The fast disappearing Hutongs of Beijing

I am not going to dwell on my experience of Beijing. I believe there is plenty of more informed opinion out there. I stayed in Shanglin Hostel/Leo 2 Hostel. It was great. The people were really friendly, I am a sucker for free wifi, and it was nice to have a Hutong courtyard experience. I returned to stay there a total of 4 times.

Beijing seems to be in the grips of frantic preparation for the Olympic games which kick off in 2 months time. In my numerous trip to Beijing spanning a 4 weeks, I would see buildings torn down and new ones erected. I snuck behind a few barriers and spent some time walking around the old hutongs of Beijing. Many of these building have what appear to be demolition orders plastered to their walls and people remain living in these half demolished buildings. I have been told that the current inhabitants of these hutongs are being expropriated and no longer live in the rebuilt modern buildings that are fast replacing them.

I found the people in Beijing very friendly and encountered students who, looking to practice their English, would happily act as an impromptu tour guide for hours on end. I also happened upon other with less altruistic motives.

For a great Eng lish/American breakfast I recommend Grandma's Kitchen. They have a few location peppered around Beijing. Their great western food comes with free wifi. The nearby tiny Poet's Cafe serves great dumplings (not on the menu) and although the tea is quite price,y the proprietors, a young couple, are very friendly and also offer free Internet. My favourite place however, is the somewhat pricey, but always bustling Sakura cafe at the entrance to 365 Inn.

Draft 29 Days on my visa and its time to leave China: Relections on train travel in China.

Its 7:50 and I have just departed on the K23 to Ulan Bator. This brings my 4 week stay in China to a close and once again, I am greeted with an unexpected surprise this morning. My train compartment has a power outlet which affords me plenty of opportunity to catch up on the writing that I haven't done since I first arrived in China.

My time in China has been chiefly punctuated by the devastating Sichuan Earthquake on May 12, at 2:28am. This needs a special mention and I have dealt with my experiences and thoughts surrounding this natural catastrophe in this post.

I have spent most of my time in China in Beijing, Shanghai, Urumqi and Kashgar and, by the time I arrive at the border town of Elian at 12:00 tonight, I will have clocked a total of 7000+ kilometers by train. Train travel in China has been delightfully comfortable and easy and I highly recommend it. It gives you the opportunity to see so much of the countryside and plently of time to meet locals. Overnight trains save on the cost of accommodation, and in many respects I find it a lot easier than air travel. Lastly, for the green travelers amongst you, it offers a more environmentally conscious way to travel.

My first train trip was a 87 RMB 12 hour soft sleeper trip from Suifenhe to Harbin in which I gripped by fever at the end of what was my worst day of the year (This is the best day of my year!). My time in Harbin was clouded by illness and a dampened spirit. I regret not making it to Sun Island.

From Harbin I travelled on the Z16 to Beijing (at a cost of RMB 466) where I once again shared a 4 birth soft sleeper compartment with 3 locals. This train, like the k23 I am now on, had individual TV screens with remote controls. Whoever would have thought!

I later traveled the short 2 hour journey from Beijing to Jixian county to watch friends partake in the Great Wall Marathon and there had my first experience at travelling by hard seat with the People! Although I had reserved a seat, it was taken by the time I boarded. I was left standing in an aisle for about 15 minutes until a conductor arrived and shouted at the offending sqautor, presumably for making me stand. It was otherwise an uneventful trip.

My trip to Shanghai and back was made on the 14 hour  Z1/Z2 which I presumed, given the low number of the train, would be my most luxurious. I was mistaken. No individual TV screens in my compartment here. We did however have roses in our compartment. It is worth noting that the first train station you stop at on the morning of your arrival in Shanghai is not actually Shanghai train station. I was tempted to disembark as I was the only person that remained in my carriage, but my instincts were correct and Shanghai proper was still a further hour away. I have subsequently learnt that it makes sense to study your timetable so that you know exactly when to get off because some carriage attendants are rather inattentive at keeping you informed.

On a whim, I decided to travel by train to Urumqi from Beijing. The change over from the Winter to Summer timetable of the K23 meant that no train ran to Ulan Bator for more than a week and I was left stranded in Beijing. As much as I have enjoyed Beijing, I had grown bored of it and the idea of camping out waiting to leave did not appeal to me. The idea of traveling cross country by train was suggested to me by a friend in Urumqi and after she told me that she would be jealous that I would see the breadth of China during this 45 hour, 3768 km journey out west to the Xinjiang, the New Frontier, I was completely captivated by the idea. I found this article relating to this journey in the opposite direction and I decided I had to go. This rather expensive soft sleeper cost me RMB 966, which made this no less expensive than an air ticket on the same day, but I would make this journey again and again if I had the time.

Beijing to Urumqi: A XYZ carbon cred

This train ride ticks a lot of boxes. Its almost as far as you can travel in China. It takes you on a 45 hours journey that totals 3768 km. It takes you to the place in the world that is furthest from any coast line. It takes you pretty close to the second lowest depression in the world after the dead sea. It takes you through desert and snow capped peaks to the fabled Silk Road. And most importantly for me, it takes you to the region of China in which I had the most fun.

This is the same journey, albeit in the opposite direction, that has been written about in this article. My experience was a little more tame as I had the fortune to travel by soft sleeper.

He has already done a great job writing about this journey. I will share with you some pictures:

BeinjingXi (west) Train station is massive. It is certainly the biggest train station building I have ever seen!

I was surprised how in a 45 hour trip along the breadth of China, it was almost impossible not to see evidence of Man's hand for every single part of the journey.

Although quite difficult to do when you are traveling at 140 km/h, I think I did a reasonable job of capturing these wild camels.

There are plenty of new railway lines being installed along this route. There is also a new gas/oil pipeline which straddles the train tracks for much of the 3rd day of this journey.

As someone that is quite environmentally aware, I decided to do a few calculations. Having in the past calculated my own personal carbon footprint, I am aware that of all my behaviours, my penchant for travel alone accounts for most of my personal footprint. I am interested to see how much of a difference making this journey by train makes. The price of this ticket was just less than RMB 1000, which is not so different from the USD 152 flight I saw advertised on the same day for a flight. I have calculated and valued the difference between these two forms of transport based on the information at www.carbonfootprint.com

Firstly I have dismissed the argument that both the train and the plane were flying anyway and therefore my decision, ultimately has no impact on the amount of carbon emissions. Although I recognise its verity in the short term, I instead believe that, although my individual decision making is at this time is immaterial, similar collective decision making over time would result in emptier flights, fuller trains and ultimately less of the former and more of the later hence bringing about a reduction in carbon emissions. In order to get to that point, something has to be done now and can't be dismissed with such reasoning.

According to carbonfootprint.com, based on the length of this journey, I would be responsible for 0.343 tonnes of CO2 if I travel by air and 0.000 if I make the same journey of 3768 kms traveling by train. The is same website gives me the option to offset this amount by contributing towards the Clean Energy Fund, towards Reforestation in Kenya or towards UK Tree Planting. If I were to responsibly offset the emissions that I am responsible for, this might cost me as much as $24.

If you are interested in doing the same, go to www.carbonfootprint.com or this offline calculator might also prove useful: http://timeforchange.org/offline-carbon-footprint-calculator

The many faces of Kashgar

I have romantic images of the fabled Ancient Silk Road which I think has long since vanished. Most of central Kashgar, although sporting a Mosque built in 1422, looks like it has gone up in the last 30 years. There is the old town, but you need to go looking for it. It is not immediately apparent and some parts charge an entry fee!!!!  If there is one aspect of Kashgar the met my expectation of the ancient Silk Road, it was people's faces and their variety. The faces of Kashgar and their variety speak of a time when people from many far flung places passed though these parts, perhaps settled, or simply left their progeny. Ethnic Han Chinese are in the minority and the influence of Russians, Kazakhstanis, Indians, Pakistanis and are evident in this crossroads of Central Asia.

Karakal Lake - I might make an exception and return to this remote place

I don't often return to far flung travel destinations. My experience of travelling the world has taught me that there are always new and interesting places worth discovering. I have always thought the opportunity cost of returning to the same place is perhaps a little too high. I have so far made only a few exceptions, and I think Karakal lake might be one of them. I would like however to return as part of a ski touring party in the winter. I was there in early June and the snowcapped peaks beckoned. I am not sure about the logistical arrangements to getting into and camping out in this mountainous border region, access to which remains very tight,  but I will certainly be researching it in the coming months and put this one on my extreme skiing/ boarding destination radar for possible future trips. Let me know if you're interested! Karakal in Winter 2009/2010 anyone?

Here are some of my favourtire snaps:

I spent a night in a ger for RMB 50 and quite disappointingly our hosts were not as friendly as I might have hoped. In a nearby ger inhabited by a German we met, my travelling companion came across this remarkable local that happily strummed away and sang a song taught to him by earlier French guests.

Freedom in China: Doing exactly what I want in Urumqi and Turpan

I can't tell you much about Urumqi as my stay there was brief. No sooner had I arrived in Urumqi and I was whisked away to Turpan/Tulufan and went in search of Aiding Lake. This is meant to be the second lowest depression in the world and the highest recorded temperature in China of 49,6 degrees is said to be recorded here. While we drove around the desert looking for this lake (I think it has dried up as we were only able to find salt pans) the thermometer in our SUV edged up to, and eventually past 49 degrees and my altimeter edged down to -159 meters. I think both might need to be recalibrating.

Failing to find this lake, we eventually resorted to swimming in the only water we could find - a storm water drain!

After asking our driver to abandon us in the middle of nowhere, I spent my first night sleeping under the stars, sheltered by grape vines. Its was an unforgettable experience.

On my second day in Turpan we finally gave in to seeing a few of the tourist sites before taking the old road back to Urumqi and swimming in whatever water we could find.

Turpan is the birthplace of Islam in China which I believe arrived in the 10th century AD. Prior to this is was Buddhist and the remains of Buddhas are still evident in the mud walls of the temples in....

Fubar is a place in Urumqi worth mentioning. It serves delightful Chicken burgers and has wifi. The proprietors are very friendly and happily acted as translator for our driver over the course of our two days gallivant around Urumqi and Turpan. Given how insane some of our requests must have seemed, we needed constant clarification from Simon.

Train travel advice when travelling in China

I am a novice when it comes to train travel but with now more than 7000 kilometers of train travel in China, let me share my practical thoughts with you.

Top or bottom bunk? There is no easy answer here. I believe that if the journey is an overnight journey, where most of it is likely spent asleep, I would definitely take the top bunk. There you have more privacy, can sleep in later as you aren't disturbed by your cabin partners when they decide to climb down, and your personal space isn't invaded when someone decides to sit on YOUR bed! On the other hand (Darren!), if your journey is significantly longer than a 12 hour overnight trip, you may find the top bunk a little cramped, and if you yourself don't want to invade the lower bunk when you need to sit, you have to head out into the corridor to take a seat. The corridor can be quite a busy place if you want to eat or read. If you are a keen photographer, as I am, the top bunk does not leave you a comfortable vantage point from which to take photos. On longer trips I have opted for the lower birth.

Some advice for taking pictures: Its sometime difficult to find a window that you can open. On my 45 hour trip from Beijing to Urumqi I watched the windows become progressively dirtier and dirtier. I suggest you take a rag and make short trips outside at each stop to wipe your window. Also, make sure it is dry as it will pick up dust pretty quickly if it is wet. (If you are sleeping on the top bunk you will struggle to clean the top half of the window). Lastly, take along a circular polarizing filter as it will enable you get rid of some of the internal reflection on the windows.

Purchasing tickets: You have a number of options which range from doing it yourself, having your hotel /hostel purchase them on your behalf for a commission of usually RMB20 or the most expensive option getting them online from CITS or in Chinatripadvisor. I did all (except chinatriadvisor  as I found them to be slow, they often provided me with incorrect information and their site was sometimes inaccessible) without ever hearing the dreaded "Mei you" (No have). For trips that I was making on short notice on busy routes or my international booking to Ulan Bator, I booked through CITS (2nd floor Beijing International Hotel - they sent me there when I went to the head office). In Shanghai I purchased a ticket from the ticket office at the train station. There is a booth marked "English speaking" and it was true to its word and was entirely hassle free. I had however arrived prepared, in the same way as I had done when purchasing ticket from non English speaking ticket offices. I had written out a note in Chinese script (which took some time) which detailed my destination, the train number (which I found on the Internet at ), my date of travel, the class of travel, the number of tickets I required, and which birth in a soft sleeper compartment I required. I have copied an example below.

I also believe it is worthwhile to print a copy of the train timetable before you leave. I was almost caught out... twice. On my trip to Harbin my guide book noted that you should not get off your train when you first get into Harbin as this is train station is Harbin North and after another 15 minutes your train arrives in Harbin Central. My first stop was Harbin Central although I didn't know this at the time. I could not bring myself to stay on the train after I watched absolutely everyone else get off and fortunately I joined them as I have no idea where I might otherwise have ended up. A similar thing happened on my journey to Shanghai although in this case I resisted the temptation to join the masses that disembarked when we first stopped and since Shanghai North train station remained another hour away, I am glad I stayed on the train.

Toilets in China are an experience and I was pleasantly surprised by the trains. That isn't to say that they aren't sometimes an adventure, but I expected worse. Most trains I traveled on where equipped with a squat toilet at one end of each carriage and a western toilet at the other end. I also discovered on my longer trips, where avoiding toilet altogether was unavoidable, that toilets are often cleaned at scheduled stops so I soon learned to schedule my toilet trips after scheduled stop. On the K23 I am traveling in style! I have a spotless toilet attached to my compartment which I share with my neighbouring compartment. Upon entering you need to latch the other door closed so that you don't have an embarrassing visitor. I recently heard to toilet flush and looked to see if my neighbour had closed my latch (indicated by a red "occupied" indicator). He hadn't. I hope I don't have the misfortune of interrupting him.

The rest I think is common sense. Don't stress about provisions. There has always been a restaurant car on the trains I have traveled on and there are always vendors selling drinks and snacks on the train, and at every stop. Take along wet wipes. Smile a lot, even if you don't speak Mandarin. I have found all the people I have met on the train, both passengers and attendants, to be delightfully helpful and courteous.

The Sechaun Earthquake: A nation grieves

I first learnt about the quake in China's Sichuan province when I received messages from friends asking if I was fine. I was miles away and, being unable to follow Chinese media, I was totally unaware about what had happened. Learning of the earthquake answered many of the questions I had had. I had seen crowds of people staring at public TV's and wondered why everyone was so still so concerned about the tropical storm in Myanmar that had taken place almost 2 weeks earlier.

Whilst taking the train out to Jixian county, a week after the quake, I sat opposite a young Chinese girl reading the newspapers. As she read story after story of tragedy and heroism in the days that followed the quake, she sat with tears streaming down her face. For a nation that is portrayed by the West as lacking emotion, I have been had cause to challenge my preconceptions about China and the Chinese. I have watched an entire nation of 1.4 billion people pour out their emotions and mourn the victims of this quake. The bright neon lights that normally light up the night time cityscape of Shanghai were switched off upon my arrival, people everywhere have donated generously, the media has remained absolutely captivated by this story, train schedules have been interrupted as resources have been redirected towards post disaster recovery, and I have already seen advertisements in English for Expressions of Interests for international contractors that would like to tender for the reconstruction of many of the devastated areas.

China is not a country with one homogenous culture. Many of those injured in this quake were in fact Tibetan. Nonetheless, I have only witnessed blanket concern for all Chinese injured in this quake. Against the backdrop of this, I was absolutely horrified to see Sharon Stone's interview at the Cannes film festival. Given the advantage that her life has afforded her, I am blown away by her lack of compassion for the innocent victims of this quake and her ill informed opinion. I wish there were harsher consequences for her than simply being pulled from the Dior campaign in China. Likewise I was disturbed by the coverage that CNN gave of this incident. Rather than dwelling on the fact that the Chinese government's official that commented on Sharon Stone's slur, mispronunciation of her name, I think the content of what he was saying is most important. If mainstream foreign press decides that a tongue tied government official is newsworthy, I would expect we would have a sound bite a day from president Bush. Although subtle, I think such reporting is what paints such horrible and inaccurate portrayals of China and the Chinese.

Back to Sharon Stone who is friends with the Dalai Lama... Sharon, I have a few messages for you: Firstly your knowledge of Buddhism is seriously lacking. As the close friend of the Dalai Lama that you purport to be, make the effort to understand his religion a little better. You, like most of the western world are captivated by a vague and somewhat appealing notion of instant Karma. Karma, if you are to believe in it, doesn't work like that. Karma revisits one's soul in a subsequent lifetime. Think before you open your mouth. Secondly, many of the effected where Tibetan. You should make an effort to be better informed when you decide to make political statements. Lastly, ignoring all of this, you should at least know that China is not a democracy, the people have not voted in the government, and just like I wouldn't blame you for the many evil's of your government, I can't understand how you can hold a belief that it is good for innocent people to suffer and lose their lives on an horrendously grand scale, because of the violence purportedly carried out by their government. Have a little compassion for the people of the world!

Perhaps when real Karma plays out in your next lifetime, should you be enlightened enough to be reincarnated as a human which, in my personal opinion, I doubt, you too might have the experience of being on the receiving end of such insensitive comments whilst you mourn lost loved ones and the death of what looks like may amount to 85'000+ people.

The fast disappearing Hutongs of Beijing

I am not going to dwell on my experience of Beijing. I believe there is plenty of more informed opinion out there. I stayed in Shanglin Hostel/Leo 2 Hostel. It was great. The people were really friendly, I am a sucker for free wifi, and it was nice to have a Hutong courtyard experience. I returned to stay there a total of 4 times.

Beijing seems to be in the grips of frantic preparation for the Olympic games which kick off in 2 months time. In my numerous trip to Beijing spanning a 4 weeks, I would see buildings torn down and new ones erected. I snuck behind a few barriers and spent some time walking around the old hutongs of Beijing. Many of these building have what appear to be demolition orders plastered to their walls and people remain living in these half demolished buildings. I have been told that the current inhabitants of these hutongs are being expropriated and no longer live in the rebuilt modern buildings that are fast replacing them.

I found the people in Beijing very friendly and encountered students who, looking to practice their English, would happily act as an impromptu tour guide for hours on end. I also happened upon other with less altruistic motives.

For a great Eng lish/American breakfast I recommend Grandma's Kitchen. They have a few location peppered around Beijing. Their great western food comes with free wifi. The nearby tiny Poet's Cafe serves great dumplings (not on the menu) and although the tea is quite price,y the proprietors, a young couple, are very friendly and also offer free Internet. My favourite place however, is the somewhat pricey, but always bustling Sakura cafe at the entrance to 365 Inn.

Spectating the Great Wall Marathon 2008

A few friends of mine happened to be in China during my visit as they were running the Great Wall marathon, organised by Albatros Travel who have similar races across the globe. I decided to join them in Jixian county to watch them race.

There was a part of me that, in watching them conquer the wall, wished that I had known about this race months before and had had the opportunity to train. There was absolutely no running it with out adequate training. This is more of an adventure race than a marathon and even the front runners walk parts of the wall and run the flats. I had the opportunity to explore some of the steeper sections of the wall as I looked for a vantage point to take photos and was overwhelmed by the terrain. I take my hat off to everyone that took part in this race and respect all those who completed it.

In one of those small world experiences that leaves you pondering the nature of the universe, I ran into someone that I had earlier met in Gulmarg in Kashmir in March. She was then writing a piece on Gulmarg and was now running the Great wall marathon and writing about it for cnn.com. For more about the race, take a look at her article here.

A quick update

I know I haven't posted in some time. I have written a number of updates and as soon as I can connect my laptop to the internet I will be updating this blog. In the interim, here are a few pictures from the last week of mine spent in the Xinjiang province, the New Frontier of China.