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China
Daily journal of my journey along the Trans-Mongolian Railway and onwards to Hong Kong
Datong
Datong
(Getting to) Datong, October 26-27, 2017
Because our Mongolian visa would expire a few hours before the once weekly train to Beijing would cross the border, we had to take a more adventurous route to China to leave the country in time. First, we took an overnight train to Zamiin Uud, a border city on Mongolian side. From there, we had to find a special bus or minivan to take us across the border. This wasn't difficult, as 100 drivers approached us like vultures as soon as they saw our backpacks get out of the train. We ignored them, though, and followed our fellow passengers to discover the cheapest option, a tour bus. It wasn't before long that we found out this was also the slowest option, as there was a 2 hour line of buses waiting in front of the Mongolian border control. And then, not long after that, we found out it was also the worst option, as we had to run a mile to catch up with the bus that had (almost) left us behind.
As when entering Mongolia, there was something weird about my visa upon leaving (which involved three people staring at and fussing about my passport), but we never found out what it was. On Chinese side, the usual immigration questions were asked: "What are you doing here", "Where are you going now", "Do you have a boyfriend?" (???).
While taking our backpacks from the border-bus we were asked about our next destination, and before we knew it we were ushered through two buildings and a hallway and hurried into a bus to Datong without a single yuan in our pockets.
Within 3 minutes of departure, there was a Chinese girl that wanted to take multiple selfies with both Emma and me, and later filmed us when we were making sandwiches in the bus. I decided to keep track of these instances daily by taking the same picture.
Met a super friendly Chinese guy that helped us find our horrific hostel and then took us out to dinner (possibly because he felt bad for us)
Everything here is in Chinese and we don't understand a thing.
Yay, we're in China!
After 30 seconds into China, the first selfie was requested
Quick dinner with our new friend
Street market in Datong
Datong, October 28-29, 2017
Visited the highlights of the area: the Yungang caves, the hanging temple, and the Datong old town. All of them were great, and a perfect start of our China trip!
Walking through Datong was strangely similar to walking through Amsterdam for the first time: you get lost, suddenly the street names are in Chinese and before you know it, you find yourself in the red light district.
When we entered a supermarket, we were closely followed by some guy, who turned out to be the supermarket manager. Not only did he explain to us in detail what his shop had to offer, he also walked with us through every aisle, pushed our cart and picked the best fruits for us.
Ordering something from a Chinese menu is quite a challenge, especially when there's no one around to translate even the simplest bits. Fortunately, everything we ate so far has been great.
Actually, everything has been great in general. I wasn't sure what to expect from China before coming here, but both the people and the scenery are extraordinary. Sure, there have been more than a dozen people that secretly took photos of us or just stopped what they were doing to stare at us intensely, but most people are very friendly and go out of their way to help us with whatever we need. I'm very curious what other adventures await us in this magical country!
Hanging temple
Yungang grotto
Inside the hanging temple
... because it hurts
Two men making peanut cake
What would you choose?
At yungang
Yungang
With our personal shopper / manager in the supermarket
The Datong city walls by night
We got lucky this time after pointing at some Chinese characters
Xinzhou & Wutai Shan, October 30-31 & November 1-2, 2017
It took a day longer to reach our destination because of wrong information, difficult communication and things lost in translation. So we spent an unplanned night in Xinzhou, a city that few Western tourists ever set foot in on purpose, but where we met very friendly people and had an amazing hotpot dinner.
The next day we were lucky to find a bus to Wutai Shan, a mountainous area with over 50 sacred monasteries. We visited a few of them and hiked to two of the five summits in the area, including the highest peak of Northern China (3061m). Needless to say, the views from up there were amazing and there was just enough snow to make a miniature snowman on the way 🙂
Learned to embrace the fascination some Chinese have for Western people and use it to our advantage: we have been hitchhiking around quite a lot.
The cheap pair of jeans I've been wearing pretty much every day for the past two months has ripped on the folds of one leg. Backpacker solution: create the same rips on the other leg and pretend it's supposed to be like this - ripped jeans are fashion anyway, right?
It is as difficult to leave Wutai Shan as it was to get here: we need to wait another day before there is a bus to Beijing. Instead of wandering around the other amazing temples, we decided to buy a truckload of food and stay in bed all day. That was definitely more enjoyable than any temple will ever be.
Hiking trail in Wutai Shan
Getting around is complicated
Temple
Temple
On the ridge near Wutai Shan
View from the East peak
Food in bed day
Delicious hot pot
Temple
Another temple
Close to the highest point
Our cute little snowman (we named him Simon)
We're on lots of random family pictures
Ripped at the folds...
Beijing, November 3-8, 2017
Yes! We reached Beijing, the end of the Transmongolian route! It has been an amazing journey to travel through Russia, Mongolia and China by train (and sometimes bus). Surprisingly, Emma and I haven't killed each other (yet) and will continue to travel from here towards Hong Kong and then fly to Thailand together. But first, things we did in Beijing:
Had a Great walk on the Wall! We decided to go to an unrenovated and officially closed part of the wall. This meant we had to do a long, steep and difficult hike through the forest before we finally reached the wall. Obviously, we couldn't just climb up from there (I mean, it was once built to keep out the Mongols...), so we paid 5 yuan to use a local's ladder. And, wow, what an amazing view we had as soon as we reached the top. The endless wall, the fairytale mountains, the mystical morning fog - it was just perfect.
Walked around in the city center and got lost in the Hutongs, the traditional narrow alleys with one story buildings that characterize historical Beijing.
Tried Peking duck in a recommended restaurant and it was delicious. The crispy duck is eaten with fresh veggies (or at least cucumber) and an amazing sauce, wrapped in a thin pancake. I sound like an expert here, but actually we made a complete fool of ourselves when the waitress explained to us how to to fill the pancake and neither Emma nor I were able to pick up a piece of cucumber with our chopsticks (too much pressure...)
Went to the 2011 Olympic sports park for a stroll. It was nice to see that this park, contrary to many other Olympic parks, is still being used for local recreation and competitions. While walking there, I witnessed a roller skating dance-off that looked very professional.
Had some drinks with locals in Sanlitun, the famous nightlife area with staggering alcohol prices.
We attempted to go to the Forbidden City, but were discouraged by the long line for the ticket office and the immense crowd. So, after a few minutes of queueing, we decided to leave. Instead, we went to District 798, Beijing's hipster area, where we treated ourselves to delicious snacks and expensive coffee.
Gorgeous unrenovated part of the Great Wall
Pretty Beijing
Climbing up the Great Wall
Renovated Wall, still gorgeous
Meh, we can't be bothered to queue
Skating competition in the Olympic Park
Don't remember what this was but looks tasty (the food)
Beijing Duck
Also great food
One of Beijing's famous Hutongs, narrow residential alleys right in the city center
Walking path on The Wall
Yeah, we were there!
Famous Chinese Air Quality & Industrialism
Hi hi hi
Don't faint after pooping!
More delicious Chinese food
Shanghai, November 9-11, 2017
Walked along the 'Bund', the famous waterfront on the west bank of the Huangpu river, with a view on the Shanghai skyline. Because of this incredible skyline and the many other modern buildings in the city, the ambience in Shanghai is quite different from the more historic Beijing.
When I was counting my change (more than 40 coins because I'm generally to lazy to use them) in front of a closed ticket desk, many Chinese people started to gather behind us. I tried to tell and show them that the ticket desk wasn't open, but before we knew it a serious line formed behind us.
Despite the smog, the noise and the crowds, we came to like Shanghai a lot. Mostly because there is SO MUCH FOOD here. Chinese pancakes, dumplings, rice cake, super yummy noodles - after these few days I have to use another hole on my belt...
When strolling through the city, we randomly found a market where they sell crickets to use in illegal cricket fights. These critters come in many shapes and sizes and there are straws provided to test how aggressive they are. Interesting.
We experienced Shanghai's nightlife and visited a local bar and club, learned to play a Chinese drinking game and played it a few times too many, made friends with people drinking champagne for the sole purpose of getting a glass - which we did, but it tasted horrible. Then of course, we spent the best part of the following day in bed with a killer hangover.
Visited the People's Park to walk around the controversial "Marriage market". Hundreds of parents are lined up here to display their son's or daughter's qualities, written on an A4 paper taped to an umbrella, all in the hope of finding someone willing to marry their child.
At the Bund!
Yu Garden - a famous historic garden in the center of Shanghai
The queue that formed behind us
People playing games on the streets of Shanghai
Shanghai street
Pick a winner cricket at the market
Marriage market
With our champagne.... it was a looong evening
Nanxun, Hangzhou & Huangshan, November 12-15, 2017
We went to Nanxun, one of the many ancient canal towns in the Shanghai region. These water villages are also called 'Venice of the East' and Nanxun definitely lives up to the expectations aroused by this name: it is just as charming, has picturesque waterways still in use by locals and it is far less touristic than the Venice of the West.
Buses in China can be terrible. People are singing, people are screaming, people are rasping and spitting: we have grown quite used to unpleasant Chinese habits. But the busride from Nanxun to Hangzhou showed us it can be even worse. We had a super aggressive busdriver that was honking 120 bpm and were forced to hear the very loud television broadcasting China's worst singers.
Made an unplanned visit to Hangzhou, because we had to transfer there anyway to get to Huangshan. We strolled around the West Lake, famous in China as a place to take wedding photos. So as we walked, we saw many, many brides and grooms, often more interesting and beautiful than the scenery.
On our second day in Hangzhou, something very special happened: it rained. We had not experienced (and not missed) rain for more than 1,5 months and actually, I had even forgotten about the possibility of water falling from the sky. Needless to say, neither of us had a raincoat with us, so we got wet and cold.
Took a bus to Huangshan, China's most celebrated mountain. It is famous for the stunning views of lush green peaks that rise above a fairytale fog. Unfortunately for us, this fog rose above the peaks when we were there, resulting in no views at all. We slept on top of the mountain in the hope of better weather the day after, but it did not clear up. The only bright side of the story: we did not have to wake up at 5:00 to watch the sunrise... Meh.
We went to a Korean restaurant and were instructed to write down our order. I tried my superbest to mimic the Korean characters only to find out that no one in the restaurant was actually able to read Korean. When asked to write the dishes in Chinese, I gave up as soon as I saw the first character (second line of the second dish you see in the picture).
Pretty bridge in Nanxun
One of the Hangzhou couples
There were lots of men carrying supplies up in Huangshan
Restaurant ordering challenge
Nanxun
Hangzhou
Huangshan - It was VERY misty
The walk was still beautiful
Guilin, Yangshuo & Xingping, November 16-20, 2017
Went from Huangshan to Guilin by train, an 18 hour experience that we won't soon forget. We were half asleep when purchasing tickets ("we want the cheapest one!"), which is why we got ourselves a seat instead of a bed on the night train. A hard seat on a Chinese train not only means trying to sleep in an awkward angle, but also guarantees a night filled with noise, people eating and spitting sunflower seeds, fluorescent lighting, mentally unstable elderly screaming while stumbling through the aisle and of course, as always, people staring at us, wonderful white creatures from the West.
Having no idea about what to do in Guilin, we randomly walked into a park that turned out to be the touristic highlight of the city. We visited the Seven-Star cave, which is artificially lit in all colours of the rainbow. All this lighting makes the cave feel touristic (and oh so very Chinese), but it is definitely enjoyable if you appreciate it for what it is: an artistic way to emphasize the beauty of unique rock formations. Fun fact: Because of all the lighting, there are actually a few plants growing deep inside the cave.
At the same park, we also spotted the very first monkeys of our trip! We loved watching the aggressive little bastards attack a Chinese family and then continued our walk with a stick in our hand, just in case.
Went to Yangshuo, where we booked a hostel with an outdoor pool, something we had been looking forward to for a long time. Unfortunately, we hadn't checked the weather beforehand and were dissapointed to find out that it was 13°C and raining. Oops.
Cycled from Yangshuo to the Lí river and admired the view of bamboo rafts on the meandering water, between the dramatic karst pinnacles. Then went back to the city to fill our bellies with spicy, delicious, and slightly creepy food at the night market.
Drank one wine too many while going out in Yangshuo, cheated when playing a few rounds of pool, stole McDonald's rubber ice cream examples and went back home on a broken scooter that was towed by another scooter.
Decided to go to Hong Kong, took a 30 minutes bus to the nearest train station and found out that there weren't any tickets for today. We didn't want to go all the way back to Yangshuo, so we went to the nearest village, Xingping. This turned out to be a very charming place, where we climbed a pinnacle to have a fantastic view over the river and mountains.
The Seven-Star Cave
Sun and Moon pagodas, Guilin
Yangshuo
Night market food
Rubber ice cream never melts
Stunning view in Xingping
Macau, November 22, 2017
We arrived in Hong Kong yesterday late afternoon and haven't seen anything of it yet, but decided to go for a daytrip to Macau today because it would be cheaper than in the weekend. So, we woke up very early to take two buses and a fast ferry and arrived in Macau around nine.
There is, of course, no better way to start a trip to Macau than with a nice morning gamble, so we put on our bitchy sunglasses, took the first free shuttle bus we saw, had it completely to ourselves, and ended up at The Venetian, one of Macau's most famous casino's. Wearing our jeans, muddy shoes and cheap t-shirts, we tried to pass security with a perfect pokerface. Of course, we were stopped - to check our ID. Once inside, we walked around until we found something simple enough and decided to place a bet of $10 at the roulette table. We more than doubled our bet before going ALL IN and then, unfortunately, lost it ALL.
After our humongous loss, we took some time to relax and brought a visit to Paris, Venice and Rome: everything is possible in Macau. We also laughed at the over the top furnishing and decoration, marble hallways, golden knickknacks and fancy toilets.
We then took another free shuttle bus to a casino close to the historic city center, but didn't enter the casino. That is how you win (or at least, don't lose) money. 💰
Had a nice shrimp wonton soup for lunch and walked around the city center for a looooong time, exploring tens of 'World Heritage' sites along the way. It was a great way to see and learn so much about Macau's colonial history.
Tried our luck once more at the roulette table, this time in the Grand Lisboa. Again, we doubled our bet before losing it all through a reckless gamble.
Tired and satisfied we returned to HK. We may have lost a whopping 20 dollars (€2,20) to gambling, we also gathered invaluable memories 😉
Turbo ferry to Macau
Average hallway in Macau
Ruins of St Paul, a former church in the city center. Only the façade is still standing, which make the ruins look beautiful from every perspective.
Poker face at the roulette table
Another Eiffel tower, only slightly bigger and better than the Krasnoyarsk fiasco
And suddenly, we were in Venice
Everything looked like this
The red numbers are our current speed, above a sign that the max vehicle speed is 80 km/h. So we can all check the driver, interesting...
... And that's it! After Macau we went back to Hong Kong, where unfortunately I was sick for a few days. We travelled onwards to explore Thailand, Cambodia and a tiny bit of Vietnam. But I got tired of keeping up my travel journal and whatever we experienced in South East Asia was never recorded in text...
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