7 Days in China

Well what a week it’s been for a while there we thought that this blog would not make the net. China does not permit blogging and all sites are blocked. Have inserted some photos from the Mekong trip which we didn't have in time for the last blog. Our experiences in China over the past week may appear very negative and perhaps our naivety shows through, however it has been such a surprise, disappointment and contrast to the rest of Asia we have experienced so far.  China is a progressive modern country economically and industrially but socially is way behind the rest of SE Asia. They are very insular, rude and appear to be ignorant of anything outside their country other than commercial brands and designer clothes even if the spelling is different. Below is our 7 day (intended 57 days) in China.

John inspecting the quality of work in the village

We were hoping to take the slow boat to China via the Mekong River, again, but due to a lack of numbers (now quite understandable) the service was cancelled. Instead we caught the SLOW bus to China from Huay Xia (Laos) to Jinghong. Thinking that the buses couldn’t get any worse than the one to Luang Prabang we were unpleasantly surprised to see what our 12hr journey entailed. Crossing the border into China and the scenery were the only pleasures of the day. Having to tolerate constant spewing and spitting the entire trip we finally arrived in Jinghong on dark in the pouring rain. The nightmare continued, finding that no-one could speak or understand a single word of English and all signs other than a few street signs were in Chinese script. We caught a tuktuk to nowhere as he couldn’t find our accommodation even though we showed him the name in Chinese script (Lonely Planet has Chinese script for everything and place in the book). We began roaming the streets and eventually found a place to stay, with intentions of securing better accommodation the next day. The room was big and comfortable but the bathroom had a squat toilet and a very unpleasant odour. All communication was done with hand signals. Our next day was sunny and we explored the main streets, organised bus tickets to Kunming and organised a phone card with the help of a food stall young lady who spoke perfect English, she had been to university and when asked why she was working a food stall her reply was she didn’t wish to be a white collar worker. The phone card proved to be a waste of money as the balance check was spoken in Chinese unlike all other cards so far which display the value on the screen, again lack of basic communications did not help. Found a couple of decent restaurants however the food was not a match on Thailand’s.

Water Buffalo along the Mekong River

Arrived at the bus station the next day early hoping the next stage would be better. After getting on the bus (thankfully much better than the last), we were each handed a plastic bag, thinking it was for our rubbish (as one would). How wrong we were!! Instead they were for people to spit in, men and women alike! A filthy, dirty Chinese habit that must predate western history.  As the 10hr trip unfolded John began to feel the effects of a Chinese belly upset, cause unknown. About an hour into the trip the bus was pulled over by police in army uniform, one sporting an AK47 assault rifle. They boarded the bus and intimidatingly demanded identification from everyone and then after some bickering everyone was ordered off the bus except us, whereby luggage was removed and searched thoroughly. John decided to get off to watch proceedings but decided it wise not to photograph, he did however confirm which luggage belonged to us which they declined to search. This was lucky as John’s bag was full of drugs (prescription of course!!!). This whole procedure took about an hour before the bus was allowed to move on.  The trip continued, the lunch/toilet stop was a memorable experience, unfortunately, and is an entire story on its own (we hear that tourists describe toilet experiences in China like war veterans discuss battles). We arrived at Kunming an hour before dark and eventually found out that the bus stopped approx 20+ km out of town. From here we had to catch a local bus, thanks to some very basic communications and again hand signals with a security guard. We finally arrived in the city centre and by this time John was feeling much worse for wear, vowing never to catch another Chinese bus again, we then headed for the first decent hotel we could find which just happened to be the Marriot, expensive but very nice after our ordeal. Surprisingly, even at the Marriot, English is extremely basic and at the information/ tourist desk non-existent.

Taste testing the local rice whiskey with our guide Kee in foreground

After some R&R and further investigations into getting around China we felt that we were constantly running into brick walls, frustrated and bewildered by this TOTALLY different Asian country, from our previous experiences we’ve had to date. It seemed fruitless to continue through China on our own so we reluctantly decided to cut and run. In our opinion the only ways to see China is on an organised tour or hire your own Chinese guide for the duration. You can’t even arrange your own transport other than buses and trains, you must go through an agent and pay at least twice the local rate an issue not raised in Lonely Planet book. After two days at the Marriot we headed down to the accommodation we originally planned to stay (recommended by Lonely Planet), it was very comfortable and cost effective.

Kunming, China. A small provincial city

We decided to fly back to Vientiane in Laos where we could continue on our journey but in the reverse direction. It took another 3 days before we could catch a flight so we had to fill in some time. Because of the language barrier and size of Kunming (size of Brisbane and approx  6 million people) it was impossible to visit any sights on our own so a highlight was a visit to Carrefour (French supermarket chain worldwide). Unlike all others we had visited in SE Asia this one stocked some  local delicacies such as live toads, tortoises and what looked like skinned cats dead thankfully in the poultry section. Cleaning was very thorough in the meat and vegetable section as we witnessed the same mop being used to not only clean the floor but cutting benches as well. No wonder I was sick still and the locals are always coughing and spitting.

Fancy a cuppa? Tea bundles in China

Everyone is used to beautiful Chinese food around the world, however this is not the case in Kunming, Jinghong or probably the whole of China, surprisingly its bland, tasteless and meat if any very dubious. One dish we had was ordered from pictures as no English and it looked like chillied chicken. It was chicken but not the flesh it was chicken stomachs sliced similar to the way we dissected them in Biology classes. Chicken feet dishes were also very popular. Other dishes were inedible. Thankfully the rice was ok.

What a contrast the old and new of China

Besides the hazards of eating in China, walking down the footpath is dangerous as it’s where the electric motorcycles are allowed to traverse whenever they feel like moving of the road to avoid the traffic jams. You can’t hear them approach and when close they beep their horns and head straight for you, making you leap out of the way.

Well the day finally arrived so it was up early to avoid the worst of the traffic jams. We headed to reception to check out, collect our key deposit and arrange a taxi for the airport. When asked if she could call us a taxi the receptionist said in chinglish it was not hotel policy and that we could go out to the front street and hail one. John said it was Monday morning and raining it would be unlikely that any taxi would stop for a couple of wet foreigners with luggage. She just smiled and turned her back. Luckily a taxi turned up that minute at the entry to drop of a local guest. We just about flew in through the doors and indicated the airport on our map. No way was he leaving without us. Off we went and 30 minutes later stage 1 of our escape was complete.

Exit stage left

Stage 2 was completed after an airport bus trip to a distant part of the runway as Laos Airways is not permitted direct access to the terminal. Once in the plane the boot was on the other foot and we took great pleasure in seeing the frustration of the Chinese passengers who could not fill in their Laos arrival paperwork as it was in Lao and English. We were welcomed with a smile and the best flight food with endless coffee we have ever experienced.

Victory Monument  Vientiane, Laos
Know as the vertical runway as built with concrete the U.S gave Laos to build an airport in 1969

Arriving in Vientiane 2 hrs later we headed for our hotel, booked in then headed to the closest bar about 50m away and drank  Beerlao for the rest of the afternoon, chatted to some locals and tourists. Great drop and as good as Bingtang (Indonesian beer).

We now feel relaxed and looking forward to continuing our adventure albeit based on a reduced schedule which could allow for either increasing our stays or adventuring to other places and countries.

                                      Cheers and Beers for now (in this case very welcomed Beerlao)
                                                                                        J&J

Kanchanaburi

  Kanchanaburi, is situated 80km NW Bangkok and was reached by train taking about 3 hours. We think it was a 2^nd class train as seats were still padded and reasonably comfortable. Very full though and throughout the trip we had hawkers going up and down the aisles selling beer, soft drink and all types of different food at inflated prices naturally. Fascinating to watch the daily goings on of the Thai people. Arrived at our destination to the inevitable taxi/tuk tuk drivers but we knew we had only a short walk to our hotel and set off, only to find when we got there that (no have) again!!! But this time it was the wrong hotel. Apparently the owner of our hotel has several in and around this area (quite an entrepreneur) and once the problem was sorted a tuk tuk (one which we waved away earlier) arrived to pick us up and take us to the correct “hotel” (which they paid for!). A common mistake we understand and one that could easily be rectified by the strategic placement of a couple of signs. Our room is one of several constructed on a floating pontoon and sitting on the River Kwai (pronounced square without the “s”).  Quite pleasant watching the water flow by and the longtail boats zoom up and down, while having a beer on our little balcony. Just like home.



Our home for 3 nights on the River Kwai



Once settled in we headed for the Thai-Burma Railway Centre Museum just up the road. A very moving and informative experience covering the construction of the railway, treatment of the POW’S and what happened after construction. No photos were allowed unfortunately. Across the road is the Allied War Cemetery where over 6,500 POW’s are buried from Britain, Australia and Netherlands. It’s beautifully maintained and due to the fact that Anzac Day was only a few  weeks ago there were still Aussie flags, red poppies and wreaths around the cemetery. Very  touching.




Allied War Cemetery

 

Hellfire Pass

Next day we were up early catching the train to Nam Tok, 50km NW now the end of the upgraded?? original railway track. We crossed the legendary River Kwai bridge and had a very enjoyable 2hr roller coaster thrill ride before disembarking and catching a local bus the final 30km to Hellfire Pass. Just as we arrived at the Museum the rain that had been threatening all morning decided to fall. Oh well, just made the experience more realistic. The museum is quite informative, but it’s the walk along the remains of the railway track that really touch you and it is quite gut wrenching to try and imagine what the PoW’s went through seeing the terrain they had to toil in. And what makes it even more saddening is that the scenery is beautiful with the hills in the distance dividing Thailand from Myanmar (Burma). The greatest irony however is that so many men died from starvation in one of the most fertile valleys on the planet.



The original bridge over river Kwai still exists after the bombing, but the central section has been replaced. We travelled over this on the way to Hellfire Pass by train      and walked over it the next day. The original bridge was all curved sections. 

 Two days later after our stay in Kanchanaburi it was back to Bangkok by bus and taxi to collect our passports which we left at the Chinese Embassy for our 30 day visa to China which hopefully can be extended to 60 days otherwise another diversion maybe necessary. If you have ever heard horrible stories about Bangkok taxi drivers believe me they are all true. From Bangkok it was another overnight train to Nong Kai in the NE province of Thailand and 2 tuk tuks across the border to Vientiane in Laos where we have solved our shortened Thai visa dilemma. Our first choice to solve the problem was thwarted when we couldn’t get confirmation from the Thai immigration office that the border crossing to Myanmar (Burma) at Mae Sot would be open for a quick visa run on the way up to Chiang Mai (it and the others have been closed on and off due to constant border clashes and refugee problems). Getting into and out of Laos is easy with a 30 day VOA .



An adopted local who lived in our roof we named Kwai




The unwanted neighbour that tried to eat our Kwai



Without prebooking accommodation in Vientiane we winged it and found a pleasant guesthouse on the Mekong riverfront and made inquiries about a 2 day river trip up the Mekong from Luang Prabang to Huay Xia (approx 400km) which joins the northern Thai border and allows us to re-enter Thailand to complete our intended itinerary and then on into China via the Mekong again. We booked the trip at 1700 on 12th May and had to board the boat at 0645 on the 14th which meant securing tickets to Luang Prabang a 12hr bus trip for Friday 13^th. We tried pre-booking tickets on the 0800 VIP bus with our guesthouse manager but found his “bus no have, must catch different bus” reply very deceptive, so decided to wing it and just turn up at 0630. After much haggling with several tuk tuk drivers the next morning we arrived at the bus station and promptly bought 2 tickets for the so called full 0800 VIP bus. Another attempted con job.


Our 40m long river boat on the mighty Mekong which we shared with 4 other couples, 2 guides and 4 crew

2 fantastic days cruising up the Mekong River and a night at an ecolodge we arrived at Huay Xai. After several anxious phone calls initiated by concerns raised by a fellow river passenger we found out  that the Mekong ferry from Thailand to China we intend taking could be cancelled due to a lack of numbers so if we cross the border into Thailand tomorrow as intended we may get stuck and have to go all the way back to Bangkok and fly into China. No way are we doing that!!
Another alternative (number 3) and current favourite is to take 2 local buses (best travelled with blindfolds) up through the mountains to a Laos/China border crossing which we hope is still open. Northern Thailand will have to wait now till we return to Thailand in September. 

We have posted this blog without a definite destination tomorrow (so much for pre-planning) and may not have internet for a while so watch this space and all will be revealed eventually. If this blog is a bit messy it's because we rushed it.

                          Cheers and Beers ( in this case Chang Beer at Kanchanaburi)  bye for now

                                                                            J&J

Bangkok

 

All packed and ready to go



 Leaving Rebak and getting to Kuah ferry jetty was easy but purchasing the tickets for the right price and finding the line to catch the correct ferry proved more challenging. We realised our mistake when we found ourselves lined up for the Kedah ferry and hadn’t cleared immigration, quickly retreated, found Immigration and just made the Satun ferry as it was untying from the dock. That was close! Trip across to Satun was only an hour and quite pleasant to see the east coast of Langkawi.



 At Satun we cleared customs and immigration, only to find we have a 15 day visa rather than the 30 days we expected when arriving by boat. Apparently they consider this entry point as a land crossing even though you can only arrive by boat. This means some radical changes to our current itinerary as we intended on staying 21 days in Thailand and unfortunately extensions are not possible for this type of VOA (visa on arrival). Oh well still have 14 days to work this one out.

    The journey to Hat Yai wasn’t quite as expected either. We found ourselves on a minibus crammed in with our luggage around our ears for the next two hours and 14 other people mostly hookers on their way to work for the night. We got to the train station to pick up our pre-booked tickets to be told ‘no have’, but once John spoke with the manager we did eventually get the tickets. That was day 1, things WILL get easier from here on I’m sure.

Overnight train to Bangkok was pleasant and comfortable, meals delivered to our 1^st class sleeper cabin ($60 each) and when compared to the other classes it’s a bargain. We even had a lesson in Thai pronunciation from our stewardess, so now we can properly say thank you, how much, yes, no and most importantly too expensive!! Haggling here is a way of life and great fun, quite often you think you've had a good win only to find the guy around the corner will sell it or do it cheaper. You win some and you loose some.



Khao San at night





 We are staying at Khao San Road which is central to most of the sights and backpacker heaven full of bars, restaurants, tailors, massaaggee parlours, and stall upon stall of must have accessories, even fake diplomas and drivers licences.

              



and during the day

 

Bangkok's version of a tuktuk



 Bangkok. Wow! It’s just another capital city, but after floating around for many months on the boat it’s a shock to be in big crowds and traffic all pushing and shoving in different directions with the obligatory noise and pollution to go with it. Avoiding the con artists is an art in itself but after two attempts at hijacking us we have a better idea on how to avoid being taken.  



One of the many temples at the grand Palace




 Our days have been filled with visiting the must see places - The Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, parts of Chinatown, the ferry down the Chao Praya River, Amulet market, wandering the streets and just generally soaking up the atmosphere which can be rather overwhelming.






One of the many temple buddha



One of the Grand Palace Temples



Tuktuk and taxi drivers await us everywhere ready to take us wherever we want to go as long as it is where they want to take us.  Armed guards seem to be on every corner in full regalia with big guns. The temples and buildings are so numerous they seem to blend into one big golden shimmering mass, with monks everywhere. The food is great and the beer is much better than in Malaysia.



A busy Bangkok River



The trip we did along the Chao Praya River was quite interesting watching the sights pass us by, and John felt comfortable being on the water again.

 

  



Bye for now, cheers and beers (or in this case rumbos on the train to Bangkok)
J&J



Langkawi literally translated means “strong eagle”

 We’ve been rather busy this past week, preparing the boat, ourselves and other bits and pieces that keep cropping up for our tour inland.

    We have now got our backpacks sorted after much tooing and froing between the various luggage stores, trying to get the best price and comparing the qualities and all the features they have etc etc. Didn’t realize there was so much to consider, and despite what you read about haggling with the prices here in Asia, we have come to the conclusion that they don’t!! There are not the bargains here that used to be. Anyway, John has the big one and will also be carrying the bum bag & I’ve got two smaller ones, that I will be wearing front & back. We still can’t really agree on what to pack and I guess it will be trial and error as we go.

    We have also been to the dentist a couple of times since arriving and had a check-up, clean and polish initially and since then have both been back for some repair work. The dentist is a no-nonsense lady and believe it or not, but her name is Dr Chew (no joke!). You either have pain or you don’t, there is no middle ground. I had a filling that had to be redone and I needed three needles, after she gave them it was back out to the waiting room while another patient fills the chair, this time it was John. It’s much cheaper than Oz and we will get further work done while over here.

 Our main mode of transport whilst visiting Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand on the land has been a motorbike, which we’ve used to visit a lot of the sights as well as getting to and from the shops, traditional markets for fruit and vegies and also the service stations for fuel. This past week has been no different, and we did a fuel run, as John wanted to fill the two main tanks with diesel before hauling out so no moisture would form inside the tanks and cause a bug to grow which could contaminate the fuel. This entailed several trips to the servo with a 20L drum between John’s legs and another one on my lap between us. Must have been a sight judging by some of the looks we got. The buying of fuel is always challenging over here.  We have also seen some interesting things being carried on motorbikes  ie:  crates of chickens, piles of market produce, and not to mention Mum, Dad and 2-3 kids. What we saved in getting the fuel this way rather than at one of the fuel barges more than paid for the week’s hire of the motorbike.

Motorbike hire for 1 week was RM 100 (AU$ 33). Diesel over here is RM 1.80/L (Au$ 0.60c/L).



Chicken tonight?





or would you prefer Beef? Horns are optional

Most of our fresh fruit and vegies as well as prawns, chicken and pork (in Thailand only) as Malaysia is predominantly Muslim (say no more), has been purchased from the local traditional markets and these are amazing places to visit. For those of you not accustomed to these sort of markets the sights and smells are overwhelming and not easily forgotten. There is no fancy packaged goods in nice polystyrene trays with plastic wrap. Everything is freshly killed and you just tell them what you want and they slice it off the beast or chop up the chicken.

Plenty of vegetables at the markets – it’s just knowing how to cook some of it.

 I have a much better idea since doing a cooking course in Thailand and all the green stuff isn’t such a mystery now!

Cheers and beers (or in this case margeritas)

J and J





Our First Blog

Well, here we are starting something else new. Now we are bloggers. Better late than never. Maybe we'll embrace skype next who knows.

We are currently anchored at Bass Harbour, Kuah on Langkawi Island in Malaysia. We returned from Phuket in March & have spent the time since organising our selves & the boat for our inland tour of SE Asia. So, what has been sorted so far is that we haul out at Rebak Marina & leave the boat sitting out on the hard stand for 6-7 months, while travelling through Thailand, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand (again), then back to Malaysia. It's been a busy period for us, but we have also found some time to relax & read a book or two & catch up with a few other yachties from the Indonesian/Malaysian rally. We have a rough plan of what we would like so see in our travels, but like everything we plan, it is subject to change. Now we have this blog we can keep everyone informed about what we are doing. When we work out how to add photos to this we will.

Bye for now
J&J