Beijing often gets this misty sort of weather which I'm sure I've mentioned before. It doesn't look like standard smog, and it probably isn't I guess, more of a mix of smog, actual mist, cloud cover, moisture and whatever else. So when you (or I in this case :) go out, it just looks sort of... misty.
So I forget that is is actually really polluted until I go to clean up. We've pretty much left our windows open since we arrived (a mix of it being so nice outside, racking up a huge electricity bill on the A/C the week we arrived and just general niceness) and when I clean up the kitchen after a day or so, you can see the black dust on everything.
We also get a cleaner as part of our "house package" thing, and she's just one of the girls from Jane's office who does cleaning there the other days of the week, then on Fridays she comes to MOMA and cleans all the apartments. The problem is she doesn't like cleaning (and who does really) and so she does a terrible job. All she does for us (because our washing up is always done) is wipe the kitchen and then mop the floors with the largest amount of water you've ever seen (glad they're not my wooden floorboards).
Anyway, I was out when she came on Friday so I figured I should probably do some housework. I swept up the other day, no big deal. Then this evening I mopped in the proper way, using the squeegie thing that the mop comes with. So either she's doing a terrible job or there's an awful lot more dust/grime/crap getting in than I thought because the water was actually black when I poured it out. If you think it sounds disgusting then you're right.
So we shall see when we return whether it's actually just her not knowing how to wash a floor (which I'm hoping) or whether we actually are absorbing so much factory/car output.
Not a pleasant thought really.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Buying water
Since the water in Beijing isn't drinkable by human people (the Museum of Tap Water notwithstanding), I seem to spend a lot of time asking for water. As I'm sure I've mentioned before, we have one of those water cooler machines in the house so once a week or so, I go down to the shop and go through the process of asking for a new giant bottle and telling them where it should be delivered. So far, each time I've gone there's someone else at the till so there's no building on the previous experience. Each time is a new and different struggle.
Usually I buy something else and when she tells me the price I say "也一个水 Nestle 谢谢" which is pronounced "yě yīgè shuǐ Nestle xièxiè" and means "also a Nestle water thanks". I'm pretty sure I say it in much the same way but they either stare blankly at me (which doesn't help) or they reply and say something. Usually I think they're asking me where I live so they can deliver it and I'm happy to say "building 七" and "apartment 三零三" which usually works. But today she asked me to write it down and I wrote #7, apartment 303 and gave it back to her. However, my European schooling drummed into me that a 7 should have a bar on it and that's the way I've always written it. She had clearly never seen such a number and I couldn't work out what the problem was until she asked the lady behind me what it was and handed her the piece of paper. She then asked if I lived in building 7 to which I replied yes, "qi". And all was resolved.
Still it is a little wearing on an off day to have to struggle so much for something so simple.
Usually I buy something else and when she tells me the price I say "也一个水 Nestle 谢谢" which is pronounced "yě yīgè shuǐ Nestle xièxiè" and means "also a Nestle water thanks". I'm pretty sure I say it in much the same way but they either stare blankly at me (which doesn't help) or they reply and say something. Usually I think they're asking me where I live so they can deliver it and I'm happy to say "building 七" and "apartment 三零三" which usually works. But today she asked me to write it down and I wrote #7, apartment 303 and gave it back to her. However, my European schooling drummed into me that a 7 should have a bar on it and that's the way I've always written it. She had clearly never seen such a number and I couldn't work out what the problem was until she asked the lady behind me what it was and handed her the piece of paper. She then asked if I lived in building 7 to which I replied yes, "qi". And all was resolved.
Still it is a little wearing on an off day to have to struggle so much for something so simple.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Great Wall trip day 2
So day 2 of the trip started a number of times, because I woke up a bunch of times because someone was cutting wood with a very blunt chain saw right next to me. He was trying to camouflage it as sleeping but I could tell.
It was chilly in the night but wearing all my clothes (jacket included) and doing up the bag the way they do in on Arctic expeditions, I managed to get through the night reasonably comfortably.
We woke as the sun was starting to come up, about 5:45 I think (that's me on the end, trying to turn the stone floor into my mattress at home)
It was so still and calm, a really nice time to be on the wall. It was also totally freezing as the sun hadn't made it over the hills yet and as we were on the lowest tower, we were also the last to get the sunshine.
Our breakfast was coming at 6:30 so we pretty much just slowly got moving and tried to keep warm. As soon as the sun hit the tower though, it started to warm up a bit and it was fantastic.
A large number of the other campers had gotten up at 3am to head up to the ridge to photograph the sunrise. They're the tiny things on the hill!
We were heading that way anyway though, so after breakfast we kitted up and headed off, leaving our guard tower behind
We were actually walking part of the wall that we'd walked the day before so it took us a little while to get to a part we hadn't visited. Ever get that feeling you're not really getting anywhere? Definitely had that!
That last photo was from on the ridge where the people were for the sunrise. It took a bit of climbing to get there though!
It also wasn't long before we left the carefully restored part of the wall and were back onto the "original".
Also things got a fair bit steeper today, in both the up and down directions
It wasn't long before we were saying "just one more hill, just one more hill" but there was always more than just one more :)
Until finally, (really finally, I don't think I could have walked another step!) there were no more hills and we'd reached the start of the Simatai section.
Incidentally, in that photo, way in the background you can see the valley where we started the trip, just before the wall goes up into the hills.
So Simatai is closed at the moment, and all you will hear from most people is that it's closed and they're not sure of the reason. It turns out that the Simatai section, one of the best preserved and most spectacular parts of the Great Wall, has been sold to a travel company. Not coincidentally, the CEO of the travel company is the wife of the mayor of Beijing and both are high up in the Party. The Simitai section of the wall has been closed for a few months now and will be closed for a few more while it is being "improved" (in the words of our guide) and is being turned into a hot springs resort/hotel/restaurant complex. Having just walked part of this amazing place, I just find it completely bizarre that anyone would sell such an important part of their culture and heritage to make a restaurant. Still, it's clear that the government here has different ideas on preservation than I do.
Anyway, we had reached the end of our journey on the wall, but we weren't home free yet. We still had a 40 minute hike back to the car park (almost all of it down stairs :) before we could have a rest. Also the hills here seem to be infested with giant bee/hornet things which were somewhat disturbing in their giantness and also their willingness to swoop people. The magpie of China I guess, only with a stinger.
Once we got back to the bus, we all piled in and headed back to Beijing. Once again it was a 2 hour drive and I think we all (guide included) fell asleep for most of it. Since Simatai is closed, they had to fill in the extra part of what would have been more hiking with something else, so we stopped off at the Olympic Park to look at the birds nest stadium and the water cube. To be honest, none of us really wanted to get out and walk around any more but we slowly and painfully walked form one side of the park to the other, past the main attractions.
Incidentally, if you're going to call it the water cube, it should really be a cube!
Once we'd made it back to the bus we found a restaurant (the first had a long wait so another one was found for us) and had a huge meal. After that, back home for a well earned rest!
The trip was an incredible one. Seeing the wall this way, being able to hike parts that most people don't get to see, and being able to see the progression between the ruined wall to the repaired and then back to the ruins, really was a special experience for me. I definitely want to come back and do the trip again (maybe I'll bring some more clothes next time) and I highly recommend it to everyone who can get here and do it.
It was chilly in the night but wearing all my clothes (jacket included) and doing up the bag the way they do in on Arctic expeditions, I managed to get through the night reasonably comfortably.
We woke as the sun was starting to come up, about 5:45 I think (that's me on the end, trying to turn the stone floor into my mattress at home)
It was so still and calm, a really nice time to be on the wall. It was also totally freezing as the sun hadn't made it over the hills yet and as we were on the lowest tower, we were also the last to get the sunshine.
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
So Simatai is closed at the moment, and all you will hear from most people is that it's closed and they're not sure of the reason. It turns out that the Simatai section, one of the best preserved and most spectacular parts of the Great Wall, has been sold to a travel company. Not coincidentally, the CEO of the travel company is the wife of the mayor of Beijing and both are high up in the Party. The Simitai section of the wall has been closed for a few months now and will be closed for a few more while it is being "improved" (in the words of our guide) and is being turned into a hot springs resort/hotel/restaurant complex. Having just walked part of this amazing place, I just find it completely bizarre that anyone would sell such an important part of their culture and heritage to make a restaurant. Still, it's clear that the government here has different ideas on preservation than I do.
Anyway, we had reached the end of our journey on the wall, but we weren't home free yet. We still had a 40 minute hike back to the car park (almost all of it down stairs :) before we could have a rest. Also the hills here seem to be infested with giant bee/hornet things which were somewhat disturbing in their giantness and also their willingness to swoop people. The magpie of China I guess, only with a stinger.
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
Once we'd made it back to the bus we found a restaurant (the first had a long wait so another one was found for us) and had a huge meal. After that, back home for a well earned rest!
The trip was an incredible one. Seeing the wall this way, being able to hike parts that most people don't get to see, and being able to see the progression between the ruined wall to the repaired and then back to the ruins, really was a special experience for me. I definitely want to come back and do the trip again (maybe I'll bring some more clothes next time) and I highly recommend it to everyone who can get here and do it.
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 2 |
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Great Wall trip day 1
So on the weekend I went with a few people on a hiking and camping trip on the Great Wall. Coming into I wasn't quite sure what to expect (apart from the Great Wall I guess).
All the photos on this page plus a HUGE number more are here
https://picasaweb.google.com/david.mutton/GreatWallTripDay1?authuser=0&feat=directlink
So we showed up at our front gate at 9 on Saturday morning and up comes this guy (Robert, not his real name :) and says he's here to take us on the trip. We all pile in the bus and head out. The drive is about 2 hours to Gubeikou where we join the Wall. The weather was fantastic, really clear and warm, a few clouds around and a slight breeze just to take the edge off the heat.
Once we got to the car park, we all piled out of the bus and started preparing. "Everyone gets a stick" said Robert pointing at the walking sticks, "and everyone needs to take water." So once we were ready we started walking up to the Wall which we still couldn't see. It was about 30 minutes to the Wall from the carpark and the whole time I was expecting to see heaps of people but there really wasn't anyone around. Then we finally got our first proper view of the Wall
The wall here was pretty ruined. Mostly just the gravel and stone core with most of the cut stone facing gone (particularly on the inside). The landscape is incredible, so different from Beijing which is ridiculously flat. Here it's all hills and valleys, some of them quite steep and jagged (dragon spine mountains). This section of wall starts quite near where we joined (there are really steep mountains that way so it doesn't join up with the rest of the wall)
We're following it all the way to Simatai which is around 16-17km away. It's not clear whether that measurement is the walked distance or as the crow flies though. My feet and legs still suggest that we walked a lot further :)
After walking for an hour or so, we stopped for some lunch in a ruined tower
After some lunch we found out that we had to leave the wall because there's a military base right against it and no one is allowed to continue along the wall in this direction. The nice thing was that we were walking on the "Mongol Horde" side of the wall which I had been itching to visit
We ended up being off the wall for about 2 hours, walking through valleys, over hills and through corn fields before we rejoined the wall at the start of the Jinshanling section. Please note the barbed wire where the base is!!
Jinshanling is one of the sections that has been mostly repaired and it's where most people go to have their "Great Wall Experience". I found that it was nice to have the contrast between the repaired section and the original 15th century wall that we'd been walking on so far. Although it must be said, the repaired section made for MUCH easier walking :)
Incidentally, the really steep section way in the back of that photo... That's where we're heading, to the start of the Simatai section!
Also, this photo shows the whole section of the Jinshanling Wall. We stayed the night in the Square Terrace near the bottom.
It's funny because there's a distinct point at which the wall changes from this:
to this:
So we'd made it to the section we were staying at and our guide asked us if we wanted to take the first exit down and we naturally said "no, we'll take the long walk." Poor guy, he'd struggled with the walk a bit today and I think he wanted to rest.
So we wandered a little further, then down off the wall for a brief rest and a quick drink. We ended up getting a lift from the restaurant owner down to the main carpark in his tiny van (which could drive past the boom gate without needing to get it raised which caused much amusement from everyone including the gate guards) so we could pick up our stuff for the night. Which was good because it was starting to cool down a lot! Then back up to the wall to watch the sunset.
People had staked out spots with their tripods and stuff. The amount of expensive camera gear there was incredible ,made even more so because most people had their cameras in automatic mode and really didn't know how to use them. Oh well.
The change in light with the sunset was stunning
After the sun went down
it was time for some dinner, so back down to the restaurant. We shared our meal with some of the other people doing the reverse trip from us. For some reason there were about 20 of them and only 4 of us. Our guide mentioned that they were also going to be camping in the "Dark Tower" and was that ok. We must have looked a bit concerned because he then offered us an alternative which was camping in a different tower but "it has no roof". He was clearly expecting us to say "no roof, are you mad? This is some kind of madness you are talking" and was a bit surprised when we all said we wanted the empty one with no roof. Lucky it wasn't going to rain but we were starting to rethink as it got colder and colder (and we were mostly still wearing shorts!)
So after a nice dinner and a few drinks, we collected our sleeping bags, ground mats, all our gear including water for the next day and a few more drinks and made our way up the steepest, narrowest, darkest (we had torches but that's it) track you've ever seen! Quite how no one fell over I'm still not sure. Anyway, we made it to our tower and setup up our gear. Which involved unrolling our mats and putting down our sleeping bags.
We then proceeded to attempt to take some night shots which became much easier as the moon came up
It was very bright!
and there may have also been some silliness
Then it was off to sleep as our guide was coming back with breakfast at 6:30 and the sun was supposed to rise at about 5:45.
All the photos on this page plus a HUGE number more are here
https://picasaweb.google.com/david.mutton/GreatWallTripDay1?authuser=0&feat=directlink
So we showed up at our front gate at 9 on Saturday morning and up comes this guy (Robert, not his real name :) and says he's here to take us on the trip. We all pile in the bus and head out. The drive is about 2 hours to Gubeikou where we join the Wall. The weather was fantastic, really clear and warm, a few clouds around and a slight breeze just to take the edge off the heat.
Once we got to the car park, we all piled out of the bus and started preparing. "Everyone gets a stick" said Robert pointing at the walking sticks, "and everyone needs to take water." So once we were ready we started walking up to the Wall which we still couldn't see. It was about 30 minutes to the Wall from the carpark and the whole time I was expecting to see heaps of people but there really wasn't anyone around. Then we finally got our first proper view of the Wall
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
After walking for an hour or so, we stopped for some lunch in a ruined tower
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
Jinshanling is one of the sections that has been mostly repaired and it's where most people go to have their "Great Wall Experience". I found that it was nice to have the contrast between the repaired section and the original 15th century wall that we'd been walking on so far. Although it must be said, the repaired section made for MUCH easier walking :)
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
Incidentally, the really steep section way in the back of that photo... That's where we're heading, to the start of the Simatai section!
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
It's funny because there's a distinct point at which the wall changes from this:
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
So we'd made it to the section we were staying at and our guide asked us if we wanted to take the first exit down and we naturally said "no, we'll take the long walk." Poor guy, he'd struggled with the walk a bit today and I think he wanted to rest.
So we wandered a little further, then down off the wall for a brief rest and a quick drink. We ended up getting a lift from the restaurant owner down to the main carpark in his tiny van (which could drive past the boom gate without needing to get it raised which caused much amusement from everyone including the gate guards) so we could pick up our stuff for the night. Which was good because it was starting to cool down a lot! Then back up to the wall to watch the sunset.
People had staked out spots with their tripods and stuff. The amount of expensive camera gear there was incredible ,made even more so because most people had their cameras in automatic mode and really didn't know how to use them. Oh well.
The change in light with the sunset was stunning
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
it was time for some dinner, so back down to the restaurant. We shared our meal with some of the other people doing the reverse trip from us. For some reason there were about 20 of them and only 4 of us. Our guide mentioned that they were also going to be camping in the "Dark Tower" and was that ok. We must have looked a bit concerned because he then offered us an alternative which was camping in a different tower but "it has no roof". He was clearly expecting us to say "no roof, are you mad? This is some kind of madness you are talking" and was a bit surprised when we all said we wanted the empty one with no roof. Lucky it wasn't going to rain but we were starting to rethink as it got colder and colder (and we were mostly still wearing shorts!)
So after a nice dinner and a few drinks, we collected our sleeping bags, ground mats, all our gear including water for the next day and a few more drinks and made our way up the steepest, narrowest, darkest (we had torches but that's it) track you've ever seen! Quite how no one fell over I'm still not sure. Anyway, we made it to our tower and setup up our gear. Which involved unrolling our mats and putting down our sleeping bags.
We then proceeded to attempt to take some night shots which became much easier as the moon came up
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
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| From Great Wall Trip Day 1 |
Then it was off to sleep as our guide was coming back with breakfast at 6:30 and the sun was supposed to rise at about 5:45.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Back from Great Wall
Hi, I made it back from the Great Wall camp and hike. Legs are very sore, and I am very tired. I will look at my photos (of which there are a lot!) and write it up maybe tomorrow when I can walk around again :)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Gym
Everyone that knows me knows that I'm lazy and I hate exercising. However, given I have some spare time and the inclination, I decided that I would try to get a bit fitter and stronger before I get too old :)
As such, Jane and I joined the gym in our apartment complex a few weeks ago and I have been trying to go three times a week and push myself a bit.
The gym itself is called First Club (!!) and is sort of like a cross between a nice gym (like I would know what a nice gym is like) and a gentleman's club. There are all the required machines/bikes/treadmills/free-weights/dumbbells and things as well as a pool (which was a must-have) but the change rooms must be seen to be believed (although they frown on photography:). The men's change rooms run over 2 levels and appear to be an all-naked zone as required. Each person gets two lockers, one outer one with a pair of thongs/sandles in them (so you don't have to get your own shoes wet) and then another, inner locker where you actually store your stuff. There's a shaving/haircare/general upkeep area complete with couches and then the normal bathroom stuff. Downstairs there's a row of showers with superfluous curtains that no one uses (except me:) -- as an aside, the woman from Jane's work we were talking to about gyms used to belong to one that she left because they didn't have enough showers and people would just join you in a cubicle when they got busy! -- also a spa with bubbles, a spa without bubbles, a proper sauna with hot and cold rocks and everything and finally, a media room where you can watch TV and play games completely naked if you want to.
It's a brave new world!!
As such, Jane and I joined the gym in our apartment complex a few weeks ago and I have been trying to go three times a week and push myself a bit.
The gym itself is called First Club (!!) and is sort of like a cross between a nice gym (like I would know what a nice gym is like) and a gentleman's club. There are all the required machines/bikes/treadmills/free-weights/dumbbells and things as well as a pool (which was a must-have) but the change rooms must be seen to be believed (although they frown on photography:). The men's change rooms run over 2 levels and appear to be an all-naked zone as required. Each person gets two lockers, one outer one with a pair of thongs/sandles in them (so you don't have to get your own shoes wet) and then another, inner locker where you actually store your stuff. There's a shaving/haircare/general upkeep area complete with couches and then the normal bathroom stuff. Downstairs there's a row of showers with superfluous curtains that no one uses (except me:) -- as an aside, the woman from Jane's work we were talking to about gyms used to belong to one that she left because they didn't have enough showers and people would just join you in a cubicle when they got busy! -- also a spa with bubbles, a spa without bubbles, a proper sauna with hot and cold rocks and everything and finally, a media room where you can watch TV and play games completely naked if you want to.
It's a brave new world!!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Comments
Ok, by request, I have changed the comment settings so that you don't have to have an account to comment. Maybe that means people will comment now? Who can say?
Monday, September 12, 2011
One month in....
First of all, I can't believe that we've been here for a month already! The time has really flown by. It seems like yesterday that we arrived in the middle of the night and had no idea where we needed to go or what to do.
However, a lot has gone on in that month, we've sorted out our house, started a fitness trend that may sweep the world (actually going to the gym, not just buying a membership :), bought some bikes, ridden them around, had massages, gone to the markets, seen some fine Chinese architecture and antiquities, learned some Mandarin.
There are definitely a few things on the list, for example this weekend we are planning to go camping on the Great Wall for the weekend, doing some walking and sleeping in a guard tower. The weather is starting to change (and very quickly too) so we need to get in and do stuff while we can I guess. Bring on the next 11 months :)
Anyway, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this. There aren't many people around and not much is going on really. It turns out that this is pretty much just a family holiday, no specific celebrations or anything. So we went to the shops and now back home to prepare for yet another Mandarin lesson.
Zaijian!! 再见 !!
However, a lot has gone on in that month, we've sorted out our house, started a fitness trend that may sweep the world (actually going to the gym, not just buying a membership :), bought some bikes, ridden them around, had massages, gone to the markets, seen some fine Chinese architecture and antiquities, learned some Mandarin.
There are definitely a few things on the list, for example this weekend we are planning to go camping on the Great Wall for the weekend, doing some walking and sleeping in a guard tower. The weather is starting to change (and very quickly too) so we need to get in and do stuff while we can I guess. Bring on the next 11 months :)
Anyway, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this. There aren't many people around and not much is going on really. It turns out that this is pretty much just a family holiday, no specific celebrations or anything. So we went to the shops and now back home to prepare for yet another Mandarin lesson.
Zaijian!! 再见 !!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Quiet Weekend
This weekend was a bit of a quiet one. We went to the markets yesterday (it was raining) and had our Mandarin lesson as well (it was still raining). It was cold too, about 16 degrees. Which isn't especially cold even for Australian weather but two days ago it was 32 and really humid so it's a quick change.
People here say Beijing really only has two seasons, and given that Autumn started 11 days ago and tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival (we get a day off) then I expect winter to be in full swing when we get back from Australia. Last year it got cold early and they relaxed the government mandated heating period which meant building owners could turn the heating on on the 23rd of September! So I think this might be a short Autumn :)
Today we slept in a bit then took Anita and Adam to the same bike shop we went to, so they could get some bikes. They have been confirmed as also staying for 12 months which is nice for them, and they wanted something a bit better than the borrowed bikes they had.
Looking at the bikes, I think I will buy another, decent one before I leave to use at home. Before we came I decided I wanted to start riding to work but didn't get a bike because we were leaving. I think as far as price goes, a decent amount of money (maybe $500-$600) here would get me a bike that would cost $1000-$1200 at home. So even with the postage back I think I'll be ahead. A proper road bike isn't much good here though cause drivers don't expect people on bikes to be going fast so it's actually more dangerous to be going a similar speed to the traffic.
This evening we went to Carrefour, the department store/supermarket place. It was pretty packed and I have decided the thing that annoys me most about people here is the complete lack of respect for other people. So at home if two people are pushing trolleys down an aisle, they will get out of each other's way. Similarly, if someone stops, they move their trolley to the side (most of the time anyway). People don't do that here, at all and I find it intensely irritating. People have a sense of "I'm the most important person, I don't care if I get in your way or hold you up, you can just wait cause I'm the most important person" and I'm not a fan. Partly because I'm, the most important person :)
Anyway, they're not going to change so I guess I will have to deal with it but it does get me a bit annoyed.
As I said, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and we get a day off. I'm not sure whether stuff will be open but there are a bunch of lights and decorations set up in our apartment gardens so I guess something is going to happen. Stay tuned.....
People here say Beijing really only has two seasons, and given that Autumn started 11 days ago and tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival (we get a day off) then I expect winter to be in full swing when we get back from Australia. Last year it got cold early and they relaxed the government mandated heating period which meant building owners could turn the heating on on the 23rd of September! So I think this might be a short Autumn :)
Today we slept in a bit then took Anita and Adam to the same bike shop we went to, so they could get some bikes. They have been confirmed as also staying for 12 months which is nice for them, and they wanted something a bit better than the borrowed bikes they had.
Looking at the bikes, I think I will buy another, decent one before I leave to use at home. Before we came I decided I wanted to start riding to work but didn't get a bike because we were leaving. I think as far as price goes, a decent amount of money (maybe $500-$600) here would get me a bike that would cost $1000-$1200 at home. So even with the postage back I think I'll be ahead. A proper road bike isn't much good here though cause drivers don't expect people on bikes to be going fast so it's actually more dangerous to be going a similar speed to the traffic.
This evening we went to Carrefour, the department store/supermarket place. It was pretty packed and I have decided the thing that annoys me most about people here is the complete lack of respect for other people. So at home if two people are pushing trolleys down an aisle, they will get out of each other's way. Similarly, if someone stops, they move their trolley to the side (most of the time anyway). People don't do that here, at all and I find it intensely irritating. People have a sense of "I'm the most important person, I don't care if I get in your way or hold you up, you can just wait cause I'm the most important person" and I'm not a fan. Partly because I'm, the most important person :)
Anyway, they're not going to change so I guess I will have to deal with it but it does get me a bit annoyed.
As I said, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and we get a day off. I'm not sure whether stuff will be open but there are a bunch of lights and decorations set up in our apartment gardens so I guess something is going to happen. Stay tuned.....
Friday, September 9, 2011
Not much going on really
If anyone is wondering why I haven't been updating (and judging by the comments on the blog then no one is:), the answer is because I haven't really been doing much that's interesting.
Earlier this week I'd been resting trying to get rid of my cold and then later this week I've (finally) been working a bit which makes for a nice change I guess.
The "cleaner" came today. As part of our work/home thing we get a cleaner once every two weeks or so. She can only come when someone's home at the moment because they got a key cut but it doesn't work (I think it also has the Chinese equivalent of "DO NOT CUT" on it but I digress) and so I basically have ot be here when she comes. Also she's not really a cleaner at least not a house cleaner, she's one of the cleaner sort of people from the office that they send out on Fridays. Anyway, she doesn't speak any English either so I can't really give any feedback on her cleaning. So she moved some stuff around on the shelves with a cloth (dusting?) and then mopped the floor using in the process the most water I've ever seen in my life. I was working in the study and I thought I was going to drown! Also because she didn't sweep the floor first, she was pretty much just leaving watermarks and moving the dirt around. Oh well.
Earlier this week I'd been resting trying to get rid of my cold and then later this week I've (finally) been working a bit which makes for a nice change I guess.
The "cleaner" came today. As part of our work/home thing we get a cleaner once every two weeks or so. She can only come when someone's home at the moment because they got a key cut but it doesn't work (I think it also has the Chinese equivalent of "DO NOT CUT" on it but I digress) and so I basically have ot be here when she comes. Also she's not really a cleaner at least not a house cleaner, she's one of the cleaner sort of people from the office that they send out on Fridays. Anyway, she doesn't speak any English either so I can't really give any feedback on her cleaning. So she moved some stuff around on the shelves with a cloth (dusting?) and then mopped the floor using in the process the most water I've ever seen in my life. I was working in the study and I thought I was going to drown! Also because she didn't sweep the floor first, she was pretty much just leaving watermarks and moving the dirt around. Oh well.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Summer Palace and Dinner
All the photos plus a bunch more are in this album:
Sunday was a big day. We got up early and took the train out to the Summer Palace.
The palace is a little way out of town (about an hour or so on the train) but is between the city and the Beijing hills, on the shores of a lake that was hugely expanded by the emperors at the time (or more specifically by the 800,000 people they got to do the work for them) and was where the Imperial Court went when Beijing got too hot. It's a collection of palaces, temples and sort of weird stuff all set in some really nice gardens, lakes, hills and canals.
So the train ride was easy, and we just followed the crowds to find the front gate. We entered at the north gate and planned on leaving by the east gate. There was some mix up with tickets which was easily fixed, then we went in. The first thing is that there's no cohesive "Palace" really, just a whole bunch of separated buildings scattered around the grounds. The first part we ran across was called Suzhou St (I think). It's a very pretty little street set on a canal with bridges, nice shops, lanterns and stuff. Really nice. A little bit like Disneyland, but I liked it.
After this we sort of headed towards what looked like something you could call the Summer Palace but it ended up being a bunch of indeterminate buildings which were pretty but closed.
We then saw what we thought was the palace but there wasn't any way to get there. Incidentally, only come here if you like walking up hills and back down them :) The steps are seriously steep, there are a lot of them and to get from one temple to another you have to go all the way back down the hill then back up again!
After our glimpse, the trail led downhill to the lakes and a boat. So at some point in the not too distant past, an Empress was given a bunch of money to refit the Navy. She chose to spend the money on redoing her palace and then (maybe to make the Admirals feel more at home) she built a boat entirely out of marble and put it in the lake (it doesn't float, it's sitting on the bottom). I guess as a kind of "screw you" pretty much. Anyway, we found a boat, clearly not made of marble but it wasn't clear (aside from the fact that it wasn't made of marble) whether this was significant or just another gift shop.
We wandered on and found a restaurant for lunch which was actually pretty nice. Then just around the next corner we found the unmistakable marble boat.
It was then we found we had got to the climbing part of the day. Lots of up and down, lots of stairs and lots of very attractive buildings set on the side of the mountain (including the main temple).
See the tiny people on the other side of the stairs!
And after we got down that was kind of it. I did enjoy it and it was really pretty. However it seems clear that Chinese people have a different idea of that sort of thing from me. My problem was that I couldn't tell what anything was for (someone got an audio guide but it didn't give details either) so we were wandering in this very nice garden looking at very nice buildings but with no sense of connection to what they had been used for. Mostly because what they're used for now is selling random tourist crap to people along with snacks. The only buildings that looked like they had things from the time were all locked. So although I did enjoy it and I highly recommend going, the place left me feeling a bit cold.
After we got back into town, we took a walk past the Drum and Bell Towers (see what I did on Friday!) and headed into the Hutongs for a few drinks before our scheduled dinner. For some reason (maybe the weather, maybe cause they're awesome) the Chinese have really taken to mojitos. You can buy them for as low as 15 yuan (about $2.70) for a huge cup which is about 1/2 rum. They are quite good though.
Anyway, we were booked in for dinner at a place called Black Sesame which is a very small, hidden away restaurant that has 2 tables (big ones) and serves a set menu. They cook the food right in front of you and they were great about Jane's dietary stuff as well. The food was fantastic :)
After all I could eat and drink, we went out on the town (and I went out slightly too much to be honest) and ended up at home at some time of the night or morning.
All in all, it was a fun day
 |
| Summer Palace and Dinner |
Sunday was a big day. We got up early and took the train out to the Summer Palace.
The palace is a little way out of town (about an hour or so on the train) but is between the city and the Beijing hills, on the shores of a lake that was hugely expanded by the emperors at the time (or more specifically by the 800,000 people they got to do the work for them) and was where the Imperial Court went when Beijing got too hot. It's a collection of palaces, temples and sort of weird stuff all set in some really nice gardens, lakes, hills and canals.
So the train ride was easy, and we just followed the crowds to find the front gate. We entered at the north gate and planned on leaving by the east gate. There was some mix up with tickets which was easily fixed, then we went in. The first thing is that there's no cohesive "Palace" really, just a whole bunch of separated buildings scattered around the grounds. The first part we ran across was called Suzhou St (I think). It's a very pretty little street set on a canal with bridges, nice shops, lanterns and stuff. Really nice. A little bit like Disneyland, but I liked it.
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
After this we sort of headed towards what looked like something you could call the Summer Palace but it ended up being a bunch of indeterminate buildings which were pretty but closed.
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
We then saw what we thought was the palace but there wasn't any way to get there. Incidentally, only come here if you like walking up hills and back down them :) The steps are seriously steep, there are a lot of them and to get from one temple to another you have to go all the way back down the hill then back up again!
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
After our glimpse, the trail led downhill to the lakes and a boat. So at some point in the not too distant past, an Empress was given a bunch of money to refit the Navy. She chose to spend the money on redoing her palace and then (maybe to make the Admirals feel more at home) she built a boat entirely out of marble and put it in the lake (it doesn't float, it's sitting on the bottom). I guess as a kind of "screw you" pretty much. Anyway, we found a boat, clearly not made of marble but it wasn't clear (aside from the fact that it wasn't made of marble) whether this was significant or just another gift shop.
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
We wandered on and found a restaurant for lunch which was actually pretty nice. Then just around the next corner we found the unmistakable marble boat.
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
It was then we found we had got to the climbing part of the day. Lots of up and down, lots of stairs and lots of very attractive buildings set on the side of the mountain (including the main temple).
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
See the tiny people on the other side of the stairs!
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
And after we got down that was kind of it. I did enjoy it and it was really pretty. However it seems clear that Chinese people have a different idea of that sort of thing from me. My problem was that I couldn't tell what anything was for (someone got an audio guide but it didn't give details either) so we were wandering in this very nice garden looking at very nice buildings but with no sense of connection to what they had been used for. Mostly because what they're used for now is selling random tourist crap to people along with snacks. The only buildings that looked like they had things from the time were all locked. So although I did enjoy it and I highly recommend going, the place left me feeling a bit cold.
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
After we got back into town, we took a walk past the Drum and Bell Towers (see what I did on Friday!) and headed into the Hutongs for a few drinks before our scheduled dinner. For some reason (maybe the weather, maybe cause they're awesome) the Chinese have really taken to mojitos. You can buy them for as low as 15 yuan (about $2.70) for a huge cup which is about 1/2 rum. They are quite good though.
Anyway, we were booked in for dinner at a place called Black Sesame which is a very small, hidden away restaurant that has 2 tables (big ones) and serves a set menu. They cook the food right in front of you and they were great about Jane's dietary stuff as well. The food was fantastic :)
 |
| From Summer Palace and Dinner |
After all I could eat and drink, we went out on the town (and I went out slightly too much to be honest) and ended up at home at some time of the night or morning.
All in all, it was a fun day
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