I went to Macau yesterday. For those of you who don't know, it used to be a Portuguese colony up until 1999 (much like Hong Kong was a UK colony up until 1997).
It's a bit cleaner than Hong Kong and felt less packed. Everything's written in both Chinese and Portuguese (and often English too), but no one speaks Portuguese. I saw some old Portuguese architecture and met a few Americans and a Canadian.
Macau is know as Asia's Las Vegas. So, I figured I might as well play a bit. I find that gambling is for mathematically challenged people. So, I don't know why I decided to play. Anyway, after losing 5$ (USD) in five minutes, I wanted revenge and got up to almost 100$ in gains. I thought to myself "Just one more win and I'm outta here". That's how I found myself short 50$ five hours later. What a fucking waste of time and money. I still can't figure out why I played.
Oh well. Today I got a skeleton costume for the Halloween bash in Lan Kwai Fong. Though, I never got any news from the girls I met there last week. *Sigh*
2008-10-29
2008-10-26
Having a Blast in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of the rare cities that can compare to New York. So, for me, being here is great.
I visited a few touristy places that I hadn't had the chance to see the last time I was here. But, I have to admit that I enjoy the sheer density of the metropolis more than any of its particular sights or attractions.
I am now staying in another flat. Not because the last one was too small or shabby, but because they insisted that I give them the key to my room back every time I would go out. I came back pretty late once and there was no one at the counter. I tried opening the door to my room and found out that they had left it unlocked for me to be able to come back in. Now, that whole deal pissed me off. First, I should be allowed to keep my key. But, the real problem is that they left my room unlocked with all my stuff inside (including my passport). I didn't find that funny.
Hong Kong is so far ahead of the mainland. People drive properly; don't spit; can express their opinions; have fast and uncensored Net access; are mostly free from hawkers; use bathrooms to urinate and defecate; ... All it needs is potable tap water and it would be a First World nation within China.
I agree with Salman Rushdie when he says that "[Pornography is] a kind of standard-bearer for freedom, even civilisation." So, it fills my heart with peaceful warmth when I see all the porn (including some gay stuff) being displayed and sold on the streets here.
In a similar train of thought, I am amazed to see the number of "message parlors" and "saunas" in HK. It seems to me that all the Asian countries are far more into prostitution than Western countries. I wonder what social factors contribute to that reality.
On a more legitimate level, I find the women of HK less attractive than Mainlanders, in general. It wasn't until I went to Lan Kwai Fong (a party district favored by expats) that I saw many cute HK girls. Lan Kwai Fong is super cool. It's filled mostly by expats drinking and being rowdy on the streets in a joyful, drunken manner. It also has many girls fond of Westerners. So, basically, it's an area of plentiful drinking and intense flirting.
Some people were already dressed up in costumes in anticipation for Halloween. I'm told Halloween will be even crazier than what I saw last night. To give you an idea of how crazy this place is, on 1993-01-01, 21 people died of asphyxia in a crowd crush incident. Now, the police monitors the area a lot more to avoid any repeats. Still, the streets are packed with people. I'm so spending Halloween there!
The party in Lan Kwai Fong is more on the streets than in the clubs and bars. The local 7-Eleven makes a fortune by selling alcohol to merry people who want to party. I bought some drinks from the convenience store and started mingling. I ended up entertaining four ladies until 3:30am. I gave them my email address and hope to see them again. It would be great to have some friends in Hong Kong (and lovely ones at that).
I need to figure out what my Halloween costume will be...
I visited a few touristy places that I hadn't had the chance to see the last time I was here. But, I have to admit that I enjoy the sheer density of the metropolis more than any of its particular sights or attractions.
I am now staying in another flat. Not because the last one was too small or shabby, but because they insisted that I give them the key to my room back every time I would go out. I came back pretty late once and there was no one at the counter. I tried opening the door to my room and found out that they had left it unlocked for me to be able to come back in. Now, that whole deal pissed me off. First, I should be allowed to keep my key. But, the real problem is that they left my room unlocked with all my stuff inside (including my passport). I didn't find that funny.
Hong Kong is so far ahead of the mainland. People drive properly; don't spit; can express their opinions; have fast and uncensored Net access; are mostly free from hawkers; use bathrooms to urinate and defecate; ... All it needs is potable tap water and it would be a First World nation within China.
I agree with Salman Rushdie when he says that "[Pornography is] a kind of standard-bearer for freedom, even civilisation." So, it fills my heart with peaceful warmth when I see all the porn (including some gay stuff) being displayed and sold on the streets here.
In a similar train of thought, I am amazed to see the number of "message parlors" and "saunas" in HK. It seems to me that all the Asian countries are far more into prostitution than Western countries. I wonder what social factors contribute to that reality.
On a more legitimate level, I find the women of HK less attractive than Mainlanders, in general. It wasn't until I went to Lan Kwai Fong (a party district favored by expats) that I saw many cute HK girls. Lan Kwai Fong is super cool. It's filled mostly by expats drinking and being rowdy on the streets in a joyful, drunken manner. It also has many girls fond of Westerners. So, basically, it's an area of plentiful drinking and intense flirting.
Some people were already dressed up in costumes in anticipation for Halloween. I'm told Halloween will be even crazier than what I saw last night. To give you an idea of how crazy this place is, on 1993-01-01, 21 people died of asphyxia in a crowd crush incident. Now, the police monitors the area a lot more to avoid any repeats. Still, the streets are packed with people. I'm so spending Halloween there!
The party in Lan Kwai Fong is more on the streets than in the clubs and bars. The local 7-Eleven makes a fortune by selling alcohol to merry people who want to party. I bought some drinks from the convenience store and started mingling. I ended up entertaining four ladies until 3:30am. I gave them my email address and hope to see them again. It would be great to have some friends in Hong Kong (and lovely ones at that).
I need to figure out what my Halloween costume will be...
2008-10-24
Hardcore in Asia
My last night in mainland China turned out to be quite the experience...
I flew from Guilin to Shenzhen in order to go to Hong Kong. Flights to Hong Kong are WAY more expensive than flights to Shenzhen from China as HK is not really considered a domestic destination and is priced accordingly. I got in Shenzhen at night and there was a problem with my booking. After some fussing around, I found out that there weren't any rooms left in the hotel nor in surrounding hotels. By that time (it was already 3:00 am), I decided I might just as well wait for the metro to re-open (a bit after 6:00 am) and take it to go to Hong Kong.
At the station, I saw people sleeping on the stairs. In the spirit of light-hearted adventure, I decided to do the same. While trying to catch some sleep outside on the concrete of a foreign city, I came to appreciate my luck. I don't HAVE to sleep outside. If I want, I can just go to a hotel or get an apartment. Many people (especially in China) aren't that fortunate. The night was hot and I appreciated the breeze when there was one. Shenzhen still has mosquitoes, which wasn't too cool. While getting some shut-eye, I was thinking of all these basic things that I don't normally ever have to worry about when I want to sleep: mosquitoes, weather, strangers walking by, being clean...
I was the first person in the metro this morning. I took it all the way up to the end of the line. There, I walked out of mainland China (went through immigration) and into Hong Kong (went through immigration again). Then, I took the metro to the middle of Kowloon, where people I met at the hostel told me I could find cheap accomodation. I did: about 30$ per night. When I saw the room, I was shocked. It's small. The whole place (room + bathroom) is smaller than many Western bathrooms. And, although I didn't see rats or roaches, it isn't a shining example of cleanliness. Still, I took it. Partly to save money, but also to live like Hong Kong people normally live. Since the only window I have opens to a wall of crumbling bricks and since I was exhausted from my lack of sleep, I slept like a king in that tiny place.
I took my shower using the rudimentary plumbing available (with not-so-consistent hot water). Again, I was thrilled by the whole experience. This was all new for me. I was really happy for two reasons: I got to appreciate a lot better what I have in Canada and I was discovering a way of life that I could choose to ameliorate whenever I wanted.
It's way easier for a rich man to live like a poor one than for a poor man to live like a rich one. I felt all the freedom I have by choosing to live like someone who doesn't have my luck. Someone in the same living conditions as me, but without the power to live better cannot feel what I felt.
It's strange how, to appreciate the things around me, I had to make them be substantially crappier than what I'm used to. But now, I'm happy even with my flat with am area insufficient to fit a queen bed.
After waking up, I went out to explore Hong Kong. Ah, Hong Kong! I love the place so much. It's like New York, but denser. It's like Tokyo, but dirtier. Just being here fills me with joy.
Today, I am happy.
I flew from Guilin to Shenzhen in order to go to Hong Kong. Flights to Hong Kong are WAY more expensive than flights to Shenzhen from China as HK is not really considered a domestic destination and is priced accordingly. I got in Shenzhen at night and there was a problem with my booking. After some fussing around, I found out that there weren't any rooms left in the hotel nor in surrounding hotels. By that time (it was already 3:00 am), I decided I might just as well wait for the metro to re-open (a bit after 6:00 am) and take it to go to Hong Kong.
At the station, I saw people sleeping on the stairs. In the spirit of light-hearted adventure, I decided to do the same. While trying to catch some sleep outside on the concrete of a foreign city, I came to appreciate my luck. I don't HAVE to sleep outside. If I want, I can just go to a hotel or get an apartment. Many people (especially in China) aren't that fortunate. The night was hot and I appreciated the breeze when there was one. Shenzhen still has mosquitoes, which wasn't too cool. While getting some shut-eye, I was thinking of all these basic things that I don't normally ever have to worry about when I want to sleep: mosquitoes, weather, strangers walking by, being clean...
I was the first person in the metro this morning. I took it all the way up to the end of the line. There, I walked out of mainland China (went through immigration) and into Hong Kong (went through immigration again). Then, I took the metro to the middle of Kowloon, where people I met at the hostel told me I could find cheap accomodation. I did: about 30$ per night. When I saw the room, I was shocked. It's small. The whole place (room + bathroom) is smaller than many Western bathrooms. And, although I didn't see rats or roaches, it isn't a shining example of cleanliness. Still, I took it. Partly to save money, but also to live like Hong Kong people normally live. Since the only window I have opens to a wall of crumbling bricks and since I was exhausted from my lack of sleep, I slept like a king in that tiny place.
I took my shower using the rudimentary plumbing available (with not-so-consistent hot water). Again, I was thrilled by the whole experience. This was all new for me. I was really happy for two reasons: I got to appreciate a lot better what I have in Canada and I was discovering a way of life that I could choose to ameliorate whenever I wanted.
It's way easier for a rich man to live like a poor one than for a poor man to live like a rich one. I felt all the freedom I have by choosing to live like someone who doesn't have my luck. Someone in the same living conditions as me, but without the power to live better cannot feel what I felt.
It's strange how, to appreciate the things around me, I had to make them be substantially crappier than what I'm used to. But now, I'm happy even with my flat with am area insufficient to fit a queen bed.
After waking up, I went out to explore Hong Kong. Ah, Hong Kong! I love the place so much. It's like New York, but denser. It's like Tokyo, but dirtier. Just being here fills me with joy.
Today, I am happy.
2008-10-23
Some Final Thoughts on China
As I'm about to leave mainland China to go to Hong Kong, I am getting my third day of rain in three weeks and thus have the time to spew my thoughts onto the Web...
Just walking on China's Great Wall is hard. I can't imagine having to build it! I don't know how many people died to build it. (2 to 3 million people is the number I read on Wikipedia) It may be impressive, but it is not a testament to man's genius, but rather to tyranny and slavery. Then again, most ancient buildings are.
In China, a lot of places will make you pay for the bag in which you bring your groceries back. It's a way of making only those who don't reuse bags pay and to reduce waste. On the other hand, it can annoy customers.
In China, there are shitloads of useless jobs. Since labor is so cheap, many jobs that could easily be done by machines are still done by people. Why have a paper dispenser in the bathroom when you can have a guy give the paper to you? Why have tractors plow the land when there are endless Chinese to do it?
Bottles of wine that sell for under 2$ are worth even less. Big bottles of beer that sell for under 45 cents are really great, though!
As mentioned before, there are lots of people in China. And they congregate densely, even in small cities. So, you never have enough space to feel comfortable.
Money-counting machines are used everywhere because there are lots of counterfeit bills out there.
All the foreigners I meet are freaking out because their stocks and currencies have gown down in the past weeks.
I went to stay at a Youth Hostel in Guilin. It was a great way to exchange information and stories with other travelers. For 13$, I got my own room (complete with shower and crouch-style toilet where you can't throw in toilet paper [that psychologically constipated me]). I was somewhat happy to hear that I'm not the only one who cracks every now and then and just goes to McDonald's to get some "real" food instead of Chinese stuff. Sanitized meat, bread and condiments is exactly what you crave after days of eating dodgy parts of animals that come from God knows where.
I went around Guilin and Yangshuo and saw many caves and karst rock formations. One night, a girl claiming to want to be my friend followed me around. Of course, she just wanted to take me to a commerce where she could get a cut from what I'd buy. I told her I'd go to a restaurant with her if she could find a place where I could eat dog or cat. That night, I had my most expensive meal in China, but I ate some dog. You could actually still tell what part used to be the paw. Just wait until I get the pictures on the Net!
Just walking on China's Great Wall is hard. I can't imagine having to build it! I don't know how many people died to build it. (2 to 3 million people is the number I read on Wikipedia) It may be impressive, but it is not a testament to man's genius, but rather to tyranny and slavery. Then again, most ancient buildings are.
In China, a lot of places will make you pay for the bag in which you bring your groceries back. It's a way of making only those who don't reuse bags pay and to reduce waste. On the other hand, it can annoy customers.
In China, there are shitloads of useless jobs. Since labor is so cheap, many jobs that could easily be done by machines are still done by people. Why have a paper dispenser in the bathroom when you can have a guy give the paper to you? Why have tractors plow the land when there are endless Chinese to do it?
Bottles of wine that sell for under 2$ are worth even less. Big bottles of beer that sell for under 45 cents are really great, though!
As mentioned before, there are lots of people in China. And they congregate densely, even in small cities. So, you never have enough space to feel comfortable.
Money-counting machines are used everywhere because there are lots of counterfeit bills out there.
All the foreigners I meet are freaking out because their stocks and currencies have gown down in the past weeks.
I went to stay at a Youth Hostel in Guilin. It was a great way to exchange information and stories with other travelers. For 13$, I got my own room (complete with shower and crouch-style toilet where you can't throw in toilet paper [that psychologically constipated me]). I was somewhat happy to hear that I'm not the only one who cracks every now and then and just goes to McDonald's to get some "real" food instead of Chinese stuff. Sanitized meat, bread and condiments is exactly what you crave after days of eating dodgy parts of animals that come from God knows where.
I went around Guilin and Yangshuo and saw many caves and karst rock formations. One night, a girl claiming to want to be my friend followed me around. Of course, she just wanted to take me to a commerce where she could get a cut from what I'd buy. I told her I'd go to a restaurant with her if she could find a place where I could eat dog or cat. That night, I had my most expensive meal in China, but I ate some dog. You could actually still tell what part used to be the paw. Just wait until I get the pictures on the Net!
2008-10-20
Some Final Thoughts on Shanghai
I heard that Shanghai is sometimes called the Whore of Asia. With the number of prostitutes there, it wouldn't be a misnomer. So many massage parlors look very shady (i.e., with scantely clad young ladies rubbing themselves on the windows when men walk by); so many "hair salons" are opened all night long and I've haven't been harassed so much by touts to get "lady massage", except maybe in Thailand. Well, overall, China seems to be quite a "pimping" place in general.
A weird episode occured in the elevator to my serviced apartment in Shanghai. There was this guy listening to a crap MP3 from the speaker of his cell phone (I hate losers who do that). He was also singing along. I could barely control myself from telling the guy to turn off his damn thing when all the other people on the elevator starting along in a cult-like manner.
I haggled a pair of shoes from 360RMB down to 70RMB. I think I bought the shoes more because I got the price down so much than because I really wanted them.
On my way out of Shanghai, I took the maglev train to go to the aiport. That train is pretty cool: it hovers over the tracks without touching them through magnetic levitation (hence its name). The peak velocity was 431km/h. Pretty sweet. Imagine having Montreal, Toronto, Boston and New York linked by something like that.
A weird episode occured in the elevator to my serviced apartment in Shanghai. There was this guy listening to a crap MP3 from the speaker of his cell phone (I hate losers who do that). He was also singing along. I could barely control myself from telling the guy to turn off his damn thing when all the other people on the elevator starting along in a cult-like manner.
I haggled a pair of shoes from 360RMB down to 70RMB. I think I bought the shoes more because I got the price down so much than because I really wanted them.
On my way out of Shanghai, I took the maglev train to go to the aiport. That train is pretty cool: it hovers over the tracks without touching them through magnetic levitation (hence its name). The peak velocity was 431km/h. Pretty sweet. Imagine having Montreal, Toronto, Boston and New York linked by something like that.
2008-10-14
Hangzhou & Observations on China
Today, I made a day-trip to Hangzhou. It's one of the top destinations for domestic tourists in China. Its most famous feature is the West Lake. The site is full of natural beauty enhanced by landscaping, temples, man-made islands and causeways. It's reminescent of Bei Hai and the Summer Palace in Beijing, except that it's way bigger. Even though I've nearly died of an overdose of Chinese gardens in Beijing, I still enjoyed my stroll around the West Lake today. The beauty of the place explains the hordes of couples taking their wedding pictures in the area.
Now, here are some miscellaneous observations I made in the past days...
1) Electric bikes
There are lots of bikes and scooters in China. Now, many of them are electric. No need to buy gas and no need to pollute. For both electric bikes and scooters, the driver can pedal to save the battery (and probably recharge it) and then use the electric engine for another while.
2) TV
TV sucks in China. Half the channels are from CCTV (China Central TeleVision), the government's TV organization. The news are subject to government censorship and the shows are boring. IPTV (TV sent over Internet) is very popular in China. Some hotels have IP setup boxes. The quality of the image is iffy, though, and the signal often chokes due to network congestion. However, these IPTV's find there way all over: in buses; at bus stops, ... In taxis, you can also find TV with digital content (mostly ads) to "entertain" the passengers.
3) Noise pollution
China is not unlike Japan in that is it a noisy country. TV's too often send you not only their images, but also their unwanted sounds. Music is often played on sound systems in historic places to create a mood (but only manage to turn the authentic in to the tackey). Car drivers honk not only to warn of danger, but also just to let others know of their presence.
4) Lots of people
We all know there are lots of Chinese. But, this really sunk in for me when I traveled from Shanghai to Hangzhou by train. The route is about 150km. At no point was there a lack of human settlements for the whole journey. Imagine going from Montreal to Ottawa and seeing houses and buildings all along the way.
Now, here are some miscellaneous observations I made in the past days...
1) Electric bikes
There are lots of bikes and scooters in China. Now, many of them are electric. No need to buy gas and no need to pollute. For both electric bikes and scooters, the driver can pedal to save the battery (and probably recharge it) and then use the electric engine for another while.
2) TV
TV sucks in China. Half the channels are from CCTV (China Central TeleVision), the government's TV organization. The news are subject to government censorship and the shows are boring. IPTV (TV sent over Internet) is very popular in China. Some hotels have IP setup boxes. The quality of the image is iffy, though, and the signal often chokes due to network congestion. However, these IPTV's find there way all over: in buses; at bus stops, ... In taxis, you can also find TV with digital content (mostly ads) to "entertain" the passengers.
3) Noise pollution
China is not unlike Japan in that is it a noisy country. TV's too often send you not only their images, but also their unwanted sounds. Music is often played on sound systems in historic places to create a mood (but only manage to turn the authentic in to the tackey). Car drivers honk not only to warn of danger, but also just to let others know of their presence.
4) Lots of people
We all know there are lots of Chinese. But, this really sunk in for me when I traveled from Shanghai to Hangzhou by train. The route is about 150km. At no point was there a lack of human settlements for the whole journey. Imagine going from Montreal to Ottawa and seeing houses and buildings all along the way.
2008-10-13
Shanghai is Cool
Let's make it official: Beijing sucks. It's full of peasants, savages and communists.
I was afraid to be disappointed with China until I came to Shanghai.
Shanghai redeemed China in my eyes.
I'd feel right at home here if it weren't for the fact that people spot me as a foreigner from a mile away and that I'm handicapped by not knowing the local languages.
One nasty thing, though, is that many touts try to sell me watches, bags or (when I'm not with my local female friend) "lady massages". I simply don't acknowledge their existence and they quickly lose interest in me. One insisted, though, and was grabbing me and violating my living space. I raised my hand instinctively. But, I pitied him and felt so sad for him. It must be a terrible existence to be lowered to being a nuisance like this to be able to subsist. Anyway, he left me alone without nothing bad happening. I look at all the people trying to sell useless stuff and I can't help but feel bad for them.
On Saturday, I moved from a simple hotel room to a serviced apartment. It's quite a nice place with an amazing view.
That night, I went out with my friend and a friend of hers. We went to a hip joint where the cover charge and the drinks are more expensive than in Montreal. They were playing American R&B, which is not my cup of tea. However, the women were amazingly beautiful. I'm talking model material.
Yesterday, after seeing panicking brokers on the front pages of newspapers for a week, I decided to check my stocks portfolio for the first time since I left Canada. I lost around 20 thousand dollars in two weeks. That got me in a depressed mood.
In the evening, I was in "my" apartment looking at "my" city with "my" girl and I felt happy for a moment... Just the time to realize that this is just an illusion; that I don't live in Shanghai (nor anywhere else at the moment); that I am not in a long-term relationship with any girl; that I don't have a job nor a place where I belong. It's freedom, but it's scary.
I was afraid to be disappointed with China until I came to Shanghai.
Shanghai redeemed China in my eyes.
I'd feel right at home here if it weren't for the fact that people spot me as a foreigner from a mile away and that I'm handicapped by not knowing the local languages.
One nasty thing, though, is that many touts try to sell me watches, bags or (when I'm not with my local female friend) "lady massages". I simply don't acknowledge their existence and they quickly lose interest in me. One insisted, though, and was grabbing me and violating my living space. I raised my hand instinctively. But, I pitied him and felt so sad for him. It must be a terrible existence to be lowered to being a nuisance like this to be able to subsist. Anyway, he left me alone without nothing bad happening. I look at all the people trying to sell useless stuff and I can't help but feel bad for them.
On Saturday, I moved from a simple hotel room to a serviced apartment. It's quite a nice place with an amazing view.
That night, I went out with my friend and a friend of hers. We went to a hip joint where the cover charge and the drinks are more expensive than in Montreal. They were playing American R&B, which is not my cup of tea. However, the women were amazingly beautiful. I'm talking model material.
Yesterday, after seeing panicking brokers on the front pages of newspapers for a week, I decided to check my stocks portfolio for the first time since I left Canada. I lost around 20 thousand dollars in two weeks. That got me in a depressed mood.
In the evening, I was in "my" apartment looking at "my" city with "my" girl and I felt happy for a moment... Just the time to realize that this is just an illusion; that I don't live in Shanghai (nor anywhere else at the moment); that I am not in a long-term relationship with any girl; that I don't have a job nor a place where I belong. It's freedom, but it's scary.
2008-10-10
Out with Xian; In with Shanghai
During my last night in Xian, while I was about to fall sleep in my hotel room, I got a call from a woman asking me if I wanted a massage. I said that I didn't want one and hung up. Then, I realized that no legitimate employee of the hotel would call patrons at this time of night for a massage and that I just had a call from a prostitute who was looking a customer. A few seconds later, I heard the phone in the next room ring. That's pretty aggressive marketing!
The next day, I did manage to get a flight to Shanghai at a local price.
Today, I spent the whole day exploring Shanghai. So far, it's the coolest city of my trip. This is what China should be. It's up there with Hong Kong in my opinion. It reminds me a bit of Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York all mixed together.
People nearly never spit here and their accent / dialect is more pleasant to the ear. Also, many people have a respectable sense of fashion here and I get a feeling that, in general, citizens of this city are more with it.
The skyline is nice to look at (especially at night when all the lights are shining, flashing and competing for your attention).
The next day, I did manage to get a flight to Shanghai at a local price.
Today, I spent the whole day exploring Shanghai. So far, it's the coolest city of my trip. This is what China should be. It's up there with Hong Kong in my opinion. It reminds me a bit of Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York all mixed together.
People nearly never spit here and their accent / dialect is more pleasant to the ear. Also, many people have a respectable sense of fashion here and I get a feeling that, in general, citizens of this city are more with it.
The skyline is nice to look at (especially at night when all the lights are shining, flashing and competing for your attention).
2008-10-08
Xian
I landed in Xian last night. Today, I visited the Terra-Cotta Warriors. I should be thrilled, but I've seen so many UNESCO World Heritage sites now that it's hard for me to care.
Other than that, I explored Xian a bit. I get a better feeling from this city than from Beijing. Xian seems more vibrant and happening even though it's smaller and further inland. People are more beautiful and fashionable here. The pollution isn't nearly as bad as in the capital and people even seem to spit less.
I'm trying to book a flight out of here for tomorrow. All the Chinese sites suck shit and either crap out or put up processes that make it prohibitive to book online. Travel agents don't speak English. I'm left with Western sites, which sell flights at double the local price... I'll try again with some Chinese sites that crapped out tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I'll go and try to mime to a travel agent that I want to go to Shanghai.
I miss being able to drink tap water.
Other than that, I explored Xian a bit. I get a better feeling from this city than from Beijing. Xian seems more vibrant and happening even though it's smaller and further inland. People are more beautiful and fashionable here. The pollution isn't nearly as bad as in the capital and people even seem to spit less.
I'm trying to book a flight out of here for tomorrow. All the Chinese sites suck shit and either crap out or put up processes that make it prohibitive to book online. Travel agents don't speak English. I'm left with Western sites, which sell flights at double the local price... I'll try again with some Chinese sites that crapped out tomorrow. If that doesn't work, I'll go and try to mime to a travel agent that I want to go to Shanghai.
I miss being able to drink tap water.
2008-10-06
Beijing Annoyances
Here are some things that annoy me about Beijing...
1) The smog
I had two days in my week-long stay where I could actually see the blue of the sky. The rest was smog and two days of rain. When it rains, you can actually see further than on a "clear" day of smog.
2) Transportation
The metro system is often overcrowded. Buses can be even worst. Tickets you buy for the metro are only good for the station where you bought them and only for the day you bought them. Thus, you always have to line up to get tickets (unless you buy a special card with a chip). Also, if you take a bag with you, you have to have it scanned in an X-ray machine before going in the subway stations. China is even worst than the USA in terms of invasion of privacy and government control over the population. Cars have many lanes to circulate, but traffic is dangerous and cars pollute the hell out of Beijing. Cars literally park on sidewalks and, although driving in China is insane, many drivers can't really drive (as I can gather from the all the "help the parker" sessions I saw). Taxis are almost always out to rob you. Pedicabs are worst and completely unlicensed and unregulated. I got in a ride with one who asked me "3 money" to go where I wanted. When I got there, he said "No! No! THREE MONEY! Three hundred yuan!". That's a 10000% difference from what I expected to pay. With 300 yuans, I could ride the train from Beijing to Shanghai. Since the dude has no license, there is no number I can call to denounce him. So, I just assumed a fighting position and told him he would need to come and get the money from my pockets. He was a bit surprised. Then I started shouting at him and telling him that my secret dream is to beat up a dishonest cab driver in Asia. He quickly told me "Okay! Okay! Give me what you want!". So I gave him 3 yuans. I thought that was pretty good bargaining on my part. Then, when he was gone, I realized I should have told him "Give you what I want to give you? I want to give you a kick in the teeth!". Maybe that way, I could have realized that dream of mine. Anyway, people on the street where the incident happened were all friendly with me after the pedicab disappeared.
3) The tourist infrastructure
Even for big common attractions, it's sometimes hard to find ways to get there. Nobody speaks English enough to be truly useful. Information is hard to get by. Tourist sites are often polluted by speakers that output crap music, signs that ruins the traditional feel and such... I think the government should leave more place for private enterprise in these matters. There is lots of money to be made in addressing these problems.
4) Spitting
What's up with all the spitting? Why do people spit all the time?
5) Mandarin
After a week of hearing almost only Mandarin, I realize just how bad it sounds. It's not musical or harmonious. Hell, I even find myself wishing I was surrounded by Japanese or German people instead. Even those languages would sound more poetic. Beijing Mandarin sounds either stupid or aggressive. It's at its worst when people are having stupid arguments.
6) Beauty, style and fashion
The women here are not as pretty as the Chinese ones we have in Canada. Many have bad skin, bad hair (I HATE permed hair) or bad clothes. A surprising number of them are fat too. That's all strange given that none of these seem to be major issues in Thailand, where people have less money. It might be a mix of nature and nurture. I think Beijing women just have a misguided sense of fashion.
7) Warm drinks
At breakfast, I wanted to get some orange juice. I got it, but steaming hot. What the fuck!? I asked for some water instead of tea during dinner, and they brought me hot water. I'm just not used to this. Once, I had lunch with a friend of a friend and had cold Sprite. The person I was with told me that the couple sitting next to us found me very strange because I was drinking something cold with my warm meal.
That's it for my peeves for now.
Other than that, I'm trying more strange food (with mixed results); another family took a picture with me because I'm white (this time, at my hotel) and I went to the Great Wall:
1) The smog
I had two days in my week-long stay where I could actually see the blue of the sky. The rest was smog and two days of rain. When it rains, you can actually see further than on a "clear" day of smog.
2) Transportation
The metro system is often overcrowded. Buses can be even worst. Tickets you buy for the metro are only good for the station where you bought them and only for the day you bought them. Thus, you always have to line up to get tickets (unless you buy a special card with a chip). Also, if you take a bag with you, you have to have it scanned in an X-ray machine before going in the subway stations. China is even worst than the USA in terms of invasion of privacy and government control over the population. Cars have many lanes to circulate, but traffic is dangerous and cars pollute the hell out of Beijing. Cars literally park on sidewalks and, although driving in China is insane, many drivers can't really drive (as I can gather from the all the "help the parker" sessions I saw). Taxis are almost always out to rob you. Pedicabs are worst and completely unlicensed and unregulated. I got in a ride with one who asked me "3 money" to go where I wanted. When I got there, he said "No! No! THREE MONEY! Three hundred yuan!". That's a 10000% difference from what I expected to pay. With 300 yuans, I could ride the train from Beijing to Shanghai. Since the dude has no license, there is no number I can call to denounce him. So, I just assumed a fighting position and told him he would need to come and get the money from my pockets. He was a bit surprised. Then I started shouting at him and telling him that my secret dream is to beat up a dishonest cab driver in Asia. He quickly told me "Okay! Okay! Give me what you want!". So I gave him 3 yuans. I thought that was pretty good bargaining on my part. Then, when he was gone, I realized I should have told him "Give you what I want to give you? I want to give you a kick in the teeth!". Maybe that way, I could have realized that dream of mine. Anyway, people on the street where the incident happened were all friendly with me after the pedicab disappeared.
3) The tourist infrastructure
Even for big common attractions, it's sometimes hard to find ways to get there. Nobody speaks English enough to be truly useful. Information is hard to get by. Tourist sites are often polluted by speakers that output crap music, signs that ruins the traditional feel and such... I think the government should leave more place for private enterprise in these matters. There is lots of money to be made in addressing these problems.
4) Spitting
What's up with all the spitting? Why do people spit all the time?
5) Mandarin
After a week of hearing almost only Mandarin, I realize just how bad it sounds. It's not musical or harmonious. Hell, I even find myself wishing I was surrounded by Japanese or German people instead. Even those languages would sound more poetic. Beijing Mandarin sounds either stupid or aggressive. It's at its worst when people are having stupid arguments.
6) Beauty, style and fashion
The women here are not as pretty as the Chinese ones we have in Canada. Many have bad skin, bad hair (I HATE permed hair) or bad clothes. A surprising number of them are fat too. That's all strange given that none of these seem to be major issues in Thailand, where people have less money. It might be a mix of nature and nurture. I think Beijing women just have a misguided sense of fashion.
7) Warm drinks
At breakfast, I wanted to get some orange juice. I got it, but steaming hot. What the fuck!? I asked for some water instead of tea during dinner, and they brought me hot water. I'm just not used to this. Once, I had lunch with a friend of a friend and had cold Sprite. The person I was with told me that the couple sitting next to us found me very strange because I was drinking something cold with my warm meal.
That's it for my peeves for now.
Other than that, I'm trying more strange food (with mixed results); another family took a picture with me because I'm white (this time, at my hotel) and I went to the Great Wall:
2008-10-02
Third Day in China
I went to the Forbidden City today. It's pretty huge. But, I'm now officially jaded of temples, palaces and other such venues. I also went to Tiananmen Square.
Chinese officials are really a bunch of dumbasses. Because it's a huge holiday in China, they close a bunch of metro stations and national places of interest and also start controlling pedestrian traffic in ridiculous ways at certain places. What they should do instead is extend the opening hours of the places of interest and make going about easier, not harder.
Today, I noticed that many people, especially girls, pretend to take pictures of something in my general direction so as to be able to take a picture of me. I "caught" two girls doing so near the Mao Mausoleum and they then started laughing in a shy way. Then, they showed me the picture they took of me.
I'm having a hard time finding good food. I can't read Chinese and it's hard for me to tell the people what I want to eat in a way they understand. When I go in restaurant with pictures of their food, it all looks disgusting to me. I'll have to get some help from one of my contacts to get some nice food.
Chinese officials are really a bunch of dumbasses. Because it's a huge holiday in China, they close a bunch of metro stations and national places of interest and also start controlling pedestrian traffic in ridiculous ways at certain places. What they should do instead is extend the opening hours of the places of interest and make going about easier, not harder.
Today, I noticed that many people, especially girls, pretend to take pictures of something in my general direction so as to be able to take a picture of me. I "caught" two girls doing so near the Mao Mausoleum and they then started laughing in a shy way. Then, they showed me the picture they took of me.
I'm having a hard time finding good food. I can't read Chinese and it's hard for me to tell the people what I want to eat in a way they understand. When I go in restaurant with pictures of their food, it all looks disgusting to me. I'll have to get some help from one of my contacts to get some nice food.
2008-10-01
Second Day in Beijing
After spending a bit more time in Beijing, some of the original glow has gone away. It's not as bad as some people might have you believe, but Beijing is still far from being a first-world country capital.
Despite government efforts to eliminate spitting, it remains a popular activity of the locals. Also, you will still sometimes see aberrations like a 3 or 4 year-old girl being told by her father not to be shy to take a piss on the sidewalk, right next to a metro station (I wish I could have taken a picture of that without the risk of ticking off the father).
The roads are not as orderly as they first seemed to me yesterday. I did see a moron with his motorcycle going the wrong way on a major road. Also, cars won't stop for pedestrians. Cars on two-way streets that want to turn left don't give right of way to traffic coming the other way. Everything just works by ad hoc reactions. Taxis hide seatbelt buckles under a sheet that's meant to protect the backseat from getting dirty.
A lot of people seem clueless. Just as Japan would be more efficient if it was less organized, China would be more efficient if it was more organized.
By far, the biggest problem in Beijing is smog. It's bad. Really bad. It's an order of magnitude worst than Mexico City (which is itself pretty bad to start with). It's so bad in fact that it's impossible for me to really get a big picture of the city as I can't ever see more than a few blocks away.
Today, I went to see a few temples (BORING!) and the olympic stadium. Many people utter the word laowai ("foreigner") when talking to each other around me. Children are more direct and will sometimes say to me stuff like "Ni hao, laowai" ("Hello, foreigner!") or show off their two or three words of English to me. One was particularly funny because after saying "Hello! How are you?" (and not understanding my reply), she had her family take a picture of me with her. It's interesting to be the subject of such fascination.
I met a Korean friend that I had last seen in Seoul two years ago. She now works here as an English teacher. I had quite a pain finding her place and went into a few wrong buildings before ringing the bell at her apartment. However, she was waiting for me somewhere else. So, I tried finding a phone to call her. There wasn't any around. Then, I asked a small gang of Sino-Koreans if they could help me. They lent me their cell phone. When I failed to reach her by phone, I asked if there was an Internet cafe where I could check my email. One of them took me several blocks away to show me where the Internet cafe is. Then, she helped me buy some online time and log on. She also offered her ID card at the Internet cafe. In China, you need to provide ID to gain access to the Internet. That way, if you rant against the government online, they can track you down. Before I actually got to go online, the two other Sino-Koreans joined us in the Internet cafe; they had gotten a call from my friend on their cell phone which I had used to try to reach her. Then, after giving me the chance to speak with her, they took me to her location. All this attention and care from total strangers! I love being white! :)
My friend, her boyfriend and I had a Korean dinner and talked about our lives and such. I learned from them that, in China, you pre-pay your electricity with cards. (A bit like you pre-pay pay-as-go cell phones in North America) They had forgotten to top-up their electricity credits and had just gotten cut off. I guess such a system makes sense in a market where many people would otherwise give late payments. In first-world countries, however, such a system would make electricity companies lose money because of absence of service to all the people who can pay on time but just forgot to top up their credits.
On my way back from seeing them, the taxi driver "made a mistake" in his route to my destination and wanted me to pay extra for his "mistake". This is the third time a cab driver tries to screw me in Asia. The two previous ones never got a penny from me. This one got the money he would have gotten if he had taken the normal route to my destination because he made it clear that he wanted me to forget about the whole thing when I took his driver ID and told him I would report him to the tourist police. One of my secret dreams is to bash the brains in of a dishonest taxi driver in Asia. Maybe next time.
Despite government efforts to eliminate spitting, it remains a popular activity of the locals. Also, you will still sometimes see aberrations like a 3 or 4 year-old girl being told by her father not to be shy to take a piss on the sidewalk, right next to a metro station (I wish I could have taken a picture of that without the risk of ticking off the father).
The roads are not as orderly as they first seemed to me yesterday. I did see a moron with his motorcycle going the wrong way on a major road. Also, cars won't stop for pedestrians. Cars on two-way streets that want to turn left don't give right of way to traffic coming the other way. Everything just works by ad hoc reactions. Taxis hide seatbelt buckles under a sheet that's meant to protect the backseat from getting dirty.
A lot of people seem clueless. Just as Japan would be more efficient if it was less organized, China would be more efficient if it was more organized.
By far, the biggest problem in Beijing is smog. It's bad. Really bad. It's an order of magnitude worst than Mexico City (which is itself pretty bad to start with). It's so bad in fact that it's impossible for me to really get a big picture of the city as I can't ever see more than a few blocks away.
Today, I went to see a few temples (BORING!) and the olympic stadium. Many people utter the word laowai ("foreigner") when talking to each other around me. Children are more direct and will sometimes say to me stuff like "Ni hao, laowai" ("Hello, foreigner!") or show off their two or three words of English to me. One was particularly funny because after saying "Hello! How are you?" (and not understanding my reply), she had her family take a picture of me with her. It's interesting to be the subject of such fascination.
I met a Korean friend that I had last seen in Seoul two years ago. She now works here as an English teacher. I had quite a pain finding her place and went into a few wrong buildings before ringing the bell at her apartment. However, she was waiting for me somewhere else. So, I tried finding a phone to call her. There wasn't any around. Then, I asked a small gang of Sino-Koreans if they could help me. They lent me their cell phone. When I failed to reach her by phone, I asked if there was an Internet cafe where I could check my email. One of them took me several blocks away to show me where the Internet cafe is. Then, she helped me buy some online time and log on. She also offered her ID card at the Internet cafe. In China, you need to provide ID to gain access to the Internet. That way, if you rant against the government online, they can track you down. Before I actually got to go online, the two other Sino-Koreans joined us in the Internet cafe; they had gotten a call from my friend on their cell phone which I had used to try to reach her. Then, after giving me the chance to speak with her, they took me to her location. All this attention and care from total strangers! I love being white! :)
My friend, her boyfriend and I had a Korean dinner and talked about our lives and such. I learned from them that, in China, you pre-pay your electricity with cards. (A bit like you pre-pay pay-as-go cell phones in North America) They had forgotten to top-up their electricity credits and had just gotten cut off. I guess such a system makes sense in a market where many people would otherwise give late payments. In first-world countries, however, such a system would make electricity companies lose money because of absence of service to all the people who can pay on time but just forgot to top up their credits.
On my way back from seeing them, the taxi driver "made a mistake" in his route to my destination and wanted me to pay extra for his "mistake". This is the third time a cab driver tries to screw me in Asia. The two previous ones never got a penny from me. This one got the money he would have gotten if he had taken the normal route to my destination because he made it clear that he wanted me to forget about the whole thing when I took his driver ID and told him I would report him to the tourist police. One of my secret dreams is to bash the brains in of a dishonest taxi driver in Asia. Maybe next time.
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