The Three Gorges is Anything But Gorgeous

Who ever said that the Three Gorges on the Yangze River have been an inspiration to artists and poets must have either been on crack or these said artists must have been painting very dark and depressing images.  

From the moment we left Xi'an, it all started going wrong. First, we boarded a 15 hour overnight sleeper train to Chongqing, which really isn't so bad, the beds are actually comfortable and I managed to get about 7 hours of sleep. Nevertheless, it is a long time to travel. Then after our 15 hour train journey, we had a 5 hour coach transfer, followed by a half hour taxi transfer to the dock, where there was no boat. Great! We were told that the boat is a bit delayed due to bad weather, and that it would arrive in 4 hours. That's more than 24 hours in transit, no shower, stranded in the middle of nowhere Chongqing region --how lovely. 

Our arrival in Chongqing got quite a reaction from the locals. Did we really look that bad?

Our boat was supposed to be docked there, but wasn't. The body of water in the distance is the Yangze River.

One of the ways we killed time was having an early group dinner. Our local guide told us that the town we were in was famous for its "hot pot" style food, so that's what we ended up having for dinner. We went to the restaurant on the opposite side of the dock, and the restaurant itself was surprisingly nice and modern yet the prices were in-line with other local places (approx £4 per head without drinks). It looked promising. The table I was sat at ordered a "non-spicy" chicken hot pot that we all shared. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Chinese "hot pot", it's a large pot of spicy (even if it's listed as non-spicy) broth and bits of chicken, beef or fish, vegetables, noodles, and/or tofu mixed in. I like to call it "the pot of surprises", as I was surprised to find an entire chicken head in my soup ladle, and another person found a chicken foot. In China, no part of the chicken goes to waste.

This was the surprise I found in my soup ladle, a chicken head. It's a more exciting surprise than the one you find in a Cracker Jacks box, that's for sure!

Hot Pot with it's "surprises" -deeericious!

I'm quite adventurous when it comes to food, but I do draw the line at chicken heads, feet, and chewing on cartilage. At that dinner, I ended up sticking to the steamed rice and tofu. The traditional hot pot (AKA "pot of surprises") was by far my least favourite dish I've sampled in China.

After a fail dinner, we ended up walking around town and drinking beers until our boat finally arrived at 9:30pm. We were all so ecstatic at the thought of finally being able to shower and sleep on a normal bed. Sadly, the boat did not welcome us with open arms as we were hoping. We found cockroaches in our room and no running water in any of the rooms. Could this part of the trip get any worse? We were told that the boat had to switch off the running water whilst it was docked overnight, so that meant no use of water until 6am the following morning. After being in transit for more than 24 hours in 33C humid weather, this is the last bit of information you want to hear. But somehow we all managed not to lose our cool and we just got on with it. It's all part of the adventure, right?

After a full night's sleep and a lukewarm but very much missed shower, we went to the upper deck to see these famed gorges. As we passed by the first one, my reaction was: "Really? That's it? And what's so beautiful about it again?". Perhaps I'm a bad judge of natural beauty, but I honestly didn't see what the big deal was.

Chinese flag and the gorges

Really? That's what all the fuss is about with these Gorges?

We spent a few hours on the upper deck reading and playing cards --there really wasn't anything else to do on that boat. We waited until the boat docked at a small town called Wushan, where we had a few hours to stretch our legs and beat our boredom. Wushan was built only 10 years ago, as a result of the destructive 1998 Yangze floods which left millions homeless. For a "town" that's only 10 years old, it surprisingly has 600,000 inhabitants and feels like a massive thriving centre on par with a capital city in Europe. But then again the scale of things in China is about 100 times larger than us Westerners can relate to in our home countries. 

The Chinese love their stairs! Look where this set of stairs end.

The small town of Wushan

A view of our boat docked near the Wushan port

This is certainly not the entrance to the Love Boat!

There wasn't really much to see in Wushan, like any other busy town it had a selection of shops, a market, no landmarks as it was a new town-- that's it really. 

The following morning our boat trip finally had come to an end -hallejlujah! We packed our bags and left the boat at 7am, I couldn't be happier. However, the discomforts were not over yet. It was going to be another long journey until our final stop in mainland China, and that train departed in the late evening from a town 6 hours away. So what were we going to do with an entire day of time to kill?  We had no choice but to visit the Three Gorges Dam. Personally, I wasn't interested to pay the rip off entrance fee of £23 to spend 2 hours at a dam. Yes, £23! You can feed the entire Chinese army at the night market with that money. Well, it was either cough up the money and see the dam or sit on the bus, when we had a good 6 hours drive on that very bus to the train station. I chose the former.

To be frank, the Three Gorges Dam is quite impressive when you see it in person. And when you see the stats, it really is a feat of engineering marvel. It has the largest power stations in the world, with a maximum power generation capacity of 100 billion kilowatts/hour. The dam is 2,3 km long, 185m above sea level, 124m thick at the bottom and 15m thick at the top. It took China 15 years to build the dam, from 1994 to 2009. It is has been in operation for the past couple years, but work is still progressing on a ship lift, which will move ships from one side of the dam to the other in under 30 minutes. When the ship lift will be complete in 2014, it will hold the world record for the largest and fastest ship lift. The Chinese never cease to impress with their innovations.

An aerial view of the dam

My view of the dam on a typical hot muggy summer's day

After our visit to the Three Gorges Dam, we had an oh-so-pleasant 6 hours coach journey. Again, we entertained ourselves with card games and gambling for beers playing "Liar's Poker". We arrived in Wuhan (not to be confused with Wushan), and we embarked on our 15 hour over-night sleeper train to a modern town called "Guilin". From there, we had a 1.5 hour coach journey to our final mainland China destination, which was one of the most picturesque stops on this trip, Yangshuo. Finally, the nightmare of the Three Gorges started to fade away in the distant past.

Xi'an: It's Not All About the Terracotta Warriors

Before embarking on my trip to China, I didn't do much detailed research on Xi'an. All I knew was that it was home to the Terracotta Army and home to one of the best dumpling restaurants in China (according to a few friends who've been there). For some reason I assumed Xi'an would be calm quaint village. It was anything but that. The "village" of Xi'an is inhabited by over 8 million people, which is the same population as London. It's also a very modern city with it's own international airport which makes LAX look like a dump, many brand new shopping centres, plenty of globalised retail outlets and food/coffee chains (5 Starbucks shops!), and a metro system being built. Xi'an was certainly a far cry from being considered a small sleepy village that I originally assumed it would be.

The Starbucks near my hotel where I had my morning caffeine fix. The Chinese aren't really coffee drinkers, they prefer tea, so finding a good cup of joe was a mission. If I saw a Starbucks, I had to stop! It was like a godsend.

Another thing about Xi'an that took me by surprise, is the big Muslim community. I didn't think any city on our route across China would have a Muslim population, I thought it would be purely Buddhist. Islam was first introduced to China in the mid-7th century to Northwest China by Arab merchants and travellers from Persia and Afghanistan. Those travellers settled and married the local women, so that's how it started in the northwest, Shaanxi region where Xian is the capital.

The Muslim Quarter is a must see in Xian, it has an expansive market where you can find all kinds of Chinese souvenirs (silks, chopsticks, and cheesey bric-a-brack) as well as fresh fruits, sweets, pastries, and handmade art. It's a bargainer's paradise! Rule of thumb, start the bargaining at 10%-25% of the price they quote you. Yes, they inflate their prices so much in the markets as they expect you to bargain with them! It's a game they love in mainland China.



Entrance to the market in the Muslim Quarter in Xi'an

Regional folk art

A series of birdcages. Each cage would have 1 male bird, the next a female; that way they sing to each other

Me in Xi'an's Muslim Quarter

A massive stack of steamed bun pans

Vegetarains & Vegans, cover your eyes! We made a wrong turn in the market and went down butcher's alley, There was a lot of raw meat and animal carcasses piled everywhere in not the most hygienic conditions. In the 36C heat & humidity the smell was not the most pleasant.

Apart from the market, the Muslim Quarter is also home to the oldest and best preserved mosque in China. The Great Mosque of Xi'an was built in 742 under the Tang Dynasty, it features a unique combination of Muslim and traditional Chinese architectural elements. 

Me at the Xi'an Mosque

Right next to the Muslim Quarter is the famous Xi'an Drum Tower, overlooking the city. It was built more than 600 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. The Drum Tower, as you would guess, contained a number of drums! Back in the 1300s the drums were beaten at dawn and dust to mark the beginning and end of each day. Nowadays, it houses a drum museum and there's a drum performance put on every so often for tourists. 

Xi'an Drum Tower. This photo was taken from Starbucks -that's globalisation for ya!

The Drum Tower had a sister building called  the Xi'an Bell Tower. It was built during the same time as the Drum Tower during the Ming Dynasty. There are a few outlandish legends (all pertaining to dragons) as to why the Bell Tower was built. In these days, it serves the exact same purpose as it's sister building.

The Bell Tower performance

"What about the food?" you ask. Ah, that my friends, was something that my tummy happily reminisces at the thought of local delicacies in Xi'an. Firstly, my travel mates and I tried the famous dumpling house, which is not only claimed to be one of the best in China, but they're famous for making dumplings in the shape of what's inside them. So we had to try it out! And the verdict: win!

Me & the ginormous gold dumpling

Chicken shaped dumpling, guess what kind of meat was inside?

Seafood dumplings meant to look like sea sponges and corals

hot pot

Xi'an is also famous for their lamb soup, called "pao mo", I had to try it! The best pao mo was served in small cafs in the Muslim Quarter. My Mandarin speaking friend brought me and another Westerner to one of these hole in the wall places which according to the locals, had the best pao mo in town. The moment we walked in, everyone stopped eating and stared. Obviously, that cafe didn't get many Westerners, and not a single thing was written in English, forget trying to communicate in English. I asked my friend if she could teach me how to say, "I would like one of those please" in Mandarin, which I said awkwardly to the girl behind the counter. She giggled and smiled. I gave her my 20 Yuan ($3), and she gave me a token with the number 77. She said out loud "shee shu chi", and I repeated it. When I went back to my table, I listened intently for my number to be called. I thought I heard it, and jumped and screamed as if I got called to be the next contestant on the Price is Right. "Oooh that's me!". And yep, I got it right. The staff high fived me and the locals smiled at me. Once when I sat down to try the soup,  my taste buds were dancing and singing! It was an awesome day.

Pao Mo in all its glory

Since this is blog entry is about Xi'an I probably should mention the Terracotta Warriors, the main attraction of the region of Shaanxi. For those of you who aren't familiar, the Terracotta Warriors are a collection of 8,000 life-sized warrior statues made of terracotta clay. They were built in 200BC as burial art for the first Chinese Emperor's tomb and were meant to protect him and his wife in their afterlives. The amazing thing about the Terracotta Warriors is that they were only first excavated 37 years ago. So they have been underground untouched, no one knew about them for over 2,000 years! Now they're a World Heritage sight and the main reason why Xi'an is on the China tourist map. 

Look at the intricate details on the soldier's face.  Can you imagine how much work that must have been to create 8,000 of these?

This is a colour photo of the Terracotta Warriors when they were first excavated in 1974. Notice that the colours are still in tact after 2,000 years.

When in China, do as the Chinese do! That means take photos when there's a sign that says "no photo"

Lastly, my travel mates and I had the wonderful experience of going to a local karaoke place when we were in Xi'an. Our local guide was a big fan of karaoke, and it is a big trend in China, so might as well try it out. He knew exactly where to take us, and it was a place that resembled a five star hotel with granite and chandeliers. We had our own room which came equipped with several microphones and instruments (tambourines, maracas, etc). It was a very posh affair, that's for sure! My memory of karaoke bars back home were always in grotty cheap bars. We ended up having fun straining our vocal chords and giving each other headaches, of course, much alcohol was needed to get everyone's participation.


That's pretty much everything from Xi'an. From here our next stop would be on a boat in the Yangze River to see the famous Three Gorges. As usual, this would require 14 hours on a sleeper train to Chongqing. Followed by a 4 hour coach transfer, then a 30 mins bumpy taxi ride to the dock, and about a 4 hour wait for our boat to arrive. This is when things started to get a bit uncomfortable and not so fun....

"Engrish" and Other Cultural Differences in China

In my recent trip to Asia, I encountered "Engrish" just about everywhere. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term "Engrish", it refers to the incorrect translation of the English language found in many East Asian countries. Typically, this is found in the form of incorrect grammar or phrases that are completely lost in translation. In either case, it's quite funny and endearing at the same time. Here is my collection of "Engrish" photos to lighten up your mood and divert your attention away from BBC breaking news for a bit.

I bought this one for myself, it's too good!

Here's an example of "lost in translation"

..This one too!

Old yogurt? Erm, I'd rather have it fresh

 

This one's a bit hard to read, it says; "The Pure Ecological Beer is suitability majority of people and all the seasons"..Huh?

"Are you enemy?"..Should I be?

I love the potato references, so random!

The thought of climbing a dinner table in a restaurant never crossed my mind

This one you can at least understand the gist of what they're trying to say.

How to use a Western toilet, enjoy!

This was in my hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Engrish is present there!

As you can see, I was quite amused by all the quirky Engrish I stumbled upon during my trip. The English language is certainly not easy to learn, so I don't blame them for making mistakes, but it's the way they do it that I find so endearing. I can't help but smile when I see it.

Apart from English writing errors, there were quite a bit of cultural differences that stood out to me in China, some a bit shocking and others just plain quirky. Here they are for your reading pleasure:

1. Funny Hats

They really love their funny hats in China. I'm guessing this is mainly to protect their face from the sun, but not all the hats have this function. Maybe it's just their colourful way of expressing themselves? In any case, I'm a big fan of silly, so bring on the silly hats!

I saw loads of these hats being worn. I'm not quite sure of the purpose of them, they don't really  protect your face from the sun

Umbrella hat lady chatting with spider head massage hat lady

2. Men Wearing their Shirts Rolled up
This is a very common sighting in mainland China, men (of all ages) walking around with their shirts rolled up exposing their bellies. I'm guessing they do this to cope with the heat; it was approximately 36C and 80% humid everyday, so perhaps that's why. Or it might have something to do with just finishing a big meal and showing off a full satisfied belly? Either way, it was something that I noticed to be different from Western customs.

3. Bizarre Foods
This can be said for anywhere you travel outside your own country. Any foreign destination is bound to have "bizarre foods", and it's very subjective. There were definitely some "different" culinary delights --some of which I tried, others which I simply couldn't! Apart from the delicacies I found at the night markets,, here are some foods I personally found a bit bizarre:

I found that chicken head and foot in the chicken hot pot we ordered. The foot isn't all that uncommon, but the chicken head surprised me. 

The name of this popular drink in Hong Kong sounds appalling, but the taste  is very similar to Gatorade or a Lucozade minus the extra sugary flavouring and food colouring.

Dried crunchy squid, not quite the calamari we typically get at home.

Dodgy looking dried sea cucumber

Beijing night market delights

Fried insects from the Beijing night market. I didn't see this in any of my other stops in China, so I'm guessing they have this just to freak out and entertain all the tourists, Western and Chinese.

Local snail dish in Yangshuo. Snails are not that unusual, "escargot "is a common luxurious dish in France. But for some people this would seem "bizarre". I found it tasty, the snail meat reminded me of Middle Eastern lamb kofta.

I saw this Borneo, roasted crunchy anchovy snacks --yum

4. Spitting
Nobody forewarned me of the common occurrence of public spitting in mainland China. I noticed it on my first day in Beijing when a man walked right next to me, cleared his throat and spit on the ground. Of course my initial reaction was disgust, but I thought perhaps he's just recovering from a really bad flu and had no patience to be discreet. I'll just ignore it. But then it was every third person passing me by doing the same, men and women, young and old, on the street, and even in restaurants. It took me a few days to train my ears to block out the noise. I certainly won't let it damper my enthusiasm for everything I've seen and loved in China. But it is a strange custom that still baffles me. 


Now in Hong Kong and Macau, it's completely the opposite, spitting is completely frowned upon and punishable by fine. I saw this mural in Macau which I found a bit amusing:

In Macau, a 600 HK$ (approx £60) fine can be issued for spitting