic to Holiday Inn. On the way, we stopped briefly near "The Cube" - The swimming stadium for the 2008 Olympics, it changes colours periodically, and is quite a sight. 

In Tiananmen square

Friday 24th May

Early start after breakfast and bus through the busy traffic to Tiananmen Square.  Long walk with big crowds past Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum, past the monument of the People’s Heroes, and on through the square to main road for a group photo.  It certainly is a big square - Far larger than Red Square, for instance.  Then we went under the road and through to the Gate of Heavenly Peace and then the Forbidden City - Forbidden because in the old days no commoners were allowed in there. Then on and on through Hall of Supreme Harmony and much more until we got to the Imperial Gardens.  Finally got though it all and went off for lunch. Just so much to see, and always crowds.  All very interesting, but........................

In Forbidden City

In Imperial Gardens

After lunch we went to a very peaceful park where the locals gather to play cards, chess (Chinese style), and exercise their birds and crickets.   The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests was lovely - but crowded as usual.  

Then it was back on the bus to the hotel and a shower before heading out to a theatre for a Kung Fu play. This was beautifully done, and a kind of mix between opera, a play, and Kung Fu exhibition, telling the story of Kung Fu.  Excellent.  Then dinner and back to hotel.  

                                                                             Dragon at the Kung Fu show

At the Great Wall

Saturday 25th May

The Great Wall

Early start to the Great Wall to avoid traffic, heat, and crowds.  And thank God we did because by the time we came down the wall it was hot and horribly crowded.  Walked up as far as No 9 fortress, and got half way to No 10 before I realised that if I did any more up I would never get down before my legs collapsed ! It is not only really steep, but steps are both uneven and big, so it really is quite an effort !  But really pleased I got as far up as I did.  Once down, had good coffee before eventually heading back to the bus. 

In the Jade store

Then it was off to a Jade factory. Bit of a sales job with not much about “how” it is made. So after wandering around and being accosted by sales staff if you stopped for more than 1 second to look at something, it was off to yet another noodle lunch - Good as usual but they all seem to be much the same now !!

At the Summer Palace

After lunch it was back in the bus and off to the Summer Palace gardens. This was probably the one thing that was not very good.  A big lake with the old palace buildings around it which was probably beautiful in its day, but now just a mass of locals on pedalos !  Very hot and very crowded, and not really much to see, and they gave us 2 hours. After 20 minutes walking we had had enough and retreated to little cafe and sat with everyone and drank beer !  When we

Delicacies for sale !

came out to catch our bus, we passed a small stall selling all kinds of food delicacies on sticks, ready to eat.  Scorpion, spider, centipede, starfish - You name it !!  We then moved on to the next outing - An acrobat show.

The show was excellent with very high quality skills.  Balance wire, diablos, juggler, fans, contortionists, bicycles.  Most enjoyable.  

Then it was off for a Peking duck dinner. Good dinner, but as always, I am not a fan of duck. Very nice, but I just don’t find it that special !  But a good last dinner with everyone. Speeches on bus from George and Clive.  Drink in bar before bed - cup of tea the same price as VSOP brandy 😳

Overall an excellent tour and great bunch of people from all over Australia.  

And my impression of China ?  Actually quite concerned about the future - The country has high

High rise apartment blocks everywhere

rise apartment blocks everywhere, and they think it is wonderful.  Cities of 35 million, and they think it is wonderful.  Enormous concrete projects like the 3 Gorges dam, and they think it is wonderful.  World wide, I think that, after the industrial revolution, and the '70's and '80's "bigger is better" concept for both businesses and supermarkets, the rest of the world is now moving into the next developmental "age", whereby maybe big isn't better.   But China seems to be still following the path that bigger is better...........Interesting thoughts.  China has a lot of cultural history and sights, and that is very interesting, but for me it is the sheer volume of people everywhere that turned me off.  Admittedly we only went to the crowded cities, and I found out later (on the P2P rally) that there are remote and unpopulated areas, but I wonder for how long ?  Glad I went there and saw all this, but don't need to go back there again.   

So now we had 5 days to relax until the Peking to Paris rally starts !!  But that is already well documented elsewhere at https://austin-healeypekingtoparis2019.blogspot.com/  so I won't mention it again her.

Rest of the many pics of China are here :-  https://photos.app.goo.gl/F79tBjQNKRkYT59t6